I recently learned about the Autodesk 3D Print Utility tool. [Download Here]

It’s supposed to be an all-in-one helper that lets you very simply pop in a model and print it out.

It’ll do all the mesh fixing and support generation for you, much like PreForm.

I scoped it out for its mesh fixing utility.

Loading up is pretty straightforward. You must select a printer and a material from the list. The default is MakerBot Replicator 2 with PLA White as the material.

It auto-orients the mesh and adds supports. You can change orientations with the “Minimize” checkbox, to minimize supports.

Here I loaded up the broken Peppermint Butler. It fixed the model without many problems.

I saved the mesh as an STL and got back a fixed up PP with no support structures. Whoohoo!

Next I loaded up the broken Rakdos model. I’d initially thought the 3D Print Utility broke after 30 minutes of the “processing model” loading bar.

However, after 3 hours, it’s fixed.

It’s like Sculpteo!

Interestingly, the mesh lost a lot of resolution compared to the original.

Summary:

Pros:

• fixes basic meshes and generates support structures
• exports the repaired model without the supports
• connects to printers easily
• loads OBJs and STLs

Cons:

• limited printer choices
• struggles on difficult-to-fix models
• no way to upload another model without restarting the program