I am interested in writing small 3D Printing project ebooks for the growing number

3D Printing
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I am interested in writing small 3D Printing project ebooks for the growing number of schools with 3D printers. iBook Author offers the capability to show 3D previews of designs but there are a number of challenges. Linked is a sample , the last page has a 3D file exported from TinkerCAD in .VRML color and converted to Collada format.

I am reaching out to the 3D printing and iBooks Author community for ideas on sharing 3D preview in ebooks or websites. I would like to share .STL files, color TinkerCAD files and color 3D scans. Any tips, tricks or links would be greatly appreciated.

Challenges:
-Convert STL and/or .wrl files to .dae files without distorting mesh.
-Simplify meshes to size that iBooks author will accept with minimal distortion of mesh.
-Convert face color to vertex color cleanly for .wrl to .dae conversion. (Tinkercad to iBook)
-Convert 123D Catch models in .obj format to .dae format that ibooks author will accept.
-Reduce size of textures for import into iBooks author.

Article on blog with a few more details about this project http://designmaketeach.com/2014/02/26/experiment-in-sharing-3d-printing-design-in-ibook/
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4zamaum7unkjfpq/iBook%20Year%20of%20the%20Horse.ibooks

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Its a shame that those of use without iDevices or OS X will never have the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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@Nick_Adams I would prefer an open source solution but am still looking for an ePub3/HTML software toolchain that allows easy publication of multi-media ebooks with 3D image support. Interested in solutions that others have found for presenting 3D designs.

iBooks needs a web client.

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I have a few contacts in the 3D space that you might want to connect with on this eBookj project @Josh_Ajima

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I need to agree with @Nick_Adams - choosing a proprietary format is always a bad choice, especially when it comes to education or sharing knowledge in general. Now, wouldn’t a couple well-angled 2D images convey the same information as an embedded 3D object?

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PDF does support pages with 3D objects. Even animated.
I export them from my CAD software all the time as documentation together with pages of technical drawings, part lists, text and photos.

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@Nick_Adams Here is a link to a pdf version of the iBook https://www.dropbox.com/s/tcmr6tn5plnbe75/iBook%20Year%20of%20the%20Horse.pdf but the interactive 3D preview on the last page does not render.
@Thomas_Sanladerer This is an experiment in placing 3D images in a booklet about 3D design and 3D printing. I think having a 3D object is useful in that scenario. I may be using the Makerware of ebook authoring but don’t know if there is a Cura or Slic3r equivalent for multimedia ebooks that support video/audio/3D objects.
@Marcus_Wolschon Do you have any info/links on file formats or software toolchains to go from .stl/.vrml to pdf?

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@Neil_Ferree I would be interested in connecting with folks about the challenges of putting 3D objects into ebooks. I’m working on ebook example of the many problems I’ve encountered. I use the designmaketeach username on Twitter and gmail for my blog and 3D design work.