alpaco.it

Three projects, one workshop

Tools for 3D printing and server work

Two parametric model generators for 3D printing that run in the browser, and an SSH terminal for Android with voice control. Each does one thing and does it properly — no wizards, no cloud lock-in, open formats throughout.

See the projects Common questions
  • STL + 3MF
  • No account needed
  • Bambu Studio / OrcaSlicer
  • Android 6.0+

Projects

What runs here

Every project lives on its own domain and is usable right away — the first two straight from the browser, the third once the app is installed.

3D Card Generator

card-generator.alpaco.it

Turns 2D artwork into a multicolor 3D-printed card using layer swap: the image sits in the bottom layers, and layers in the card color cover it from above.

  • Detects colors from SVG and from bitmaps — perceptual quantization that filters out noise and antialiasing
  • Matches filaments from your own palette in CIELAB using CIEDE2000, weighted by area, with the ΔE difference on screen
  • Warns you when two filaments will be indistinguishable, or when an element would vanish against the card
  • The preview comes back in a few milliseconds after a slider move
SVG / PNG / JPGup to 8 colorsSTL + 3MF
Open the card generator

Rugged Box Generator

box-generator.alpaco.it

A tough box with a lid, described in numbers instead of drawn. You type the inner or outer dimensions; the generator works out the fit, the snap and everything else.

  • Corner bumpers take the hit instead of the edges; ribs stiffen the wall and give grip with wet hands
  • Snap fit with controlled clearance — a bump on the flange engages a groove in the lid, so the closure is audible
  • Gasket groove for TPU cord or an O-ring, and feet that drop into sockets on top of the lid for stacking
  • Presets for EDC, electronics, tools, camera gear and ammo — plus a 3D preview in the browser
parametricGLB previewSTL + 3MF
Open the box generator

Dagon SSH

dagon-ssh.it

An SSH terminal for Android built for real server work, not for typing one emergency command. With tmux, split panes and voice control.

  • A full terminal emulator: tmux, splits, remembered pane layout, an editable key bar and themes
  • You speak — transcription runs locally (faster-whisper) — and natural language turns into a ready shell command
  • SFTP with file and diagram preview, port forwarding, SSH keys behind biometrics
  • Voice notes, real-time chat, and a narrator that reads the session back to you
Android 6.0+free tierPro from $6.99 · BYOK
Go to dagon-ssh.it

Principles

How these are built

Four decisions that come back in every one of these projects.

01 Open formats

You get an STL per part and a 3MF carrying colors and print instructions — the things Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer and any sensible slicer will open. No proprietary project file that only works here.

02 No account, no profiling

The generators have no sign-up and no tracking cookies. Rate limits are counted per IP address, but the address itself is never kept — a hash is all the counter needs. Uploaded files land in a temporary directory and get swept.

03 Defaults that actually print

A wall will not go below the thickness where it stops being watertight on a 0.4 mm nozzle. A speck smaller than the printer can resolve is removed up front. You can override everything, but the defaults are meant to come off the printer.

04 AI only where it adds something

Filament matching is a perceptual algorithm — offline and instant. The language model is a layer on top of it, pointing out what has to stay legible. Without it everything still works, and any failed call falls back to the algorithm silently.

FAQ

Common questions

Are the generators free?

Yes. Both run in the browser, with no account and no payment. The only restriction is a request rate limit so a single looping browser cannot take the machine down — it is counted per IP address, and only a hash of that address is ever stored.

What files do I get?

Separate STL files for each part plus a 3MF ready for Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer, with colors assigned and print instructions included. In the box generator the base and the lid are two independent objects on the plate, so you can move them, rotate them or print them separately.

Do I need a multi-material printer (AMS)?

No. The card generator uses layer swap: the artwork sits in the bottom layers and the filament change lands at a single Z height. On a single-nozzle printer a pause and a manual spool change is enough — a multi-material system only automates it.

The artwork reads from the underside of the print, the build-plate side where the surface is smooth. That is why the generator mirrors it by default, so text reads correctly once the card is flipped.

How does the generator pick filaments?

It does not guess — it picks from the spools you actually own. The comparison runs in CIELAB space using CIEDE2000, so “similar” means similar to the eye, not in RGB. Matching is weighted by area: a color covering half the card outranks a small accent, because that is what decides how the print looks.

Every assignment shows its ΔE — the color difference. Below 2 is a perfect hit, below 5 very close, above 20 an entirely different color.

My artwork is noisy with ragged edges — now what?

The generator defends against that on its own: it identifies the background from the image border, weights edge pixels down, merges clusters that would be indistinguishable once printed, and rejects a cluster with no solid interior — that is antialiasing fringe, not a color. So the color count you choose is an upper bound, not a fixed target.

If something survives that, there are sliders: noise reduction, edge smoothing, speck removal and hole filling. Thresholds are given in mm² of the finished card, so they match what the printer can actually resolve.

Which devices does Dagon SSH run on?

Android 6.0 and newer. The app has a free tier with no time limit — terminal, splits, SFTP preview, SSH keys with biometrics, themes — and an optional Pro plan from 6.99 USD per month. Pro is BYOK: you bring your own API keys.

Do my files stay on the server?

No. Uploaded artwork and generated models go to a temporary directory that is swept automatically. The generators have no accounts and build no user profile — there is nothing to tie anything to.