Mapping a design - design must be a cutout, not a "texture" or "skin"

[Anonymous]

Hi all, I am working on some fun designs that I want to 3D print. See attached image. The idea is that everything in white is a cut out.

Has anyone done something like this before? If so, I would love some tips on how to approach this design problem. I am fairly new to Inventor, but familiar with working with 3D software platforms. I hope someone responds. 🙂 

[blair]

Look at the Emboss feature, using the Cut/Remove material

[sam_m]

might be easiest to think of it as 3 parts and build the top, sides and brim as separate ipts, assemble together in an iam and then derrive out as a single ipt for printing.  will allow you to rotate (and scale) each components easily to make sure you've got as much material/strength around the joints as possible...  Plus, if it's going wrong with 1 of the parts (eg sides) you can just re-start that bit again, instead of having to re-do the top and brim...

1st step - getting that image into Inventor as a format that can be "used" - convert those images to vectors (imagine the master of each already are).  The easiest option for inventor would be to convert each to characters in a ttf font file - would then enable easy scaling and moving in Iv, but could well image these images are too complex for that.  If that's the case then export the masters as dxf and import those into Inventor.  Probably a nightmare with unconstrained lines and could well bog down the computer, but if you can extrude the dxf profile you're practically there...

top and brim just extrude to the desired thickness...

for the sides extrude the same distance and then use bend command to wrap around into a cylinder, as an idea???  might be easier than trying to wrap an emboss around a cylinder... or try as sheet metal...  dunno...  whichever way you do it you may be left with a gap/slot where the edges meet, so might have to play with something to build-up material there.

as mentioned earlier - slap each part into an assembly and save as a stl/igs/etc for 3d printing...  Then watch as someone drops it and swear at them...