On 17/03/2010 09:02, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
> gharryh wrote:
>> Is it possible to print PovRay in 3D.
>> Should i use a special converter?
>> 
>> Harry H. Arends
>> 
>> 
> 
> Directly, no. A raytracer alone will not let you print something.
> 
> What you can do is take the object you want to print, and create a
> series of thin orthographic pictures with the camera looking straight on
> from a fixed position. To get the slices that (most) 3D printers use,
> you would find the intersection between the object you want to print and
> a very thin cube perpendicular to the camera. Depending on the 3D
> printer, you will probably avoid using any colored textures, and want to
> use just a black and white image.
> 
> The difficult part is making sure that there is enough solid space
> inside the object to support it as it is printed. This depends on the
> printer you are using, and the technology it uses.
> 
> Now, if you have a 3D printer that understands some 3D file format and
> not just a series of images, that's a whole different beast. Some
> information about the printer would be useful in helping you with this.

An example of somewhere this has been done is the candyfab project:

  http://www.candyfab.org/

see also 'Slicing STL files in POV-Ray'

  http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/slicingstl

-- Chris

Post a reply to this message