Code & form » New library: unlekkerLib

New library: unlekkerLib

070924 | Code, Libraries, Open source, Processing / Java
Tags: Code, library, Open source, processing.org, rapid-prototyping, stereolithography, stl, unlekkerlib

Rapid prototyping objects generated with Processing and output to STL using unlekkerLib.

I’ve just uploaded a new Processing library called unlekkerLib. It is a collection of tools and code snippets I use frequently, and which I’ve now just barely cleaned up enough for other people to use. Instead of releasing them piece by piece, I’ve decided to bundle them together in a package hierarchy.

The main reason I decided to release it now is the STL export code I’ve written for my rapid prototyping projects. Several people have asked for the code, so I wanted to get it out there for you to play with. Obviously, it works as well with Processing as it does with regular Java.

Caveat emptor:There’s not much documentation but I do provide the source code. This is v.0001 – the very first release, so it’s pretty basic. See below for an idea of what the library contains. Right now the most exciting new component is the unlekker.data.STL class, which supports export and import of STL stereolithography files for rapid prototyping. Have a look at the Javadoc for more details.

Updates will appear here: http://workshop.evolutionzone.com/unlekkerlib/.

[070924] unlekkerLib-0001 features:

unlekker.data.STL: STL import and export.
unlekker.util.Rnd: Mersenne Twister pseudo-random number generator.
unlekker.util.TileSaver: The TileSaver class for creating high-res images from OpenGL graphics by tiling the viewport.
unlekker.geom.Intersect: Line intersection and checking for collision with complex 2D polygons.

Installation

Download unlekkerLib-0001.zip and unpack it.

Copy the "unlekker" folder from the “00 For processing library folder” folder into the "libraries" subfolder of your Processing application. The library should now appear as a choice in "Import library" next time you start Processing.

The Java source can be found in “00 For processing library folder > unlekker> src”.

2 Comments »

There are 2 comments to "New library: unlekkerLib". You may leave your own comment.

1. Paul, May 17th, 2010 at 10:09

Excuse me

I have a “.stl” but I can’t read it on processing.

How do I to read it on processing.

Can you tell me?

Sorry , my English is poor.

2. marius watz, June 17th, 2010 at 02:32

unlekkerLib includes an example showing how to read STL files:

// unlekkerLib - Marius Watz, workshop.evolutionzone.com
//
// Example showing how to write geometry to a STL file
// and then load it back in and render it using
// unlekker.geom.PolyData.
//
// Compatible with unlekkerLib-0002

import unlekker.data.*;
import unlekker.geom.*;

STL stl;
FaceList poly;

void setup() {
  size(400,400, P3D);
  frameRate(25);
  readSTL();
}

void draw() {
  background(0);
  translate(width/2,height/2);

  noStroke();
  lights();
  rotateY(radians(frameCount));
  rotateX(radians(frameCount*0.25f));

  fill(0,200,255, 128);

  poly.draw(this);
}

void readSTL() {
  // Read STL file
  stl=new STL(this,dataPath("Boxes.stl"));

  // Get polygon data
  poly=stl.getPolyData();

  poly.normalize(400); // normalize object to 400 diameter
  poly.center(); // center it around world origin
}

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