As it cam be found in this post:

http://news.povray.org/povray.binaries.images/thread/%3Cweb.4e98e599fbaf2a34a3bfeb720%40news.povray.org%3E/?ttop=377950
&toff=150&mtop=368500

There was already a patch before, able to save objects from PovRay as
geometry-files.

Here the link:
http://jgrimbert.free.fr/pov/patch/tessel/index.html


People, involved in 3D-Printing often times using a software, called OpenSCad
http://www.openscad.org/

Problem: Comparing the options of generating objects to PovRay, openscad is very
limited and it's slow. Advantage: it can export .stl files, used in 3D-Printer
slicing packages, like slic3r (slic3r.org) and many many others.

If PovRay would be able to export it's geometry as .stl files, using one of the
methods used like in the old patch (like "tessel" or "tesselate", using one
PovRay-unit as one millimetre), I'm very sure it will be used in wide areas of
3D-Printing.

It is just the way better tool for parameterised object-generation.

Holger

Post a reply to this message

> If PovRay would be able to export it's geometry as .stl files, using one of the
> methods used like in the old patch (like "tessel" or "tesselate", using one
> PovRay-unit as one millimetre), I'm very sure it will be used in wide areas of
> 3D-Printing.

It might be worth checking if the 3D printer can accept a series of 
bitmap slices directly, this would be very easy to generate from POV and 
probably more accurate.

Post a reply to this message

scott <sco### [at] scottcom> wrote:
> > If PovRay would be able to export it's geometry as .stl files, using one of the
> > methods used like in the old patch (like "tessel" or "tesselate", using one
> > PovRay-unit as one millimetre), I'm very sure it will be used in wide areas of
> > 3D-Printing.
>
> It might be worth checking if the 3D printer can accept a series of
> bitmap slices directly, this would be very easy to generate from POV and
> probably more accurate.

This step would need to be done insight the slicer-package. Not a bad idea so
far!

Slic3r for example cam slice objects into a .png sequence... funny, and I always
asked myself what this is good for.

So there would need to be just the other way around.

One problem so far is, that when you tell the slicer the thickness of the
slices, the amount for the filament transport needs to be calculated too.
As well you are not allowed to have thicker slices as the diameter of you
filament.
As long as you have all this dependencies regulated insight just one application
live is easy.
Using pictures as slices to print means, you need exactly to know, what you are
doing! Do the right steps for the slices insight PovRay, put in the value in
sclic3r and go from there...

Not a task for newbie's!

Having the objects as STL files would make live easy, leaving a sight, that
slicing objects in PovRay can become a difficult task. For example slicing a
mesh, or mesh2 object. Not everything can easily be used in CSGs! As well you
need to have absolute exact camera-settings, to keep everything the right
proportions - keep in mint: all what comes with the image-sequence are pixel (or
voxel) no mm or inches.

For normal usage this is just to complicate. - But it would be a hack!

Post a reply to this message

On Mon 24/09/12 22:27, H. Karsten wrote:
> scott <sco### [at] scottcom> wrote:
>>> If PovRay would be able to export it's geometry as .stl files, using one of the
>>> methods used like in the old patch (like "tessel" or "tesselate", using one
>>> PovRay-unit as one millimetre), I'm very sure it will be used in wide areas of
>>> 3D-Printing.
>>
>> It might be worth checking if the 3D printer can accept a series of
>> bitmap slices directly, this would be very easy to generate from POV and
>> probably more accurate.
>
> This step would need to be done insight the slicer-package. Not a bad idea so
> far!
>
> Slic3r for example cam slice objects into a .png sequence... funny, and I always
> asked myself what this is good for.
>
> So there would need to be just the other way around.
>
> One problem so far is, that when you tell the slicer the thickness of the
> slices, the amount for the filament transport needs to be calculated too.
> As well you are not allowed to have thicker slices as the diameter of you
> filament.
> As long as you have all this dependencies regulated insight just one application
> live is easy.
> Using pictures as slices to print means, you need exactly to know, what you are
> doing! Do the right steps for the slices insight PovRay, put in the value in
> sclic3r and go from there...
>
> Not a task for newbie's!

OK I'm not familiar with the inner-workings of 3D printers, I've only 
ever sent STEP files from CAD software. I just assumed they used some 
special software to cut it up into slices before sending to the printer 
to print each layer.

> Having the objects as STL files would make live easy,

The problem is that POV in general does not use meshes to represent 
objects, so to create a file like STL you need to use some kind of 
tessellation algorithm, which is not trivial.

If there is no way to feed directly the bitmaps to the printer then I 
would be tempted to write a very simple tessellation algorithm that 
wrote out cubes to an STL file - the syntax looks quite easy for POV to 
output http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)

 > leaving a sight, that
> slicing objects in PovRay can become a difficult task. For example slicing a
> mesh, or mesh2 object. Not everything can easily be used in CSGs!

If you have a mesh that is not closed properly then the 3D printer is 
going to have the same problems knowing which side is in or out of the 
solid.

 > As well you
> need to have absolute exact camera-settings, to keep everything the right
> proportions - keep in mint: all what comes with the image-sequence are pixel (or
> voxel) no mm or inches.

That shouldn't be difficult to do, after all the STL format doesn't 
appear to come with any units either.

