3D Lightyearâ„¢ 1.4 File Preparation Software Release Notes

3D Lightyear 1.4 File Preparation Software Release Notes and Installation InstructionsP/N 22130-N13-00

3D Lightyear™ 1.4 File Preparation SoftwareRelease Notes

OverviewThe enhancements and fixes in 3D Lightyear 1.4 software are primarily directed atimprovements in support generation and support editing. Although spurred mostly by thedemands of using SL technology in the hearing aid and jewelry industries, theenhancements in this software release benefit all users.

Included in this document is information regarding:

Compatibility with previous versions Updated recommended workstation specifications Changes in functionality since the 3D Lightyear 1.3 software release Issues that have been resolved in this version Issues that are still outstanding in this version Installation and licensing Instructions

Compatibility With Previous VersionsIt is highly recommended that you load the accompanying version of Buildstation™software, version 5.4, when using 3D Lightyear 1.4 software. However, BFF files createdwith the version 1.4 software can be built with Buildstation 5.3 software as well. Systemswith Buildstation 5.4 software can build BFF files from earlier 3D Lightyear versions, ofcourse, without taking advantage of the newer features.

The STY, RCS, PLA, BFF, and SLI file formats have not changed from the version 1.3/5.3release. New parameters were introduced in the SRG and FRG files, as stated later in thisdocument.

Recommended Workstation SpecificationsMany of the enhancements in this software release require more system resources than inprevious versions. You may see some degradation in performance compared with priorversions of 3D Lightyear software; however, we are sure that the results will outweigh theincrease in processing time. For this reason, we have upgraded the workstationrecommendations over previous versions.

3D Systems recommends that your workstation meet the following specifications. It ispossible to generate build files on less powerful systems, but it is usually worth investing abit more in your workstation in order to save time and avoid frustration later.

Operating System—Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 (or later); Windows 2000Professional; Windows XP Professional

Processor—Intel Pentium 4, 1GHz or higher Memory—512MB (1GB preferred) SDRAM, RDRAM, or DDR SDRAM

ii


Hard Drive—30GB or larger (Ultra2/Wide SCSI or UltraATA preferred) Display Adaptor—Full OpenGL ICD Graphics Accelerator (AGP preferred) with

minimum 32MB (or more) dedicated video memory Video Display—17-inch w/minimum 16-bit color depth at 1024X768 pixels-per-inch

resolution Page File Space—1GB on a non-boot partition Network Interface—10/100BaseT Class A Ethernet

Feature-Function ChangesBelow is a list of the major functional enhancements in this release.

Enclosed Regions:A new parameter in the FRG file adds the option to identify enclosed regions and avoidcreating supports in those regions.

-Ignore Enclosed Region parameter—A “1” value for this parameter instructs the softwareto not create supports in an enclosed region. (See Illustration 1)

NOTE:Any portion of an enclosed region where the original supports extend to the platform

is not considered part of the enclosed region. (See Illustration 2)

Warning!This parameter was developed specifically for the production of hearing aid shells,

which are self-supporting structures. Indiscriminate use of the Ignore EnclosedRegion parameter in situations where the structures are not self-supporting will likely

result in failed builds.

Z-Range on Supports:Two new parameters in the FRG file allow specifying a z-height above which supports willnot be created.

-Support Lowest Perimeter Only parameter—A “1” value for this parameter sets thesupport lowest perimeter only flag. (See Illustration 3)

-Lowest Perimeter Support Tolerance parameter—This parameter specifies the z-heightabove which no supports are created. The value is the z-height in inches and is ignored ifthe –Support Lowest Perimeter Only flag is set to “0”.

