I'm working on a project where I need to analyze STL files of flat plates to identify any bends and twists in them. The goal is to detect the locations of these alterations and export that data into an Excel file, which will specify the axis coordinates for operating a machine that can bend and twist the plates according to the STL data. Currently, I'm manually entering the bends and twists, and I'm having a hard time figuring out the best way to accurately detect these features in the files. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
Just to clarify, by "detect the bends and twists," are you referring to existing features in the STL files or ones you're looking to apply with the machine?
It would really help to provide more context about your project. Maybe consider posting some images illustrating what you define as bends and twists? Keep in mind that STL files consist of triangular facets, so you'll likely need to interpolate the raw data to effectively identify bends and twists. A straightforward but not very accurate way to start would be to check if a facet lies on a specific plane and, if it doesn't, mark it as potentially deviating.
That's a solid idea! Assuming it’s a simple geometry, like a flat plate, you might compute the normals of all the triangular faces and group them by their normal values. If you find large groups with the same normals, it's safe to assume they're flat. For differentiating twists, it might be trickier, but if you focus on flat surfaces with bends, the triangles that have differing normals could indicate the bends. You could also analyze their global positions to discern bend patterns.
I'm looking to detect bends and twists that are already present in the STL files. The machine will then use that data to replicate the bends and twists on the flat plate. I can't share images right now, but I appreciate any guidance!