3D Builder, Height Map Face

I am quite impressed with Microsoft's WindowsAttachment 114146Attachment 114147Attachment 114148 free app.
It is a simple 3D programme (although much more advanced than Xara 3D). It's main purpose is to create objects with the intention to print with 3D printers.
I'm not interested in printing but I love how you can quickly and easily take complex 2D designs from Xara and create standard 3D files in 3D Builder.
I especially like the Height map. Here is a mask I created. Most of the work was done on Xara and very little on 3D Builder.

Here is the Xara image used to create the 3D images.Attachment 114149

salaam, thanks for posting, Bryce was one of the first programs I am aware of that used grey scale images to create geometry. The brush system in Pixologic ZBrush is based on gray scale images, Like you have done here I also use Xara to create maps and convert to geometry. Example, this image drawn with Xara was used to make the poker chip I used in Gary Bouton's tutorial for the 3D challenge. Please continue to show us some of the things you make using height maps. :cool:

Problem with the 3D builder is that, it is intended for 3D printing and as such the exported object has really horrible topology.


Example uses the image on 2nd post:
Attachment 114160
Object on the left was from the 3D Builder and was imported in OBJ format, the one on the right was done with other software and is there to show the difference. (Maybe ZBrush/3D-Coat/Topogun could make something workable out from that .OBJ file, but have no experience with those.)

Thanks guys for your input, I'm learning.

I didn't know that height maps were so common. Maybe its because they are not very popular, due to their limitations.

Mike, you mentioned grey scale, but 3D builder doesn't actually understand gradients (to my dismay). It only understands binary, ie. one dark colour and one light.
My 2D face is simply made up of black dots spaced according to the height.
Since theinonen was also able to read my image in another software, I guess that none of the 3D software packages are able to understand gray-scale gradients.

Thanks for highlighting the wire-frame discrepancy theinonen, that's a big difference.

It looks like great, and 3d printers are increasing its market step by step and becoming quite populars. Maybe quite soon everyone will have access to one of them.

Grey scale gradients work fine as a displacement map.

Should also work with 3D Builder. I did quick test with your image, changed from 1bit to 8bit, filtered/blurred heavily and just to make sure converted the image to grey scale. It appears working fine.

I am sure it misses out a lot of information with gradients:
Attachment 114163

abelpardo, 3D printing has been out for a while now and it doesn't seem to be getting any popular fast. I don't think there is much need.

The reason why on my example displaced face on the mesh appears smooth, is that there are few enough curves on the rectangular NURBS mesh that is being displaced. More detail would need more curves as you can not displace something that does not exist. It would look very bumpy with enough curves.

On 3D Builder with your face image on the 2nd post of this thread, you can see similar behaviour using low value with smooth slider.

Sorry, my mistake. I've got the gradients to work now, my 'Levels' where too low.
This makes it even more interesting now.

This is fun. Photo as a texture.
Sorry, again.
Attachment 114164Attachment 114165Attachment 114166

Does anyone know of any website where the 3D images are all rendered from 2D height maps? (Other than landscapes.)

Well Gene Levine and I use mostly .obj depth of field images for our stereograms.

Our source is usually www.TurboSquid.com

Hello GojkoStilley, welcome to Talkgraphics.

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yeah its really amazing free app. very easy for 3D printing

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perhaps you could share with us some things you have made.

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Well Gene Levine and I use mostly .obj depth of field images for our stereograms.

Our source is usually www.TurboSquid.com

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Gary, Are you rendering depth maps from models purchased from TurboSquid.com ?

That's quite stunning (as usual) Gary. What is it? It doesn't seem to correspond with the grey-scale image. Is it a DOF?

Salaam - It is a side by side of the Guggenheim Museum. Different parts of the same image.

Yes, we use the depth maps. On many of Gene's stereograms he also creates fully rendered 3D objects and rotates each image a few degrees.

there is a place that is trying to establish a presence here. I have gone to a couple of their demonstrations as well as their grand opening. Many of their members are building 3D printers from kits. I am suiprised how inexpensive they are.

@ salaam, you are always an inspiration. Way to go!