Warning!As in the warning above, indiscriminate use of these parameters could result in a

build crash.

iii


Illustration 1: Ignore Enclosed Region

Illustration 2: Enclosed Regions

Support Braces:A new algorithm detects when a support brace intersects the part and eliminates the brace.This enhancement is automatic and not controlled by a parameter. (See Illustration 4)

Support Projections:A new algorithm detects when a support projection intersects the part and regenerates theprojection outside the part. This enhancement is automatic and not controlled by aparameter. (See Illustration 5)

This region is not considered internalas part of the supports land on theplatform.

iv


Illustration 3: Support Lowest Perimeter Only

Illustration 4: Eliminate Intersecting Support Braces

(Before Improvement)

(After Improvement)

BracesIntersectPart

IntersectionEliminated

BracesIntersect Part

v


Illustration 5: Eliminate Projection Intersection

Minimize Supports Intersecting Sidewalls:In cases when supports are required to anchor a steep-angled sidewall, the supportstrands could intersect the part, causing excessive surface scars. Although eliminating thecondition is not possible, the software now minimizes scarring by truncating the strand andinserting an attachment triangle to anchor the support. This enhancement is automaticand not controlled by a parameter. (See Illustration 6)

Before After(Note Strands Bent at Angle)

Illustration 6: Minimize Wall Intersection

Supports without Fences:At times, supports would align with a hole in the platform and therefore the support was notanchored. The software now detects an unanchored strand and creates a fence to spanthe platform hole. This enhancement is automatic and not controlled by a parameter. (SeeIllustration 7)

vi


Added Support Fence

Illustration 7: Support Fence

First Layer Not Supported:In certain cases, the first layers of a part were not adequately supported. The software nowidentifies the lowest points in regions and supports those points. This enhancement isautomatic and not controlled by a parameter. However, there is some approximation errorinvolved which can be controlled somewhat by the “Grid Size” parameter in the .FRG file.(See Illustrations 8 and 9)

Illustration 8: Support First Layer

vii


Z Plane

A Line Region

First LayerSupported

d

Illustration 9: Support First Layer- Line Region

Unanchored Support:In certain cases, a single support strand does not anchor to a feature or part. The softwarenow identifies this condition and creates an anchor to the nearest feature. Thisenhancement is automatic and not controlled by a parameter. (See Illustration 10)

Illustration 10: Unanchored Support

Associated Part and Support STL Files in Auto-Part Placement:Previously sliced part and support STL files can now be loaded onto a new platform andtreated as a unit when using the Auto-Part Placement feature. The part and support STLfiles move as an associated pair.

Application of Different FRG Files to Different Part Regions:The software now allows the user to apply an FRG file to a part region, thus providing theability to assign different FRG files to different regions in a part.

viii


Prevention of Supports Protruding Through Up-Facing and Down-Facing Surfaces:The software now detects when a support protrudes through an up-facing or down-facingpart surface and retracts the height of the intersecting triangle to keep it within the partboundary. This enhancement is automatic and not controlled by a parameter. (SeeIllustration 11)

B(x,y,z)

B(x,y,z)

B(x,y,z)

B(x,y,z)

Illustration 11: Protruding Supports

Custom Draw Enhancements:A number of enhancements have been added and issues resolved in the Custom Drawtool.

Toggle Top/Bottom View –Changed the default view to “Bottom View” and added the ability to toggle between the“Top View” and “Bottom View”. (See Illustration 12)

Color Shading to Indicate Relative Z-Height –This version of software adds color shading to the part in Custom Draw to provide the userwith a visual reference of the relative z-height. The darker the shade, the lower that portionof the part is in Z. The lowest portion of the part is indicated in yellow. (See Illustration 12)

ix


Illustration 12: View Top/Bottom View and Color Shading Toggles

Custom Draw Support End Point Moves –Fixed an issue where the end point of a drawn support would move to a new positionfollowing an Apply. The support end points now remain stationary.

Shaded Supports Check Box on the Edit Supports Dialog –For convenience, added the ability to toggle support shading on and off in the EditSupports dialog. Previously this was only available in the main view.

Circular and Elliptical Supports in Custom Draw –Added the ability to draw circular and elliptical supports. (See Illustration 13)

BottomView Top

View

Different Z Heightin Different Color:the Lower, theDarker.

The Lowest Pointsof this Region areMarked in Yellow.

