Hey all, what would you charge to convert a client's JPEG file (like a black & white piece of clipart) to an STL file? and what's the easiest path to get from jpg to stl? I found a route but it seems a bit torturous! Hoping there's an easier way.
9 years, 11 months ago
0
boxbluff_1
- I would also love to know the answer to this.
Also, even if the answer is "download program X, and then download plugin Y, and then do these series of commands", this seems liek a common enough use case that someone should build a free web app for it. cc @makexyz hehe
9 years, 11 months ago
1
bmmal
- I charge $45/hr for modeling in SolidWorks but I'm quite proficient with it. If you have no idea how to use modeling software then a customer shouldn't pay for your learning curve.
I don't know of anything that will replace good modeling skills. There are softwares that will take many pictures of a real world object from different angles and make a mesh from them.
9 years, 11 months ago
0
mkapras
- Ouch! A lecture! Thanks Dad! Just kidding..
I agree with you 100%. I don't have any modeling experience and if this whole process took me 10 hours because of lack of experience, I would never charge a client for that. But if it takes me 10 hours, would it be wrong to charge the client for 1 hour? After all, he only has a jpeg, not an stl file. If he came to you with that, you would charge him extra right?
9 years, 11 months ago
0
bmmal
- Sorry, didn't mean for it to come off as a lecture. You can take as much time as you like while learning, but charge what is fair relative to what they would pay to have someone with the skill do it. Determining that alone can be a challenge if you do not have much experience. I have no idea what the object is or how much information is in the single jpeg. There's nothing wrong with charging something for the time you spend interfacing in order to acquire all of the information.
I treat modeling and printing as two entirely different services. Sure I'll do everything for someone if they want and maybe offer some price breaks on printing so the "package" is more attractive. But let's say they don't like how much they would have to pay for me to model something, that's fine. They can do it or have someone else. After that, if they want I will definitely still print it for them for my normal price.
9 years, 11 months ago
0
mkapras
- I know, I'm just messin'. I know you're right. While you're here, another question? If you are helping someone with a prototype, you charge for initial design work, charge for the first print. Then what? Suppose they want to tweak the design. Do you charge more design time? Do you charge full price for the second print?
9 years, 11 months ago
0
bmmal
- I try to give a really rough idea of what the total cost (print iterations and model changes) will be up front and be very clear that it COULD be more or COULD be less. The best thing you can do is ask your client to provide specs and never guess unless you are making a very educated estimate. In some cases clients are not technical people so you end up doing a lot of estimates. If a client is only having printing done then I charge a premium price. But if a client is working with me on an iterative design that they are paying me to model then I give a significant break on printing costs. The idea behind the price breaks is that the printing is just as much your tool to evaluate the design as it is theirs.
restlessmaker
- Alright folks, I'll jump in and give you a BASIC idea. There's an easier version and a harder version. I'll touch very briefly on both, but if you're reasonably technically proficient, it should give you enough to go by.
Import the image into Inkscape (free, google it). Select the image and one of the menu items is TRACE BITMAP. This will turn it into a vector. (play with the settings to get it right) Select the new vector, and make sure its a single path. it will usually create a GROUP of paths. you can ungroup, select the path that best matches what you want. Delete all other paths and the source image. save as SVG.
Easy next step: Log into tinkercad. Create a new model, and import the SVG. it will extrude it for you to your specifications.
Hard next step: Launch Blender (google it) and load the SVG and extrude it there. There are instructions on this to be googled. "extrude svg in belnder" will do it.
Tinkercad is easier, but can reduce the complexity of the model. This might not be a problem if you're dealing with largely straight lines. Blender is absolutely accurate.
Once you get the process down, you can do it all - even in blender - in about 5 minutes.
9 years, 11 months ago
0
tanju-b
- I 2nd the rec for the inkscape-svg to tinkercad-stl option
9 years, 11 months ago
0
mkapras
- The latest update of 123D Design has an SVG import feature now as well. So I went from jpeg to inkscape to 123D Design to STL. Blender's interface still scares me! ;-)
Thanks everyone for all your input!
Mark
9 years, 11 months ago
0
loskiorama
- There is an application that does this is a single Step. www.selva3d.com transform any image into a 3D STL
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3 years, 7 months ago
Want to add a comment? Join the makexyz community.
Also, even if the answer is "download program X, and then download plugin Y, and then do these series of commands", this seems liek a common enough use case that someone should build a free web app for it. cc @makexyz hehe
I don't know of anything that will replace good modeling skills. There are softwares that will take many pictures of a real world object from different angles and make a mesh from them.
I agree with you 100%. I don't have any modeling experience and if this whole process took me 10 hours because of lack of experience, I would never charge a client for that. But if it takes me 10 hours, would it be wrong to charge the client for 1 hour? After all, he only has a jpeg, not an stl file. If he came to you with that, you would charge him extra right?
I treat modeling and printing as two entirely different services. Sure I'll do everything for someone if they want and maybe offer some price breaks on printing so the "package" is more attractive. But let's say they don't like how much they would have to pay for me to model something, that's fine. They can do it or have someone else. After that, if they want I will definitely still print it for them for my normal price.
Import the image into Inkscape (free, google it). Select the image and one of the menu items is TRACE BITMAP. This will turn it into a vector. (play with the settings to get it right) Select the new vector, and make sure its a single path. it will usually create a GROUP of paths. you can ungroup, select the path that best matches what you want. Delete all other paths and the source image. save as SVG.
Easy next step: Log into tinkercad. Create a new model, and import the SVG. it will extrude it for you to your specifications.
Hard next step:
Launch Blender (google it) and load the SVG and extrude it there. There are instructions on this to be googled. "extrude svg in belnder" will do it.
Tinkercad is easier, but can reduce the complexity of the model. This might not be a problem if you're dealing with largely straight lines. Blender is absolutely accurate.
Once you get the process down, you can do it all - even in blender - in about 5 minutes.
Thanks everyone for all your input!
Mark
www.selva3d.com transform any image into a 3D STL
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