Ideas for Skeinforge - Multiple Zones

There's work being done for multiple materials, which is really quite interesting... here's an extension and/or generalization of that thought:

what's being done:
  volumes get tagged in OBJ file, or use multiple STL files to define separate regions... tagging in OBJ is better because you can have arbitrary tags, e.g. color per object, color per vertex, etc...

  tags that match settings in Skeinforge would override the SF value.  e.g. a tag: infill_30 would be 30% infill.  if infill was absent, don't do infil.

  alternatively it might be simpler to have multiple profiles, however, the reason that's a bad idea, is because SOME settings should be accessible as adjustments to SF settings, but some are material-stock specific.  e.g. infill is an preference variable, a situation variable.  I might want multiple infill% on the same model, e.g. on a big flat boxy area, I can handle a 20% infill, but on a vertical tower, I might want it at 80%... or maybe on that vertical tower I want NO SPARSE layers?.... that should all be my choice... and those things should be definable within the OBJ.

  Another region could be support.  maybe I want support material under a specific bridge, but don't want it anywhere else.  why not just make regions that are filled with no perimeter, and only support material? Would be just better if an object can be designated as support material (in which case each layer from ground up could be essentially like a shadow of all the layers above it not looking at the other regions, only the region designated as support.   setting: region=support only, has support, no support.

ok that's a few thoughts, but the main pleading here is, to anyone developing multiple region capabilities, make sure to keep it generalized.  we are moving toward a need for more control over the entirety of the model, like variable infill% etc.

thanks for listening.

Another Idea for Skeinforge...

Cool:

Minimum Layer Time...  isn't very useful.  It slows everything down unnecessarily... or doesn't slow it down enough.

What is REALLY needed is a time to cool parameter for the material, and a cooling temp to achieve before printing over the same spot.

In other words, imagine if you lay down the plastic, at 185° C, and as soon as you lay it down it begins to cool... it shouldn't be exceedingly difficult to map the estimated temperature across the surface area, and then give the start position for the next layer priority to print on the opposite side.

alternatively, how about just adding a setting to the "fill" plug to flip-flop the start at from lower left only, to alternate lower left, upper right.

anyway... just a few thoughts.

IDEAS for Skeinforge

for Cool - it would be "cool" if you could have the extruder  head move such that the fan was blowing on some region - or orbiting some region, or criss-crossing over the whole model... but with the nozzle high enough it doesn't hit anything....

wonder if I could just add a relative hop-up in the cool start, have the print head start at 0,0 go to max,0 then max,30, then 0,30, then o, 60... etc....

silly for large layers I mean for tiny objects, all you need to do is have the fan blow directly on the top layer for a couple seconds, literally, and then do the next layer.

orbit sucks, and slow down doesn't do much at all.

Prusa Mendel is up and running - nicely.

OK I've been away for a while...

Prusa Mendel is up and running and doing so quite reliably - so far.

I've been broadcasting on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/peeringout

Anyway ;) just thought I'd share what I was up to.