Toggle ColorShading

x


Illustration 13: Drawing Circular and Elliptical Supports

Other Resolved Issues Changed the default minimum support height for mm platforms from 10.16mm to

10.2mm. Also, resolved the issue where mm platforms would build more slowlythan inch platforms.

The software now updates older styles (pre-version 1.3) with correct parametervalues.

Smart Best Surface Finish is now applied to all copies of an STL file that have SBSFapplied.

Corrected the stray vector issue on SLA 250 systems when the Smart Best SurfaceFinish box is checked.

STL units are now properly referenced when the User Defined resin option isselected in the Styles Wizard.

Stagger Weave & Alternate Sequencing settings are now properly saved for SLA250 machine setup.

To avoid errors, the Machine Setup Wizard now requires the user to pick a resintype before continuing.

During the Prepare function, the software no longer re-slices a part unless it isnecessary to do so.

The software now allows setting the Maximum z-height to as shallow as one inchfor use with Viper systems equipped with shallow vats.

Draw an Ellipseby Rubber Band

Draw a Circle byCenter and RadiusDraw a Circle by

Three Points

xi


The system now warns the user to modify the Preferred Blade Gap when the userchanges the layer thickness.

Outstanding Issues There remain sidewall quality issues, associated with Z-Compensation, producing

long unlinked border islands and border bits. These can be reduced or eliminatedby reducing Z-Compensation (although doing so reduces accuracy in the Z-direction.) Also, unless necessary, turning off Small Feature Preservation and/orHigh-Res Spatial Tolerance can also help. Finally, decreasing the Min Width for Fillsto 0.0 can help as well.

Preferred blade gap calculation is incorrect. After changing BG% you must exit thedialog, then re-enter and type the correct result of the formula(PBG+LT)/LT*100=BG%

o Where PBG is preferred blade gapLT is layer thicknessBG% is the blade gap percentage

FinePoint™ supports taller than five inches can sometimes bend or collapse withoutsupporting the part. Increasing the Strand Thickness and decreasing the StrandSpacing can help mitigate the issue.

The BPF batch process can stall when the power-saving mode is enabled. Disablewhen processing BPF files.

Very large (hundreds-of-megabyte) STL files can cause an Application Error in the3D Lightyear software. Although a check that prevents large STL files from beingsaved automatically as part of the support creation and build file preparation stepshas been removed, there remains an issue when an STL file is so large that itcannot be loaded into a contiguous memory block. If you are running into issueswith large STL files, increasing system RAM to 2GB and beyond may help.Rebooting the machine, then only loading the 3D Lightyear software, can free upmemory blocks such that contiguous memory becomes available to the software.

One cause of very large STL files is the amount of tessellation. There is noadvantage in exceeding the limitation of the scanning system’s ability to positionthe vectors. On a large frame machine, this ability is exceeded when a vector is lessthan approximately 0.001”; on an SLA 3500 system, the limit is about 0.0005”; andon a small-frame system, the limitation is approximately 0.00025”.

Using standard FRG support files on parts with very fine features, the 3D Lightyear1.4 software can create very dense supports. Using FRG files designed for jewelryor hearing aid applications can reduce the supports considerably. Warning: Do notuse these FRG files on larger geometries

The software displays an error message when styles are applied to other parts inthe build in a metric platform. An error message states that the Line Width Comp,Multiple Border Offset, or Minimum Width for Fills values is “invalid.” The messagecan be ignored.

Simple Part Placement using a Viper HR platform places files outside the five-inchby five-inch HR “sweet spot.” (Also occurs when Simple Part Placement is invokedusing the BPF creator.)

xii


If you prepare a platform with Beam Comp turned on, then subsequently turn BeamComp off; the part will not be re-sliced even if the platform is re-prepared.

On a Viper HR platform containing parts taller than five inches, the systemerroneously generates an error that says: “Some of the parts have been placedoutside the preferred zone. This will affect the accuracy of the parts.” The check forparts outside the five-by-five preferred zone should only apply in the X- and Y-axes.

