POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.general : How to print a CSG Server Time
29 Jul 2024 18:19:49 EDT (-0400)
  How to print a CSG (Message 1 to 7 of 7)  
From: Carl
Subject: How to print a CSG
Date: 14 Jul 2010 22:15:01
Message: <web.4c3e6e413ead8315a78d16e60@news.povray.org>
Anyone familiar with?

http://www.shapeways.com/

I've made a CSG that I'd like to have printed.  Check out the image area to see
what it is.  What is the easiest way to turn a CSG into a format I could upload
at Shapeways?

Is this the right section to ask this question in?

Thanks,
Carl


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From: Jim Holsenback
Subject: Re: How to print a CSG
Date: 15 Jul 2010 06:03:11
Message: <4c3edcdf$1@news.povray.org>
On 07/14/2010 11:11 PM, Carl wrote:
> Anyone familiar with?
> 
> http://www.shapeways.com/
> 
> I've made a CSG that I'd like to have printed.  Check out the image area to see
> what it is.  What is the easiest way to turn a CSG into a format I could upload
> at Shapeways?
> 
> Is this the right section to ask this question in?
> 
> Thanks,
> Carl
> 
> 
http://wiki.povray.org/content/Documentation:Reference_Section_1.1#Output_File_Type


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From: scott
Subject: Re: How to print a CSG
Date: 15 Jul 2010 06:55:11
Message: <4c3ee90f@news.povray.org>
> Anyone familiar with?
>
> http://www.shapeways.com/

No, but I've used similar services before for rapid prototyping.

> I've made a CSG that I'd like to have printed.  Check out the image area 
> to see
> what it is.  What is the easiest way to turn a CSG into a format I could 
> upload
> at Shapeways?

Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this, as they will be expecting a 
triangle mesh.  There are macros for POV lying around that will convert your 
CSG into a mesh, you might then want to import into a mesh modeller to check 
and tidy up any items.

I would also ask (or maybe it's on their website?) what resolution they work 
at.  This will determine the resolution of triangle mesh you want to 
generate from the CSG.

Given the simplicity of the model (and that several parts seem to be 
repeated), it might turn out faster in the end (and provide higher quality 
results) if you start again in a mesh modeller (or CAD software if you have 
access) rather than POV.


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From: Jim Holsenback
Subject: Re: How to print a CSG
Date: 15 Jul 2010 07:07:51
Message: <4c3eec07$1@news.povray.org>
On 07/15/2010 07:55 AM, scott wrote:
>> Anyone familiar with?
>>
>> http://www.shapeways.com/
> 
> No, but I've used similar services before for rapid prototyping.

ha-ha ... guess i missed the boat entirely on this one. saw "print" and
just didn't associate it with producing a physical object :-(


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From: Carl
Subject: Re: How to print a CSG
Date: 17 Jul 2010 21:25:01
Message: <web.4c425721d9d79fb6a78d16e60@news.povray.org>
"scott" <sco### [at] scottcom> wrote:
> Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this, as they will be expecting a
> triangle mesh.  There are macros for POV lying around that will convert your
> CSG into a mesh, you might then want to import into a mesh modeller to check
> and tidy up any items.

Any specific macros you'd recommend? Links?

> I would also ask (or maybe it's on their website?) what resolution they work
> at.  This will determine the resolution of triangle mesh you want to
> generate from the CSG.
>
> Given the simplicity of the model (and that several parts seem to be
> repeated), it might turn out faster in the end (and provide higher quality
> results) if you start again in a mesh modeller (or CAD software if you have
> access) rather than POV.

POV-Ray is the only 3D modeller I've taught myself how to use.  I tend to think
in terms of CSG; intersections, unions, differences, of spheres, cones, planes,
boxes, etc.  Any modellers that would be easy to learn how to use that would
allow me to work in the same terms but which would create a triangle mesh?  Any
that are free?

Thanks,
Carl


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From: scott
Subject: Re: How to print a CSG
Date: 23 Jul 2010 02:44:29
Message: <4c493a4d$1@news.povray.org>
>> Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this, as they will be expecting 
>> a
>> triangle mesh.  There are macros for POV lying around that will convert 
>> your
>> CSG into a mesh, you might then want to import into a mesh modeller to 
>> check
>> and tidy up any items.
>
> Any specific macros you'd recommend? Links?

I've never personally used any, but I remember seeing references somewhere 
on this forum.

> POV-Ray is the only 3D modeller I've taught myself how to use.  I tend to 
> think
> in terms of CSG; intersections, unions, differences, of spheres, cones, 
> planes,
> boxes, etc.  Any modellers that would be easy to learn how to use that 
> would
> allow me to work in the same terms but which would create a triangle mesh?

Pretty much any 3D CAD software would fit the bill perfectly, but...

> Any
> that are free?

...they tend not to be free.  I'm not sure how well the likes of Blender 
handle CSG, but you could give it a shot, and it's not very parametric, so 
you can't easily go back and change the radius of stuff after you've made 
the model (like you can in POV and CAD software).

Another idea I had: When they receive a 3D mesh they must render it to a 
load of 2D bitmap slices at some point to feed to the machine.  I wonder if 
you contacted them, you could supply them with a load of monochrome bitmaps 
for each slice instead of the 3D data.  This would be easy to render in one 
go with POV.


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From: "Jérôme M. Berger"
Subject: Re: How to print a CSG
Date: 23 Jul 2010 14:43:51
Message: <4c49e2e7$1@news.povray.org>
scott wrote:
>> POV-Ray is the only 3D modeller I've taught myself how to use.  I tend

>> to think
>> in terms of CSG; intersections, unions, differences, of spheres,
>> cones, planes,
>> boxes, etc.  Any modellers that would be easy to learn how to use that

>> would
>> allow me to work in the same terms but which would create a triangle
>> mesh?
> 
> Pretty much any 3D CAD software would fit the bill perfectly, but...
> 
>> Any
>> that are free?
> 
> ...they tend not to be free.  I'm not sure how well the likes of Blende
r
> handle CSG, but you could give it a shot, and it's not very parametric,

> so you can't easily go back and change the radius of stuff after you've

> made the model (like you can in POV and CAD software).
> 
> Another idea I had: When they receive a 3D mesh they must render it to 
a
> load of 2D bitmap slices at some point to feed to the machine.  I wonde
r
> if you contacted them, you could supply them with a load of monochrome
> bitmaps for each slice instead of the 3D data.  This would be easy to
> render in one go with POV.
> 
	I've never tried it, but you might want to take a look at BRL-CAD:
http://brlcad.org/

		Jerome
-- 
mailto:jeb### [at] freefr
http://jeberger.free.fr
Jabber: jeb### [at] jabberfr


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