A lithophane goes in, a printable frame comes out. I tested the geometry on a cog, because if the math survives a cog it survives anything.
About the project
Every lithophane needs a frame, and I never once tried to model one by hand. I could have learned enough Blender to do it. That was not the point. I have a whole workflow in my head for going from a photo to a finished, framed, backlit print, and every step I can turn into a custom app is a step I can eventually automate. Frames were the next step.
BorderBuilder branched off LithoLab. You drop in an exported lithophane, dial in a decorative edge, and export a frame ready to print, with the lithophane seated in the back. It also works on its own for photo frames and mirrors, and it exports DXF files for laser-cutting acrylic light panels. The math for irregular outlines was the hard part. I tested the routing and masks against a complex cog, on the theory that if it survives a cog it survives anything. It took several attempts before the app stopped failing on it.
It runs in the browser with nothing behind it. The frames print. The Blender tab is still closed.
- FDM 3D Printing
Gallery
