IVECS. Interactively Correcting .STL Files in a Virtual Environment

Free Form Fabrication (FFF) machines transform objects merely existing as Os or 1s in a computer into a tangible object. FFF machines shift the paradigm of standard 2 Dimensional printers/paper printouts to 3 Dimensional printers/volumetric printouts (or 3D hardcopies). Currently, this technology is weakened by the link between computers and FFF machines: the .STL file, which contains a series of triangles representing the skin of the object to be prototyped. A prototype, reflecting precisely the evolution of a concept within a design cycle and allowing a systematic inspection/verification, is essential. A system responding to this need was designed at Clemson University for the inspection and the correction of such a file. IVECS, the Interactive Virtual Environment for the Correction of .STL files, is a tool that allows minute surgery to be performed on faulty tessellated models. IVECS allows STL files to be imported, tessellation errors to be detected and automatically or manually fixed. This paper expands on the use of IVECS for the inspection and the correction of .STL files. It extends the usefulness of the STL format by allowing designers to virtually prototype before actually building a physical model, thus contributing to a shorter design cycle.