Post a reply to this message

> The problem is that POV in general does not use meshes to represent
> objects, so to create a file like STL you need to use some kind of
> tessellation algorithm, which is not trivial.
&
> If there is no way to feed directly the bitmaps to the printer then I
> would be tempted to write a very simple tessellation algorithm that
> wrote out cubes to an STL file - the syntax looks quite easy for POV to
> output http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)

Yea that's right. So my hope was to take it more or less from the patch, I've
linked to at top.

> If you have a mesh that is not closed properly then the 3D printer is
> going to have the same problems knowing which side is in or out of the
> solid.

My last try to use meshes in CSGs is long time ago (dono what version) anyway
PovRay was not able to do the CSG. I remember once there was a way in MegaPov,
giving an option of saying where in insight and outside. I've never get this to
work.
Is it working by now? Would be very cool! Maybe I should give it a try again.

> That shouldn't be difficult to do, after all the STL format doesn't
> appear to come with any units either.

I found a printers-types so far, able to use Pictures. Its using powder as
layers and a kind of a head, coming from a printer (ink-jet). It just "prints"
out the pictures onto the powder and do the next layer.
It cam be a very nice result, but can take 11 hours for one centimetre :P
I think that's, what the option of exporting a .png -sequence out of slic3r is
good for.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27794


:)

Post a reply to this message

"H. Karsten" <h-karsten()web.de> wrote:
> As it cam be found in this post:
>
>
http://news.povray.org/povray.binaries.images/thread/%3Cweb.4e98e599fbaf2a34a3bfeb720%40news.povray.org%3E/?ttop=3779
50
> &toff=150&mtop=368500
>
> There was already a patch before, able to save objects from PovRay as
> geometry-files.
>
> Here the link:
> http://jgrimbert.free.fr/pov/patch/tessel/index.html
>
>
> People, involved in 3D-Printing often times using a software, called OpenSCad
> http://www.openscad.org/
>
> Problem: Comparing the options of generating objects to PovRay, openscad is very
> limited and it's slow. Advantage: it can export .stl files, used in 3D-Printer
> slicing packages, like slic3r (slic3r.org) and many many others.
>
> If PovRay would be able to export it's geometry as .stl files, using one of the
> methods used like in the old patch (like "tessel" or "tesselate", using one
> PovRay-unit as one millimetre), I'm very sure it will be used in wide areas of
> 3D-Printing.
>
> It is just the way better tool for parameterised object-generation.
>
> Holger

Hi,
I'm also involved in 3D-Printig (just started to build my own printer. My
printer-construction is designed in povray too.)
Now I'd like to design my prints in povray. I'm looking for a converter to
export this pov-files into stl or something similar to feed them into slic3r.
Michl

Post a reply to this message

I support this idea totally!

I am considering to purchase the "PrintrBot Jr.", a 3D printer for less than US$
300. Like many 3D printers, it requires stl files. POV-Ray currently lacks the
possibility to export its scenes. Which is a pity. But understandable, because
the way POV-Ray internally handles shapes. They are not meshes, but real shapes.

But there is a 3D editor, which actually can IMPORT POV-Ray files. It is Bishop
3D, and you might want to contact the makers of Bishop 3D. Their software should
be able to handle a few more conversions.

Post a reply to this message

On 1/31/2013 9:54 PM, Sven Littkowski wrote:
> I support this idea totally!
>
> I am considering to purchase the "PrintrBot Jr.", a 3D printer for less than US$
> 300. Like many 3D printers, it requires stl files. POV-Ray currently lacks the
> possibility to export its scenes. Which is a pity. But understandable, because
> the way POV-Ray internally handles shapes. They are not meshes, but real shapes.
>
> But there is a 3D editor, which actually can IMPORT POV-Ray files. It is Bishop
> 3D, and you might want to contact the makers of Bishop 3D. Their software should
> be able to handle a few more conversions.
>
There is also a portable one for like $480, called a portabee. Though, I 
would love to know where you found the Jr for that price. lol Mind, the 
price may also not include the heated tray, which adds to the cost, 
etc., and I kind of skipped over the Jr., since its print area is a bit 
small.

Post a reply to this message

> Hi,
> I'm also involved in 3D-Printig (just started to build my own printer. My
> printer-construction is designed in povray too.)
> Now I'd like to design my prints in povray. I'm looking for a converter to
> export this pov-files into stl or something similar to feed them into slic3r.

You might want to look at OpenSCAD, it has a scripting language similar 
to POV but has the option to export the result as an STL.

Depending on the complexity of your POV files it might be an option to 
just translate them to OpenSCAD by hand.

Post a reply to this message

scott <sco### [at] scottcom> wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I'm also involved in 3D-Printig (just started to build my own printer. My
> > printer-construction is designed in povray too.)
> > Now I'd like to design my prints in povray. I'm looking for a converter to
> > export this pov-files into stl or something similar to feed them into slic3r.
>
> You might want to look at OpenSCAD, it has a scripting language similar
> to POV but has the option to export the result as an STL.
>
> Depending on the complexity of your POV files it might be an option to
> just translate them to OpenSCAD by hand.

Hi scott,
I already translated some of my objects from PovRay to openSCAD. It's really not
a hack.
But we need some translators from pov to openSCAD to join the PovRay- to the
3D-Community.
!AND! printed objects could be rendered photorealistic in PovRay prior printing.
michl

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