Aug 15, 2017 | By Tess
If you haven’t had the time to head to your local guild to fulfill your pottery needs, maker Chris Korda may have the solution for you. A Boston-based software architect with nearly two decades of 3D printing experience, Korda has just released a new open-source software application for designing and visualizing 3D printable pottery.
Called PotterDraw, the new software app is hosted on Sourceforge and is notable for enabling full-color pottery models which can be exported for 3D printing.
The free design tool is capable of generating all types of pottery structures, including cylindrical objects like pots, plates, glasses, goblets, bowls, vases, etc. If you’ve been looking for a way to design a nice gift or even home accessory for yourself, PotterDraw can surely provide some help, or at the very least inspiration.
As Korda explains on PotterDraw’s Sourceforge page, the software app uses a spline to generate the outer wall of the 3D model, made up of “one or more curved or linear segments.” The inside of the 3D model is then generated automatically.
PotterDraw can also be used to “map synthesized or user-specified textures” onto the 3D pottery model, which users can control using various oscillators. If 3D printing isn’t your end game, the software tool can also be used to create some pretty funky mesh and texture modulation animations. You can see an example of one below:
Other listed features of the PotterDraw application include 3D mesh effects such as scallop, ripple, twist, and bend; texture distortion with parameterized functions like rings, stripes, and petals; color or image as texture; a built-in palette editor; and print preview and full screen modes.
Users also have the option to export their 3D pottery models in various formats including PLY (color), STL (monochrome), or Wavefront OBJ. The models can also be exported as 2D images as either BMP or PNG files.
Makers can also benefit from a library of shapes and models, which Korda has included to provide “starting points” for new creations.
Korda has extensive experience in the 3D printing industry having worked as a software architect for Z Corporation (now 3D Systems) for 15 years, and nearly four years experience working with Viridis3D LLC (now EnvisionTEC).
Currently, Korda owns and operates Chris Korda Consulting, Inc., a firm that offers consulting services in the fields of software development, object design, coding, and more.
In addition to working with clients such as Viridis3D and 3D Systems, CKCI has also turned out a number of its own software tools, including audio editor WaveShop, sound mixing app Mixere, jazz improvisation system ChordEase, sacred geometry visualizer Whorld, and more.
An immensely versatile maker, Korda also dabbles in music production and is the head of the Church of Euthanasia, a religiopolitical organization predicated on antinatalism and environmental preservation.
Posted in 3D Software
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hi great! but sad for no mac version any chances? ricky and good luck with saving your/this world, there are others thank god/someone
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