Modifying three-dimensional builds based on available inventory

Abstract

A variety of techniques for color mixing support a user-controllable palette of colors for use when fabricating three-dimensional objects.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 identifying a three-dimensional computer model of an object including at least one color on a surface thereof;   identifying an inventory of available build materials;   using a computer, automatically determining that the inventory of available build materials cannot be used to fabricate the object on a three-dimensional printer; and   automatically suggesting a modification of the three-dimensional model into a modified three-dimensional model to a user in which the modification allows the object to be fabricated with the inventory of available build materials and the three-dimensional printer.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification includes changing a color of at least part of the object. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification includes changing a size of at least part of the object. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising fabricating the object using the modified three-dimensional model on the three-dimensional printer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing a design tool to the user, the design tool operable to allow the user to manually make modifications to the three-dimensional model, and the design tool including a color palette of available colors that can be fabricated using the inventory of available build materials. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising selecting a color from the color palette of available colors for suggesting to the user to replace a color in the three-dimensional model unavailable using the inventory of available build materials. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the color is selected based on one or more of an availability of build material, a cost of build material, or a predetermined user preference. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the color palette includes colors corresponding to a convex hull of a collection of colors available in the inventory of build materials. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the design tool prompts the user to identify a point on the convex hull for use in fabricating the object using the colors available in the inventory of build materials. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the color palette includes an identifier showing a location within the convex hull that minimizes a distance from the colors available in the inventory of build materials to an original color specified by the three-dimensional computer model. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising identifying fabrication instructions for the object based on the three-dimensional computer model. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising modifying the fabrication instructions to correspond to fabrication of the object based on the modified three-dimensional model. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising identifying color and material requirements for fabricating the object based on the three-dimensional computer model. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising comparing the color and material requirements to the inventory of available build materials. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein comparing the color and material requirements to the inventory of available build materials includes use of a safety factor to account for at least one of a print error and waste. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing an alert to the user that the inventory of available build materials cannot be used to fabricate the object based on the three-dimensional computer model. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the alert includes an identification of a resource needed to supplement the inventory of available build materials in order to fabricate the object based on the three-dimensional computer model. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising suggesting a plurality of modifications of the three-dimensional model and prompting the user to select at least one of the plurality of modifications. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification includes combining two or more build materials in the inventory of available build materials to achieve a color specified in the three-dimensional model. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising automatically selecting an available color closest to a color specified in the three-dimensional model that is unavailable using the inventory of available build materials.