Introduction: Creating Topographical Maps From Images in Rhino

To brand topo maps from photos, y'all will be using the 'heightfield' and 'profile' commands in Rhino.  Many things can be done with the resulting lines; yous tin etch them, mill them, print them, what take you lot, but this Instructable starts with the basics!

Stride 1: Using Heightfield

Heightfield is a marvelously powerful command in Rhinoceros.  Essentially, it turns a 2-dimensional photograph into a 3-dimensional course by converting lightness/darkness into a specific superlative.  In this Instructable, you will learn how to brand topographical lines out of a 2nd image, for instance, this MRI image of my fellow's shoulder.

First, in Rhino, enter "heightfield" into the control bar.   It will prompt you to open an image file, so prompt you to identify the image on the C plane.  This is fairly basic-you make the bounding rectangle every bit large every bit you lot want your resulting image to be.

A dialogue box will popular up, (Prototype 1) asking number of sample points, acme, and how to create the surface.  Sample points are exactly what they mean-the more than sample points, the more detailed your model will exist.  Height is once again, how alpine your object will exist.  The divergence between "control points at sample locations" and "interpolate surface through samples" is the amount of detail y'all arrive your heightfield.  In the image I posted (Image 2), I made some examples, using one of my ain MRIs.  As you can see, lower resolution and command points results in a very low, soft surface, while a high resolution and a surface that is interpolated results in a surface that is extremely detailed and jagged.  For topo/contour purposes, I find that the command point method is platonic.

Step 2: Contours

Contours will "piece" your model, much in the same style that a topo map "slices" geography.

To create contours, but use the 'contour' command in the command line.

We'll start out over again with the heightfield of the shoulder MRI.  Select the heightfield, and blazon in 'contour.'  Some prompts come up up in the command line.  Offset, select your contour plane base point.  Click to make a point beneath your surface, or at the very base of your surface.  This is where the contours will begin.

Then, when prompted, select the direction perpendicular to the profile planes.  If you want your contours to be perpendicular to the C airplane, click along the bottom of your surface then, while property 'shift', click some point above your surface.  This makes your selected direction exactly perpendicular to your surface.  (Paradigm 2)  If you lot want contours that are diagonal to your surface, this is where you tin prepare that equally well.

Your contours are created! (Images 3 & 4)

To flatten the contours to create a topo image, select them and command "ProjectToCPlane" and the lines are now all on the the C Plane, ready to be milled, fatigued, or laser-cut!

Footstep 3: Examples

Epitome ane - Using a CNC auto with a drawing tool and a pen instead of a chip, I drew the contours taken from MRIs of my heart

Image 2 - A laser cutter using the topo lines as cutting lines, of my spine

Image three - Wood laser-etched with an MRI of my spine

1 Person Made This Project!

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