Challenge Overview
Client Brief
We are the leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery and chocolate-related grocery products. We're also a leader in the gum and mint category. In this project, we need your help to build a simple application for image conversion that will be used for 3D printing. Check more details below!!
Challenge Goals
The general idea is to build a new user interface that will take a standard 2D image/photo (jpg,png,bmp) and convert it to a format to be used with a 3D printer. Output format must be in .stl image format. The initial process needs to be very simple. The community can use existing open source image editing tools and automate as many processes as possible.
User Scenario
- Customer walks into our store and would like to print a picture on to a Chocolate bar.
- Employee will Take a picture of the customer or Ask the customer for the picture from USB, emailed, or uploaded to our website.
- Employee takes the image (JPG/PNG/BMP) and runs it through a process so that it can be formated for the printer. Automating as much of this process would be best. Employee may have to perform some additional edits and image modification in order to get best results.
- Conversion Image must be in .stl format
- Image is passed to the 3d printer and the image is printed to the Chocolate bar.
- Example of starting image and Example of final image ready to be printed can be found in "ex1a.pptx"
Additional Details
- Will be using 3D systems www.3dsystems.com
- Our current process has been tested using Photoshop and some CAD software to get the image converted to the file output needed. But the current process has too many manual steps and is too difficult to use in a real life environment, we need a simple one.
- Open Source tools may already exist to solve this problem, so do some research and utilize any open source library to solve our problem.
Basic Functionality Suggestions :
- Input should be 2D images in JPG/BMP/PNG format. Resolution of the images should be more than 144dpi and higher. (180dpi might be optimal)
- Input will be taken via camera or customer USB or from web upload.
- You can use any method/approach to convert the 2D image to 3D images but here is our suggestion (if you want to follow it) :
* Filter the 2D images into Black and White image.
* The Black and White (B/W) image will be use for contrasting colors or as "height indicators" on the next steps.
* User will be able to edit the black and white contrast in the image manually. This step is necessary to make sure the shape of image clear (between background and the printed model).
* Basically, the editing process will similar like B/W filter setting in photoshop.
* After B/W image is ready, the next step is to add emboss/thickness/height needed for the model to make it 3D.
* Darker colors will get more thickness and lighter colors will have less thickness settings.
* Add emboss/thickness to the B/W stockphoto to simulate how the apps conversion process will works.
* After all those process complete, user will be able to save the image into .stl image (3D) and then passed it to 3D printer.
Platform Preference
- Windows PC
- Solve for input types like jpg, bmp and png etc but typically a camera will the input.
- Resolution should be 144dpi and higher. (180dpi might be optimal)
Target Audience
- Our Employee (front end staff) which will use this apps.
- Our Customer.
Sample of 2D to 3D images conversion tools and step by step tutorials (for your references)
- http://www.geeks3d.com/20100930/tutorial-first-steps-with-pil-python-imaging-library/
- http://embossify.com/ (find stl viewer to open the result)
- http://www.appropedia.org/Converting_2D_images_to_3D_for_printing_using_open_source_software
- http://www.print3dforum.com/showthread.php/170-2D-IMAGES-PHOTO%E2%80%99s-to-3D-STL-Files
Final Submission Guidelines
- Send a compressed folder that contains your entire code base.
- Provide documentation for installation and running your submission
- Provide a video demonstrating how we can deploy all functionality (infrastructure and software)