Using blender 3d to create stl for CW pattern

[jpaluck]

Good Job Oscar!!

Stay with quads once you master them you can create anything for cnc. You right the interface is key

[oscarl48]

John,

Thanks. Slowly making progress but a long ways from mastering the software. I am amazed at what technology allows us.

[sunmiztres]

Great job! It would be really great if you had extra time and narrated the video as you slowly did the project

[oscarl48]

Heather,

That was a great comment about time. I have more hobbies than time and that dang work thing keeps me away from doing the fun stuff.

Also doing videos for posting are a completely new thing for me. Another hobby to learn.

Having said that I really do want to do one or two more videos that are actual tutorials. Let me know if there is anything specific you would like me to try (still not great at any of it).

After 1.5 years I finally have my CW tuned in and its happily carving as I type. Finger crossed it stays that way for a while.

Regards,
Oscar

Jinxed myself. Walked out to check on the carve and got stung by a wasp. I've been stung by a bee and a bumble bee before but first time by a wasp. I can state that it is much more painful experience than the first two stings.

[oscarl48]

I think I'll keep using this thread. I learned how to show the keys typed in blender so I can start building basic tutorials.

Here is a super fast tutorial on how to make the jagged star I posted under Holiday and Seasonal. Still experimenting with videos so not very advanced or professional but the tutorial shows how easy it is to make this pattern using blender and modifiers. As an alternate do the same without the modifier.

https://youtu.be/9ICRDWqwqlg

I did not show exporting as stl because its pretty self explanatory. Ensure under user preference stl export check box is checked and then on the main screen select export and then from the sub menu select stl.

[DianMayfield]

Oscar, the effort is greatly appreciated. Even something you may not think has value really helps us blender newbies out. I couldn't get my volume high enough to hear it tho. I suppose I will wait for the "polished" version

[oscarl48]

Thank you very much for the heads up. Yup, I am officially not very good at making these things. I went back and redid the video. I had a rough script so info will be similar. A little rough in spots but the sound volume should be audible now. When I was setting up my mike software I did not realize if I didn't check a box the system defaulted to 50% volume. So a case of user not knowing his tools.

I hope you stick with blender and get past the initial cliff. I am amazed at what a free software package can do. I have just scratched the surface after two years of playing with it but I am finally at a point that I can focus on the art and not the mechanics (though I am still learning the mechanics).

[bergerud]

I am running 2.72b. It works fine in this version. The add on was actually by donation. Now I think it has become open source.

Here is a comparison I made between the Blender bas relief Vs simple z scaling. In the example, one knee was far forward. This screws up the simple scaling as, by the time the knee is lowered, the rest of the height map is over flattened. The Blender bas relief, on the other hand, flattened to the same height and retained much more detail.

[oscarl48]

Dan, thank you. I'll have to relook at that version again. I have that bas relief version somewhere and I did donate to the creator but I just could not figure out how to install it. This was right when I was starting this little blender journey a few years ago and really didn't have a clue (still not a whole lot better).

A guy in Russia took that original add-on and repackaged so it was easier to install and charged a fee for it. This version is no longer useable in the newer blender. I keep a 2.6 version so I can use it if I need to though.

[oscarl48]

Okay. Finally did a voiced over video. Sorry its not a tutorial. Its a demonstration video on how to use three different techniques within blender to create carvewright patterns.

This was more for my learning on how to do these type of videos and ensure I had the right software tools.

Its obvious I have to relearn how to speak again. I used to do a lot of public speaking in the early part of my career but its obviously a skill set that I have lost.

I believe the video may have a little bit of value but it is embarrassingly bad. I'll leave it up for a little bit before I delete it.

https://youtu.be/SoXtzqSFprU

One thing I didn't highlight very much is that all the images and even the stl can be post processed to optimize the pattern. The 2d images can be cleaned up in Photoshop, Corel, or other graphics package and the stl can be tweaked in blender or other 3d software package.