STLRepair 0.1.0

You’ve just come across a really awesome 3D model online that you just HAVE to 3D print. Maybe it’s an amazing figurine you want to use for [insert favorite table top game here]. Or maybe it’s a robotics project that you really want to build. Or maybe it’s just a cookie cutter. Who knows? Whatever the reason, it’s something you’re very excited about. You grab the files, unzip them, attempt to import them into your favorite slicing or 3D modeling tool and this is what you see…




This can be incredibly frustrating. Doubly so if you’ve paid for the model.
So many times this has happened to me. At first, I ended just deleting the files and swallowing my disappointment. But I recently came across some files that I really, really, really wanted to print. And so they motivated me to learn about the STL file format and what might be going on.

The STL file format is surprisingly simple. The binary STL format, in particular, is pretty straightforward. It contains a header and some geometry data. That’s pretty much it. That being said, the specification leaves some elbow room for exporters to take a few liberties. And they often do, which can completely baffle importers.

So I decided to create an open source tool to allow me (and you, of course) to strip away all the fluff and reduce the file to just geometry. This should allow even the most naive of importers to read an STL with no problem. I call this tool STLRepair (a truly inspired name, to be sure). Both the source and Windows binary can be downloaded from GitHub.

Source:


https://github.com/shanekirk/stlrepair

Windows Release:


https://github.com/shanekirk/stlrepair/releases/download/v0.1.0/stlrepair_0.1.0.zip

Official support for other platforms is forthcoming, most likely in the form of CMake build support. At the moment, only Visual Studio project files are included as that’s just what I happened to be using at the time.

Types of repairs supported:

  • Zeroing out problematic file headers.
  • Fixing triangle counts for files that may be corrupt or truncated from download failures.
  • Zeroing out attribute byte counts. (Not used in the spec.)
  • Clearing non-geometry data from file.

ASCII-mode STL repairs aren’t supported yet, but are on the TODO-list.

Note that this tool is only intended to repair structural problems with files. Geometry repairs are not in scope and probably never will be. There are already some great tools for that sort of thing.

If you encounter STL issues, give this tool a try. If it doesn’t help you, let me know. I can possibly incorporate a fix for your STL issue in the next version.

R2 Build Update

I’ve been absolutely terrible about keeping my R2 build log up to date. So I thought I’d take a minute to share where my R2 build is at today. Here’s a very short video that’ll give you a peek into the state of things.

As you can see in the video above, my R2 has lights, sounds, and scoots around like a happy toddler. Besides paint, I still need to work out a mechanism for the utility arms. I also need to get the motor installed for the dome. I’m contemplating redoing much of the electronics as well. My original approach was implemented a few years ago. I’ve since realized that I over-engineered things in some ways and under-engineered things in others.

I know I say this every year, but I believe this might just be the year I finish him. 🙂

Building a LO-LA Night Light

When Droid Division released their 3D model of LO-LA from the Obi-Wan series last year, I immediately knew I wanted to build a night light for my kids. The following video shows how I did it.

Links of things mentioned in the video:

Droid Division Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DroidDivision
M.M’s Prop Shop LO-LA Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeBu50ekaBY
19mm Latching Push Button Power Switch w/ Blue LED – EBay
9mm Stainless Steel Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081G6YCQ5
5V Power Adapter – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VWVLBWF
EDGELEC Assorted LEDs (Prewired) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W4H66LR
14 mm Clear Glass Domes – EBay
5.5mm x 2.1mm Female Panel Mount Connector – EBay

Music Credits:

xii by Limujii https://soundcloud.com/limujii
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3RVvJAK
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/TCAMgPWJVHA

Track: El Verano — Declan DP [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: https://youtu.be/S5lwvy2TN6w
Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/el-verano

Music: Highfly by Jay Someday is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Download / Stream: https://hypeddit.com/jaysomeday/highflyfreedownload
Support by RFM – NCM: https://bit.ly/3LqUBhU

Days Like This by Jay Someday https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3uiqGk2
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/gc2dgd6QkMA

Swimming Pool by Aftertune https://soundcloud.com/itsaftertune
Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/38mKQ4Z
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/nklL0k0MofA

Music | Imagine by Declan DP
License: https://license.declandp.info
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/3AYUUMS
Promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/UD_JCsdKH2s