Lamination Design

[Mike Golka]

Is there any software out there that can be used to design laminations for such things as pepper mills and such. I am planning on doing some mills for Christmas gifts and wanted a method of laying out the shape on a lamination to test the appearance of the way the different woods would appear in the final piece. (Does that make any sences?) I am able to do it in AutoCad but it takes a lot of steps and is quite cumbersom. I would like to vary the thickness of the strips of wood and then see what it looked like on the shape. I have Lamination Pro but it is not designed for this type of thing.


Any help would be greatly appriciated
Mike

[Mike Golka]

49 views and no coments? Does this mean there is nothing out there?:confused:

[Dean Thomas]

Make it 50. Fun piece. Lots of life.

I'm wondering if there is 3-D modeling software that could do what you're hoping to see. So that way, you could create your shape and then create several different chunks of wood to plug into the shape to see where the "stuff" happens. Have I captured your quest?

Maybe if that doesn't work, this would become a lamentation design?

[Mike Golka]

Hit the nail with a ten pound hammer:D Thats exactly what I'm looking for. AutoCad as you can see does a good job but it takes me a lot of work just to get one view. you have to redraw the laminations each time you change them and then go through the whole process of subtracting the form from the lamination one layer at a time.:eek: Maybe an Autolisp routine could speed things up but thats way beyond my skill leval:mad:

[Greg Just]

I have seen some software, but don't recall where. When/if I find it I'll let you know :confused:

Update - this is the link I was trying to think of

http://www.woodturnerpro.com/

[Bill Stevener]

Autodesk 3ds Max 32 bit. About the best you can get.

Around $6200.00 today. I like it.

[Ralph Lindberg]

Looks like this (http://www.woodturnerpro.com/software/lamPro.html) might be what you are asking for

[Dick Strauss]

Mike,
In Photoshop (CS2/3 or elements) you can make color substitutions without changing the shape (assuming you can output it as a jpeg or other standard graphic file format). You could take pics of real wood and use that as your guide for the color substitution.

You could also make your design into layers in PS and take the colored portion out by making it transparent while leaving the rest opaque. Then you can have multiple wood samples on various layers that you turn on and off to get the right effect. It would take some doing but can be done with a $70 PS Elements program.

I hope this helps!


Good luck,
Dick

[TYLER WOOD]

I have had the same question as you, and have yet to find something that I thought fit the bill. The lamination pro software that was linked to is not really what you are looking for. It's great for laying out laminates, but it does not take the shapes into 2d and allow different presentations of the plank to the form you are trying to make.

For others, I think what he is trying to get across is he wants to be able not only to change the colors of the wood block he has drawn, but also to change the way the blank fits the form. maybe at a diagonal angle, slimmer laminations, more laminations. All this without having to step through the processes in auto cad ever time.

Mike, I have some experience in writing lisp routines. I would be more than willing to help you try to step through the process of what you are wanting. Pm me and we can talk it through.

[Mike Golka]

Thanks Tyler, PM sent.