Sectional Modeler for Laser Cutter

This is a definition (WIP, attached) which creates sections for a laser cutter from opened or closed single geometry. This won't work on every geometry, but it will work for a lot of them. It uses offsets and booleans so it may be difficult to predict.

I'm also playing with a way to minimize material area for cutting (with galapagos). If anyone can offer help to improve it, let me know!

Update:

- Some issues with outside sections were fixed by culling perimeter members.

- Section cuts are oriented relative to one another with a cheap standard deviation technique.

- Galapagos optimizer no longer allows sections to intersect.

- Galapagos optimizer now coordinates y and x movement to minimize cutting area of material.

The galapagos run will be crazy in the beginning (will take a lot of area), but should look right after ten minutes or so.

For more on the galapagos run, see this post: http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profiles/blogs/laser-material-optimizer

Definitions (Updated):

SectionModeler.3dm

SectionModeler_Updated.gh

Definitions (OLD):

SectionModeler.3dm

SectionModeler.gh

Video:

http://www.grasshopper3d.com/video/sectional-modeler-for-laser

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Comment by Huzefa Ali on November 18, 2011 at 11:25am: The files are posted here http://www.grasshopper3d.com/forum/topics/section-modeler-brep-error

Comment by Erick Katzenstein on November 18, 2011 at 10:36am: Huzefa,

Please send over the definition and I'll see where it's getting messed up. It's probably some Boolean issue that's creating a null output on the cross sections.

Erick

Comment by Huzefa Ali on November 18, 2011 at 10:34am: Hi, This is a very useful defination. Thanks. im having some problem with the section modeler. When the defination is run with this brep, only one derections sections appear and they are also brocken.

Comment by madmax on October 29, 2011 at 2:08pm: i posted the files here: http://www.grasshopper3d.com/forum/topics/sectionmodeler-error

Comment by Erick Katzenstein on October 28, 2011 at 6:33am: Not sure what's going on there. If you attach the definition, I could take a look.

Comment by madmax on October 27, 2011 at 3:09pm: hey!

great stuff!

but i get an error after few seconds running galapagos...

do you have an idea where the problem is?

Comment by Erick Katzenstein on October 19, 2011 at 4:31am: Cool! Thanks for posting.

Comment by tdallison on October 18, 2011 at 10:15pm: http://www.grasshopper3d.com/photo/blanket-structure-laser-cut?cont...

Comment by tdallison on September 27, 2011 at 1:28pm: Thank you, the definition is easy to use (although I'm still trying to figure out what it does!) Ha I'm pretty new to grasshopper, and work in the school architecture lab. I'm running a file now and I'll post a picture when I get it assembled. Also, it would be nice to have the laser engrave each piece with a code of assembly (1A, 2B, or something) So if you had a LOT of parts, it would be manageable. I'm sure that's pretty easy to do tho.