3d surface to 2d for cutting

erik_sanders012

I have been looking into exact flat but it is out of my budget right now and also above the level that I need. I am trying to scan a taillight from which i will get a 3d file. Then I want to be able to go in and outline the edges of the taillight which would give me a line that is outlining the tail light but in 3d. Then I want to take the 3d line and flatten it into 2d so I can put it into a cutter to cut the shape in film. I have looked into exact flat but that is way to expensive for what I need. Is there a alternative that is say under a grand that will do this. None of it is crazy shapes that need the 3d to 2d cut capability of exact flat. Between headlights and taillights the surfaces are slightly convex and multi planed but can make up the overlap or stretching needed to go from a 2d cut fabric to a 3d plane using a little bit of heat. I just need the 3d line to be able to transfer to a 2d plane for cutter without screwing up the aspect between lines.

S1mon

Rhino is under $1k and there's a 90 day trial. It has a flattening tool. It also has a lot of mesh manipulation tools that could be very useful for cleaning up 3D scans and turning them into NURBS surfaces.

S1mon

Improvements to Onshape - November 22nd, 2024 — Onshape