Caffeine and Melatonin - OpenSCAD generated from chemical SDF files

thingiverse

Molecule structures in STL file format are generated directly by OpenSCAD, which program is itself created from "sdf2scad.perl" Perl script, derived from NCBI PubChem database (3D SDF files) with unique formats. Details about generating scripts can be found at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:689652 for Water and Ethanol information. Two crucial substances are highlighted here - caffeine (C8H10N4O2) which keeps people awake, and melatonin (C13H16N2O2), a hormone that invites sleep. These chemicals have distinct molecular structures and play significant roles in the human body. Three-dimensional data used for this model is derived from PubChem Project at https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. Instructions on using these models are available on the following website: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:689652. In order to generate an STL file, I utilized Microsoft Model Repair Service found here (https://modelrepair.azurewebsites.net/) requiring a valid MS account. The service enabled OpenSCAD to generate STL files efficiently. The melatonin model is the first molecule in this series, created using both black and white filaments for different atoms but unfortunately was affected by contamination. However, separate STL files can be generated and printed using dual extruder printers according to instructions on http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:689652. Caffeine, made solely with white filament and later painted in black, produces a visually striking model as shown in the accompanying image.