“I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you’ve never actually known what the question is.”
Deep Thought, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
I have been using Shapr3D on and off for about a year now to design stuff for myself to 3D print. I would like to take my designs to the next step now, and go beyond some simple boxes for around the house and start making things that fit specific shapes. My question is how to I go about measuring or copying those objects? Is there a method, or tools that I can use? I have seen videos on taking pictures to make inserts for drawers, and I have seen videos on using 3D scanners. The first seems to work for a simple outline for some things. The second seems to be a bit beyond me means right now.
I have a ruler, I have callipers and have seen things online to print like radius gauges and such. I kind of assume that I should be able to combine these, along with other tools, to measure and recreate most things that I want to be able to interact with. The ruler and callipers are obvious to me, but I just don’t know how to approach the rest.
I am hoping that someone here can point me in the right direction to help me learn!
Just as an example of what I am wanting to build I have some of the Ikea Smart Home switches in my room. They have a metal plate that can be mounted to a wall and the switches can stick to that. It works really decently but the places I have put the switches (under my desk, beside my bed) seem to all be places that I easily can knock the switches from their plates. I want to make a form fitting collar for them that helps stop me from brushing them off of the plates. Here is where my terminology starts to fail even more… the switches are curved in some way on all sides. I think if I can use the right tool I should be able to figure out what those curves are. I just don’t know how to approach measuring them, or what to measure with.
I know the answer is 42. I just don’t know the right question!
Thanks for reading my confused rambling, if you got this far!
Why don’t you upload a picture or two or three of the metal plate or switch that you would like to model. There are folks here that are eager to help.
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I checked out the IKEA page and I understand your comment about “curved in some way on all sides”. You want to measure that curve so that you can recreate the same curve in Shapr3D.
Let me give you the “wrong” answer. It is the one that worked for me, but is unlikely not the best or most efficient method.
On a piece of paper, I drew a square box that included the entire object to the maximum measurements. Then, added the outline of the object inside that box. Then using 5mm intervals, I measured the distance from the outside of the box to the object. Now I have a clear indication of how far from the box each point on the object lies. I recreate the box and the lines in Shapr3D. Now I can connect the lines and extrude my new design. For compound curves. I turn the face and repeat…Although the other face is usually 1mm grid if you want to get it perfect.
The other method I have used successfully when precision was not required….the TLAR™ method. I make the same measurements as above, but with 1cm or greater spacing. The inside Shapr3D, I make a shape That Looks About Right (TLAR™).
Hope you solve…Hope even more someone smarter shows us a better way!
I would have thought by now I would know better than hope that there is a magical solution that just takes something as simple as a press of a button to solve all of my challenges.
On a piece of paper, I drew a square box that included the entire object to the maximum measurements. Then, added the outline of the object inside that box. Then using 5mm intervals, I measured the distance from the outside of the box to the object. Now I have a clear indication of how far from the box each point on the object lies. I recreate the box and the lines in Shapr3D. Now I can connect the lines and extrude my new design. For compound curves. I turn the face and repeat…Although the other face is usually 1mm grid if you want to get it perfect.
Thank you for describing how you would approach this! I think might have just underestimated why the tool tray tutorials used a similar method to get the basic shape. I assumed it was a simplified way to get one outline but not the whole object. I see now that there is no reason I couldn’t apply this method to most of the things I am look at around the house (these switches in particular!)
… The disadvantage of watching other people creating things is that often you only see the final results and not all the hard work that went into it. Even the youtube videos often gloss completely over or montage the work. I have to keep in mind the mistakes, adjustments and do-overs really are part of the project and not just something that only I do. I wonder how many more years on this planet I have to live before I accept this? 
