Mandoline: A faster way to slice 3D models.
Copyright 2010 Belfry Software. All rights reserved.
Licensing:
Released under the BSD "2-clause" license.
Check the LICENSE.txt file for full licensing info.
Description:
Mandoline is a command-line program that slices 3D files into toolpaths for
home-build thermoplastic-extrusion 3D printers like the RepRap or MakerBot.
It can currently parse 3D input files in the .STL binary or ASCII formats.
Output is in G-Code formatted files.
Compilation and Installation:
UNIX, Linux and OS X:
cd src
./configure
make
sudo make install
Windows:
At this point, there is not yet a GUI wrapper for Mandoline.
You can compile and use it from the CygWin environment, though.
You'll need CygWin installed with gcc/g++ compilers and GNUMake.
cd src
./configure
make
Then install the mandoline.exe file someplace useful.
//TODO: verify that it compiles and works under Cygwin.
Calibration:
Mandoline comes with reasonable starting defaults for slicing files for
printing on a MakerBot Thingomatic with a Mk7 extruder. Machines vary a
lot, though, so you'll need to calibrate for your machine.
Debugging:
You can dump SVG files for each layer, for debugging purposes. What is implemented is the basic carve and interior infill. And that's buggy. It won't do cooling or comb or filament retraction yet.
What is implemented, though, is pretty fast. Don't take my word for it. Download the code and compile it, and slice a complex STL file with it. If comparing it to another slicer, compare the Carve, Inset, Infill and Raft times.
Usage:
mandoline [OPTIONS] FILE
mandoline -m MATERIAL [OPTIONS] FILE
Options include:
-m STRING Extruded material. (default ABS)
-f FLOAT Filament diameter. (default 3.0 mm)
-F FLOAT Filament feedrate. (default 0.689 mm/s)
-i FLOAT Infill density. (default 0.20)
-l FLOAT Slicing layer thickness. (default 0.36 mm)
-p INT Number of perimeter shell layers. (default 2)
-r INT Number of Raft layers. (default 2)
-w FLOAT Extrusion width over thickness ratio. (default 1.75)
-c DON'T center model on platform before slicing.
-S FLOAT Scale model. (default 1x)
-R FLOAT Rotate model about Z. (default 0 deg)
-d PREFIX Dump layers to SVG files with names like PREFIX-12.34.svg.
-t INT Number of threads to slice with. (default 8)
TODO:
Come up with a good calibration scheme.
Optimize the Inset code for speed.
Support. I want to have it handle multiple tool heads, or same-material support structures.
PathFinder. (with Comb) Join and optimize the isolated paths into contiguous tool paths.
Implement .s3g file Export option.