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Old 9th August 2014, 11:36 AM   #1
Edymnion
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Default Market as a 3D Printer Model Creator

Hey Andy,

I've been having fun with my new 3D printer, and I've realized something while working with it and AC3D.

AC3D is *PERFECT* for use as an engine to create models for 3D printers with. It doesn't do animation, it doesn't do complex lighting, it doesn't have rendering, and it has more or less regular texturing.

Pretty much everything that AC3D doesn't have out of the box are things that are completely irrelevant to making objects for 3D printing, and the things it does have (very clean, very easy to use interface, low entry price, and ability to easily import/export to .stl format) are exactly what modelling for printers does need.

So yeah, just a suggestion, but you really might want to look into doing a bit of marketing to set AC3D up as the 3D printer modelling software of choice.
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Old 10th August 2014, 01:13 PM   #2
donamy
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Default Re: Market as a 3D Printer Model Creator

Do you give estimates ? How big of a moodel can you do ?
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Old 10th August 2014, 07:55 PM   #3
Edymnion
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Default Re: Market as a 3D Printer Model Creator

Honestly, if you want a model printed off, you would be better off using shapeways.
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Old 9th February 2015, 07:17 PM   #4
nothingTV
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Default Re: Market as a 3D Printer Model Creator

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edymnion View Post
Hey Andy,

I've been having fun with my new 3D printer, and I've realized something while working with it and AC3D.

AC3D is *PERFECT* for use as an engine to create models for 3D printers with. It doesn't do animation, it doesn't do complex lighting, it doesn't have rendering, and it has more or less regular texturing.

Pretty much everything that AC3D doesn't have out of the box are things that are completely irrelevant to making objects for 3D printing, and the things it does have (very clean, very easy to use interface, low entry price, and ability to easily import/export to .stl format) are exactly what modelling for printers does need.

So yeah, just a suggestion, but you really might want to look into doing a bit of marketing to set AC3D up as the 3D printer modelling software of choice.
I can only second that. OK, I'm a bit biased as AC3D is my favorite 3D editor for years - I tried some others but sooner or later came back to AC3D because for me it's intuitive and I'm used to it. With me starting 3D printing I found it quite easy. What I would like to see is a "close gap" function - so much I tried my own plugin but it's not stable enough. The "select leaky surfaces" is already very helpful but a "repair" would be just great. Another issue is with normals e.g. if you haven't paid attention using the extrude function and the internal surfaces.
But I found it very easy to create threads for screws and bolts which came out very good. Just create a three vertices line, revolve, snap vertices and optimize.
And then you can just extend it to your final object.
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Old 9th March 2015, 06:58 AM   #5
zog
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Default Re: Market as a 3D Printer Model Creator

I would also like to use AC3D with my 3D printer. I don't want to use shapeways as I have my own printer. What I think I need to be able to do is to be able to recreate the 3D models using a macro language, so I can use mathematics to adjust everything accurately. I need a text based version of what I am doing on screen so when I drag a cube on the screen it creates an entry in a macro window such as
cuboid(10,10,10). I would then like to be able play back the macro to recreate my object and the finally export it as an STL file.
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Old 14th March 2015, 06:56 PM   #6
nothingTV
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Default Re: Market as a 3D Printer Model Creator

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I need a text based version of what I am doing on screen so when I drag a cube on the screen it creates an entry in a macro window such as
cuboid(10,10,10). I would then like to be able play back the macro to recreate my object and the finally export it as an STL file.
If you really want to use something text-based then OpenSCAD maybe something for you. You should be able to import the result back in AC3D for the final touch as the minor details can be tedious in a pure CAD program.

I really enjoy the more visual approach and that is what AC3D is made for. I tried OpenSCAD but although CSG is simple with it, I missed the intuitive way of shaping a model. It's not that easy to explain so I try to put it simple: if I'd try to make a standard bolt a pure CSG-based application is the way to go, if I want to add a personal touch and some non-standard details I go with a visual modeler like AC3D.
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Old 16th March 2015, 06:13 AM   #7
zog
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Default Re: Market as a 3D Printer Model Creator

I have got OpenSCAD which is good and I have got AC3D. I bought AC3D for making models for computer games and it is great for that. I have now bought a 3D printer so the problem I have is that I need stuff to be exactly in the right place when I print it.
I designed a stamp for a solicitor yesterday using AC3D and then I printed it on my 3D printer. In this case it didn't matter that dimension weren't bob on. However if I need to design parts for machines I need everything to be as accurate as possible. I am also designing a case using openSCAD for the raspberry pi 2; AC3D isn't suited to this task because I can't go back and tweak my design mathematically if it goes wrong.
There is no reason why the actions that you are carrying out manually can't be recorded and turned into a macro and then played back to make the 3D object you are trying to make. Both ways of making 3D objects are good, but together they would turn AC3D into a very powerful cad program. I like ac3d because it's easy to use and very affordable compared to autodesk and auto cad. I don't really want to have to use two programs to do the same job. I don't know how feasible it would be to write a plugin to do this, but if it is possible I could give it a go.
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