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May 10 2012
Awesome Video Of A First Print
Okay, I’m not the only one getting truly excellent first prints out of The Replicator. Check this video from Teehan+Lax Labs in Toronto. This bust looked great right after they took the support material off, but beautiful after some quick finishing.
Design firms, you’re on notice. This is how it’s done.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Also, what are these gears for, guys?! So glad you’re off and running.
Printing gears off the @makerbot for our next project – bit.ly/KpJ9yN
— Teehan+Lax Labs (@tllabs) May 10, 2012
Why Makers Make Less Trash
Yesterday’s New York Times had an interesting piece about a group of people in Amsterdam who help people fix things instead of throw them out; like an old iron that doesn’t steam or a skirt with a hole in it.
Founder of the Repair Cafe, Martine Postma:
“In Europe, we throw out so many things,” said Martine Postma, a former journalist who came up with the concept after the birth of her second child led her to think more about the environment. “It’s a shame, because the things we throw away are usually not that broken. There are more and more people in the world, and we can’t keep handling things the way we do.”
Exactly! This is how Makers see the world. Sure, something breaks, but that doesn’t mean it’s ready for the trash can. Look at all the things that have been saved with the mindset that Ms. Postma talks about:
Wrist Watch Back by Renosis
Thingiverse user Renosis saved a family member’s beloved wrist watch by making a replacement for the lost battery cover. He wrote, “I don’t expect anyone has the same watch and if they do, I wouldn’t expect that they lost the back to it. This is more of a proof of concept. I wanted to post it because I was so amazed that it worked and hopefully, it will inspire someone else to use this temporary fix one day if their watch breaks.”
Dishwasher Lock Mechanism by rbckman
rbckman made a replacement lock mechanism for his buddy’s dishwasher. The manufacturer of the dishwasher wasn’t shipping that part anymore, so they either had to fix it with a custom part or throw out the dishwasher. The choice is clear!
Blender gear by lazlo
lazlo‘s blender broke, and the solution was to simply make a new gear. Why throw out an almost perfectly good blender? Good as new.
The other day, Brendan Dawes saved a mop from going to the garbage by just making a couple new clips.
Annelise talked about her own fix to the drain plug in her kitchen sink. If you don’t have a handle to remove that plug, it’s gotta go. That handle broke, so she just made a new one, and avoided a trip to Home Depot.
Even better: these are all available for free for anyone! Sometimes people wonder, “why should I make more stuff out of plastic?” But a lot of times it’s more about the waste you’re not creating by keeping old things in good condition!
What have you revitalized with a MakerBot?
May 08 2012
Countdown To May MUGNY Event!
A mere two days from now — 50 hours, to be precise — we will host the second big MUGNY (MakerBot User Group, New York) event of the year. We have been invited by Parsons School for Design, part of The New School in New York City. Check below for important details on how to be a part of this event.
For fans of 3D design, creativity, awesome things, learning, and making (did I leave anyone out?) this is going to be a blast. At the last MUGNY, we featured some MakerBot staff members and various short tutorials. This month, we will have two rock star designers from our community: PrettySmallThings and Cushwa.
PrettySmallThings, occasionally known as Kacie Hultgren, is a scenic designer, among other preoccupations. She uses her MakerBot to print scale models of detailed furniture and sets for Broadway productions, and you’ll see she has nearly 30 beautiful, original designs on Thingiverse. This is a rare opportunity to hear a specialized artist speak in person about her trade. Awesome!
Tom Cushwa, or Cushwa on Thingiverse, is similarly specialized. He creates 3D models for film and television, and has lately become fanatical about making his digital designs tangible with a MakerBot. His Owl Statue has been downloaded over 1,200 times; WHOA.
This event is open to the public and not one to miss. Check this address carefully, since Parsons does have buildings in different spots of the city. Join us on Thursday for enlightening talks and a chance to meet other MakerBot operators.
Where:
The New School
Parsons School of Design
“Masters in Design & Technology Thesis Show”
6 E 16th Street
12th Floor, Room 1200
When:
6:30pm – 8:00pm
MakerBot will provide light snacks and refreshments.
May 03 2012
Calendar Update: MakerBot Education @ Tekserve
There’s one week left to sign up for our third class in the “How to MakerBot” series at Tekserve in Manhattan. Liz Arum, our education specialist, will be leading the class.
This class is focused on the program modeling program Blender. In order to participate, those attending the class should take some time to download the following programs before class:
And then you should bring that computer, a 3-button mouse, and a desire to learn some awesome stuff about 3D modeling and MakerBotting!
RSVP now to reserve your spot! You can view the invitation here.
Tekserve – Seminar Room
119 W 23rd Street
NY, NY 10011
212-929-3645
Thursday, May 10; 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
May 02 2012
Autodesk’s Inventor Fusion Preview Available For Windows And Mac
From Fabbaloo:
Autodesk is previewing its Inventor Fusion software, which “unites direct and parametric workflows within a single digital model created in Autodesk Inventor.”
