Considering STL Importer

[kzushma]

Hello,
I am considering the STL Importer upgrade.
I am pretty good with SketchUp and would like to create my carvings in that.
They may not all be 3D sliced and glued designs.
If I created some basic shapes that I would want routed etc, would STL importer be a good option?
Thanks.

[cestout]

I use SketchUp for cabinet work etc., but don't see it working well for STL designs for the CarveWright. Works great for rotary designs and flat stuff downloaded from online and, if you can figure Blender out you can create some STLs of your own that work as patterns.
Clint

[oscarl48]

The STL importer is the only add-on I own. I use it almost exclusively to port 3d models into designer. You can do basic shapes but it is incredibly versatile for 3d models to 2.5d imports.

I have done hundreds if not thousands of patterns using the STL importer as part of my pattern creation workflow. In combination, I use blender 3d, which is a free program, to create 3d models which I then save as STLs and import into designer. There are many options in software to create the 3d models to include the 3d add-on for designer. I have not used sketchup very much so don't know its capability at creating STLs for designer.

The one thing with any 3d modeling software is the learning curve is going to be extremely high unless you have used it before (being good with sketchup may help). Its taken me over 2 years to get to the level I'm at with blender. I still have a long ways to go since I am self (youtube) teaching myself. There are some limitations with the STL add-on software but overall it works pretty darn good in importing 3d models into designer if they are designed correctly. Just for reference you can reference any pattern I've built to see what the software can do. Most of them were built as 3d models in blender and then imported as STLs into designer.

Below are some examples of a finished project and patterns I've created as 3d models and then imported into designer using the STL importer add-on.

[kzushma]

I use SketchUp for cabinet work etc., but don't see it working well for STL designs for the CarveWright. Works great for rotary designs and flat stuff downloaded from online and, if you can figure Blender out you can create some STLs of your own that work as patterns.
Clint

Thanks Clint. SketchUp is definitely better suited for flat stuff and I was wondering if STL converter was used that way (for flat stuff or other basic carving designs) Going to check out blender as well.

[kzushma]

Thanks very much for all the info. I guess my question was about its versatility and you left no doubt on that one...

The STL importer is the only add-on I own. I use it almost exclusively to port 3d models into designer. You can do basic shapes but it is incredibly versatile for 3d models to 2.5d imports.

I have done hundreds if not thousands of patterns using the STL importer as part of my pattern creation workflow. In combination, I use blender 3d, which is a free program, to create 3d models which I then save as STLs and import into designer. There are many options in software to create the 3d models to include the 3d add-on for designer. I have not used sketchup very much so don't know its capability at creating STLs for designer.

The one thing with any 3d modeling software is the learning curve is going to be extremely high unless you have used it before (being good with sketchup may help). Its taken me over 2 years to get to the level I'm at with blender. I still have a long ways to go since I am self (youtube) teaching myself. There are some limitations with the STL add-on software but overall it works pretty darn good in importing 3d models into designer if they are designed correctly. Just for reference you can reference any pattern I've built to see what the software can do. Most of them were built as 3d models in blender and then imported as STLs into designer.

Below are some examples of a finished project and patterns I've created as 3d models and then imported into designer using the STL importer add-on.

[SteveNelson46]

If you plan to use 3rd party programs to create 3D and 2.5D projects the STL importer is the ONLY way you can import them into the Designer. I suppose one could save the project as a .jpg and then try to import the graphic as a pattern but that usually doesn't work out very well.

[kzushma]

OK, rookie question: is 2.5D a project like an engraving in a plaque?
I was thinking along the lines of some block lettering for mantel pieces and stuff like that. i can easily create a STL, just wanted to be sure that it would work for stuff light that and not exclusively 3D stuff.

If you plan to use 3rd party programs to create 3D and 2.5D projects the STL importer is the ONLY way you can import them into the Designer. I suppose one could save the project as a .jpg and then try to import the graphic as a pattern but that usually doesn't work out very well.

[ronboley]

I hope I'm not making this issue less clear, but the carvewright with rotary and rotary software is not a 3D machine. I beleive we jokingly call it 2.5D because it carves a 3D figure by taking a 3D file (like a .stl 3D file) and "unrolls" it on to a flat 2D carve that the rotary jig accomodates. The carvewright .stl translator is the only software that will "unroll" the 3D file so it can be used in Designer and carved on the carvewright machine.

[oscarl48]

Good points. The machine carves 2.5d since it does not have a true fourth axis. The rotary add-on is 3d but is limited to cylindrical base shapes. 2.5d is a real term. Wikipedia:

Two and a half dimensional (shortened to 2.5D, nicknamed three-quarter perspective and pseudo-3D) is a term used to describe either 2D graphical projections and similar techniques used to cause images or scenes to simulate the appearance of being three-dimensional (3D) when in fact they are not.

The way I build patterns is to create 3d models and import into designer as 2.5d patterns. You will have to learn different techniques to accomplish this since it is a conversion of similar but no same models. The depth of a 3d model is critical in converting to 2.5d since the machine has maximum limits on carving depth.

Look at my thread under 3rd party software to see how I go about creating my patterns.

http://forum.carvewright.com/showthr...for-CW-pattern

[SteveNelson46]

Okay, technically the Carvewright carves in 3d in that it has a length, width, and depth (XYZ) (3 dimensions). in the CNC world, the rotary carves are usually referred to as 4 dimensional carving. It has length, width, depth and rotation as the 4th dimension. I think what confuses the concept is that most CNC machines convert the X axis or the Y axis to the rotational movement.

Also confusing the definitions is that the carving process is subtractive. Not like a 3D printer that is additive.

And then there are 5 dimensional machines where the cutting head can be rotated in any direction.