Re: [rp-ml] algorithm&implementation for STL slicing

On Thursday 17 August 2006 13:14, you wrote:
> At 5:24 AM -0700 8/17/06, Cristina Kadar wrote:
> >Dear List,
> >
> >During my online searches I came across this mailing list dedicated to RP
> >and it seems a good place to put some questions.
> >
> >My name is Cristina Kadar, I am a student of Computer Engineering,
> >currently doing an internship in a research institute in Germany. They are
> >specialised in laser technologies and in one lab they need a software
> >which takes as input an STL file and produces as output the 2D pass for
> >the laser beam. My job would be to develop an algorithm and implement it
> >(in Visual Basic) for the slicing of the 3D objects into the 2D closed
> >surfaces.
>
> Hi Cristina,
>
> I've been looking for the same - with no luck yet (I'm an artist and
> sculptor and have been working on building my own 3D printer as a kinetic
> work ( = not precise, or concerned with real world applications). I talked
> to some people from Z-Corp a couple of months ago when they came by for a
> studio visit and they were going to put me in touch with one of their
> engineers but so far that hasn't happened. Talking to some folks at
> SIGGRAPH a couple of weeks ago, they were of the opinion that there isn't
> much call for open source slicers since slicing is tightly coupled to the
> overall method and machinery for printing (i.e. inherently proprietary).
>
> Consequently I've assumed I would have to write my own - but if you come up
> with anything I would love to hear about it!
>
> --Roy

Dear Roy, Christina, and List,

For raw 3D structured light scan to stl , there is some open source software
called http://splinescan.co.uk/ . (This is the opposite of what you are
asking for, as far as I can tell.) It is GPL'ed python code.

I'm afraid the documentation is trailing the rest of the project, but you may
want to talk to the mailing list - they're further along then the website and
screenshots would lead you to believe.
http://mail.splinescan.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/news_splinescan.co.uk

The software is a set of algorithms which takes as input digital camera
photos. (The scanned object is placed on a turntable and "painted" with a
light slice from a laser pointer diode/LED directed into a cylindrical lens.
The camera, which is off axis from the light slice, rrepeatedly photographs
the object.) The python code does some computational geometry voodoo and
spits out an .stl file.

For an open source slicer that does .stl -> 2D slices (and fill routines),
there is the control software for the RepRap self-replicating 3D printer
project.
http://reprapdoc.voodoo.co.nz/bin/view/Main/DriverSoftware
http://reprap.blogspot.com/2006/08/hatching-thicker-plot.html

Roy - what materials are you working in? You may be able to use our extrusion
head along with the control software:
http://reprapdoc.voodoo.co.nz/bin/view/Main/Version2OfThePolymorphExtrusionHead

Further documentation
reprap.org
http://reprapdoc.voodoo.co.nz/bin/view/Main/WebHome
http://reprap.blogspot.com/
http://reprappers.blogspot.com/

Regards,

-Sebastien Bailard
reprap.org
Received on Thu Aug 17 22:35:04 2006