Abstract: In an example, a method includes receiving, at a processor, data representing at least part of an object to be manufactured in a layer-by-layer manufacturing process. A serialised octree representation of at least part of the object may be generated from the data. In the serialised octree representation, nodes are ordered such that (i) a node representing a volume which includes a layer of the object to be generated earlier in an intended order of object generation precedes a node representing a volume which consists of layer(s) of the object to be generated subsequently; (ii) nodes representing a volume which includes a given layer of the object are ordered based on a level of the nodes within the octree representation, wherein parent nodes appear before descendent nodes; and (iii) nodes representing a volume which includes a given layer of the object and being of the same level within the octree representation are ordered according to a location encoding pattern.

Abstract: In an example, a method includes receiving a first data model of an object to be generated in additive manufacturing, at a processor. Using the processor, a second data model may be determined. Determining the second data model may include generating for each of plurality of contiguous, non-overlapping sub-volumes of a volume containing the object, a sub-volume octree characterising the sub-volume and having a root node. Determining the second data model may further include generating a volume octree characterising the volume containing the object, the volume octree characterising in its lowest nodes the root nodes of the sub-volume octrees.

Abstract: According to an example, a computing apparatus may include a processing device that may access a three-dimensional (3D) object model of a 3D object and determine whether 3D render data for an equivalent 3D object model has previously been processed, is scheduled to be processed, or is currently being processed, the equivalent 3D object model being equivalent to the accessed 3D object model. The processing device may assign 3D render data corresponding to the equivalent 3D object to the 3D object or may generate processed 3D render data for the 3D object using the accessed 3D object model depending upon whether 3D render data for an equivalent 3D object model has previously been processed, is scheduled to be processed, or is currently being processed.

Abstract: In an example, a method includes acquiring, at a processor, a first data model and a second data model. The first data model comprises a representation of at least one property of at least part of a first object and the second data model comprises a representation of at least one property of at least part of a second object. The first and second objects are to be generated in a common additive manufacturing operation. The method may include generating a first print layer model and a second, different, print layer model using the processor by combining at least parts of the first data model and the second data model and generating additive manufacturing instructions based on the first print layer model and the second print layer model.

Abstract: In an example, a method includes receiving, at a processor, data representing at least part of an object to be manufactured in a layer-by-layer manufacturing process. A serialised octree representation of at least part of the object may be generated from the data. In the serialised octree representation, nodes are ordered such that (i) a node representing a volume which includes a layer of the object to be generated earlier in an intended order of object generation precedes a node representing a volume which consists of layer(s) of the object to be generated subsequently; (ii) nodes representing a volume which includes a given layer of the object are ordered based on a level of the nodes within the octree representation, wherein parent nodes appear before descendent nodes; and (iii) nodes representing a volume which includes a given layer of the object and being of the same level within the octree representation are ordered according to a location encoding pattern.