dreams of white
[learning how to use the 3D laser scanner and printer]
for next week: take anything 2D or 3D, provide input, and print output. [the possibilities loom.]
here are the best attempts to gather the knowledge i've absorbed in the last two days regarding the 3D machines. so fancy; this is the moment i've been waiting for.
the dreaded blender resurfaces for texture mapping bitmaps onto mesh curves. the plan: learn 3d studio max this week and see if it's easier to work with. but in case i bug out...
blender [newest version]:
- create a mesh [e.g. uv sphere - 12 segments, 12 rings].
- uv face select mode
- uv image editor mode
- [on right screen] image : open image
- U_key: sphere
- texture
- A_key: shift-right-click the polygons
and then, exporting as VRML 2.0 preserves the color mapping.
minolta laser scanner:
- SCSI connection, so turn scanner on, then turn computer on
- geomagic studio software
- i found this software tutorial and this other tutorial online
- show image window -> show streaming video
- can either autofocus or input manual distance and power
- each scanning pass obtains 300,000 points of data [wow!]
- to clean up, points -> reduce noise, points -> wrap, polygon -> fill holes
- to smooth edges, tools -> make boundary edges -> path fit
- to simplify, polygon -> decimate
- to stitch together several scans, callibrate z-axis, tools -> registration
save as VMRL 2.0 file!
so there are two printers at our disposal: the stratasys, which takes in STL files and prototypes in heavy-duty monochrome ABS plastic, and the zcorp, which takes in STL or VRML files and models in color using a special plaster. sadly, at the moment, the stratasys is out of commission. the zcorp prints to 0.004" resolution.
zcorp printing:
[to fill the trays, can either do automatically or manually.]
auto: go to online mode, and do 406service -> fill bed -> start. the printer goes and does its own thing for a couple minutes, spreading the plaster smoothly from the feed bin to the build bin. use the vacuum on the side to suck up the excess dust. to get the particles underneath the head, go offline, press spread to move the head, and suck away.
manual: make sure you're in offline mode. even out contents of feed bin with special flattening tool. move the build bin to about quarter-inch below the top lip. spread. raise feed bin to about quarter-inch above the top. spread. raise feed bin. spread. keep spreading until things look smooth. lower build tray to about quarter-inch below the lip. vacuum excess. [keep things pretty and neat while working; the white dust gets everywhere.]
go to 406service -> unpark and use deionized water to wet the wipers and the cups. dry only the cups with a paper towel.
on with the software! zprint!
when using the zprint software for the zcorp printer, should always import your files. the most efficient way to use the space within the printing envelope is to place the objects on the bottom; keeping z-values low is key to saving hours of plaster laying. good idea to buddy up with friends to lay jobs simultaneously on the printing bed.
- transform -> justify to line up to area envelope
- do print estimate (quicker for monochrome)
- problems? try edit->invert normals
- default with spatial interior
- want a shell? take boolean subtraction of smaller shape from larger one
click the button for 3D print setup and choose either setting of ZP102 [drier] or ZP56-102 [wetter, better color]. if you want monochrome printing, choose 406service -> change binder supply. the best part of this is an email notification service that tells you when your thing has finished after 31.7 hours! edit -> preferences to enter email. :)
post-printing, take dusty object over to the vacuum station and scrape, wipe, suck, and excavate to heart's delight. post-post-printing, put into the oven machine to heat and wax, which strengthens and preserves the plaster model.
the coolest models to come out of the 3D printers are those with integrated free-moving parts, such as a ball-bearing system, a time-watch mechanism, or a ball-and-socket connected vertebrae. more skeletal-inspired ideas: fixed joint, hinge joint, pivot joint, sliding joint. i wonder if i could make a rough metronome. found page of cool historical instruments.
for next week: take anything 2D or 3D, provide input, and print output. [the possibilities loom.]
here are the best attempts to gather the knowledge i've absorbed in the last two days regarding the 3D machines. so fancy; this is the moment i've been waiting for.
the dreaded blender resurfaces for texture mapping bitmaps onto mesh curves. the plan: learn 3d studio max this week and see if it's easier to work with. but in case i bug out...
blender [newest version]:
- create a mesh [e.g. uv sphere - 12 segments, 12 rings].
- uv face select mode
- uv image editor mode
- [on right screen] image : open image
- U_key: sphere
- texture
- A_key: shift-right-click the polygons
and then, exporting as VRML 2.0 preserves the color mapping.
minolta laser scanner:
- SCSI connection, so turn scanner on, then turn computer on
- geomagic studio software
- i found this software tutorial and this other tutorial online
- show image window -> show streaming video
- can either autofocus or input manual distance and power
- each scanning pass obtains 300,000 points of data [wow!]
- to clean up, points -> reduce noise, points -> wrap, polygon -> fill holes
- to smooth edges, tools -> make boundary edges -> path fit
- to simplify, polygon -> decimate
- to stitch together several scans, callibrate z-axis, tools -> registration
save as VMRL 2.0 file!
so there are two printers at our disposal: the stratasys, which takes in STL files and prototypes in heavy-duty monochrome ABS plastic, and the zcorp, which takes in STL or VRML files and models in color using a special plaster. sadly, at the moment, the stratasys is out of commission. the zcorp prints to 0.004" resolution.
zcorp printing:
[to fill the trays, can either do automatically or manually.]
auto: go to online mode, and do 406service -> fill bed -> start. the printer goes and does its own thing for a couple minutes, spreading the plaster smoothly from the feed bin to the build bin. use the vacuum on the side to suck up the excess dust. to get the particles underneath the head, go offline, press spread to move the head, and suck away.
manual: make sure you're in offline mode. even out contents of feed bin with special flattening tool. move the build bin to about quarter-inch below the top lip. spread. raise feed bin to about quarter-inch above the top. spread. raise feed bin. spread. keep spreading until things look smooth. lower build tray to about quarter-inch below the lip. vacuum excess. [keep things pretty and neat while working; the white dust gets everywhere.]
go to 406service -> unpark and use deionized water to wet the wipers and the cups. dry only the cups with a paper towel.
on with the software! zprint!
when using the zprint software for the zcorp printer, should always import your files. the most efficient way to use the space within the printing envelope is to place the objects on the bottom; keeping z-values low is key to saving hours of plaster laying. good idea to buddy up with friends to lay jobs simultaneously on the printing bed.
- transform -> justify to line up to area envelope
- do print estimate (quicker for monochrome)
- problems? try edit->invert normals
- default with spatial interior
- want a shell? take boolean subtraction of smaller shape from larger one
click the button for 3D print setup and choose either setting of ZP102 [drier] or ZP56-102 [wetter, better color]. if you want monochrome printing, choose 406service -> change binder supply. the best part of this is an email notification service that tells you when your thing has finished after 31.7 hours! edit -> preferences to enter email. :)
post-printing, take dusty object over to the vacuum station and scrape, wipe, suck, and excavate to heart's delight. post-post-printing, put into the oven machine to heat and wax, which strengthens and preserves the plaster model.
the coolest models to come out of the 3D printers are those with integrated free-moving parts, such as a ball-bearing system, a time-watch mechanism, or a ball-and-socket connected vertebrae. more skeletal-inspired ideas: fixed joint, hinge joint, pivot joint, sliding joint. i wonder if i could make a rough metronome. found page of cool historical instruments.
posted by christine @ 9:12 AM
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