Hi Christopher,

I have done this before by modifying a VRML file (.wrl).  You can open .wrl in notepad and then remove unessecary information and swap in the information for your height grid.  If you google height grids in VRML it should show you examples of the code you would need.  Once you have a working wrl file you can import it into for example 3DS Max.  The way I would make the terrain printable would be to select the border of the terrain then extrude just the border down away from the terrain.  Select all of the vertices in this newly created border and scale them in Z (your height axis).  This should flatten the border.  Then select this border and add a cap modifier.  Hopefully this should create you a neat flat base for your terrain.  Last run an .stl check modifier on the geometry.  If this shows any errors then it might not print correctly.  If everything is okay export your model as an stl for print (make sure you have checked the scale of the file first).

Hope that helps.

Simon

Software, I don't know. It depends on the softwares which can open your file. The usual algorithm for this purpose is Marching Cubes... https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_cubes

Software, I don't know. It depends on the softwares which can open your file. The usual algorithm for this purpose is Marching Cubes... https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_cubes

Software, I don't know. It depends on the softwares which can open your file. The usual algorithm for this purpose is Marching Cubes...

From your x,y,z file I suggest you to represent it as grayscale image (like an pgm image) and then to apply  heightfield2vol and a volBoundary2obj from the DGtalTools library (given with the DGtal library). 

https://github.com/DGtal-team/DGtalTools/

Thanks to Simon, Yan, and Bertrand!  I will look into these various options.  Chris

Import your xyz data in to Meshlab  

Meshlab is an open source software and can be found at           http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/

Once imported follow instructions to generate a mesh from the points.

The mesh should be 'watertight' before 3d printing. Follow this link to see how that is done.

http://www.kraftwurx.com/3d-printing-community/18-3d-printing-design-a-product-advice/585-checking-models-for-3d-print-with-meshlab

Save as .stl ready for print.

Iain

Iain, Thanks for your concise comments. I will give it a try!  Thanks.  Chris

Hi Chris, Accutrans 3d or Meshlab are your best bet. Both free/shareware. Also, if you want to send me the file, I can mesh it in GeoMagic DX in my lab.

Mike

Mike,

Thanks for your comments and offer of help.  I will send you an x,y,z file.

Chris

Dear Christopher,

After transform your xyz file on 3D surface, you can check if the model is watertight with Netfabb (a free software at http://www.netfabb.com/). Netfabb provide an option to repair your mesh and fix the hole. You can also easily cut part of your mesh off. Do not forget to have a clean and flat surface to have a stable base while 3d printing. You can check the printability of the mesh with SLiCR (http://slic3r.org/). This software is a slicer (the final step before the 3D printer) but it also allows to preview the slicing. So you can easily check if the mesh will be printed in the right way.

Good luck

Geoffrey

As mentioned by Iain, MeshLab is a good place to start. 

If the text file only has point position (x,y,z), in most cases it will be difficult to impossible to construct the 3d object.  Hopefully, there is more information in the file, like normals.  If it's a terrain map, it can be done.  If it's a complex object, then x,y,z gives you a point cloud, with out normals and I don't think there is an algorithm that can create a mesh.  I am sure, Michael will figure if the file can be meshed.

Brad Carvey

You could also try one of the following links:

- https://de.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/27733-converting-a-3d-logical-array-into-an-stl-surface-mesh

- http://fabacademy.org/archives/2014/tutorials/pointcloudToSTL.html

Felix,  Thanks for your suggested links. I will have a look at them. What kinds of 3D models have you built?  - Chris

Hi Chris,

we're currently working on model reconstruction from GCode, so this is similar to the X,Y,Z problem at hand. We use models from thingiverse.com as a basis. - Felix

This is not an answer to the above question but a question related to the topic...

I made a .stl (initially, I made an .xyz file and then converted into .stl) file of a molecular structure to be 3D printed. Before printing, I found a different geometry when I open up the .stl file with 3D visualization software like Cura and MeshLab. That is, I found one geometry when it was a .xyz format but its show up another geometry when it is in the .stl format. However, if I open up the same .stl file with NetFabb, there is no change in geometry, exactly same as in .xyz. Then the question is how can I fix my geometry before heading to the printer...?

I am just a beginner in 3D printing and I would really appreciate if somebody is willing to help me out of this...!

Chris, you can use Graphing Calculator 3D. It lets you import x,y,z points from a csv file. Then it can convert those points into a surface. You can then export it to a 3d model in (.obj format) which a 3d printer should be able to print.

https://www.runiter.com/graphing-calculator/

Monu, I'm not familiar with .xyz file format but if converting your data to stl didn't work try the software I mentioned above. You do need your x,y,z data to be in a .csv file though in order to use the above software.