Here are the updates touted in the press release:
Surfacing support! Users can now work seamlessly between solids and surfaces, expanding their confidence and capabilities to tackle design changes. By enhancing the existing translators to read surface data and adding new Parasolid, Rhino, IGES and AliasDesign .wire file import capabilities user have access to an even larger number of design formats.
Simplification wizard. Simulation users now have one button simplification of designs. This makes simplifying common geometry fast and easy and ensures that mesh and solves times are as fast as possible.
Ease of use improvements. New marking menus, sketch ease of use and modeling ease of use, make this release of Inventor Fusion the easiest to use yet. Did we mention it was easy?
Well that sounds fun. I downloaded Inventor Fusion for myself, and there’s just a brief questionnaire to fill out beforehand. If you’re looking for a great 3D modeling option, give it a try. But act now, since the previews will expire.
– The Microsoft Windows compatible technology preview executable expires on April 1, 2013.
– The Apple OS X compatible version of the technology preview expires on January 1, 2013.
Hey Mac users, see that? You can use this Autodesk program!
April 23 2012
Sketch Or SketchUp, A Summary
There was a really nice set of responses to a post last week about sketching. Basically, I asked whether blog readers and MakerBot operators were accustomed to sketching their designs from the very beginning or using CAD tools to 3D model a design from the get go.
I just thought the responses deserved a quick recap, especially because they underscore the point that there is no right answer. As someone who jumped into this company with no background in 3D printing or any other hardware hacking, I have been continually surprised how accessible the concepts are. I think it’s nice to point out that those of you who do such great work all also have varying processes — so the results aren’t just individualized, the process is too.
The star of today’s episode of MakerBot TV, Kacie Hultgren (aka PrettySmallThings), said that the sketching stage is often absent from her work; not because she eschews pencil and paper, but because much of what she does comes from photographs. It’s pre-sketched, in a way.
Emmett, whose Things number among the most notable contributions in the Thingiverse, similarly doesn’t sketch much. But in his case, it’s because his “imagination works in 3D already.” Communicating an idea to someone else, however, deserves a sketch. Renee not only sketches, but cleans that sketch up in Illustrator before bringing it into a modeling environment.
The creator of MakerBot mascot R.Maker (pictured above), ErikJDurwoodII, said he sketches to lend some purpose to the CAD process, even if that sketch will change over time, and Gregg Wygonik also uses sketching to make sure the computer phase doesn’t include avoidable elements that cause discouragement. (Visit Gregg’s Thingiverse page here.)
Stephen Holmes, who writes for Develop3D, pinged us on twitter with a really relevant article showing yet another mindset: 3D sketching. The people at the UK product design consultancy 3form Design (3fD) do specifically leave pencil and paper sketching out of their process. Founder Austen Miller argues that the “reverse engineering” required to take a designers sketch on paper into the domain of the engineer can cause the loss of original design intentions. Instead, the groups designers start in SolidWorks.
Echoing what our commenters said:
Miller doesn’t succumb to the argument that by jumping straight into CAD stifles creativity. In his opinion, just like pen and paper, CAD is a tool and depends whose hand it’s in as to the end result. “Creativity should not be measured by the medium we choose but how successful we can be with it…”
Thanks, all, for the input!
April 05 2012
Tinkercad Chess Set Design Contest: We Have A Winner!
This past Monday was the close of another very successful design challenge, for which MakerBot collaborated with Tinkercad to find the best original chess set that could be printed on a 3D printer. As a reward, the runners-up will receive printed versions of their designs, while the big winner gets a MakerBot Replicator!
Briefly, the guidance was as follows:
- Wow us
- Make it 3D printable
- Make it kid and granny friendly
We’re going to echo the sentiment of our Tinkercad pals: this was a tough call! The ingenuity shown by the entrants was impressive and surprising. And plentiful! All together, in the two short weeks that the contest ran, there were over 180 submissions. Wowza.
The sets ranged from beautiful modified versions of classic piece designs to highly abstract creations, with several simple and elegant ideas in between. You can go find your own favorites on our Pinterest board dedicated to these chess sets, but here are the winners as announced on Tinkercad’s blog!
Honorable Mentions
Fifth Runner Up
Word Play Chess by gecgooden
Fourth Runner Up
Modern Chess by Frederic
Third Runner Up
Evolution of Chess by dutchmogul
Evolution of Chess by dutchmogul
Second Runner Up
Amsterdam House Chess by MakeALot
Amsterdam House Chess by MakeALot
First Runner-Up
Tiki Chess by Whystler
Tiki Chess by Whystler
Grand Prize Winner
Action Chess by cymon
Not only are the pieces in this set identifiable yet original, they combine into an impressive conquering giant. Cymon played with the fittings to get them right, and the result is phenomenal. We can’t wait to ship him his new MakerBot Replicator! You can see more of cymon’s inspiring design work on his Thingiverse page. But for now, just feast your eyes on this chess set, and print a couple for yourself!
Action Chess by cymon
February 03 2012
Autodesk wants you to know how to print your 123d models on your MakerBot!
Click here to view the embedded video.
