3D objects > Greyscale relief

[craigspc]

Hello,

I have a bit of a Newbie question I'm afraid...

Could anyone please tell me if there's a simple software program available, which can take a 3D object (eg. .3DS or .OBJ) and render it from one angle as a flat greyscale image?

The reason for asking this question is as follows:

I have several 3D objects (fish in this case), which I have been asked to incorporate into a single 'scene' to be cut out of wood in a 3D relief style.

I have absolutely no experience with 3D applications. However, I have found numerous programs that can (apparently) create cnc toolpaths from greyscale images - using the different shades of grey to determine cut depths.

Based on my lack of 3D knowledge, I was thinking that if I could convert the 3D objects that I have into greyscale images, I could then assemble them as one image in a 2D paint program and then run the final image through one of these 'BMP to CNC' type programs to cut it out on my 3 axis cnc router.

Am I thinking about this the right way? Or am I way off track with this idea?

Many thanks,
Craig.

[GaryV1959]

Bob Art will do that ,you can set the depth of cut per greyscale and all you need to do is make a bitmap of what you want and send it through Bobart and it wit cut fairly well..
Gary

[ger21]

I'm pretty sure you'd lose a bit of detail with your method. I know that some 3D apps can do what you want, but not sure if any inexpensive ones can.

[lsalme]

Povray is a free 3d rendering program with all sorts of model format converters. http://www.povray.org/resources/link...ion_Utilities/
Once in a format for Povray you could render at whatever settings you wish.
A heightfield in Povray is a greyscale image which will render out as a 3d image the same as mentioned for software that can create 3d data for cnc.
In this link it describes how Povray can also be set to render a greyscale image from an object specifically to be used for a heightfield.
See http://www.povray.org/documentation/view/3.6.1/261/

I copied this simple description of the software itself, it has been evolving now for about 20 yrs.
The language is very simple, yet includes programming language constructs like loops, variable assignment, and procedures (which can be recursive). Modelling by typing into a text file works suprising well for most things. I have two pieces of advice: 1) use graph paper for initial planning and 2) if you use the same number more than once, declare it as a variable rather than hardcoding it (it makes it easier to tweak the shape of complicated objects later).

Povray takes much longer than 24 hours to learn to use well, but you should be able to learn to program simple scenes with a camera, a light, and some geometry in a few hours.

[craigspc]

Thanks for the all the feedback so far.

I have heard of BobArt before, but I think this application is used to create '3D' images from 2D line drawings. The thing is that I already have several 3D objects. My problem is that I don't know how I can get them all together into one image for cutting (hence the thought about greyscale relief).

PovRay sounds quite interesting. It looks rather complicated from my novice point of view, but I'm willing to put in the time if it's necessary. Out of interest, is this the same program that I used to hear about all those years ago on the Amiga?

Thanks again,
Craig.

[highspeedmazak]

If you want I can do it for you I use UGNX6

[ger21]

I forgot all about Pov Ray. I first learned 3D rendering using Pov-Ray. But haven't used it in a long time, after moving on to "pay" software. Pov-Ray is extremely powerful, if you take the time to learn it.

[greybeard]

Hello,
Could anyone please tell me if there's a simple software program available, which can take a 3D object (eg. .3DS or .OBJ) and render it from one angle as a flat greyscale image?.........

.......I have several 3D objects (fish in this case), which I have been asked to incorporate into a single 'scene' to be cut out of wood in a 3D relief style.

Are the 3d "objects" on the table or in your computer ?

If the latter, what program did you use to open them ?

If you cannot save the open file within the program as a .tif or .jpg, at least you could use the "print screen" key to give you a screen wide image of the part you need.
This could be opened in any decent paint program for further manipulation into a grayscale image.

John

[craigspc]

Thanks again to all of you who have offered help and ideas. I think I've found my solution (or at least a way to achieve what I was originally trying to do).

I went to a friends house yesterday and had a play with ArtCam Pro on his PC. I found out that ArtCam Pro lets you import 3D files and export them as greyscale Bas-Relief images in BMP format.

Although I'm sure that learning a 3D modelling program is the proper way forward (and I'm giving PovRay a try), this seems to have provided me with a temporary solution.

Thanks again,
Craig.

[Switcher]

Anyone know what ArtCam Pro, cost?


.

[ger21]

~$7500

[craigspc]

Anyone know what ArtCam Pro, cost?


.

I just found out that it costs about $7,000, which is way out of my budget!