Dear list,
In Magics 6, we added colors to STL-files in the *room* that's still left in
the STL-format. This format is downward compatible with the original
STL-format so other software (like 3D Lightyear) can read it without
problems as normal STL-files. We also added the possibility to export these
parts to the PLY-format.
We store the color of the triangle in the 2 bytes that are unused. Though 15
bits are normally enough to store a color, we provided also a way to define
1 color with 3 bytes. Below you'll find a link where you can find the
description of this color STL-format.
ftp://ftp.materialise.be/download/Magics/Colorstl.doc
Magics 6 is ready to download if you'd like to evaluate our software with
his powerfull STL-tools. The link is also found below. You only need to
contact us for obtaining evalutionpasswords.
http://www.materialise.com
The specifications of Magics 6 are still downloadable via this link:
ftp://ftp.materialise.be/download/Magics/specmagics.doc
Concerning the overkill of information provided in an STL-file. Materialise
developed the MGX-format, which allows you to compress STL-files with a
factor of 10 to 20 times! The program STL-zip and additional information can
be found on the following link: http://www.materialise.com/stlzip
If you're having any questions or remarks, please don't hesitate to contact
us.
Kind regards,
Pieter
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pieter Bourgaux RP Software division
Application Engineer tel. + 32 16 39 66 11
Materialise n.v. fax. + 32 16 39 66 00
Technologielaan 15 pieter.bourgaux@materialise.be
B-3001 Leuven http://www.materialise.com
Belgium
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
STLzip: fast, efficient and FREEware
Reduces STL files by a factor of 10 to 20 times the original file size.
Compression rate 5 to 10 times higher than WinZIP.
Save on transfer costs and Download it from
http://www.materialise.com/stlzip
----Original Message-----
From: Marshall Burns [mailto:Marshall@Ennex.com]
Sent: vrijdag 17 november 2000 16:47
To: J.vandenHout@ind.tno.nl; rp-ml@bart.lpt.fi
Subject: Re: stl files
Jeroen,
I also received a similar e-mail from Materialise, whose Magics 6 does
something similar to what you are describing.
Yes, there is *room* in an StL file for color or other information, but
your inclusion of that information creates a new data format. In my message
yesterday, perhaps instead of saying that there is "no place" for color, I
should have said that there is no definition of color in the StL spec.
StL is a technical specification for a data format
(http://www.ennex.com/fabbers/StL.sht). If you include color or other
information in the file, you are creating an extension or modification of
the StL spec. If you publish the format that you use for this information
(or if enough other people reverse engineer it and adopt it), then it may
become a new standard. If you only use vacant data elements from the
original StL spec, then your new format should be downward compatible with
programs expecting plain StL files.
If TNO and Materialise do not intend to keep your StL extensions
proprietary, perhaps you'd like to post their definitions to the RP-ML. If
the way you represent color is different, then we're in for a little format
war.
Best regards,
Marshall Burns
President, Ennex Corporation
Marshall@Ennex.com
Los Angeles, USA, (310) 397-1314
http://www.Ennex.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <J.vandenHout@ind.tno.nl>
To: <Marshall@ennex.com>; <rp-ml@bart.lpt.fi>
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 06:50
Subject: RE: stl files
> Infact, there is space to store colour information in an STL file.
> We've succesfully used this 'STL Colour' format for some time now.
> The STL file remains an ordinary STL file. The (unused until now) 2 bytes
> that are included in each triangle store the colour information for each
> triangle.
>
> Of course there are some good alternatives like PLY and VRML, but
especially
> VRML is able to store a whole lot of other information that is not
relevant
> for RP systems and this increases the chances of errors during
dataexchange.
> Why not try to use the beauty of the simplicity of the STL file in the
> colour RP world?
>
> When colour RP is taken into a higher level, like texturemapping (as we're
> currently working on), more information is needed besides the triangles,
but
> even in this case STL can be used (by including the texture bitmap as a
> seperate file).
>
>
> Jeroen van den Hout
> TNO Institute of Industrial Technology
> Production Development Division
> Department of Industrial Prototyping
> P.O.Box 5073
> 2600 GB Delft
> The Netherlands
> Tel:+31-15-2608747 / +31 6 55514510
> Fax:+31-15-2608725
>
> Visit us at:
> http://www.ind.tno.nl/en/productiondevelopment/prototyping/index.html
> <http://www.tno.nl/instit/indus/prototyping/index.html>
>
>
> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: Marshall Burns [SMTP:Marshall@Ennex.com]
> Verzonden: vrijdag 17 november 2000 14:01
> Aan: Doty Mike; NECOINC@aol.com; List: Rapid prototyping
> Onderwerp: Re: stl files
>
>
>
> You're right, Mike. Data redundancy is one of the criticisms of the
> StL
> format that leads many people to want to replace it. But a worse
> problem is
> that now with the advent of color fabbing (Z Corp. and TNO), StL
> provides no
> place for the color data. There are other problems too and StL is
> likely to
> be replaced in coming years with a better format.
>
> Best regards,
> Marshall Burns
> President, Ennex Corporation
>
> Marshall@Ennex.com
> Los Angeles, USA, (310) 397-1314
> http://www.Ennex.com
>
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pieter Bourgaux RP Software division
Application Engineer tel. + 32 16 39 66 11
Materialise n.v. fax. +32 16 39 66 00
Technologielaan 15 pieter.bourgaux@materialise.be
B-3001 Leuven http://www.materialise.be/software
Belgium
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
STLzip: fast, efficient and FREEware
Reduces STL files by a factor of 10 to 20 times the original file size.
Compression rate 5 to 10 times higher than WinZIP.
Save on transfer costs and Download it from
http://www.materialise.com/stlzip
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 23:04:45 EEST