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CAD files for the external shell (surface topology) of Steam Deck
- WalterGR 5y agoHow would one go about generating such a thing from an existing object lacking schematics? Edit: …in an automated fashion. For example, is there an app where I can put an object on a turn-table, point my phone at it, and give it a spin? (Clearly that would work only for certain shapes.)
- jpgleeson 5y agoTake measurements, draw/model it. There’s a real art in being able to recreate something accurately. For something like this, use a contour gauge at certain offsets from a set point will give you a set of curves you could model through.
- phkahler 5y ago+1 for contour gauge, that's one tool on my must buy list.
- stavros 5y agoYou could use photogrammetry, or lots of measuring, trial, and error.
- taeric 5y agoI tried printing a case for my phone. Aside from how annoying TPU is to print, finding the measurements of the device was surprisingly frustrating. You can, if course, just measure and draw it out yourself. But the rounded sides are likely going to be guesses. So, major kudos on this release. Could probably just sketch in blender and then just standard difference tricks to put your case on one of these.
- codetrotter 5y ago> You can, if course, just measure and draw it out yourself. But the rounded sides are likely going to be guesses. Use a caliper measuring device and a flatbed scanner. With the flatbed scanner, make a high res (600 dpi, or maybe even 1200 dpi) 2D scan of the front of the phone. Keep the screen of the phone on while scanning, and have it display some image that contrasts well against the edges of the screen, so you can clearly see where the edges are. (Ie if the phone is black or other dark color, use a an all white image. If the phone is a bright color, use a dark image.) Scan the back of the phone as well, so you can see where the camera lenses on the back of the phone are. Import the 2D images into your 3D modeling software of choice and create a flat polygon covering the front view. Extrude into a 3D shape. Scale according to physical width, height and depth of the phone that you measure with the caliper. Make room for the lenses using the scan of the back of the phone. Buttons on the side and charging port on the bottom you can decide on how to fit from using caliper measurements, and adding some additional room around those as that is often desired. Then model a shell that fits around it. It will probably take a couple of test prints and refinements to get it right even so, but I think said approach will work well in terms of benefit to effort.
- bigiain 5y agoIf you’ve got curved edges that matter (my iPhone13 doesn’t, but my PinePhone does), it might be worth trying to get a good end-on cross section photo, and importing that into a 2D drawing tool you can use to create that shape in a format your 3D modelling tool can extrude. Looking at my PinePhone, and thinking in OpenSCAD terms, I’d probably model the phone as an intersection of two extruded objects one from the end and one from the side, where the 2D shapes I’m extruding would be as close as I could get to end and side profiles, then use rotate-extrude to make the rounded corners (these look “circular enough” for that, if they were more elliptical, it resize the circular extrusions to suit). That’d work pretty well for phones (like the PinePhone) that are basically “rectangular prism slabs with uniformly rounded edges and corners”. It’d be much harder to model this Samsung S4 I have here, with its curved ends and it’s compound curved back…
- numpad0 5y agoFun fact: Apple rounded corners are not circular arcs at all, but funky "G4" curves. Ref: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/313713/ https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/313713/
- viraptor 5y agoWith something similar to this: https://www.scan-xpress.com.au/products/tactile-multisensor-metrology/touch-probe/ https://www.scan-xpress.com.au/products/tactile-multisensor-... You touch the object in as many points as you need and translate the touch coordinates from the angles of your tool's arm to XYZ. Or some systems allow you to do it optically.
- Cyclical 5y ago3D scanners do exist, though in my experience their performance is very poor and requires lots of manual post-processing to get a reasonable model out the other end. They're also quite expensive, generally.
- c0nsumer 5y agoSomething like this: https://www.faro.com/en/Products/Hardware/ScanArms https://www.faro.com/en/Products/Hardware/ScanArms I've worked with these, they are super cool. Just the laser part of the hand-held scanner was detailed enough to show the lettering on a laptop keyboard because of the differing depth of the molded-in characters.
- userbinator 5y agoAs the other comments here have already mentioned, automated methods are available but expensive and relatively low accuracy. I'll add that manually measuring parts with instruments like calipers or micrometers in order to reproduce them is common in the machinery industry. Here's a random video of someone doing that: https://youtu.be/i9Ow0jD4V5k https://youtu.be/i9Ow0jD4V5k
- bigiain 5y agoI’m hoping some of the mobile app 3D scanning software starts to take full advantage of the TOF laser dot point sensors available on current flagship phones, and fusing that point cloud data with the cameras and gyro/accelerometer data as you wave the phone around scanning the object. (That was a big reason behind me upgrading to an iPhone13Pro.)
- jazzyjackson 5y agohttps://www.agisoft.com/ https://www.agisoft.com/ Take a photo of the object from all angles, I usually end up with 40 photos. Don't move or spin the object, the static background details help align the images and you want the lighting to be consistent. Smartphone cameras actually work best for small objects because their tiny aperature keeps everything in focus. I've used the turntable laser scanners (NextEngine specifically) but it is far from automated, requires hand alignment of point clouds. Photogrammetry approach was much lower effort. But really this gives you a mesh, which is far from being a CAD drawing. Taking measurements and drawing from scratch is usually how I've seen it done when accuracy matters.
