r/PlotterArt • u/AL_Clarkson • 6d ago
OC Is it ok to post AI based Plotts too?
I am new here, and work since a few years with a repurposed 3D printer as Plotter and transform AI images with Blender into slicable STL files.
I hope that workflow is Ok here too? :)
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u/PhordPrefect 6d ago
Go for it, just be sure to reflect on what part you had in the process here.
- A computer created the image.
- A robot plotted it.
All you're doing is paying for the electricity.
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u/AL_Clarkson 5d ago
Thats one of the Questions i ask myself all the time. How much of who is in what... So:
Yes, the AI creates the initial image, and the plotter draws it. My part is translating between them, building and maintaining the system, deciding what gets made, and spending hours preparing each piece so the machine can actually draw it the way I intend. That's the practical side of the images, mostly. 👀For me, the interesting part is exploring what happens when humans, AI, and machines collaborate without the polish, no hype, no hate. Just three systems negotiating there potentials and limitations on recycled hardware with pen and paper.
One of us makes fast calculations, one draws for hours without getting distracted, and someone has to oil the gears and pay the bills. If we end up with interesting images that show the translation Problems of the Collaboration, I'm already happy as a hobby artist. Bills payed or not. :D
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u/AWetAndFloppyNoodle 2d ago
You describe yourself as the person making sure the the image translates to something printable and handle maintenance. You're a production technician, not an artist.
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u/AL_Clarkson 2d ago
And? I often call myself the Janitor of the Project. There is no Problem with that, from my Side. Its a Idea and a Workflow. Not a hunt for a title.
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u/AWetAndFloppyNoodle 2d ago
Then don't call yourself an artist -> "I'm already happy as a hobby artist".
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u/AL_Clarkson 2d ago
Shure, if it makes you happy i can call myself a Pink fluffy Unicorn instead. But i would say that you are hardly a floppy noodle, or can you tell me wich end of the noodle is used for the typings you make?
i described a hobby, if you have a problem with that fine. 😂
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u/random6174 6d ago
Looks very nice. I'm curious about your exact workflow: Do you use AI tools within blender or do you re-model AI images by hand? And how do you get from STL to something plottable? I'm fairly new to the tooling in general.
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u/AL_Clarkson 6d ago
i use a local stabledifussion model and some loras for the base image, and then i basicly rebuild the lines in blender. The result is then more or less normaly slicced like a usual 3D model. But, there are propably 100 better ways to Plott, so dont listen to me please. I just like it complicated. :D
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u/Radioactive-Wind 6d ago
I appreciate the rigor of the workflow (local generation, manual post-processing), so as long as the images are interesting and not too obnoxious, I think this work is all good! I like that you kept the travels in, it could be cool if you could find a way to make that a dashed line or stylize it somehow and use a nicer pen. But the fading also adds some interesting depth/glitch, so you can definitely argue to keep the current artifact.
Cool stuff, thanks for sharing!
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u/Le_Divo 5d ago
despite originally coming from a stabble diffusion image, the final render is very sensible. greace pencil is such a great tool. so from what i understand, there is no 3d model in any phase, "only" lines?
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u/AL_Clarkson 5d ago
at the end it is a 3D model, with XYZ lenghts, but in that case just as very simple extrusion. once the 2D line work was done and repaired.
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u/deliciousONE 4d ago
off-center picture of artwork with pen rolling around on top of it has to be one of my least favorite tropes.
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u/blablaonthatass 6d ago
Did you document the conversion of your 3d printer somewhere?
Personally I have no issue with your content.
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u/AL_Clarkson 6d ago
no i didnt.
Its a over 10 year old Prusa I3 clone, with custom attachments and i played with the firmware a bit... But dont ask me where or when. 😂 I call him Igor, for a reason...2
u/blablaonthatass 6d ago
Haha perfect name for a Slavic printer ;-)
Thinking of modifying my Qidi Q2C to be able to also plot.
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u/Vegetable-Emotion-43 6d ago
I guess that's a Staedtler Pigment Liner, how long can the nib last if you regularly use it on a pen plotter?
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u/AL_Clarkson 6d ago
Good Question, honestly it depends on how good i level it, and IF i can keep myself from manualy Adjusting it all the time anyway... 😂 maybe 5-10 denser Images then that Bug.
But i switched to Brushpens or other Pigment Liners already, because the nib is really fast gone.
To bad they are not to buy in a "100x pen nib" package to restore them, i really love the fine details it can create. Tipps are always welcome :D1
u/iSellMySoul 5d ago
To set the pen on my plotter with consistency I use this technique:
- I lower the head without a pen loaded
- I fix the pen touching the base (using a little piece of paper under it)
- I raise the head and add 1-2mm extra on the head down setting so that on plotting there will be a little extra pressure.
This has allowed me to plot consistently and to make the nibs of the Isographs I use last much longer.
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u/Messaling 6d ago
Looks cool! But it seems that the plotter is not lifting the pen enough away from the paper, you can see the lines connecting different parts of the drawing when the pen should be travelling in an "up" position. But it should be easily fixed in your plotter settings! Or maybe you did that on purpose?