I need some CNC router work done.

[DaveMeister]

Hello, I am new here and know almost zero about cnc routers etc. I am an artist and have been painting these oil paintings for many years now that when finished, look like they are abstract stained glass but carved in wood. If that makes any sense.

Since many people already think that I am carving these in wood, I have set out to see if that would even be possible, and if so how and is it cost effective for me to do so. I know Illustrator and Photoshop and can created computer versions of what I am doing in oils... now I am hoping that someone out there wants to work with me in attempting this.

Please email me at davidmeisteris@gmail.com if you can help and I will show you images of what I do, a computer image for you to work with etc...

Thank you!

Dave

[Pratyeka]

Welcome to the forum.
You do need to know that the machine needs a picture containing depth of carve information. It is a greyscale picture (depthmap) and the level of grey of each pixel tells the machine how deep to carve at that coordinate. So taking a digitized version of your painting will likely result in a disappointing carving.
If you can, you could attempt to picture in your mind the depth of carve and just paint in shades of grey, the darker, the deeper.

[DaveMeister]

That is awesome to know, I was wondering about the depth part. Well the good thing is the depth issue seems pretty simple I think. I wish I could attach a jpeg so you could see what I am talking about. How does one normally go about creating the type of file you use? Is there a specific software program people use?

[Pratyeka]

for a true relief carving, you need a 3D cad software (like MOI, blender, Zbrush, Sketchup, etc...), then convert to a depth map or a STL file if you have the STL importer, or a DXF file if you have that importer.

I don't have these importers, so I export to a OBJ or STL file, import that into Artcam software which can output a .BMP file of the depthmap. Than a bit of cleanup into Photoshop, save in .PNG greyscale 16bits, then import in pattern designer.... long process but the end result is good.

For converting a normal photograph into a pattern, a Photoshop style software to edit pictures is sufficient. Learning how to get good results takes time and lots of trial and error. Experimenting with simple drawings helps a lot toward understanding the relation between the greys and the depth.