- toomuchtodo 5y agoPolycam on iOS. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/polycam-lidar-3d-scanner/id1532482376 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/polycam-lidar-3d-scanner/id153...
- ortusdux 5y agoThe industry standard for manufacturing would be a CMM. Good ones quickly get you micron level resolution. Newer units will laser scan every surface and output a model. Older models physically probe the features. They are mostly used for checking a product vs its CAD design, but they can be used for data acquisition. They pair well with photogrammetry. https://youtu.be/zCIe2CzQpT8 https://youtu.be/zCIe2CzQpT8
- black_puppydog 5y ago> As mentioned in our “Take a look inside Steam Deck” video, you have every right to open up your Steam Deck and do what you want with it. The fact that they wrote this into the readme, even though strictly speaking it's unrelated to the outside topology, makes me wanna work for valve. They're seriously one of only a few tech companies I really admire, and that's despite the fact that I don't have much inclination towards gaming.
- coding123 5y agoIf you get a job there can you BEG them to make Left 4 Dead 3
- sphars 5y agoOr any third installment in any of their games: HL3, L4D3, TF3, Portal 3, DOTA3
- zitterbewegung 5y agoCounter Strike had more than a third installment and HL got two episodes and a prequel.
- xdrosenheim 5y agoCounter-Strike 2 and Ricochet 2 first.
- jayd16 5y agoDidn't the spiritual successor Back 4 Blood release not too long ago? No good?
- ben-schaaf 5y agoThe steam reviews are mixed, compared to overwhelmingly positive for L4D2. It's also Windows exclusive with Easy Anti-Cheat so it can't run on Linux. (It's a coop game, who cares about cheating there??)
- bigiain 5y agoNow waiting for the first sand cast bronze version, and the first machined from billet alloy version. And probably a pre preg carbon fiber one too. (I haven’t looked to see it the supplied files include enough of the interior to be able to produce parts that properly fit all the required internals…)
- grp000 5y agoThe bronze one might be good for a workout on the go or rucking
- pabs3 5y agoThe license of these CAD files doesn't allow commercial use, so you wouldn't be able to buy one of those unless Valve themselves make different cases.
- app4soft 5y ago> so you wouldn't be able to buy one of those unless CC-BY-NC allows you reproduce even modify for non-commercial use, so each user may even 3D print it for yourself or create a gift for friends.
- s1artibartfast 5y agoMeh, that really depends on how litigious valve is in going after small retailers.
- bitwize 5y agoCommoditize your complement. The complement of video games is video game consoles.
- Abishek_Muthian 5y agoThermal analysis of Steam Deck by Gamers Nexus[1] shows that back shell is very crucial for heat dissipation and so aftermarket shells for Steam Deck should have equal or better heat dissipation or else would certainly damage the hardware. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeQH__XVa64 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeQH__XVa64
- dkbrk 5y agoThe back shell isn't really involved in heat dissipation per se. Most of the heat is carried by convection out the vent. The critical thing is that the back cover is carefully engineered, in coordination with the spacing to various bits of the internals, to selectively restrict airflow, to produce the needed flow patterns to cool all the internals. But, yes: if you change the inner mould line there's the risk of some components not getting the airflow they need. It might not even be obvious, as not everything has a temperature sensor.
- Abishek_Muthian 5y agoApart from the Engineering tolerances of the backplate, The fan is synced to APU temperature and if a backplate aggressively cools the APU then the memory and other components wouldn't get cooled. Then again the eventual 'Water-cooled Steam Deck' modders would know about this already(Water-cooled Xbox/PS have very high memory chip failures due to improper cooling).
- gravypod 5y agoI'd love a replacement shell with threaded screw holes so that, when the joysticks eventually drift / battery starts to die, I can feel safe opening/replacing things.
- Abishek_Muthian 5y agoThat makes sense, Opening the shell seems to be bit finicky and I hope the plastic clips are strong enough. But TBH, A compute hardware which is designed to be opened from a mainstream company is something I never thought would see again. I really hope general consumers dig into this and demand it from others.
- pabs3 5y agoThese are licensed CC-NC (NonCommercial), which I guess will cut down the amount of after-market case sellers?
- joshrivers 5y agoIn the same way that copyrights on photographs cut down on the availability of picture frames?
- foepys 5y agoSince they released the CAD files can anybody even reverse engineer and sell new shells? Valve can now easily claim that their CAD files were used even if they were not.
- vegai_ 5y agoI so want to buy a Steam Deck, after it's been established in the market as a viable and high-quality product.
- teaearlgraycold 5y agoI'm happy gambling $5 on the pre-order.
- WithinReason 5y agoYou can even get it back if you cancel, so there's literally 0 risk placing a preorder.
- grapescheesee 5y agoI know it is a meme. However, if Steam ever make Half-life 3 a reality. It will be one of the most hyped games ever. Mostly organic hype and a great game if their history tracks.
- colordrops 5y agoThey did, it's called Half-Life Alyx.