There are circumstances in which saving a PLA file to a directory, which has notbeen created, can cause an Application Error.

Attempting to Prepare a build file on a system with very low hard-drive space cancause the 3D Lightyear software to stall processing without generating a message(continuously displays a local “hourglass” icon.) Freeing up space on the harddrive will allow the process to resume.

QuickCast™ build style patterns of complex geometries can exhibit holes where thehex pattern fails to support an up-facing surface. Since the hatch pattern is pre-determined and does not seek regions like a true support, it is possible that an up-facing surface can be unsupported creating a hole in the pattern. Thisphenomenon seems to be exacerbated when the part is angled to reduce down-facing supports.

You cannot Undo a Delete All Supports command in Custom Draw Supports. The Display Slice Plane option slows down slicing of multiple parts considerably. As newer features have been added to the software and the Slice algorithms have

become more complex, slice times have been increasing. Updating your system’sprocessor, memory, and hard drive can serve to mitigate performance issues.

Support strand spacing cannot be edited after being created using the CustomDraw Supports utility.

Print function prints blank graphic pages on some network printers. (Problem hasbeen reported using Epson Stylus Color 600, HP LaserJet 4000N, HP LaserJet 6L,and TI Microlaser 600, but may include others.)

The STL Verify and Repair function may need to be run more than once tocompletely fix an STL file. If, after Verify, the message states that the file is “Bad,”re-run the Verify function until the message indicates that the file is “Good.”Depending on the extent of the repair necessary, repairing an STL file can makeunwanted changes to the geometry of the part. It is a good practice to review thegeometry of any part that the Verify function reports as “Bad,” and the Repairfunction “fixes,” especially if it takes multiple Verify-Repair passes before Verifyreports the file is “Good.” In such cases, it is preferable to return to CAD andattempt to create a better STL file.

If you include a QuickCast build style part in a BPF file and instruct the BPF filecreator to Verify the parts, the Vents and Drains file is no longer associated with theverified part, essentially eliminating any Vents and Drains.

Preparing builds with a larger-than-usual Line Width Comp value can have theeffect of “rounding off” square corners.

Obtaining the 3D Lightyear 1.4 Software

xiii


Eligible users can download the software from the 3D Systems website. The download filescan be found at: http://www.3dsystems.com/techsupport/sla/sl_software_updates.asp.

Locate the 3D Lightyear 1.4 files section and download the self-extracting archive file. Toextract the installation files in Windows Explorer, double-click the filename and the files willbe extracted to a temporary folder on your hard drive.

If you wish, a CD-ROM can be sent to you. In the US, contact the 3D Systems CustomerSupport Hotline at (800) 793-3669. Outside the US, contact your local 3D Systems officeor 3D Systems distributor.

Installing 3D Lightyear 1.4 SoftwareNOTE:

If you normally use a virus protection program on your PC, turn it off, or override itsmonitoring of the system before installing 3D Lightyear 1.4 software. After completing

the 3D Lightyear 1.4 software installation, you should restart the virus protectionprogram.

1. If you are installing the software from a CD-ROM, insert it into the CD-ROM driveon your workstation.

2. Click the Windows Start button in the lower left corner of the Windows Task bar.3. Click the Run command.4. In the Open text box, type the full path to the 3D Lightyear 1.4 software “setup.exe”

file on the CD, or the folder to which you extracted the 3D Lightyear 1.4 softwareInstallation files. Alternatively, you can use the Browse button to locate the“Setup.exe” file. When you have the full path to the “setup.exe” file displayed in theOpen text box, click OK.

5. When the Welcome dialog appears, click Next.6. Read the licensing agreement in the Software License Agreement dialog and

select Yes to accept the terms of the agreement.7. Review the Readme file in the Information dialog box and click Next.8. When the Choose Destination Location dialog appears, note that C:\Program

Files\3D Systems\3D Lightyear 1.4 appears as the default destination folder. Ifdesired, use the Browse button to change the location of the 3D Lightyear 1.4software installation. When ready, accept the location and continue the installationby clicking Next.

