Netfabb also has a private version for only 300USD that has the shell function. Do you guys think it has the functions i need? I am mainly after the shell function.
Chris D, Do you think Netfabb could generate a shell for the attached model?
Does Netfabb destroy the UV mapping or is it kept intact?
I have not used the Netfabb private version so I can't comment there. The shelling on the "Pro" version should handle the detail like the wooden branches and encrustations.
If the thickness of the shell exceeds the minimum dimensions of the detail, then the detail just gets filled in. (This is where other tools have problems, because the shelling can create intersecting surfaces.)
Any operation that adds or deletes vertices is going to destroy the UV's. This is true for any app. However some apps allow you to take the UV map from the original model and reproject it on the modified version. Unfortunately, Netfabb does not do this, at least in version 4, which I have. I don't know about version 5 ...?
I have seen some demos using Blender that show how to do this, but they used an open surface in both cases. I don't know how it would handle projecting it from a open surface to a shelled solid.
You would still need a modeling app in addition to Netfabb.