- grapescheesee 5y agoNo, that was was not Half-Life 3. That was a way to sell their VR.
- colordrops 5y agoIt's a full fledged half life game that adds to the canon, so it serves the need other than having the number "3".
- Duralias 5y agoHowever, that 3 would generate stupid amounts of hype on its own, which the HL name alone couldn't, it is one of the foundational PC gamer memes.
- account42 5y agoHalf-Life: Alyx does not advance Gordon's story and doesn't really provide all that much new to the Half-Life universe. Yeah, we now have some more backstory on some characters and a few bits here and there but it is nowhere near what Half-Life 2 brought over Half-Life 1. This goes for the gameplay and physics too - yeah, VR makes more things possibly but there really isn't anything revolutionary in in HL:A compared to other VR games. Meanwhile player-initiated exploration has been replaced with an in-game currency that you need to collect to upgrade your weapons which makes it a chore rather the excitement of coming across a lambda cache. Speaking of weapons, there are far fewer than in previous HL games and the ones that are there are hardly anything new. Even the gravity gloves are not much more than a VR-adaption of the gravity gun - going as far as bringing back the supercharged version from EP1 for the final part of the game which is really fun but nothing revolutionary or creative. Instead of level-specific puzzles, the game is filled with same-ish hacking minigames that while cool at first are overused and as a result are just an annoyance towards the end. The choice of making the player character voiced in a medium that is all about immersion when previous games already had established the trope of silent player characters was also puzzling - it doesn't help that the Alyx's lines are pretty meh in this game and often directly contradict what the player might feel/want. Graphics are impressive, but they are also cheating here by having many dark corners that you can't inspect because your flashlight only magically turns on where the game wants it to. HL:A is a decently polished experience, a good game and certainly better than no Half-Life game, but hardly anything worthy of being called Half-Life 3, which is why it isn't called that. I won't go as far as calling it a soulless sequel that you might expect from a big publisher trying to milk a franchise, but I am also not calling it the opposite of that. Finally, HL:A is also a VR exclusive requiring an expensive PC, additionall HW and physical space to play it in, which means for most people it might as well not exist.
- msadowski 5y agoI’m so excited about the SteamDeck. My hope is that I’ll be able to install Ubuntu on it and turn it into an ultimate robot controller. If I can also dock it to my screen, keyboard and mouse then I can see myself doing some light development on it too.
- fartcannon 5y agoIts already got Arch Linux on it, doesn't it?
- smoldesu 5y agoYes, but it's pretty nerfed. For starters, there's been heavy rumors that it uses a flattened OSTree for the root directory, mostly to prevent consumers from mucking up anything by accident. That also means that you can't install software that isn't a Flatpak, which severely limits the usability of the device for a lot of people. If I end up getting one, I'd probably install Arch over the Arch-based distro they use. I don't mind the OSTree approach (I guess it makes sense for consumer tech), but I'd like to get the most out of that thing; ProtonGE and MangoHUD included.
- fartcannon 5y agoAfter watching those clowns at Linus tech tips, its hard to disagree.
- smoldesu 5y agoMy jaw dropped when I saw how poorly Linus manhandled Linux. No wonder he hired his own in-house Gentoomen to handle his onsite...
- fartcannon 5y agoYeah, Linus Tech Tips is considered harmful at this point. Even Luke, who has used Linux before, played along. I guess dont bite the hand that feeds.
- justinclift 5y agoInterestingly, it looks like Steam is using Siemens NX for their designs. That's according to the internal info side the .stp files in the repo.
- app4soft 5y ago> Interestingly, it looks like Steam is using Siemens NX for their designs. I'm not surprised, use of NX or SolidWorks is expected for such products design. > That's according to the internal info side the .stp files 2D drawing also produced with NX (according PDF properties) ADDITION: Just tried to open this STEP-file with gCAD3D[0] CAD app — no luck.[1] [0] https://gcad3d.org https://gcad3d.org [1] https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1492437707427127298 https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1492437707427127298
- app4soft 5y agoUPD: Latest nightly of FreeCAD[2] and LinkStage3/LinkDaily[3] opens it succesfully under Linux.[4] [2] https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD [3] https://github.com/realthunder/FreeCAD_assembly3/releases https://github.com/realthunder/FreeCAD_assembly3/releases [4] https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1492457657277497348 https://twitter.com/app4soft/status/1492457657277497348
- justinclift 5y agoYeah, it's good news from my point of view. NX is pretty good, especially compared to Solidworks. That it produces decent Step files which FreeCAD can open is even better. :)
- szastamasta 5y agoIt’s really great thet they are releasing it to the public. With cheap 3d printing we can finally replace broken parts. Create some mechanical mods, etc. It’s also great material to learn if you are interested in mechanical engineering. I’m not saying that every company should do it, or that they are better than others. For them it’s really not something that makes money or is a core product, so they probably don’t care so much about competitors etc. Also even if you mess with it and they need to replace it while on warranty, it’s still probably ok. They want you to buy games, not the console. So they are not some messiah of eco-socialism that will save the world from greedy corporations. They just want to make some more money :) but that’s ok, and I appreciate they did it.