Better. Faster. And Supports.
As I prepare for my next keyboard generator, I've taken the opportunity to fix the biggest issues with the Dactyl generator. Here's the result of several weeks of updates:
🔭 Preview Models at Render-Quality
No more holes in models! I've replaced the JSCAD geometry kernel with Manifold, a highly accurate and even faster kernel. You'll be previewing models at the same quality as the STL files you print, with the same if not faster performance. I have to give a big shout-out to @elalish on his work on Manifold; the quality is super impressive.
Another benefit of the new kernel is that you can preview case plates. Because I needed to implement SCAD operations that don't yet exist in Manifold like convex hulls, I took the opportunity to implement a custom hull that fills in the interior of the plate, which was impossible with SCAD-based generators. Now you can take the STL file and immediately give it to your printer or export the surface for laser cutting.
🏎️ Generate STLs in Seconds
Rendering STLs is now 100x faster. Because Manifold produces such accurate meshes, I've switched to using it to produce STLs by default instead of embedded OpenSCAD. To make the interface clearer I've combined both the STL and SCAD download buttons into a single button to make room for a new instructions button. And if you'd still like to render in OpenSCAD, you can do so through the new download button. However, there's little difference in quality between the two.
STLs are now downloaded in binary format, which will save you space on your hard drive if you're downloading lots of them.
📏 Almost-Accurate Filament Estimates
When 3D printing a Dactyl keyboard, up to half of the filament used can go towards the supports which often get thrown away. This update adds a naive supports generation algorithm (in lieu of integrating an entire slicer) and uses the generated supports to estimate the total amount of filament used.
The numbers now line up more closely with what you'd actually use in printing (how closely they align depends on what settings you use to slice your model). Hover over the filament usage, and you'll see a breakdown of filament usage and the generated supports.
There's a few other small things, like changing the defaults to more commonly-used options, adding some helpful information at the top of the screen, and adding a link to the landing page for my new generator.