Hello,
I found a free .stl of a cow that I wanted for a project. When I import it to VCarve Pro it appears as a full 3D model. I don’t know anything about modeling, but is there a way to get this cow flat for carving or do I have to find a 2.5D model?
Thanks!
Alex
Theres probably a number of ways. I would look to use 3d modelling software like Houdini, Blender or ZBrush, but they are not good for those unfamiliar with them; Zbrush has Bas Relief, Houdini has field heights and Blender has its version of Bas Relief. All can also create height maps. Blender is free to use. Houdini is free to use with limitations.
May be consider placing the model against a white background, snip/screen capture the prefered image position then, if your after an outline, use the trace function in products like Inkscape, vcarve or adobe illustrator/photoshop.
Just click the “Position & Import” button, it’ll bring you to a screen where you can position the zero plane and just keep a slice of your model. Don’t forget to resize your model first though, yours looks to be 88" on the longest side which I assume is bigger than you want. You can also squash the Z axis to make it more like a relief model by unchecking “lock XYZ ratio” and changing the Z to something less than your material thickness. Note that because your model has undercuts, like under the legs, you’ll only be able to carve straight down in those spots though I don’t think it’ll look bad with this one.