9. Select Typical and click Next.NOTE:

You can select not to load style files for SLA types you don’t have by selectingCustom and then deselecting the styles you don’t need.

10. When the Select Program Folder dialog appears, click Next to place the icon for3D Lightyear 1.4 software on your Start>Programs menu.

11. Double-click this program icon whenever you wish to launch the 3D Lightyearsoftware.

12. When the Setup Complete dialog appears, click Finish.Follow the instructions in the next section to obtain and install the software license files for3D Lightyear 1.4 software.

xiv


Obtaining and Installing Your 3D Lightyear 1.4 Software LicenseTo use the software, you must obtain a valid software license for each workstation on whichyou intend to run the software. You obtain the license files from the 3D Systems website.

Before visiting the website to obtain your license files, have your License AuthorizationCode (LAC), which was included in the customer letter mailed to all eligible customers, andthe HostIDs of the workstations for which you wish to obtain license files. The HostID(sometimes referred to as the physical address of the Ethernet card, or the MAC address)can be determined as follows:

1. Open a “Command Prompt” (DOS) window.2. Use the DOS Change Directory command and navigate to the \bin directory where

3D Lightyear 1.4 software is installed. If you accepted the default installationdirectory, type the command “C:” and press <Enter>, then “cd c:\ProgramFiles\3D Systems\3D Lightyear 1.4\bin” (or the appropriate path), and press<Enter>.

3. From the bin directory, type the command lmutil lmhostid and press <Enter>. Thiscommand queries your system and returns a unique serial number (HOSTID) fromyour network card.

4. Record the HOSTID code.NOTE:

You will be required to install the resulting license file on this workstation. Licensefiles are workstation specific, so if you are installing 3D Lightyear 1.4 software on

multiple workstations, take steps now to identify this workstation with its unique hostidentification code.

5. Repeat Steps 1 - 4 for each workstation.6. Go to the 3D Systems website at www.3dsystems.com and navigate to the

software licensing page. In the first screen of the licensing page, type in theLicense Authorization Code provided to you in the customer letter and click Next.The Authorization Code is case sensitive and must be entered in all capital letters.

7. In the second screen, type in the HOSTID you obtained from the computer. TheHOSTID is case sensitive and must be entered in lower case letters withouthyphens or spaces.

8. The license generator will return the text of the license file. You can either Copyand Paste the displayed license text from your browser into a text file usingNotepad (NOT Word or Wordpad) and save it as license.dat, or you can follow theSave-License-To-File instructions found on the webpage to download the file,naming it license.dat.

9. Repeat steps 6-8 for each computer for which you need a license. Remember thateach workstation requires a unique license, so make sure you have a way ofdistinguishing between them if you obtain multiple licenses.

10. Copy the appropriate license.dat file to the bin folder of each workstation (ifnecessary, rename the file to license.dat).

Setting the Default License File

xv


1. Launch the 3D Lightyear 1.4 software. The first time you launch the software, theFlexLM License Manager may appear.

2. When prompted, choose the Select License File button and click Next.3. Use the Browse button to navigate to and select the newly installed license.dat file

and click Next.4. Select the Save Setting check box and click Finish.

The splash screen for the 3D Lightyear 1.4 software will appear as the program opens.

NOTE:

If problems are encountered during this installation, or if the HOSTID query yields theresultant ffffffff, ensure that the computer is properly communicating with the

network, then call the 3D Systems Customer Support Hotline at (800) 793-3669 inthe U.S., or contact your regional Customer Service office.

**************************************© 2003 by 3D Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Specifications are subject to change without notice.The 3D logo and SLA are registered trademarks, and Lightyear, Buildstation, FinePoint, andQuickCast are trademarks of 3D Systems, Inc. All other product names or services are registeredtrademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.

Documents

3D Lightyearâ„¢ 1.4 File Preparation Software Release Notes