Hear and Feel Your Favorite Sounds

This is interesting - Shapeways has teamed up with online Sound sharing site SoundCloud to produce  "The Vibe" a very unique 3D model creator. From your SoundCloud account you can select your favorite sound, perhaps a song or yourself speaking. This sound's waveform is automatically transformed into a visible representation of the wave as the back side of an iPhone case 3D model. 

 

Of course, you then print the generated 3D model at the Shapeways 3D print service in a material of your choice. 

 

We think this is yet another terrific way for general public to gain access to 3D printing technology. All too often enthusiastic folks take a step towards 3D printing but collide with the big barrier of 3D design. While some people can overcome that barrier and learn how to develop their own 3D models, many cannot. Services such as this from Shapeways are essential to growing access to 3D printing. 

 

Via Shapeways

Shapeways' Peek Into Imagination: Finds Apple's Siri

Popular 3D print service Shapeways often runs contests to stimulate creativity - and increase their print volume. This past week saw the conclusion of a rather interesting competition to answer the abstract question, "What Does Siri Look Like?" Siri, of course, is Apple's voice-powered omnipotent assistant. 

 

There were multiple entries to the contest, each portraying the imageless Siri. The winner, pictured above, is a fascinating design that not only shows a friendly Siri emerging from the device to enter the "real world", but also doubles as an actual iPhone case. Not one you'd put in your pocket, but certainly one that could prop up your 4S on the desk. 

 

We find this contest and its winners to be a little different than most contests in that the subject was completely abstract. The submitted designs were entirely drawn from the inner creative view of the entrants. It's much like being able to peek into someone's mind to see how they visualize a character in a novel.

 

3D printing can make your designs real, but it can also make your imagination real. 

 

Via Shapeways

MineToys!

If it's in 3D, it will be printed. That is the theme we see everywhere now. The latest venture in the theme is MineToys, a service that can 3D print your MineCraft characters. 

 

Like those who went before printing World of Warcraft, Mii or Second Life avatars, we now have a service that can replicate your Minecraft character. The service offers two sizes: Big and Small, priced at USD$50 and USD$20 respectively. How big is "Big"? It's 120mm or 4.7 inches tall, while the "Small" is half that size. Curiously, MineToys lists a mysterious "Deluxe" offering that isn't available yet. 

 

Are they actually printing these characters? Nope, it seems they've teamed up with Shapeways to actually produce the objects using their 3D print service in "Full Color Sandstone".  

 

Via MineToys

Shapeways NYC Base

Shapeways, one of the leading 3D print services, announced it's opening up a New York City production facility. This plant would include a variety of 3D printers suitable for printing customer objects on demand. While they already can do this with a European production facility in Eindhoven and through a network of partner 3D print services, having their own offers some advantages. Mostly these advantages are faster production and possibly lower costs (at least for Shapeways). The reduction in intercontinental shipping is obviously good for the environment, too. Shapeways customers could see diminished production and ship times if they reside in North America. 

 

We think 3D print services is really a volume-driven business. As Shapeways grows they'll be able to add more capabilities and locations. This is but one more step. 

 

Via Shapeways

Shapeways Smooths Out The Ceramics

3D print service Shapeways has re-announced their ceramic service. They've long been known for experimenting with different materials in their 3D printers and now offer what is probably the widest array of materials to choose from when using a 3D print service. 

 

As is their habit, they typically offer a new material experimentally so that they may learn how to do it just right. Earlier this year they brought in ceramics capability and now they have improved the results significantly. Just take a look at their before and after images above (click for higher detail). The left image looks just a tad wobbly, but evidently this has been solved by perfecting their glazing step. 

 

Via Shapeways

From iPad to Your Finger

The ubiquitous iPad is well known because the primary interface is, well, your finger. Sometimes more than one. Nevertheless, a new iPad app promises to turn the tables on the interface by permitting you to design (with your trusty iPad finger) a 3D ring. The iRing3D app by Paracloud does just that. 

 

The app lets you select an initial design from a group of typical ring shapes, after which you may play with the design (with your finger) to adjust the shape as you like. There's plenty of options for customization.  

 

While that's mildly interesting, it gets better: once you've completed your design you can upload your jewelry design directly from the iPad to 3D print services Shapeways or Sculpteo! Then the ring you designed will be produced in real life, hopefully in solid gold or some such valuable metal, and you'll soon have a real ring around the same finger that designed it. 

 

Via Shapeways

Tinkercad Adds Shapeways

As we suspected, another 3D print service has added Tinkercad integration into their interface. Shapeways joins i.Materialise as an option for printing your 3D models developed in Tinkercad. Tinkercad is a web-based, very easy to use 3D solid modeling tool. 

 

The addition of a Shapeways interface permits direct 3D printing capability, very similar to what you'd experience in word processing software. Well, the print may take a couple of days to get to you, but the software experience is very similar. 

 

The question is, does this mean Tinkercad is now the King of web-based 3D modeling tools? What about 123d? Will they add print service connections as well? 

 

Via Shapeways

The Hamburger Shoe

People always get excited about 3D printed food in spite of the fact there are precious few ways to do so. While we await the development of a consumer food printer, others continue to experiment. Shapeways reports on a great experiment in which their member Tristan Bethe 3D scanned his shoe, 3D printed a slightly smaller model of it, formed food-safe silicon around it to form a food mold. 

 

He then simply poured in semi-fluid bread dough and baked himself a shoe. Adding a sole-shaped meat patty completed the "shoe burger".

 

Not exactly 3D printed food, but that's about as close as you can easily get these days. However, a commenter pointed out that the 3D printing step was overkill, as you could simply sacrifice a shoe by hardening it and using the shoe itself to form the silicon mold. 

 

We really need an inexpensive food printer. 

 

Via Shapeways