Texture Carving?

[john_r]

Anyone know how this is done? I've seen it a few times by different folks. Anyone have a file they'd be willing to share if you've done it before?

Thanks in advance,
John
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[brucehiggins]

John,
Where did you get the picture? It looks like it could have been done using my woodgrain 3d utility. It is a post processor uutility that you run after creating a 2d woodgrain sbp file.
The utility raises and lowers the bit as it cuts causing the wide and narrow cuts.
Bruce

[john_r]

Someone posted it on the ArtCAM forum. Not a program I have. I could design it in Rhino or something, but I figured if someone had a STL file already they wouldn't mind sharing.

[tgm]

It originally appeared on the ArtCAM forum board by someone from the Middle East to be used on a hotel project. From the A/C post it was generated using sweep 2 rails on a vector layout that was also pictured.

[brucehiggins]

It got me thinking. What if I took a simple curved line and repeated it evenly spaced many times and ran the woodgrain3d utility on it. I should get some kind of repeating pattern. Here is a quick test. (highlight slightly curved line in partworks, ctrl-C, ctrl-V, up arrow 3 times, repeat about 20 times. highlight all. profile tool path. cut depth .07, 1/2" ball nose bit. save toolpath. Run grain3d utility. Specify .07" max addtl depth, 15 steps). Sure enough - a subtle repeating pattern. May be worth persuing. (I am out of town for 2 days - leaving in 1/2 hr so might not be able to answer questions for a while).

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[brucehiggins]

P.S. - I am giving up making anything off this iteration of the utility. I will be refunding the $10-$20 to the 3 guys who paid for it. Next version will not be free except to those 3 guys. :-) When I get a chance I am going to add a feature that creates controlled high and low areas more like a sandblasted sign.

[brucehiggins]

Creating a single curved polyline in partworks and copying and pasting evenly spaced, then run woodgrain3d utility, seems to work okay for a "cartoony" wood texture. Maybe less maximum additional depth would look better. Photographed in the sun made me realize it is too much texture (too deep of shadows).
(sorry to hijack this thread)

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[john_r]

That looks pretty good Bruce.
I don't own partsworks seeing what I can do with MasterCAM.