Hello All

I wonder if anyone knows how to go about importing a jpg or bmp file containing a sketch or grayscale drawing and then convert that to a 2D object (such as a face in HeeksCad) which can then be extruded into a 3D object?

Thanks

Have a look at Inkscape, and the gcode tools addon.

Do you mean to extrude the lines of a sketch to make something stepped like a topographical terrain, or to convert a photo into a heightfield surface? If the latter, ZSurf4 is a program that converts a greyscale bitmap (any picture can be converted to greyscale in Paint, Zsurf's documentation explains it well) to an IGES surface. It's available here: [www.cadstudio.cz] Works very well, with the proviso that the surface has a control point for every pixel, so resampling a picture to a smaller X,Y pixel resolution is the way to optimise pictures so the surface is manageable. Because the surface produced is a NURB format, you can adjust facet resolution when you convert it to .stl. I use Marcus Bole's PolyCAD to tweak surfaces obtained, an IGES import into Polycad is a control point mesh, simple to work with. FreeCAD can thicken an IGES surface to make a solid, or the surface can be used as one face of a manifold polyhedron, surfaces stitched and converted to solid.

I think ageinghippy means to use a reprap to print on fabric. I would certainly be possible given proper dispensing/curing equipment, but the question was "Has anyone done it?", and I don't think anyone has.

Hi Guys

I wish to import a jpg or bmp sketch which I can then extrude into a 3D object which I can then save as an STL for printing.

Not for any heavy duty stuff, but say to produce a keyring from a simple sketch. The simplest would be to import an image of a circle and then use some 3D package to extrude that circle into the third dimension to form a cylinder... then being able to save the resulting cylinder as an STL which I can then send to skeinforge.

Cheers

... there are some tools converting 'heightfield-images' with grey shades into 3D-surfaces - here black is mostly =0, white (or value 255) is the max. Z height, and every value between 0 and 255 is interpreted as corresponding Z-coordinate.

Some programs for CNC-milling have this function embedded too, so you can import BMP's and convert the grey-shadows or even colours in 3D-coordinates and export as G-code.

... look here for a sample program: [www.inf-el.com]

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

AgeingHippy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Guys
>
> I wish to import a jpg or bmp sketch which I can
> then extrude into a 3D object which I can then
> save as an STL for printing.
>
Hi AgeingHippy,

It's not quite what you requested but you can load an image into Sketchup, use x-ray (makes it 50% transparent) and then trace around it, and extrude the height, see this PDF

There is also a sketchup utility called stampers designed to take a image logo and make it into a 3D form. I have not tried it myself.

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[richrap.blogspot.com]

[www.inf-el.com]

[www.inf-el.com]

Hey friends if you are looking for batch image converter then I have recommended you “ReaConverter”. I have great experience of working with it's. It does prove really very helpful for me while I have a bunch of images and I need to convert and resize all of them. With the help of ReaConverter can convert them all at once.

Bmp file for 3d

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HimanshuKkp
[attachment 81210 images49.jpg] Bmp file for 3d