System and method for handling assets for fabrication

A reusable component for embedding into 3D models, comprising:

• an export file that describes contents that can be fabricated on a targeted fabrication machine,
• wherein in response to a fabrication request all or part of the geometry represented by the export file is translated and/or rotated to reflect the position and/or orientation of the reusable component with respect to the 3D model in which the reusable component is embedded, and then integrated at that position and orientation into the export of the 3D model.

A system for automated tweaking of 3D models comprising:

• an asset conversion mechanism to compare subparts of an asset to a plurality of library assets and to replace each subpart of the asset with a library asset that better matches a criterion passed into the conversion as a parameter.

A method for generating a reusable component comprising:

• generating an export file executable by the targeted fabrication machine,
• wherein all or part of the geometry represented by the export file allows translation or rotation or both to reflect a position of an asset in a 3D model containing the asset.

A method for fabricating physical 3D models using a laser cutter, the method comprising:

• projecting surfaces into a 2D coordinate system;
• and
• introducing carpentry joints between pairs of the projected surfaces that were adjacent in the 3D model.