Jump to content

What Program to make a model?


a-a-ron

Recommended Posts

Posted · What Program to make a model?

I use solidworks and like it a lot. The only down side is I can't do two things with it. Sculptris solved the issue of organic shapes, but I have another problem.

I want to take a drawing, for example the BMW logo, and then extrude it out and print it in 3d. So the letters are higher, there is a crease between colors in the center and a slight curve to the entire thing.

I used a logo that you are probably all familar with, but can you give me some advice on how I could convert a picture of the example art into a printable file with dimensional quality.

Thank you in advance.

Aaron

 

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    You need your logo in a vector format that your 3d package can understand as geometric lines.

    It's usually possible, if it's a popular brand, to grab the .AI/EPS vector art from brands of the world. You can trace it yourself in illustrator or use the live trace.

    Then bring it into your 3d package and extrude. You can do this in any artist 3d package that I know of. (blender, 3dsmax, maya, etc) I don't have experience in solidworks type software, but I imagine it would be possible in the same way.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    You can also load an image straight into Cura, and it will make a height-map of it. Not perfect, but might be enough for your goal.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    Yeah, seems like an easy task in Solidworks. What aspect are you having trouble with?

     

    Nick, I don't know how to get the lines on the art into solidworks without drawing a line over every line of the artwork. That is so much a pain in the neck. I have seen artwork that is a picture of something and then a relief made in the computer and then printed. I am looking for a program in which I can scan the artwork, adjust the relief or height of sections and then print. I know something like this exists because I have seen CNC routers do just that on wood or plasma cutters do it in metal. They don't create every tiny little line in the software for some of these things.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    SW has an Autotrace tool that can trace the image for you. I've only tried it a couple of times and found it a bit crappy, but maybe it'll work for you. First you have to activate it in Tools -> Add-ins and then it'll show up once you import a sketch image.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    Yes, the Solidworks import autotrace will work, but it sucks.

    And what program can I take an STL file and then add something to it? For example I have a cube and want to cut off a corner and put a hole on one of the faces. What the heck is up with the STL format? None of the threads I find seem to have any idea on how to edit the STL.

    If I go get something from thingaverse I can't change anything. i want to add things to the model. It is the equvelent of having a great laptop that can only print Word documents other people wrote. I have a file for a phone case that I need to put another part on so it will work to hold it the way I want, with no way to edit the part I have to reinvent the wheel to make a model that fits. How do I change an STL?

    It makes me want to go kick my very expensive 3d printer.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    You want to kick the printer because the 3d community uses an industry standard format? Sounds reasonable... An STL is a bit like a PDF file, you don't have to care which program created it but you'll know that when you open it, it will look like the designer intended. Imagine how much work would have to be done by those who maintain slicers just to keep up with the many many programs and versions of programs and all their different file formats out there. And that's IF the file format is even open to begin with so that any outsider can make any sense of it.

    That said, there's programs out there that can import and edit STL files (SW included even though it's not exactly ideal). You could also ask the creator for the source files or a different format that fits your work flow better. Don't expect everyone to be willing to do that though. In the end these people are giving you something they've sometimes spent a LOT of time on, for free.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    The up side of your PDF example is that the PDF can be opened and edited. I know there is password protections on PDFs that try to prevent that, but the security is easily stripped out.

    That being said. What program will specifically import a STL format and allow me to edit it? I need a name of something.

    Solidworks 2014 Premium will not open the 2mb STL file I have. Cura will, but not SW.

    Throw out some names of programs that will.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    I think the fact that all these printers support STL is pretty awesome because it allows engineers AND artists types to utilize this technology while allowing both to work in their respective native environments.

    Anyway, you're not really experiencing a 3D printer problem, it's an STL problem. Doesn't matter if it's a UM or replicator, it's still using STLs. You can edit STL's in 3dsmax, but the topology is usually just terribly ugly.

    Have you tried this for your logo?

    http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/

    Illustrator live trace also works. (not perfect, but works)

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    ...

    Throw out some names of programs that will.

     

    With Blender you're able to import STL files and edit them.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    If the model is organic you might want to use blender (free). If the model is mechanical you might want to try google sketchup (also free). Both of these will import and edit STL files. Learning more than one CAD system sucks. It takes hundreds of hours using one to get to a level where I can do things at a reasonable speed.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · What Program to make a model?

    I love tinkercad for simple stl edits. Meshmixer is another option with 3d printer support. Blender (as already mentioned) along with many other surface modeling programs like 3dsmax work just fine for edits provided you know how to use them.

    That being said I personally recommend tinkercad to pretty much anyone at the drop of a dime.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    • Our picks

      • Introducing Universal Cura Projects in the UltiMaker Cura 5.7 beta
        Strap in for the first Cura release of 2024! This 5.7 beta release brings new material profiles as well as cloud printing for Method series printers, and introduces a powerful new way of sharing print settings using printer-agnostic project files! Also, if you want to download the cute dinosaur card holder featured below, it was specially designed for this release and can be found on Thingiverse! 
          • Like
        • 10 replies
      • S-Line Firmware 8.3.0 was released Nov. 20th on the "Latest" firmware branch.
        (Sorry, was out of office when this released)

        This update is for...
        All UltiMaker S series  
        New features
         
        Temperature status. During print preparation, the temperatures of the print cores and build plate will be shown on the display. This gives a better indication of the progress and remaining wait time. Save log files in paused state. It is now possible to save the printer's log files to USB if the currently active print job is paused. Previously, the Dump logs to USB option was only enabled if the printer was in idle state. Confirm print removal via Digital Factory. If the printer is connected to the Digital Factory, it is now possible to confirm the removal of a previous print job via the Digital Factory interface. This is useful in situations where the build plate is clear, but the operator forgot to select Confirm removal on the printer’s display. Visit this page for more information about this feature.
          • Like
        • 0 replies
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...