Page 76 - MSAM-1-3

Materials Science in Additive Manufacturing 2D/3D visualization software for bioprinting

single layers within the model but multiple as well. extruded materials than their less colorful counterparts
This feature is supplemented through the addition of (Figure 5A and 5B).
intensifying color vibrancy as an indicator for increasing To demonstrate the ease of viewing complex structures’
layer totals. In simpler terms, the more or brighter the layered compositions, Figure 6 was made. In Figure 6C,
colors, the more layers present in that model’s area. This is the particular sequence of layers (69 through 89) was
illustrated in Figure 5, where colorful areas are denser with chosen and refers to the highlighted G-code command
lines in Figure 6A. The visualization program started with
A B the command line (G1 = X86.980 Y110.590 E39.71886)
for layer 69 and stopped at layer 89 using the command
line (G1 = X108.649 Y112.360 E7.81012). Therefore, it
plotted all command lines between these two layers. This
feature allows users to see the specific details of any given
C D layer. To elucidate, this allows the user to see the process
of printing intermediate layers without the consideration
of preceding or following layers. This can be practical
since some of the objects have multiple features, such
as in the Marmalade Reef, as shown in Figure 6F. This
E F reef demonstrates the complexity a G-code can contain
and illustrates the convenience of viewing the result of
3D printing using a single command line. For instance,
while Figure 6B and 6C showcase the entirety and the
fraction of the printed reef, respectively, a glance at
either Figure 6A or 6D shows that the individual layers
Figure 3. Visualization of single layers (A, C, and E) versus multiple layers contained in the reef’s overall shape, regardless of their
(B, D, and F). intermediate nature.

A B C

D E F

Figure 4. (A-F) Ability to zoom in and out using a three-dimensional preview.

A B C

Figure 5. (A-C) Detailed view of multiple layers (three-dimensional) and single layers (two-dimensional) visualization.

Volume 1 Issue 3 (2022) 5 https://doi.org/10.18063/msam.v1i3.19