I just bought a 3d printer and I have been going plain hog wild with it (it’s been running 24/7 for the last three days) and it feels like I am neglecting my cnc roots.
So I am putting out a request for suggestions for a pattern I can make and share with the community. I am not placing any limitations on it this time. I am going to put this poll on all the sites I am a member of and if there are more than one suggestion I will pick the one I like the most.
The pattern I make will be shared as a grey scale height map image and also test carved to ensure no issues.
At some point I need to make a Youtube video on how to use Blender 3d (free) to make a high quality 3d file for cnc carving from a height map image. It kind of sucks that VCarve Pro can’t do it. Aspire can. Zbrush can also make high quality 3d files from height maps.
That is correct, Vcarve can’t, but it can import 3D files like .stl files which can then be carved. Is it possible to offer that format for those without Aspire?
Hi, I don’t share the STL’s because typically they are very large files. Blender 3d, which is free, is also very good at creating geometry from height maps. You can then save it as an FBX, STL, or OBJ.
Its a 3-4 step process in Blender.
Add a plane (subdivide to ensure enough detail can be achieved)
Load the height map as a texture map (Texture properties tab - add new texture)
Apply texture to the plane (Modifier properties tab- displacement modifier)
This is what I ended up with. I lost a bit of detail in converting to 2.5d and reducing the file size. Started at 3GB for the full 3d model. I’ll test carve and see how it looks.
It carved okay. Good experiment build on how not to use particle systems for a cnc pattern. Looks amazing for 3d animations but is too massive on geometry to generate good patterns.
