Recently found this really interesting utility for Google Sketchup. Its called SliceModeler, it gives you the ability to slice up your sketchup model into pieces and then make them flat for cutting out of sheet material. Great idea and concept for me.
There is a certain amount of synchronicity associated with this. We recently picked up a cardboard modeling book at a used book store called Dinosaur Carton Craft by Hideharu Naitoh. Very cool, book, and it gave me some ideas about trying to scan the drawings in the book and create some cut files for the machine. Then this plugin for google sketchup shows up, neat.
I spent a few hours trying out the plugin, trying to incorporate it into my current tool chain. So far no luck, the plugin works fine, but I am having difficulty getting renderings out of sketchup and into Rhino. Still this process has given me some inspiration and I will definitely play with it some more.
Resources:
Seems like the above SliceModeler is donation ware. I downloaded it for free from a Google Sketchup forum. Then when I made this post, I couldn’t find the link again. Just came across it (free download with account creation) reading ladyadas blog page, and a discussion that she and the author have had about it, interesting.
A book to check out on this subject is Sliceforms: Mathematical Models from Paper Sections and Surfaces: Explorations With Sliceforms.
Here is a link to an interview video by John Sharp the writer of the above books. Pretty neat explanation of the forms he creates and also some history on where and why these types of models orginated. It’s Quicktime, had some problems on my linux boxen.
and this wonderful thread on the Shopbot Forum (another great resource by the way)
also found this rainbowlazer blog which documents a way to slice up models with Rhino, great stuff!
Here is a way to slice up an STL file with PovRay.
Here is a potter who builds similar slice forms, however I think his are hand built. Morley Price’s work
This is related as well but a little different. Paper folding models that are just amazing. The guys name is Richard Sweeney, this is his flicker set with the models.
For now here are a few images of one of the Dinos made the old fashioined way, with paper, cardboard, scissors, and love.
Tags: OZO CNC Rebuild