ClayToolkit (how to cite) is a collection of CAM-based Grasshopper software for clay 3D printing. It contains 3 tools to create and modify toolpaths.
Each tool (described below) contains config objects for Printer, Object, and Surface, as well as various visualization options.
Printer: Preset clay 3D printers (Potterbot 10 Super, Potterbot Micro, Potterbot Scara, Tronxy Moore 2 Pro, LUTUM 5, Eazao)
Print speed: Printer speed in mm/s
Nozzle diam: Nozzle diameter in mm.
Layer height: Layer height in mm.
Auto Extrusion Mult.: Automatically adjusts the extrusion rate based on layer height and nozzle diameter for Potterbots, in True/False.
Extrusion multiplier: Modify extrusion rate, active when AutoExtrusion is set to False.
- Save GCode: Right click on the path box, select a directory. Then press the button to save a .gcode file in the selected directory. File name will be GH_export_#.gcode, # being the number of files in the directory. The parameter values that made up the toolpath will be embedded in the saved gcode file.
- Visualize Toolpath: Visualizes toolpath by enabling the preview component and selecting desired color on swatch.
- Height of the vessel: Visualize the vertical dimension of the toolpath by enabling the LinearDim component and adjusting the distance and size sliders.
- Visualize surface: Visualizes a solid surface on the toolpath. This is useful for viewing the surface textures. Adjust shine and swatch parameters for different materials.
- [Debug] Point Order: Displays ordered numbers next to each point based in size parameter. This will freeze your GH if you have too many points, use with caution.
- [Debug] Point Normals: Displays the normal vectors of each point used for surface texture manipulations.
This tool allows designing a radially symmetric vessel using a profile curve and adding surface textures on it.
- Profile Curve: Accepts a curve drawn from the Front or Right view to construct toolpath.
- Base Layers: Number of base layers. Each base layers consists of one inward and one outward spiral. So you will have 2x bases.
- Wall Count: Number of side-by-side walls.
- Wall Order: Print multiple walls Inside-out or Outside-in. Inside-out is useful if you are printing a bowl-like geometry.
- Rim Layers: Control the number of repetitions of the last layer for a more refined rim look (developed by Avi Farber).
Work by Eun-ha Paek
- Enable Surface Textures: Enables or disables details on the surface based on the setting below:
- Pattern Strength: Global strength multiplier for all surface modifications.
- Layer/Vertical Pattern: Patterns to be repeated along the surface. Right click and select Set Multiple Numbers. For example, 1 0 0 for layer pattern will make 1 layer textured and 2 layers without texture, and repeat this. Number can be any floating point number (negative numbers applies pattern inward).
- Use Image: Enables or disables image mapping. Use the image viewer to input an image and grab the desired color channel from Settings.
- Skip w/ Geometry: Enables or disables boolean differencing surface textured regions. When this is set to True, the geometry assigned in the below box will act as a blocker for surface textures appearing.
This tool helps slicing a 3D model (mesh or surface) and adding surface details for clay 3D printing.
- Mesh/Surface: Assign a mesh or a surface from Rhino viewport into appropriate box.
- Point Distance: The distance in between sliced points in mm. Lower numbers are gives more resolution for detailed surface textures.
Works by Eun-ha Paek
The same as above.
This tool helps with importing an existing GCode file in Grasshopper and making modifications to the toolpath.
Gcode file: Right click and select one existing file to load in a gcode file.
Original Layer Height: Select the original layer height that was used to save the loaded gcode.
Select Type: Scale Uniformly or Scale Z-only.
Wall options: Same as above
Work by Eun-ha Paek created by SketchPath (live tool), scaled using ClayToolkit.
-- also check out SketchPath and CoilCAM, they are really cool tools for clay 3D printing.
@inproceedings{10.1145/3643834.3661522,
title = {Practice-driven Software Development: A Collaborative Method for Digital Fabrication Systems Research in a Residency Program},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2024 {{ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference}}},
author = {Toka, Mert and Frost, Devon and Bourgault, Samuelle and Farber, Avi and Friedman-Gerlicz, Camila and Lee, Raina and Paek, Eun-ha and Wiley, Pilar and Jacobs, Jennifer},
year = {2024},
month = jul,
series = {{{DIS}} '24},
publisher = {{Association for Computing Machinery}},
address = {{New York, NY, USA}},
doi = {10.1145/3643834.3661522}
}
In ACM DL.