3D printing
Network structures
As part of an experimental game project I’ve been trying to use the Functy rendering routines to visualise network structures. At the moment it’s at a very early stage, but has - I think - already generated some interesting results.
The screenshot below shows a network of 60 nodes, each one rendered as a spherical co-ordinate function, joined together using links rendered as curves. I just plucked some simple functions out of the air to see what the results would be like but am hoping to extend it with more interesting shapes as things progress.
Functy rendered network structure
The various parts of the network are a little hard to discern with a static image, but when I tried to capture a video the result was a mess of fuzzy artefacts (I think there must be something going wrong with my screen capture software), so I gave up on that.
The next step, after neatening up the code, is to arrange better animation of the nodes and links, with dynamic movement based on things like the forces between the nodes. I’m hoping this will produce some really nice effects, and if anything comes of it I’ll put a bit more effort into getting a successful video capture.
3D printed Functy rings
A parcel arrived from Shapeways recently containing some of the 3D printed ring prototypes I generated using Functy. The models were exported directly from Functy and converted into STY format before being directly uploaded to Shapeways for printing. All based on sine/cosine curves, there’s a flat version, a slightly bulging version and an irregular version. Since Shapeways did such a brilliant job printing the prototypes, the next step is to get them to print them in silver. Click on the links if you fancy having your own printed!
The Functy function files for all of these rings are up in the repository and will be included as example files in the next full release.
- Sine ring flat
- Sine ring bulge
- Sine ring irregular
- Sine ring flat
- Sine ring bulge
- Sine ring irregular
Interactive Functy function viewing
One of the obvious but neat consequences of having the new STL export functionality from Functy is that the generated models can be imported in to other things. One of these things… well, p3d.in provides a clever HTML5 in-browser model renderer, which means the models can now be rendered interactively directly into this site (or indeed any others). Check out this version of a ball made from string, generated as a couple of curve functions in Functy. Just click and drag to rotate the model. And if you like it, you can even print a copy in 3D!
Functions in the real world
This afternoon a very exciting (at least for me!) parcel arrived all the way from Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The first ever ‘real’ 3D function generated using Functy and printed by Shapeways using a 3D printer.
I’m really pleased with the results. Shapeways were not only able to print out the rather convoluted function in 3D, but they also printed it in full colour too.
Here’s a screenshot and some photos of the final result.
- Spiral fan.
- Spiral fan, shot in the evening with long shadows.
- Spiral fan from above.
- The spiral fan rendered using Functy
The colouring is really great - much more vivid than I’d expected - and it’s not as delicate as I’d feared (it survived the journey through the post, at any rate!). This is a spherical function, which is the easiest to print (they generate meshes without holes automatically, which are needed for 3D printing). Hopefully the next step will be to attempt a parametric curve print.
If you want to play around with the model yourself, you can download the Functy definition file, or if you’re feeling flush, order your own 3D printed version from Shapeways. Such is the beauty of 3D printing!
