Manipulating output file from resin printer slicer

Question

I was wondering if it was possible to manipulate the output file from the slicer software of a resin 3D printer before sending it to the 3D printer.

For instance, in FDM printers I can import an .STL file in a software like Cura which would slice it and generate a G-code which is then sent to the 3D printer. However, if I want I can view the G-code generated and manually edit it before sending it to the 3D printer.

Now in resin printers there is no G-code if my understanding is correct. The slicing software generates an output file that contains a series of 2D slices with each slice containing information like exposure time etc.

After searching around for quite a bit, the only way I found was a software called UVTools however, even that doesn't fulfill my entire purpose. While I am able to import the sliced file obtained from Lychee slicer, the pixel editor in UVTools only allows me to modify it layer by layer but not pixel by pixel.

Is there a way I can modify each pixel separately? If not, how do I even modify each layer such as change the exposure time, wait time before cure, light off delay, etc.

I also saw the option for "Terminal" or "scripting" under File and it looks like those tools might help in achieving the aforementioned goals but I don't know how to use those features. Any tips for where I can find good tutorials/documentation to learn that.

Answer 1

As an example, Prusa Slicer outputs what amounts to a zip file containing a series of 2D images spaced using the layer thickness value. If you can ensure this with your slicer or extract the images, you may be able to accomplish your goal.

What I think is needed is a means of re-stacking the slices and converting it to surfaces, then to STL. OpenSCAD allows import of 2D images, extruding them and translating them (Z-axis) by the layer thickness minus a miniscule amount to ensure union of the resulting model. The program prefers binary numbers, which means that a translation of 0.0625 (1/16) is sufficient to ensure a good union and easier math for the program to handle.

The above returns a solid object, but this may not be useful to you if you are editing at a pixel level, nor if you are editing exposure time, etc. Restarting the slicing after performing STL level editing would be required for the above method.

Another thought appears in my alleged mind, perhaps better suited to your goal. I'm only slightly familiar with Rhino, but believe that one could import the 2D image files into the workspace with appropriate offset, then loft (or similar) a surface over the structure.

On the free program end of things, I would not be surprised if one could use Blender to accomplish this as well. My experience with Blender is microscopically higher than zero, though, so that's conjecture mixed with a bit of hope.