Filament Translucency Test Strip for Lithophanes

thingiverse

There's plenty of information online about generating Lithophanes, especially on YouTube.com, but most videos focus solely on producing the final product and often recommend experimenting with settings tailored to specific filaments. While many videos are informative, I found one that stands out for its technical depth, making it a valuable resource for understanding and creating high-quality Lithophanes. Check out the video titled "Getting to Grips with Lithophanes" at www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRdMwuBQQ0U. To determine the optimal setting for your filament's contrast range, try using this test strip that I've created. The strip features 11 panels of varying thicknesses, showcasing the filament's ability to display a smooth tone graduation over an 11-section range when backlit like a Lithophane requires. If you're not satisfied with its performance, scale it up or down and try again. This test strip was generated using the Lithophane Generator at http://3dp.rocks/lithophane/. The thickest end of the strips measures 4.0 mm, which might be suitable for a white filament. To create other test strips, simply scale the file in the thickness direction or generate your own with the included .JPG. For more translucent filaments, a thicker strip is necessary to achieve a good contrast range. The test strips were created from a grey-scale image I found through an image search. If you're proficient in photo editing software, you can easily create your own grey-scale test strip. This precision tool is ideal for professionals and boasts a 40:1 contrast ratio. Unfortunately, the .STL file generated by the Lithophane Generator may not be manifold, which could result in artifacts during printing, even after repairing the file. Each panel should have a uniform tone; disregard any glitches that appear in one or more panels, and focus on achieving an acceptable tone at the ends and across the strip. The .STL file labeled 'repaired' was created using a late version of Slic3r, which may exhibit different artifacts than other repaired files.