Replicate routing out.

[classic12]

Hi,

I am trying to replicate a router cutting out a shape.

The method I tried is using a boolean and a text with an extrusion. I animated the scale ti extend the whole. Obviously this won't work as I need lettering (as the box on the right ).

Is there a way to expose the text so it looks like it is being machined.

http://www.toolfolks.com/docs/router.mov

http://www.toolfolks.com/docs/material.jas

Cheers

Steve Warby

 

[Helmut]

Hi Steve
* You will need a second Boolean (= the router) in the hierarchy which blanks out from 100% to 0% of the lettering. Of course, this object needs to be animated to move along the strokes of the individual letters.
* Most likely, you need to split the word into single letters to animate the 2nd Boolean object cleanly.
* This will work (with some fiddling) on simple / single-stroke letters, eg "c" or "i".
* For more complex letters with a T-junction, eg "a" or "b" you either need to construct a shape-shifting Boolean to show the progress of the routing tool or you need to split single letters into individual strokes and animate those separately.
* Some tests show that this will work, but it is rather tedious and laborious stuff.
* On the plus side, you can add a particle emitter which blows out wood dust as the router follows the lettering

* Quick&Dirty: You can animate the text, but this will work only on complete letters. In this case, start the text with a spatium, otherwise the whole Boolean will disappear.

 

[Helmut]

* There may be an alternative:
* This will involve a chain creator, fairly densely populated with cylinders and animated (from / to / offset) to simulate the linear progress of the router.
* Once more, a bit laborious, but possibly more elegant and flexible than the previous method I suggested.
* I don't know how / if this can be combined cleanly with the required Booleans.
* I test that tomorrow (CET). This was a long day

 

[Swizl]

Interesting idea Helmut. Curious to how your experiment will turn out when you get to it. Also learned a new word today too. Spatium.

Possibly an animated displacement map could do it, but creating that may be difficult as well. Just thought I'd throw another idea out, even if it may not really work.

 

[Helmut]

* Oops
* Version #2 for router crashes C3D
* Warning: Do not use this .jas without relevant precautions!
* Version #2 deploys a Boolean, the base object being the wooden block to be worked on, the subtracting object being a chain of n small cylinders.
* The chain has been keyframed to start/end at (0;0) at frame 1 and to start/end at (0;1) at frame n. Basically, this is an increasing set of holes along the splines of the letter.
* The Boolean has been deactivated in the object browser. In the moment the Boolean is activated, C3D quits on my Mac.

* @ Frank B: Pease verify the crash and pass this on to the Good Doctor for an analysis.
* Servus aus Wien

* After some more testing:
* If I decrease the holes in the chain (from 100 to 48) so they do not overlap, the Boolean suddenly works without a crash. Of course, I get individual holes, which is not what I want.
* It seems that the overlapping elements of the chain causes the C3D crash. Both an increase of the items in the chain (-> overlap) or an increase in the radius of the hole (-> overlap) generates an instant crash.

* @ Steve:
* I have experimented with some other possibilities for the router (Boolean plus a sweep plus a build modifier, Boolean plus a spline mesh) but I get nowhere.
* I still have another option deploying one of Master Hiroto´s scripts, but then I am out of constructive ideas.

 

[frank beckmann]

This is made internally in Cheetah3d keyframing the "From" property inside a chain creator and material greyscale values to get this animation first:

Which is then used as an animated displacement map here:

The router bit follows the same spline via spline tracking.
This is made from scratch in about an hour excluding render test&finishing - so you might get an idea of the time this job requires.

Cheers
Frank

 

[frank beckmann]

* @ Frank B: Pease verify the crash and pass this on to the Good Doctor for an analysis.

Will do. But I believe this set-up has a weak point and this is the chain creator itself; it´s just a stack of hulls and not one solid mesh which cannot be used as 1 mesh for subtraction from another object. Hope this makes sense.

Cheers
Frank

 

[misoversaturated]

The router bit follows the same spline via spline tracking.

Great job Frank!

I believe the displacement way is the only viable because it will work with UV-materials.
Animating a boolean creator will change the geometry and thus distort any given UV map; it would work with 3D procedural wood only.

 

[Swizl]

Very cool as usual Frank. Kudos to Helmut too though for taking the time to try and come up with a solution. That's what's great about these forums.

 

[Helmut]

* Thank you, Frank! Great and elegant stuff!
* For obscure reasons (diagnosed as increasingly frequent attacks of presenile cerebration , I got stuck in a blind alley in my minimal brainstorms. In any case, despite leading to no applicable solution, it was good mental exercise which may be useful at some stage in the future.
* Knowing what doesn't work is often more important than knowing what works
* Servus from Vienna