How to make a wire mesh of a curved surface?

[bambnzlerb3aver]

I know that if you reduce both top and bottom shell layers to 0 in Bambu Studio, you can print only the sparse infill pattern, however, I’ve tried this technique mostly for flat layers. So, what do you do if it’s a round surface area such as in a sphere?

I want to make a bridge for my turtles, but it needs not to be solid, because it’d take a lot of material to print. I have a solid hollow semi-circular shape, but I don’t know how to make it a wire mesh. Can this operation be performed in Bambu Studio, and if so, how?

Please share some ideas. Thanks in advance.

[Olias]

I want to make sure I understand what you’re trying to accomplish, because I think there are two different possibilities in your description.

You wrote:

“I know that if you reduce both top and bottom shell layers to 0 in Bambu Studio, you can print only the sparse infill pattern…”

and:

“I have a solid hollow semi-circular shape, but I don’t know how to make it a wire mesh.”

Are you trying to do one of these two things?

1. Make the entire volume of the semicircular bridge out of exposed sparse infill, with the outer walls, top, and bottom removed so that only the infill structure remains?

2. Keep the bridge as a thin curved surface, but convert that curved surface itself into a wire-mesh or grid pattern, similar to bending a piece of wire screen into an arch?

Those are two different operations, so which of these are you trying to create?

[Eponymous]

Parametric CAD and mesh modelling programs have a feature to wrap a design around an object. I would start there.

You could also look at how to create “Voronoi” prints.

.edit If you have source parametric CAD, you can also take a surface from the solid. if you have used non-parametric cad like tinkercad, I have no idea.

[lkraus]

I agree that this should be done in CAD.

But working only in Studio, you can scale a sphere or cylinder, add a negative part, and lower both below the plate to cut them in half to create an arch.

But if I were a turtle, I’d be skeptical of the load-bearing capacity and have doubts about the comfort of crossing such a bridge.

[EnoTheThracian]

Something like this?

You’d indeed need a lot less material.

But you may want to kit out your turtles with some safety gear

&

PS: I just set walls, top and bottom to 0 for the first pic.
Turtle Bridge Demo.3mf (49,5 KB)

[bambnzlerb3aver]

@Olias

1. Make the entire volume of the semicircular bridge out of exposed sparse infill, with the outer walls, top, and bottom removed so that only the infill structure remains?

2. Keep the bridge as a thin curved surface, but convert that curved surface itself into a wire-mesh or grid pattern, similar to bending a piece of wire screen into an arch?

I suppose it could be either one, though I’d keep the outer walls in the former.

[bambnzlerb3aver]

Yeah, you got it! This is what I’m talking about, it’s almost what I need, however, I don’t know how to avoid the lines that go transversally to the pattern. That’s why I only use this technique for flat surfaces.

[EnoTheThracian]

Those are outer walls. They disappear with a wall count of 0.
You can place new edge walls using modifiers though.

&

[bambnzlerb3aver]

It improves a lot… Some lines remain, is there a way to eliminate those completely? Probably not, so I should just try it out. Awesome tip, thank you!

[bambnzlerb3aver]