Minecraft must be one of the most popular online games these days. partly because it’s simple interface allows almost anyone to create semi-complex 3D environments. Now we see that an MIT Media Lab project headed by Cody Sumter and Jason Boggess has created a new tool to enable real-life 3D printing of objects made in Minecraft. To use the Minecraft.print tool, you must specify what you want to print, since typically it’s a specific object you’re interested in. To do this, you use a peculiar combination of blocks in two opposing corners. This defines a cube containing the desired object. A python script then runs and converts whatever is in that cube space into a standard STL file, suitable for 3D printing.
While this is very cool, we’re wondering about it. Why is it that real life objects are valued more than virtual objects? Will there come a time when the reverse is true?
Via VizWorld and MinecraftPrint (Hat tip to Chris)
