P2Slice

P2Slice prepares a STL file for FDM 3D Printing.

Usage

IMPORTANT: Assuming the current working path is root of P2Slice project from now on

docker run --rm \
    -v $PWD/p2slice_test:/app/p2slice_test \ # share the stls
    p2slice \ # docker image name is p2slice
        --original_mesh_path ./p2slice_test/no-union-test.stl \ # the input stl
        --pythonpath . \ # indicates where is the py files important
        --error_path ./p2slice_test/error.log \ # log file
        --tmp_path ./p2slice_test/tmp \ # all the output files sit in this directory
        --meshlab_command meshlab \ # not used
        --enable_union \ # do Blender Union
        --verbose # spitting bars at ./p2slice_test/error.log

Installing

./docker-build.sh

Running on example files

./docker-test-run.sh

See logs by

tail -f ./p2slice_test/error.log

Explanation

The "main" file is

./upload_process_P2Slice/upload_process_P2Slice.py

It includes all the preparations we apply to a STL file, listed below with explanation.

clean_file (ProcessCleanFile)

Open the ASCII/binary stl and save to binary STL format

STLReader.py is adapted from STLReader.py in CuraEngine

Example

parse_data (ProcessParseData)

Get mesh information from original stls

split (ProcessSplit)

Split a STL file to several stls by looking at bounding box (axis-align) of the connected components

Example

tightly_arranged (ProcessTightlyArranged)

Use Bullet Physics Simulation Engine to test whether a file is tightly_arranged i.e. multiple models are put in a STL file and arrange very tightly such that the bounding box (axis-align) are intersecting.

Example

union (ProcessUnion)

Use Blender apply CSG Operation union to a STL to try to merge several shell to single shell

Example

shell_count (ProcessShellCount)

calculate percentage of shell with largest number of triangle / total number of triangle

Used for deciding whether this STL is click-and-print-able in C&P frontend

(P.S. the pronunciation is /ˈklɪk.ænd.prɪnt.ə.bəl/ not /ˈklɪk.ænd.prɪntə.bəl/)

tweak (ProcessTweak)

"Improved" version of Tweaker

find_best_rect (ProcessFindBestRectangle)

Find the best 2D bounding rectangle for the model

Used for bed arrangement in C&P frontend

parse_data (ProcessParseData)

Get mesh information from P2Slice stl

generate_support (ProcessGenerateSupport)

Generate suppport for P2Slice stl

parse_data (ProcessParseData)

Get mesh information from support stl

well_arranged (ProcessWellArranged)

Check whether a file is well_arranged (i.e. multiple models, with intersecting bounding boxes, that are not tightly arranged, but all disposed on a same plan)

An example

If you run the command at Usage, it should output the following files at ./p2slice_test/tmp

process_report.json A report to see whether each process is successful

no-union-test.json no-union-test_metadata.json information of original file

P2Slice_no-union-test_0_split.json P2Slice_no-union-test_0_split_metadata.json information of P2Slice file

support_P2Slice_no-union-test_0_split.json support_P2Slice_no-union-test_0_split_metadata.json information of support file

P2Slice_no-union-test_0_split.stl The P2Slice STL

support_P2Slice_no-union-test_0_split.stl support STL for P2Slice file

tmp_P2Slice_no-union-test.stl A copy of the original file not useful