u/CampaignFit9251

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a tool I’ve been developing for SketchUp called EasyGear. If you’ve ever tried to manually calculate center-to-center distances and draw mechanically accurate involute gears, you know it can be a massive headache.

I built EasyGear specifically for 3D printing enthusiasts and mechanical designers who want to skip the complex math and manual alignment. It doesn't just draw a gear—it builds the perfect mechanical relationship between two shafts.

Here is how it works: You don't even need to measure the distance between your shafts. Just click on two cylindrical components in your model. EasyGear instantly measures the exact center-to-center distance, asks for the radius of your first gear, and handles the rest.

Key Features:

• Smart Auto-Alignment: Automatically finds shaft centers and calculates the exact distance.
• Foolproof Mathematics: Input the radius of one gear, and the plugin automatically calculates the exact size and tooth count for the second gear to guarantee a perfect mesh.
• 3D Printing Ready (Backlash Control): Easily adjust the clearance (backlash) between teeth to account for your specific 3D printer's tolerances.
• True Involute Profiles: Geometrically accurate tooth profiles for smooth mechanical power transmission.
• Ready for Extrusion: Gear outlines are generated as continuous, welded curves (perfectly closed 2D faces). Just use the native Push/Pull tool to give them your desired thickness, and they are ready to spin smoothly straight off your FDM or resin bed.

The best part? The EasyGear generator is completely FREE to use. It's included in the free tier of my MoGrOv plugin suite.

🔗 You can get it here: [ https://www.mogrov.pro/easy-gear ]

I’d absolutely love to hear your feedback, feature requests, or see what kind of mechanisms you build with it! Happy modeling!

I do a lot of functional printing for my woodworking shop, and I design almost everything in SketchUp.

As anyone who uses SketchUp for 3D printing knows, the moment you try to model complex curved geometry like threads, the slicer (I use Bambu Studio) throws a fit with "non-manifold edges" and the print fails or the threads bind up.

I got tired of manually fixing broken meshes, so over the last few months, I built a custom Ruby extension (I call it MoGrOv) to solve this. It bypasses SketchUp's standard geometry issues and forces it to output perfectly closed, solid screws and nuts.

I just pulled these M24 parts straight off the printer . Zero post-processing, zero sanding, just a perfect mechanical fit.

It's been a game-changer for my workflow. Just wanted to share this win with the community – especially if there are any other SketchUp holdouts out there struggling with functional prints!

Hey everyone,

I do a lot of woodworking and rely on 3D printing for custom jigs and functional workshop tools. I prefer designing in SketchUp, but whenever I tried to import complex curved geometry (like threads) into Bambu Studio, it would constantly throw "non-manifold edges" warnings and the slicer would ruin the mesh.

I got tired of constantly trying to fix broken geometry, so I spent the last few months coding my own custom Ruby extension for SketchUp (I named it MoGrOv). It forces the software to generate perfectly smooth, closed "Solid" screws and nuts that Bambu Studio can slice without a single error.

I just printed these parts [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Zu4r0s7xTUY ] and they thread together flawlessly right off the build plate with zero post-processing.

Just wanted to share this victory with anyone else who struggles with SketchUp and Bambu Studio! Let me know what you think of the print quality.

Hi everyone,

Like many of you, I design mechanical parts, custom hardware, and workshop jigs directly in SketchUp. However, whenever I needed to physically manufacture those parts, I always hit the same wall: most fastener plugins only create visual representations—fake textures or unprintable geometry.

To get perfectly fitting threaded parts right off the bed of my Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus without endless manual corrections, I decided to build a dedicated tool from the ground up.

I’m excited to share the MoGrOv Generator with the community. It’s a parametric Ruby extension built specifically to generate true, manifold, 3D-printable solid geometry.

Here is what it can do:

• Real 3D Threads: Generates precise helical paths and clean edge operations. No fake textures, 100% solid.
• Full Range Fasteners: Create standard bolts and nuts (the full version scales smoothly from M2 all the way to M450).
• Threaded Holes: Easily cut internal threads directly into your existing models.
• Bottle Caps & Threads: A specialized module for generating custom bottle necks and their perfectly matching screw caps.

I know seeing is believing, so I’ve uploaded a free Trial Version to the Extension Warehouse. The trial is fully functional but limited to M4, M5, M6, and M7 sizes, so you can slice them and test the physical tolerances for yourself.

You can download the trial here: [www.mogrov.pro] I’ve also put together some video tutorials on YouTube showing the workflow: [MoGrOv youtube channel]

I’d love for you to test it out and let me know your thoughts or feature requests. Happy modeling and printing!