Mandoline Py

This is a 3D printing STL-to-GCode slicer, written in Python, based on the Clipper geometry library. It will let you take STL files and generate a GCode path file that you can send to your RepRap 3D printer to print the object.

Installation

Install using PyPi (NOT IMPLEMENTED YET):

unzip mandoline-py.zip
cd mandoline-py
pip3 install .

Installing from sources:

python3 setup.py build install

Usage

To just validate a model, checking it for manifold errors, just run mandoline with the name of the file:

mandoline testcube.stl

Any error messages will be printed to STDERR, and the return code will be non-zero if errors were found.

To slice a file into GCode, you need to specify the file to write to with the -o OUTFILE arguments:

mandoline -o testcube.gcode testcube.stl

If you want to force it to skip validation, then add the -n argument:

mandoline -o testcube.gcode -n testcube.stl

To display all slicing config options, use the --show-configs argument:

mandoline --show-configs

To get descriptions about all slicing config options, use the --help-configs argument:

mandoline --help-configs

You can set slicing options on the command-line with -S NAME=VALUE args:

mandoline -S layer_height=0.3 -S skirt_loops=3

You can write changed options to the persistent slicing configs file using the -w argument:

mandoline -S layer_height=0.3 -S brim_loops=3 -w

You can query the value of a slicing config option with the -q OPTNAME argument:

mandoline -q layer_height -q brim_loops

You can view the sliced output in a GUI window if you add the -g argument. In this window, up and down arrow keys will move through the slice layers, and the 'q' key will quit and close the window. The keys 1 - 4 or - and = will zoom the image.

Once the gcode file is created, you can make the timestamped trajectory in the form of a pickle file using:

python air3d/gcode_to_trajectory.py path/to/gcode_file.gcode COMMAND_RATE

with the optional argument COMMAND_RATE to be given in Hz, which is the rate at which you want to send the commands to the robot. This will generate a .pickle file in the same folder as the gcode file, with the same file name plus the command rate.