First upload

.gitignore

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+customizable_digital_sundial.scad

README.md

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-# Customizable-Digital-Sundial
-A sundial which displays whatever you want, whenever you want, with only a 3D-printed object.
+# Customizable Digital Sundial
+A sundial which displays whatever you want, whenever you want, with only a
+3D-printed object.
+
+![The sundial](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/roipoussiere/Customizable-Digital-Sundial/master/images/numbers_printed.jpg)
+
+## About the original Digital Sundial
+
+This work inspirated by the Mojoptix project ([website][mojo_website],
+[Thingiverse](mojo_thingiverse)).
+
+> It's a Sundial displaying the time inside its shadow, with actual digits !
+> There is a tiny bit of magic inside...
+>
+> No batteries, no motor, no electronics... It's all just a really super-fancy
+> shadow show. The shape of the sundial has been mathematically designed to
+> only let through the right sunrays at the right time/angle. This allows to
+> display the actual time with sunlit digits inside the sundial's shadow.
+>
+> The sundial displays time (with actual digits !!) from 10:00 until 16:00,
+> updating every 20 minutes.
+> You can precisely adjust the displayed time simply by rotating the gnomon
+> (the magic box that displays time). So you can even adjust for Daylight
+> Saving Time.
+
+Its [video podcast](mojo_podcast) describes this sundial in details.
+
+## Customizable Digital Sundial
+
+Contrary to the Mojoptix sundial, this one allows you to display, instead of
+the clock numbers, whatever and whenever you want. The displayed text can be as
+long as you want, and can contain all usual characters. In addition, you can
+customize a lot a others parameters, like the digits duration or the gnomon
+shape.
+
+See [the simulation](simulation) on Youtube for the [quick_fox.stl](quick_fox)
+example.
+
+The attached STL files are not required, it's just few items made with the
+Customizer app to show you what you can do (see *Text* option bellow).
+
+## Available customizable options
+
+#### Main options
+
+- **Text**: the text displayed on the shadow of the sundial, for each position,
+separated by semi-colons. For example, if you want to display "Hello", then
+"world" few minutes later, set this field to `Hello;world`. Try with these
+ones:
+    - [quick_fox.stl](quick_fox):
+      `The;quick;brown;fox;jumps;over;the;lazy;dog.`
+    - [clock.stl](clock):
+      `10:00;10:20;10:40;11:00;11:20;11:40;12:00;12:20;12:40;13:00;`
+      `13:20;13:40;14:00;14:20;14:40;15:00;15:20;15:40;16:00`
+    - [numbers.stl](numbers):
+      `0;1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9`
+- **Digits duration**: the duration of each text, according to the sun
+rotation.
+- **Hemisphere**: just select where you are;
+- **basic shape** of the gnomon:
+    - a half-cylinder;
+    - a "boat", which is an optimized shape because each hole has the same
+depth.
+- **holder**: to print (or not) a holder which fixes the gnomon (with a screw).
+The holder is Mojoptix-compatible.
+- **rod**: print a pipe to hold several digits together with a rod. So you can
+print a 1 meter long sundial, with your 12x12 printer. ;-)
+-  **font**: Font used to display the text, among 2 available fonts:
+    - numbers, with 4x6 digits: `0-9`, and `:`. If your text contains other
+    characters, an error will occurs.
+    - ASCII, with 5x7 digits: `0-9`, `a-z`, `A-Z`, and
+    ` !\"#%$&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[\]^_``{|}~¤`, where `~` and `¤` are respectively
+    a full black digit and a heart. Note that you can easily customize and / or
+    add fonts by editing the scad file.
+- **transition delay**: during a transition, all pixels turns to black. With no
+transition (0%), the piece contains less material (so it's faster to print),
+but digits are sometimes not clear.
+
+#### Advanced parameters
+
+- **gnomon radius**
+- **pixel width**
+- **pixel height**
+- **space between columns**
+- **space between rows**
+- **space between digits**
+- **enlarge slots** : Enlarge the slots on the bottom on the gnomon. Big slots
+should improve digits readability, but can also unintentionally turn some
+pixels to white.
+- **screw size** : the screw size used to hold the gnomon.
+
+## Instructions
+
+#### Step by step
+- Customize your sundial with the *Makerbot Customizer* interface, then
+download it;
+- verify the item with a rendering software (OpenSCAD, Netfabb, Blender, ...),
+and check the digits on each position (then eventually re-customize it). Prefer
+an orthogonal view than a perspective view to watch the item;
+- print it with the settings bellow;
+- print the other pieces [from here](mojo_thingiverse);
+- Put them together and enjoy;
+- Please take a picture and share it on Thingiverse (by clicking on *I made
+one*). I am always so happy to see what people make with my work! :-)
+
+A bonus point to the first who prints a "sundial powered word clock", which
+displays the time each 15 minutes, in its literal form. :-D
+
+#### Other required parts
+- an (empty !) jam jar;
+- 3x M6 screws, flat head, length = 20 mm;
+- 1x M6 screw, flat head, length = 50 mm;
+- 4x M6 nuts;
+- 4x M6 washer, outside diameter < 14mm;
+
+#### Print settings
+Tested on a Up! Plus.
+
+- **Raft**: Yes
+- **Supports**: No
+- **Resolution**: 0.15mm
+- **Infill**: 10%
+- **Print quality**: fast
+- **Print thin parts**: No
+
+## GitHub repository
+
+The entire code is documented and easy to read and modify.
+
+See my [GitHub](github_repo) repository, it's easier to work from here and
+there is additional useful files (like Python and Blender scripts).
+
+#### OpenSCAD scripts
+For more readability, the .scad script is splitted in 3 files:
+*main*, *functions* and *fonts*.
+
+The *functions* file uses a part of my [OpenSCAD library](TOUL) for string and
+vectors operations. Take a look.
+
+#### Python scripts
+- **merge.py**: Prepare the .scad file to be uploaded on Thingiverse:
+  - replace the parameters by the default parameters;
+  - replace the `<include>` declarations by their contents (Customizer app
+  doesn't supports multiple .scad files.);
+  - remove lines containing `/*TODO` or `/*NOTE`.
+- **compare.py**: Compare 2 .scad files representing a sundial. It slice the
+3D-models in a given position, then generates a picture showing the 2
+superposed slices.
+- **decode_font.py**: Decode an array of numbers in hexadecimal notation
+and print it as a decimal array, to you use it on OpenSCAD (which doesn't
+support hexadecimal notation).
+- **default_parameters**: a file containing default parameters, then you can
+modify them when you code without to be worried about publishing the file
+containing test parameters)
+
+#### Blender script
+This script allows you to simulate the sun shinning on the sundial.
+Watch [the video](simulation) of a simulation, rendered with it.
+Read [README](blender_readme) to know how to use it.
+
+#### Known bugs
+If you compile a sundial with a lots of digits, it may be that you get CGal
+warnings. You can increase the value of parameters *Tun off rendering at* and
+*cache size* in the OpenSCAD preference window.
+
+Please send me issues and pull requests from GitHub!
+
+## To come
+
+- pixel-art display support, by editing images on a web interface;
+- a video of the sundial in action (I am waiting for the sun);
+- any suggested feature! ;-)
+
+Please contact me for features or bug requests!
+
+[mojo_website]: www.mojoptix.com
+[mojo_thingiverse]: www.thingiverse.com/thing:1068443
+[mojo_podcast]: www.mojoptix.com/2015/10/25/mojoptix-001-digital-sundial
+[TOUL]: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:202724
+[simulation]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YztbfwrANII&feature=youtu.be
+[quick_fox]: http://www.thingiverse.com/download:1956136
+[clock]: http://www.thingiverse.com/download:1956139
+[numbers]: http://www.thingiverse.com/download:1956175
+[github_repo]: https://github.com/roipoussiere/Customizable-Digital-Sundial
+[blender_readme]: https://github.com/roipoussiere/Customizable-Digital-Sundial

