subject: How To Create Laser-cut 3d Forms Easily And With Stunning Results. [print this page] How to create laser-cut 3D forms easily and with stunning results.
Have you ever been able see a picture in your mind - a design for art, technology or anything 3D - only to be held back by the complicated design process?
Every day more and more tools are becoming available which lower the barrier to people creating their own great designs. Google SketchUp allows you to build models from scratch, or you can download what you need. Two recent plugins for Google SketchUp that do this are:
* SliceModeler by Public Art International (available for a $10-$50 donation)
* SVG Outline plugin by Flights of Ideas
Sliceform modelling is a technique which lies happily on the borders between art and mathematics. The models are made from intersecting sets of parallel panels made of paper, cardboard, wood, plexiglas or MDF which slot together to generate interesting 3-dimensional surfaces or objects.
Slicemodeler allows you to take a 3D model form and slice it up into interlocking pieces through a series of simple steps. You enter the distance apart that you want the sections, the material thickness, choose which axes the slices are on, and the software calculates the intersections. Slicemodeler is based on the work of John Sharp - watch this interview to hear more about it.
Once you have all the slices, that's when the SVG outline plugin comes in. Select the sections you want (that have been conveniently laid out by Slicemodeler) and hit Export to SVG file. Now you have a file (or files) you can open in Inkscape or Illustrator to arrange for laser cutting. The SVG export plugin also lets you label the different parts so you can keep track of things.
If you're new to SketchUp and have familiarity with other modelling programs, no problem - simply model your designs in your preferred program and then import them into SketchUp. You can then take advantage of the various plugins, including those mentioned here.
The process goes something like this:
* Create the form in SketchUp (If you are using a different modelling program, you'll then need to export a .3ds file and import it into SketchUp )
* Run SliceModeler (see above)
* Export SVG files from SketchUp
* Open in Illustrator (or similar), label and laser cutting
It sounds like a lot of steps but it is actually a simple process compared to imagining how these pieces interlock and drawing the sections in 2D in Illustrator and free 3d models.
Previously, this style of form creation has been possible with premium 3D modeling software like Rhino, but the great thing about SketchUp and its plugins is that they are free 3d models.
This significantly lowers the barriers that stop people making things. And the plugins are either free or for a small donation which is totally worth it to support the great independent software creators that add huge value to these bigger software packages.
