Skybert
Skybert (working names Cloud2Grid / DropDot) is a desktop app for turning coloured point clouds into hanging string installations on a ceiling grid, clean the cloud, simulate the strings, then cut the plates on a laser.
Built with Python, PySide6, and PyVista. First public Mac release: mac-bb7cd22 (Intel; Apple Silicon via Rosetta).
Pipeline
- Open a scan (PLY, XYZ, LAS, LAZ, or E57). New clouds are leveled so the floor sits on Z and the nearest corner moves to the origin. Lengths you cut and engrave are millimetres; the cloud itself is stored in metres.
- Edit with layers, marquee / colour selection, undo, move / turn / scale, conflict merge (points too close to hang), string conflict merge (two strings through one hole), and colour tools (replace, hue/sat, curve, reduce/quantize).
- Simulate strings, each string is the beads hanging from one ceiling hole; length is ceiling (+ margin) down to the lowest point. Analysis writes a per string PDF report.
- Export for laser, split the ceiling into SVG sheets (
Export_A1.svg…), with hole diameter, cut length, and bead depths engraved beside each hole (or as numbered callouts). A mounting map marks FRONT on every sheet.
Scenes save as .ddot projects (one PLY per layer). Save still writes PLY.
Used for Jeg var her
The hanging porcelain work Jeg var her (Historie er drømmen om det som kan bli, with Alexander Rishaug) comes from a 3D scan of the Muségata 2 foyer stair. Skybert is the fabrication prep side of that pipeline, cleaning the cloud and laying out ceiling grid strings for install.
Download & manual
- Skybert for Mac, release
mac-bb7cd22 - Skybert Mac zip, contains
run_pyvista.app(window title Skybert) - Skybert user manual (PDF), illustrated manual (also on the GitHub release)
- Repo: github.com/kaare-/Skybert
macOS quarantines the ad hoc signed app after download, right click → Open the first time, or xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine run_pyvista.app after unzipping.
Gallery
Real UI on macOS with Scan at 10.09.ply (string simulation, glyphs, menus); didactic figures from the user manual (leveled room, plan view, two scan register, laser plate map); plus a denser SiteScape sample cloud from the studio archive.
