MakerBots, RepRaps and UP!s: It's 3D printers!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > MakerBots, RepRaps and UP!s: It's 3D printers!

HolyJewsus: Jun 26, 2006; Disgruntled By Flashing and Blinking Lights.

The Zcorp printer we have at school prints some kind of plaster that can be cured with water or strengthened with epoxy, not sure how heat resistant it is. And thats a bed full of build material, not the extruded approach.

I would assume that any extrudable plastic will not work, as it needs to be melted before it can be extruded... right?

# ¿ Dec 28, 2010 07:34

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 06:51

HolyJewsus: Jun 26, 2006; Disgruntled By Flashing and Blinking Lights.

Videodrome posted:

I'm trying to wrap my head around OpenSCAD, but writing translation equations and figuring out the math of what I want to do is a pain in the rear end. However, being able to modify certain parameters of an object just by changing some variable is hugely useful.

If you aren't familiar with OpenSCAD, it is basically the reverse of a 3D modeling program. In something like Sketchup, you manipulate a 3D representation of an object and the program figures out the mathematics of the manipulations you perform. You extend a face until it looks right while the program is calculating the changes in vertex positions in the background. With OpenSCAD, you actually type the positions and orientations and translations into code and the program renders them.

The advantage here is that you can use variables for certain parameters of the model that you expect to change frequently. Suppose you know that an object is going to contain a cylinder, and you know that other aspects of the model are going to be dependent on the diameter of that cylinder, but you don't know exactly what the diameter needs to be right now. You can define the cylinder's diameter as a variable. All of your functions related to cylinder's diameter can call the variable instead of a constant. Want to change the diameter of the cylinder and equally affect all other parts of the model that relate to the cylinder? Just change the diameter variable and re-render.

It is also very good for the community if your can provide an object in SCAD format on Thingiverse. It means that something as simple as a wire clip or a sowing button becomes infinitely more useful when anyone can make their clip or button the exact size they need.

This model is a perfect example of why we should all learn OpenSCAD:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7648

A simple round clip with mount. The designer provides 5 variations on the design in STL format. If you know nothing about 3D modeling you are basically stuck with only these 5 possible clips to make.

The designer also provides an .scad file. If you open this in OpenSCAD you are greated with a bunch of code...also useless if you don't understand it.

However, the first chunk of all that code is a section called "Parameters" :
code:
// Parameters
clipNumber = 4;            // Number of clips on the bracket
clipSpacing = 18;          // Distance between clip centers
clipInnerDiameter = 10.5;  // Diameter of the clip inside face
clipWidth = 10;            // Width (height) of clip
clipWallThickness = 2.5;   // Thickness of clip walls
clipOpeningAngle = 110;    // Amount of clip ring to remove from top (valid between 0 and 180)
bracketThickness = 3;      // Thickness of mounting bracket
mountEarsLength = 18;      // Length of mounting ears from center of first and last clips
mountHoleOffset = 5;       // Position of mounting holes from edge of mounting ears
mountHoleDiameter = 3.5;   // Diameter of the mounting holes
Change any of these parameters and re-render the object and the model changes to meet your particular needs.

What was originally a static model of a single clip of a fixed size and shape can now be easily modified by anyone, regardless of 3D modeling or programming experience, into the exact type of clip they need.

PLEASE checkout rhino and grasshopper(free), everything you said... but with a visual node interface and sliders!

generative/parametric modeling and you can even use firefly to hook it up to an arduino.

# ¿ May 13, 2011 00:33

HolyJewsus: Jun 26, 2006; Disgruntled By Flashing and Blinking Lights.

El_Matarife posted:

PM me and I can hook you up with a Rhino reseller that might be able to offer a discount. It won't be all that much but it'll save you a little bit.
Another good option with this stuff is to take a class at a local community college so you get a student ID then can buy student software that's typically way cheaper. A good rule of thumb is that any software you can "make money with" like CAD/CAM or other design software is going to be ruinously expensive but usually student versions are available for college classes.

actually rhino is 200 for students, and you can use it commercially! hot drat!

# ¿ May 15, 2011 20:53

HolyJewsus: Jun 26, 2006; Disgruntled By Flashing and Blinking Lights.

I'm sorry if this is frowned upon, I figured the guys(possibly gals) in here might be interested in this stuff from my samart thread.

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3498484

# ¿ Aug 7, 2012 06:34

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > MakerBots, RepRaps and UP!s: It's 3D printers!