Texture mapping on IronCAD is only a graphical trick that makes a body
appear to have a texture. If you combine texture mapping with bump
mapping it makes it appear to have depth like dimples on a golf ball.
However underneath it is still the same surface.
IronCAD could be a good tool for RP users since you can import solid
models from other sources via STEP, ACIS or IGES and continue to work on
them regardless of history or how they were made. They have also VRML
and STL import functions that turn the model into an ACIS solid. The
model will be a facetted model but for simple things it could be pretty
handy to have.
Lee Dockstader
-----Original Message-----
From: Monica & Glenn Whiteside
Sent: Monday, May 18, 1998 11:45 PM
To: Rapid Prototype Mailing List
Subject: Texture mapping and STL conversions
<< File: PART-1.TXT >>
Dear rp-ml:
I was reading an article this weekend in Machine Design (May 7, 1998 =
issue, pp. 33-34) about IronCAD software from Visionary Design Systems, =
Santa Clara, CA which has some neat features. One of these features is =
called texture mapping which helps minimize model sizes by showing what =
would be data-intensive details, such as threads or screen meshes, as =
features that come from a library. The threads would be described in =
notes on the draft or 2D drawing without having a precisely detailed =
solid model in 3D space. I'm wondering how this texture mapping works =
(or doesn't work) with STL file conversion. Are the current STL =
converters able to deal with texture mapping? If not, what are the ways
=
around this? Would you end up having to create the soild entity =
anyways?
Just curious.... =20
Regards,
Glenn Whiteside
Cessna Aircraft
e-mail: siderwhite@worldnet.att.net
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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