STL-SOLID

[U.K. PRECISION INC.]

In the background of MC when toolpathing a stl file i know MC creates a solid of the file i wonderd if there was a chook or can the vb side of Mc be writen to create this solid from the stl file? Any imput would be appreciated.

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

do a search, There is a chook available and maybe in the chook directory on ftp

 

 

edit/

it is in chook directory the name of it is stl2surf.dll copy into your chook driectory

 

[ 01-27-2004, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: Jimmy Wakeford, from Barefoot CNC ]

[cadcam]

Just so you know this will only make surfaces not solids.

Also expect to see alott of surfaces from this as it creates them cross the policon mesh.

 

and as jimmy was stating this is on the Chook folder on the FTP.

[U.K. PRECISION INC.]

I know abot the stl2surf chook but i would have 14,000.00 surfaces. I when mc computes the file it says 1 of 1 surfaces not 14,000.00 i wish they would promt for saving the solid, i found this out from my local reseller too.

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

You can create a solid from surfaces, but would end up with HUGE file. Maybe an option create solid from stl? You out there PD Guy?

[U.K. PRECISION INC.]

Any imput from a mastercam vb writer or programmer on this stl question? version x maybe?

[Code_Breaker]

I agree . . . stl-2-solid would be awsome. I have to machine a STL from time to time and it is a pain. Sometimes there are holes in the STL causing a tool to plunge to an depth not wanted.

 

If anyone finds a converter, keep me in mind and e-mail me info.

Thanks

[Fig sign]

I tried to stay away from this thread as much as possible ,kinda let the people say what I think ,but in perfect English .

But anyway :

quote:

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In the background of MC when toolpathing a stl file i know MC creates a solid of the file

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I doubt it is true .

I better believe it is STL file that it creates or something simmilar (fecetoing surfaces and solids )and producing toolpath from point to point triangulation.

The various guesses are seen everywhere

We have STLCompare for gouging ,we save STL from veryfication and so on .

In some other programs it is not a guess ,it is a fact that i know for sure .

Solid is very hard to handle mathematecally stuff while STL is a set of points basically.

Regarding STL to solid .

This is a task ,that is superhard to implement .

A little example explaining all:

I got a model through STL and wanted to transfer to some other system without STL converter so I used STL2surf C-hook.

I`ve got approx 95000 surfaces and sent IGES .

The other system was punched and fall I continued to work with it if it can be called so (Shading limited surfaces through select by window )

STL2SUrf took a lot of time and this pushed me to this

I `ve made from smaller STLs surfaces and solids

after that .

25000 surfaces guess what Solid size?!?

Even if you have surfaces form of brick you have them more then surfaces at least twice .

Now what about Cylinder with good resolution .

Convert it to stl ->now surfaces ->now close to solid (if all will go OK)

Do it once and see what you get .

And of what size !

Cause Convwerting to surfaces through STL2SUrf

simply builds from points tryangled surfaces and does not introduce any logic ,form recognition ,mesh approximation and other stuff ,that some special programs may have if any that costs $$$$$ !!!

So converting such surfaces is total waste of time and Mastercam through toolpathing does not builds solids

It is not an easy task and it is hard to achieve and very limited demand ,I guess !

quote:

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Any imput from a mastercam vb writer or programmer on this stl question? version x maybe?

---

I wish to be wrong .

This is MHO of low importance ,but I stick to it !

 

Iskander teh dead end

 

[ 01-28-2004, 02:14 PM: Message edited by: Iskander teh Owl ]

[John Summers]

Any STL file probably came from a surface in the first place. Where is that surface?

[U.K. PRECISION INC.]

when you machine from a file, by toggling to the file surface option mc actually does creat a solid in the back ground (we just can't see it), i comfirmed this with my local reseller, i just wish it would prompt us to keep it visable/ saveble thats why i asked about a vb script or c-hook as mc toolpaths the file a lot quicker than 10 or 15 thousand surfaces, try it by expoting a file as stl and toolpathing it with the file option on it will say 1 of 1 surface not thousands of surfaces.

[Fig sign]

Not a must .

You can get it from part probing through special Gadgets And Widgets

[U.K. PRECISION INC.]

i should say even 1 surface mybe not a actual solid model or mulptiple sufaces but just not 10,0000 or so i was told mc creates a solid i don't want to edit the solid just make it quicker to toolpath.

[U.K. PRECISION INC.]

as the "OWL" said 3d scanning and other gadets create small facets or stl or mesh polygone or whatever you would like to call them, most come with software to convert this but some don't.

[Fig sign]

It will not be quicker ,an opposite !

You are adding one step more

You can not combine triangled surfaces to one ,

So you will have one step more ,first of all your model will be sectioned with resolution according to toleranse to sections ,points will be extracted and so on.

If your model is simple ,may be you`ll redraw it to solids or surfaces ,otherwise :

 

No way ,IMHO !

[Fig sign]

quote:

---

Note: When Mastercam reads an STL file, numerous (many thousands of) line entities are created. You may not need to convert an STL file. If you want to machine an STL file, or simply view or put a bounding box around STL data,

it is recommended that you do not convert an STL file, but rather select an STL file with the CAD file option of surface toolpaths.

quote:

---

---

Mastercam can create a toolpath on a CAD file that resides on disk rather than being open in Mastercam.

Using the CAD file option provides faster processing time.

Mastercam extracts the information it needs to create the toolpath from the file, so that you do not need to retrieve the CAD file into Mastercam, which frees memory for toolpath creation.

---

[ProductDevelopmentGuy]

A bit of clarification...

 

We do Not convert the STL file into a solid during machining of STL files.

 

But, it might sound cool to convert the STL file (remember it's all triangles) into a solid, but you'd very quickly end up with a solid with 1000s (if not 10000s or 100000s) of flat faces. And it's usefulness will probably fade.

 

PDG

[Fig sign]

Bingo!

quote:

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We do Not convert the STL file into a solid during machining of STL files.

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Me fool I might had made a wager !

[U.K. PRECISION INC.]

say you revolve a rectangle with an outer corner with a rad you will have 4 surfaces, so when toolpathing it would say 1/4 processing, now export that file as an slt, then toolpath the stl and it will say 1/1 processing. My local reseller told me cnc software had said it creates a solid in the background. I wouldn't care if it was a surface it would just save me time menupulating the stl for further opp's.

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

There is an addon. Raindrop Geomagic that you can get that does convert stl to single/not so many nurbs surfaces. Have your Dealer contact Jeff Kliendhiner(sp?) at QTE CAD fir more info

[Fig sign]

Your local reseller is simply not accurate in his statements .

And The great PDG is the final judge in this discussion ,he KNOWS FOR SURE !

And mastercam not creates surfaces in the background ,

It cut the STL model to set of points for each section and works with it ,IMHO .

 

What Mastercam creates in the background when it mills surfaces and solids ?!?

Sorta STL IMHO !