How to import and/or edit vertex coordinates

Support Modeling
1

Hello,

I’ve just started to look at blender for a specific purpose: I want to create 3D models from 2D engineering plans, preview the models, and then export them as STL files for manufacturing. For this application, precision is more important than textures and lighting.

So the “problem” is how to import vertex coordinates from the 2D engineering plans into blender.

These are my specific questions:

  1. Is blender the right tool to be using? It feels more like an artistic tool than an engineering tool. It makes it easy to extrude/subsurface/subdivide/scale/whatever existing objects, but for my application this seems to be approaching the problem from the wrong direction. So …

  2. Can I import bulk vertex coordinates into blender and arrange them into a mesh? I could perhaps create a VRML 1.0 file and import that, but that would require using another tool or learning another file syntax.

  3. If not, can I edit vertex coordinates within blender? The extrude/etc. approach would work if it offered the precision I want. But it’s not obvious from the documentation or GUI how I can edit vertex coordinates.

I suspect blender is the wrong tool to be using. If that’s the case, can anybody recommend another open source modeling tool that is better suited to engineering and manufacturing?

Regards.

2

There’s a new dxf import script in CVS that you may want to take a look at. I’m not too sure if that made it into the 2.4 pre-release or not so you might have to download from CVS or wait for the official release.

As far as editing vertex coordinates: Tab into edit mode, select the vertice and type N. You’ll get a Transorms Properties panel with the editable coordinates. Same for objects out of edit mode.

Blender is more artistic than engineering. A little like 3DS Max and AutoCad.

There are Open Source CAD programs but I couldn’t tell you where. :slight_smile: Try a search or, if you feel adventurous, possibly a post in the top forum (I hesitate to mention that) but there are several CAD users around here somewhere that can help.

3

Thanks for that.

Yes, blender 2.42a has DXF import. But that doesn’t help me because my 2D drawings come not from another CAD package but from paper 1.0.

And thanks for describing how to edit vertices. At last I can do it, but the procedure may be too clunky. I would prefer the ability to import raw vertex coordinates from a simple text file. VRML 1.0 would be the next best thing.

Will take your advice.

Thanks again.