Need Help!- point cloud to toolpath

[adamchapman]

Hi,

I've designed a wind turbine blade with some aerodynamics code I wrote in Matlab, and saved the blade geometry as .txt with format:

x1 y1 z1
x2 y2 z2
... ... ...
xn yn zn


I can open this in mastercam and it looks like a nice point cloud.

This is great, but now I need to turn the point cloud into a solid or a surface before I can make machine toolpaths.

What can I do to turn my point cloud into something machinable?

[kojack]

Originally Posted by adamchapman Hi, I've designed a wind turbine blade with some aerodynamics code I wrote in Matlab, and saved the blade geometry as .txt with format: x1 y1 z1 x2 y2 z2 ... ... ... xn yn zn I can open this in mastercam and it looks like a nice point cloud. This is great, but now I need to turn the point cloud into a solid or a surface before I can make machine toolpaths. What can I do to turn my point cloud into something machinable?

give me a few Hrs I can convert it to you ...

its kind of a pain in the butt ...

basiccally have to mesh it and turn it into a STL file ...

I do it all the time

[adamchapman]

Thanks very much for the offer but I really need to know how to do it for myself; the aerodynamics isn't perfect yet so Im expecting the blade design to change a few times before im happy with it.

[adamchapman]

OK I've actually made an STL file out of my matlab coordinates now.

How do you turn the stl mesh into a surface? surely you dont have to individually highlight every line with
create -> surface -> net surface

[kojack]

Originally Posted by adamchapman OK I've actually made an STL file out of my matlab coordinates now. How do you turn the stl mesh into a surface? surely you dont have to individually highlight every line with create -> surface -> net surface

looking @ your file you dont need to make STL or mesh ..

you need to draw some closed poly lines and draw some surfaces

[adamchapman]

Wouldn't that require drawing splines round all the cross sections? This will be particularly time consuming when all the cross sections are not identical

It seems very time consuming, is there a faster way using wireframe toolpaths? I suppose there are also problems with sensing the upper and lower side, as I only have a 3 axis cnc. Hence I would need 2 toolpaths, one for the top and one for the whole thing flipped to cut the underside

[kojack]

Originally Posted by adamchapman Wouldn't that require drawing splines round all the cross sections? This will be particularly time consuming when all the cross sections are not identical It seems very time consuming, is there a faster way using wireframe toolpaths? I suppose there are also problems with sensing the upper and lower side, as I only have a 3 axis cnc. Hence I would need 2 toolpaths, one for the top and one for the whole thing flipped to cut the underside

took about 15 mins to make curves thru the points I had to do it manual

the controll points were acting goofy .. Then I just lofted the curvs

pretty simple

[kojack]

doing that with out fixture points and 5axis tool paths will be a major pain in the

ars

[adamchapman]

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.

I guess i'll have to do 2 seperate toolpaths, one for the top and one for the bottom. Wish me luck!

[cadcam]

Hear is a quick little demo of doing it in MC. about 3min run. this is a Windows Media file
http://www.mastercam-cadcam.com/vide...pointcloud.wmv

[kojack]

Originally Posted by cadcam Hear is a quick little demo of doing it in MC. about 3min run. this is a Windows Media file http://www.mastercam-cadcam.com/vide...pointcloud.wmv

nice video ....Nice selection of music also ....


I noticed on your model also there was some bubbling @ the End

I if you zoom in on your spline there probally all twisted on the edges

I had to explode the point cloud and manualy fix the ends ...

Definelty faster than Rhino ..

[kojack]

I know MC9 has create splines Manual and automatic

but I dont think it works like X3 ????