by Steven Sciandra
Development Engineer, 3D Systems - Geomagic Solutions
People like shiny things; we all know that. And technically-minded people like technically shiny things. We also know that different people see different things, even when they are looking at the same thing.
Really.
Case in point: We recently received a couple of Cube 3D printers to take a look at and get familiar with, etc. The Cube 3D printer is a 3D printer that anyone can use to print out custom items such as toys, jewelry, mugs, etc., and it’s supported by the cubify.com web site, where you can download designs or buy 3D prints. But while printing pretty custom jewelry is all well and good, I was seeing the technical details. I was more interested in investigating and understanding the following:
- What software format does it use?
- What should I print first to explore the above?
by Steve Sciandra
Development Engineer, 3D Systems Geomagic
Hi.
It has admittedly been a while since we posted here, mostly because Richard Sandham has barricaded himself into a script development dungeon, from which he only appears when someone utters, “Bagels in the kitchen.” With that in mind I was asked to fill in for a blog or two.
Hello!...and Seasons Greetings from GPSE central! (To: Marketing...See? I DO have fingers and I CAN type.) It's been far too long since my last post and there is much to tell...so, getting on with it... Let's start with the fact that I have changed roles here at Geomagic. It's now "official" so I can finally share... I am no longer Development Support Specialist and Evangelist. I am now Geomagic's Senior Custom Software Development Specialist. Truth be told I wanted to set a record and 'Longest Title' was the only one left...so here we are, new role, sitting on the doorstep of 2013...and weeks away from the release of our new 2013 line-up...
Necessity truly is the mother of invention. Here's an example. Someone (who will go unamed...OK, me) that does not scan every day, ran into a little problem. I'm working on a project for another article that involves scanning a disassembled mouse. I scanned one side, flipped it, and scanned the other without thinking too much about the model formation in Studio....and this is what I saw when I looked at the screen...
Sculpture has always been a fascination for me and has influenced my career more of late than during the earlier years. Mixing art and technology has always proven interesting and adding ancient culture to the equation raises the bar to new levels.
Have you ever wanted to write a script that saves a file to the current user's desktop? Do you want to find out how? Enjoy this week's Knowledge Base Nugget...
Q: How can I find the current User folders using Python?
My role here at Geomagic is to help system integrators, to help the automation specialists...to help those that are interested in pushing the limits of their existing technology. My role is also to help our team push our own technology in these areas; primarily the Geomagic Python Scripting Environment, but it goes beyond our technical implementation, beyond our internal efforts. It involves growing an ecosystem of developers and partners.
Lately I've been having to perform a lot of vector math...what fun. Luckily the GPSE comes preloaded with helper functions and overloaded arithmetic operators. Here's today's nugget...projecting points to a plane.
Q: How can I use Python to project points to a plane?
System integration is where the "rubber hits the road" when we talk about process computerization and automation in the same sentence. Computerization alone for tasks such as 3D part inspection or the analysis and preparation of scans for rapid prototyping may not provide an optimal process conversion from manual to digital.
Automation adds a new level of productivity, a new level of speed, and an integral part of it is communicating the resultant data to and from connected sensors and computing systems. Seamlessly transferring data to and from other formats, other systems, and other applications is crucial. However, there are times where a simple cut and paste will suffice, and although we are working hard to make this easier and GUI driven, GPSE has an answer...
Q: How can I Cut and Paste Feature Properties?
Let's face it...many of us use Microsoft Excel. It's easy to learn, intuitive, and a proven technology that can organize, process, and present data. Even if you haven't authored a Workbook you probably use someone else's spreadsheet and macro's...maybe not even realizing the power at your finger tips. Well my fellow system integrators...tired of CSV?...tired of XML?...get ready and hang on...and let your Geomagic scripts dynamically update your workbooks...
Q: How can I interact with Microsoft Excel© with Python?