blender/Keyframes_parameters.csv

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+STL x,STL y,STL z,STL rot x,STL rot y,STL rot z,Camera x,Camera y,Camera z,Camera rot x,Camera rot y,Camera rot z,latitude,longitude,UTC zone,year,day of year,time,DST,frame number
+0,0,0,0,0,0,3,3,2,65,0,115,45,-120,8,2016,245,8,1,1
+0,0,0,0,0,0,3,3,2,65,0,115,45,-120,8,2016,245,17,1,400

blender/README.md

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+# How to render sun simulations
+
+## 1. Download Blender
+[Here](https://www.blender.org/download/). You need a recent version (>= 2.76)
+
+## 2. Install the addon
+- Download the [Sun position addon](http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D_interaction/Sun_Position);
+- On Blender, go to *File*, *preferences*, *Addon* tab;
+- Click on *install from file* on the bottom and select the addon ;
+- Then check it on the addons list, save user settings and exit the window.
+
+## 3. Enable and configure the addon
+- On the right panel, select *world view* (small rounded icon);
+- On the *Sun position* tab (on the bottom), click *Enable*;
+- Then click on the calendar icon to display the days numbers;
+
+## 4. Launching the script
+- Select the *Text editor* editor type, by clicking on the small icon on the bottom-left corner;
+- Click on the button *Text*, then *Open text block* then select the python script in the repository
+(*Customizable-Digital-Sundial/blender/sundial_simulator.py*);
+- Save your Blender scene where you want;
+- Click on *Run script*
+- You can eventually edit *Scene_parameters.txt* and *Keyframes_parameters.csv*
+to place correctly the sundial and the camera, then run the script again.
+
+## 5. Rendering
+- On the right panel, select the *Render view* (camera icon);
+- On the *Output* tab, chose a destination folder and the video encoding.
+Select a low resolution first, to check the sundial and camera positions;
+- On the *Render* tab, click on *Animation*;
+- Edit eventually *Scene_parameters.txt* and *Keyframes_parameters.csv*
+to place correctly the sundial and the camera, then run the script again;
+- Choose a high resolution and render the scene again.

blender/Scene_parameters.txt

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+[Parameters]
+STL_filename = sundial.stl
+STL_scale_x = 0.01
+STL_scale_y = 0.01
+STL_scale_z = 0.01
+STL_position_x = 0
+STL_position_y = 0
+STL_position_z = 0.1
+STL_rotation_x = 0
+STL_rotation_y = -45
+STL_rotation_z = 90