Autodesk 123d is one of many freely-available apps that new MakerBot users might consider learning. And unlike some other programs we love, it looks like Autodesk wants it to be easy to print your models on a MakerBot. In fact, they want it so much that they’ve just posted the above video on their youtube channel.
It’s a bit long (over 9 minutes) but put it on your list for when you’re woodshedding your 3d-modeling chops. While it’s specifically aimed at the Thing-O-Matic, most of what they’re saying should transfer to the Replicator. Just model for a larger build area!
123d is a bit different from other modeling programs, and might be a bit counter-intuitive if you’re used to one of the others. However, their youtube channel has a number of tutorials and there are some neat things about the project (like an iPad app and a photo-to-model program.)
If you’re looking to pick up some 3d modeling skills while you’re waiting for your Replicator, this is one of many great programs to learn!
March 23 2011
Yzorg’s Gangsta Has a Posse
A Gangsta War A-Brewing
On December 30th, 2010, Thingiverse user Yzorg uploaded his Gangsta model as a work-in-progress, with the unassuming description: “the lowpolyest Gansta in woorld.”
From the beginning, his part was a popular model to print — with rumors of the mustering/printing of Gangsta armies running rampant throughout the Botcave.1 But it took nearly a month before user Cibomahto2 mashed-up the head of the popular Snake model by Zimboe with Yzorg’s Gangsta body and ignited the Thingiverse community-wide practice of vivisecting and mashing up the Gangsta with his model Snakesta.
World of Gangstas
There are BrainyWaltDisneyStas, Primestas, Rabbitstas, a tribute to Belgian statuary, StaStas, and even now a Lowresta. What will be appearing next? The Gangsta model is currently giving the historical 3D model Stanford bunny a run for its money as a starting block for 3D designers and mashup maniacs. Join the mania and tag up your Thingiverse model as a “gangsta.”
And while you’ll notice that a number of users now grab Cibomahto’s cleaned-up, base-flattened model as the source for the Gangsta part of the mashup, it is only due to the current limitations of Thingiverse’s inheritance model that the new derivatives don’t twist their way back down the alley to finger the part modeled by Yzorg as the one and original gangsta.
printed vertical in two parts successfully.
now started a horizontal version.
Those days are over. The snakesta is here to stay.
Snakesta is an unholy chimera of:
the gangsta by yzorg thingiverse.com/thing:5367
the snake by Zomboe thingiverse.com/thing:4743
-BrainyWaltDisneySta
This is a chronic mashup of BrainyWalt thingiverse.com/thing:828 and Gansta thingiverse.com/thing:5367.
'Nuff said.
* Stanford Bunny by archiveman (Thing #406, though using later cleaned up models)
* Gangsta by yzorg (Thing #5367)
I'm tempted to clean up that collar -- but will probably print first to get a sense of where I am so far.
I created this because it made me to do it.
This was born from a mutually shouted out idea from Nick Starno and Matt Mets, implemented in Wings3D at a dead sprint by me.
This is a derivative of yzorg's Gangsta: thingiverse.com/thing:5367
See a video of it in action here:
flickr.com/photos/cibomahto/5504486829/
Combination of the following items:
Gangsta (cleaned up) - thingiverse.com/thing:6891
Surveillance Camera - thingiverse.com/thing:6652
The two files are:
camsta2.stl - regular camera on the gangsta body
camsta2-lo.stl - low-rezzed camera on the usual gangsta body
Used the same method as the Tron Bunny, for decimation. Only 374 faces, the normal model is 6,000.
I mashed it up with a bunch of other stuff in Meshmixer: meshmixer.com
- I still see four fluorescent red Gangsta’s at Zach’s desk, vs the a blue army of Gangsta’s and mutant gangsta’s at Matt Mett’s station.
- MakerBot software engineer Matt Mets
November 05 2010
Beautiful Modeller – Digital design and modeling using an iPad
And you thought Sketchup was easy to use! This article from CreativeApplications.net showcases the phenomenal work of Karl D.D. Willis:
Created by Karl D.D. Willis, Beautiful Modeler is an iPad and Desktop openFrameworks application for gestural sculpting using iPad as a multi-touch controller. Each finger is used to control a single touch point in the model, with multiple layers working to build up 3D volume. As the controller is connected over the wireless network, it can be moved freely to change the viewing angle of the model using iPad’s accelerometer.
The model itself is presented on the main display rather than on the controller itself; this prevents occlusion of the model when sculpting with the whole hand. The controller screen does not need to be viewed while sculpting, meaning the controller can be rotated or flipped to sculpt from a range of angles. Currently the model is constructed using metaballs (thanks to Golan‘s code), but this is just one approach for gestural input to be transformed into geometry.
Because both Beautiful Modeler and the Beautiful Controller were created using openFrameworks, the finished mesh can be exported as an STL file (thanks to ofxSTL), meaning the sculpted form can be fabricated immediately. In the video above, the positive mesh has been post-processed to create a negative form for fabrication with a plaster-based 3D printer.
The importance of a good user interface cannot be over emphasized. A good UI is something where you see someone use it and think, “Hey, yeah, I get it. Let me try!” And Beautiful Modeler looks like a great user interface.
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