ShapeShot is a project from Baltimore-based Direct Dimensions, a consultancy that specializes in 3D scanning projects. That's what ShapeShot does: it scans your face and places it into an online repository. They feel it's like "next generation portrait photography". 

 

The ShapeShot machinery is composed of hardware and software. The hardware is a flash-lit four-camera setup in which your head image is captured. The software is powerful 3D analysis programs that convert the four images of your head into a surprisingly accurate 3D model. 

 

The model is then placed in their repository and you'll get a link to go online and view it. But that's not all. They provide the ability to download the model in digital form (at this time OBJ format only, but it sounds like they'll be providing additional formats soon.) They're also considering adding value features such as preparing printable 3D models from the face, thickening walls, or even hooking up to existing print services such as Cubify, i.Materialise, Shapeways, etc. 

 

The website now has 4500+ faces in it, some of which are marked available to the public and some remain private. 

 

While this is all quite fascinating, we wondered about the purpose of this repository. What would people do with it? How would they monetize the service? They said it is merely an experiment at this point and they're seeking partners to develop applications on top of their face repository. 

 

Any takers? 

 

Via ShapeShot

  

The Mojo build chamber. It's a bit smaller than its sibling, the uPrint, but still able to accommodate eighty percent of the prints made on the larger machine. How large is it? It's five by five by five inches - yes, large enough for many prints. 

 

Detail of the Mojo's revolutionary "Print Engine". The ABSPlus plastic filament has an extruder motor always attached to the end of the filament. You need only drop this into the heating element at the top of the Mojo here (in blue). Also notice the accordion-style roof of the heated chamber that allows the print engines to move around the chamber. 

 

Swapping material is very simple. The extruder portion of the Print Engine lifts out of the heater and you'll also need to lift the sealed spool out of the material rack here. Easy!  

 

We examined a sample print (video above) at Rapid 2012 and found it to be an amazingly colorful landscape. 

 

While some 3D printer manufacturers have very complex coloring systems, Mcor's is brilliantly simple: they simply preprint the paper appropriately before the sheets are fed into the cutting chamber. A normal 2D color print mechanism provides the color and you provide the paper. 

 

The Iris provides color of 300 dpi, what you'd expect from a 2D color printer. The printer, like it's predecessor, is accurate to 50 microns. It's not available yet, but Mcor informs us it should appear in 4Q12. 

 

Via Mcor

 

What's going on? 

 

We found the answer at Rapid 2012 by speaking to Objet representatives, who said that the art objects were printed on a regular Objet Connex 3D printer. The difference was merely in the materials used. Evidently their experiment is with new, unannounced colored print materials. 

 

But how were they used to create those vivid colors? The answer, it turns out, is quite simple. Objet's technology is capable of mixing two materials together. Up to now this capability has been used to 3D print objects with hard and soft components in an single print operation. Amazing stuff for sure - but what if the two materials had the same rigidity but were different colors? 

 

Sure enough, when we re-examined the photos we took at Centre Pompidou in person last week it is now quite clear what happened. Each of the prints is actually composed of only two colors or mixes of the two. 

 

When will these new colored materials be available? No comment on that from Objet, but we suspect they'll show up not too long in the future. 

  

Aaron's exceptional video of the 3D printed fashion show runway, intermixed with shots of several 3D printers in action.

 

All the models backstage wearing their 3D printed pieces.

 

Model displaying a Noccolo Casas piece. 

 

We think fashion displays such as last week's Rapid event go a long way to showing the public how extreme 3D digital creativity by artists such as Aaron Trocola can manifest itself in real life wearable items. 

 

Specifically they seem to be looking for designs that include personalized engraving, mathematically-generated designs and moving parts. These requirements should produce some very interesting designs. 

 

There are some constraints, as is customary in such contests. First, your design cannot exceed 40.0 cubic cm of volume. Second, you must use either Polyamide or White Detail Resin as your build material. Then, besides your imagination, you'll need to submit a form with several views of the design to Sculpteo by the close of the contest, June 10th.  

 

Why enter? Because there's prizes! First prize receives a €150 (USD$190) voucher for Sculpteo services, Second prize receives €75 (USD$95) and third prize receives €75 (USD$95) - but the third prize will be selected by Sculpteo visitors based on highest rating and most number of votes. 

 

Via Sculpteo

 

At first glance the Objet Pro 30 is much like the Objet 30, but there's a major difference. The 30 Pro is capable of printing with two new materials: The Vero Clear and High-Temp materials. This means you can now buy a desktop 3D printer capable of using the seven major materials from Objet. 

 

The 30 Pro prints only a single material at a time, unlike its higher priced siblings. Swapping colors is easily done by replacing the material in the drawer as seen here. Completed prints are cleaned up in typically 20 minutes using Objet's WaterJet cleaning station. 

 

The 30 Pro is priced at approximately USD$55K and includes not only the printer, but also the WaterJet cleaning station, starter materials and a service contract. 

 

Via Objet

 

Whoa, you say, what's that? Let's start at the beginning: OpenSCAD is a utility that can produce 3D models by using typed commands to create and bend shapes. Gradually a complex model is created by combining and bending enough shapes together. Normally only the model's designer sees the commands that produce the model. 

 

Parameterized input is the key here. It's simply a method of poking the commands to produce slightly different models. Make that hole 10mm instead of 5mm, for example. 

 

But why is this so important? It's because 3D print services face a very difficult problem. 3D printing is most economical when unique, one-off items are produced. Yet the libraries of 3D models available at 3D print services are typically static and unchangeable. The question is, how can you enable customized 3D models? 

 

The answer is to permit designers to use OpenSCAD models, but also accept input from customers that can customize the model. For example, a nameplate model could accept a person's name and instantly generate the 3D name on the plate. That's customization! 

 

Sculpteo just enabled exactly that for their designers. An ingenious designer could create highly customizable models in this way. We expect to see some very interesting models emerge from Sculpteo's library over the next year. 

 

Via Sculpteo

 

But now they've been acquired by industry giant 3D Systems in yet another of their frequent acquisitions. It's not known what the acquisition terms were, but according to the press release: 

 

 

Who will be the next acquisition? 

 

Via 3D Systems

 

Model at the aftershow reception wearing an Elvis Pompilio hat.

 

Amazing pieces by Nicolo Casas. 

 

Model Stephanie wears Aaron Trocola's Seed of Life.

 

A closer look at the Seed of Life. 

 

The Lotus Top, also by Aaron Trocola.