Computer
Aided Sculpting Software (VP-Sculpt)
(brain stem transformed with VP-Sculpt)
VP-Sculpt
is a unique and powerful software package for editing and reshaping 3D polygonal
mesh surface models. These surfaces can be imported from 3D digitizing systems,
medical imaging surfacing software, or surface modeling CAD systems. Editing
and sculpting can be applied to individual vertices or facets, to user-defined
areas, or to an entire model. Operations include selective smoothing, roughening,
stretching, decimation, and refinement. VP-Sculpt also offers many utilities
for repairing a digitized surface (filling holes, eliminating bad topology), and
utilities for preparing a surface for Rapid Prototyping. VP-Sculpt runs
on PCs under any versions of Windows.
To download a free
PC Windows demo copy (version 3.08/3.09):
Download the self-extracting
archive: demo_zip.exe
(right-click and "Save Link/Target As")
Then view and follow the
instructions in: README
To find out what features have been added to the latest version of VP-Sculpt,
see the on-line release notes.
An
overview article is also available on-line.
The complete user/reference manual
is also available on-line.
Pricing:
$995 per seat (20% educational
discount for universities: $796)
upgrade from previous version (3.07 or earlier):
$195
To purchase a copy or upgrade of VP-Sculpt, or for more information,
contact:
VP-Sculpt inquiry
To
install the latest version (3.09) of VPSculpt, download this file:
VPSculpt.exe
(right-click and "Save Link/Target As")
and follow these instructions:
VP-Sculpt Installation
Instructions.pdf
Applications
- Visualize, verify,
repair, and perform calculations on 3D polygonal mesh models.
- Perform
working-with-clay type artistic sculpting.
- Perform pre-operative plastic
surgery planning.
- Design biomedical implants and prosthetic devices.
-
Generate caricatures of scanned faces.
- Prepare and communicate data between
3D digitization and rapid prototyping (RP) systems.
- Reverse engineer
digitized physical parts or models.
- Customize digitized objects and characters
for animation.
- Create, search, and visualize databases of 3D scanned
faces.
- Make measurements for forensic studies.
- Visualize and
modify 3D CAD surface models.
- Design industrial (aesthetic) shapes.
Features
I/O:
- Compatible
with data formats supported by digitizing systems, CAD/CAM systems, and rapid
prototyping systems (DXF, IGES, Inventor, GVA, OBJ and STL).
- Accepts
anything from disconnected bounded surfaces with holes to completely closed surfaces
representing solid objects.
- Practically unlimited number of vertices
and polygons supported.
- More than one model may be loaded and manipulated
independently.
Viewing:
- 6 preset orthographic
views.
- Multiple windows each with independent view control.
-
Interactive 3D rotations, zooming, and panning with mouse or keyboard.
-
User-controllable perspective and clipping planes.
- User-controllable
model color properties and the light source.
Rendering:
- Point cloud, wireframe, bounding box.
- Flat-faceted or smooth Gouraud
shading.
- Hidden line removal, backface removal.
- Adjustable quick-rendering
mode.
- Color contour display of stretch thicknesses.
Surface Sculpting and Editing:
- Select areas directly on the 3D surface
with various tools.
- Selectively stretch the surface with an indicated
stretch profile and direction.
- Selectively smooth and roughen.
-
Selectively delete and trim.
- Selectively decimate and refine.
-
Snap areas to flats plane.
- Snap edges to straight lines.
- Offset
or scale the surface.
- Add or delete individual vertices or facets.
-
Automatically fill holes.
- Automatically perform mirror image sculpting
and editing of symmetric surfaces.
Metrology:
- Distance between the sculpted surface and the original surface at any point.
-
Distance between selected points (straight-line or along surface).
- Surface
area of a selected area.
- Surface area of the entire model.
- Volume
of a closed model.
- Radius of a 3D arc or circle.
- Anatomical
features and planes on a scanned face.
Rapid Prototyping
Tools:
- Import digitized data.
- Edit and repair the surface
(see "Surface Sculpting and Editing" above and "Mesh Repair" below).
-
Create a closed volume from an open surface by offsetting to a wall thickness
or by extruding (with a draft angle) to a flat bottom.
- Decimate the model
to reduce the file size.
- Export to an ASCII or binary STL file.
Mesh Repair:
- Automatically fill holes in the surface.
- Add
or delete individual vertices or facets.
- Reorient and align normal vectors.
-
Delete stranded vertices.
- Delete null facets or improper facets.
-
Replace low aspect ratio facets.
Other:
- Animation
(morphing) between the original and sculpted model.
- Surface marking (point
identification) tool.
- Multiple model pasting, merging, and trimming.
-
Vertex, facet, normal, and model information display.
- Labeling and coloring
of surface regions.
- Unit conversion.
- Scanned face database capabilities.
-
ETC!!!