Summary
IRMF is a file format used to describe GLSL
ES shaders that define the
materials in a 3D object with infinite resolution. IRMF completely
eliminates the need for software
slicers,
STL, and
G-code files used in
3D printers.
I believe that IRMF shaders will revolutionize the 3D-printing industry.
See github.com/gmlewis/irmf for more
details.
About the IRMF Shader Slicer
The technology stack used is Go and OpenGL.
This program is needed to bridge the gap until 3D printer manufacturers
adopt IRMF shaders and printable file formats in addition to G-Code
or voxel slices. It slices an IRMF shader model into voxel slices and
writes out one ZIP file (per IRMF shader model file) containing these
slices. These slices can then be fed to 3D printer software that accepts
voxel slices as input for printing.
Once 3D printers support IRMF shader model files directly for printing,
this slicer will no longer be needed.
FAQ
How do I install it?
After you have a recent version of Go installed,
run the following command in a terminal window:
$ go install github.com/gmlewis/irmf-slicer/cmd/irmf-slicer
(Prior to Go 1.13, you would use:
$ GO111MODULE=on go install github.com/gmlewis/irmf-slicer/cmd/irmf-slicer
)
Then you might want to try it out on some of the example IRMF
shaders located on GitHub.
To slice one or more .irmf
files, just list them on the command line,
like this:
$ irmf-slicer examples/*/*.irmf
How does it work?
This slicer dices up your model (the IRMF shader) into slices (planes)
that are perpendicular (normal) to the Z (up) axis. The slices are very
thin and when stacked together, represent your solid model.
The result is a ZIP file with all the slices in separate sub-folders
named by the unique names of the materials.
Why do I get a Slice: compile shader
error?
Hmmm... Does the Mac not support GLSL ES 3.00?
This needs more investigation.
License
Copyright 2019 Glenn M. Lewis. All Rights Reserved.
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.