Laser scan to 3D Solid

[Pplug]

I'm not sure thats in the budget. What kind of price range are we talking about for this software?

I just looked on e-bay and it ranges from $31-$130. Renting a scanner or bulding one for yourself might cost more!

[nivlek]

sorry to trouble you all, but as I am very new to scanning, I would appreciate some very basic advice.

I have scanned a toy matchbox car and would like to machine it in timber.

1)
Once I scan it, what file format should I save it too ?

2)
I have down loaded Meshlab and wish to turn the scan car into a solid item so that I can cnc machine it.
In basic terms, how do I turn the scanned car into a solid item using Meshlab.

I apologise for being so basic but would like to learn.

I have tried to read info, but I haven't found any suitable.

Thanking you in advance
Regards
Kel

[awerby]

sorry to trouble you all, but as I am very new to scanning, I would appreciate some very basic advice.

I have scanned a toy matchbox car and would like to machine it in timber.

1)
Once I scan it, what file format should I save it too ?

[STL is the most universal.]

2)
I have down loaded Meshlab and wish to turn the scan car into a solid item so that I can cnc machine it.
In basic terms, how do I turn the scanned car into a solid item using Meshlab.

[Fill in any holes in the surface, then save it as a water-tight STL file. It doesn't have to be an actual solid, as long as there aren't any holes the tool will get into.]

I apologise for being so basic but would like to learn.

I have tried to read info, but I haven't found any suitable.

Thanking you in advance
Regards
Kel

[Once you've got a good STL file, try downloading the demo version of DeskProto to generate the G-code toolpath program that will tell your CNC router how to carve it: DeskProto offers rapid prototyping using an affordable cnc milling machine: DeskProto is 3D cam software for model making. ]

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

[nivlek]

Thank you Andrew, but sorry I require the steps before that.

I have tried to save it as a .stl file and also ensure that it is a watertight .stl file.

However, when I try and import it or open it into BoBCad, I cannot visually see the picture. Therefore I cannot generate a Gcode. BobCad seems to think that the file is there but I cannot see it on the screen.

I must be doing something wrong.

Regards
Kel

[mcphill]

What version of BobCAD? V23 supports STL files very well. Try opening it in MeshLab (freeware) to see if the STL is a good file...

[nivlek]

mcphill,
I'm running bobcad version 24 and build 208 and I agree with you that bobcad works well with stl's. When I have a standard drawn stl file, bobcad is great.
Now that I have a scanned object and save it as a stl, you cannot physically see the object in Bobcad.

I have opened it in Meshlab, and I can see the scanned object. can spin it around. so it seems to be ok.

Regards
Kel

[vinot]

make sure you have a solid, not a surface (for a stl)

anyway, consider meshlab as a tool to cleanup your scan, not the tool to obtain a model to machine (even it could do that). To do that you must export your scan from meshlab (you can use igs, stl, obj and other formats) to some modeler, then convert your scan (mesh) to a solid (rather than surface). The modeled part is the one you can machine.

as told earlier, as a modeler there are lot of apps you can use, ranging from 0 up to several K$:

blender (free), rhinoceros (800$, but have a workable demo), sw/inventor/proE (several K$). In the middle there are "tons" of others.

The same about cam: from freemill to bobcad and others.

regards

toni

[vinot]

I didn't see your last post (we are writing at same time)

now I'm sure your stl is not a solid, maybe a surface or only a mesh. I don't know if bobcad takes surfaces, but as you are saying I don't think.

another possible solution is to export it as obj or igs (if bobcad takes them) and try again

[mcphill]

What software are you scanning with?

Here is my face, done on a NextEngine. Opened in BobCAD no problem...



And toolpathed up:



It's Me!!! album | mcphill | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

[nivlek]

Mcphill,
That is my set up....except my BobCad is version 24.

Ok,,, When you scan could you simply tell me after the scan is finsihed, the steps you took to get that into bobcad.

I'm missing something in the middle and it is so frustrating....

Sorry to ask but as a newbie, its a good learning curve

regards
Kel

[mcphill]

I have RapidWorks, so after scanning I took it in to RapidWorks and filled and cleaned the scan. You can do this in ScanTools as well, its just a little slower and not as easy to do as in RapidWorks. After that, save as STL, and open it in BobCAD. I don't understand why you can't open your file in BobCAD if you did it on the NextEngine. Send me your file to mike(at)mcpii(dot)com and I will see if I can open it in V23.

[awerby]

And I'm pretty sure you don't need an actual solid in order to mill something, even in BobCAD. In McPhil's picture, you can see that the face is just a surface; it isn't an enclosed solid, but the toolpath software he used didn't have a problem with it.

Try downloading the trial version of DeskProto, and see if it can open your STL file.

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software