A Blender Script to make prosthetic head helmet for severe head injuries.
The script works best in Blender 3.6.
Also, Blender should be set in MM (millimeters), not inches.
This project is based on research concepts that go back nearly a decade, namely taking a scan and producing a usable helmet that could protect a person after severe injury or remold a misshapen infant head. In 2015 the process was labor intensive, often taking several hours of hopping among various pieces of software. The scanner used at the time was enormous and costly, and calibrating and hacking off-the-shelf 3D printers was tedious and time-consuming.
Fast forward to the present day and scanners are cheaper, many 3D printers self-calibrate and this script automates away 90% of the headaches. As of now this code is designed only for helmet production BUT given that it is open source, it could eventually be used for anything from braces to casts to arm and leg prosthesis. This is especially important given that many insurers are denying claims for prosthetic limbs, calling them “medically unnecessary.” Hopefully there comes a day when electronics designers, 3D modelers and software developers come together to create viable alternatives to the expensive closed-source prosthetic systems we see currently. It is certainly possible and would have a huge impact not just in the US but around the world.
This script could also be forked to automate things like cosplay design, not to mention decorative covers for prosthetic legs and arms. To accomplish that it will take people who are proficient in both Python and Blender. This code could be modified to produce prosthetic covers in tandem with custom node scripts that would allow for all manner of intricate decoration, the possibilities are endless.
Please see the user guide as a starting point.
Blender is not for the faint of heart, it is extremely difficult for the novice user to operate. It even causes frustration among seasoned 3D modelers who may be experts in other pieces of software. The upside here is that Blender is free, open source and mindbogglingly powerful, but life is all about trade-offs and the downside is that it has an absolutely brutal learning curve.
It is highly recommended that a new user to Blender first works through the fundamentals by watching and reading a few hours worth of tutorials before playing with this script.
You have been warned.