You’re interested in 3D printing, but don’t have a 3D printer. You also don’t want to pay a high price to a 3D print service to obtain a print of your own 3D design. What do you do? One option, aside from finding a buddy with a 3D printer, is to use the makexyz… Continue reading makexyz Makes Your Stuff
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Another 3D Print Retail Shop – In Paris!
After the initial experiments in retail storefronts for 3D printing products in places such as New York, we now see another retail operation has opened in Paris: PROTOSHOP. It seems the focus of PROTOSHOP (opened by the rapid prototyping company Multistation) is to provide Parisians with an opportunity to see, touch, ask questions about… Continue reading Another 3D Print Retail Shop – In Paris!
ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network
We were contacted by Jonathan Placa, who’s setting up a distributed 3D printing network called ProtoExchange. ProtoExchange will attempt to create an online bidding system, in which those desiring a 3D print will be connected with amateur 3D printer owners who will do the job. The advantage appears to be that the printer operator… Continue reading ProtoExchange Seeks a Decentralized 3D Printing Network
123D Offers Premium Memberships
We’ve seen Autodesk offer several incredibly (and totally free) useful web-based 3D tools, such as 123D Make, Catch and Design. Free tools are always welcome in a space where professional tools can cost many thousands of dollars. But you gotta wonder how Autodesk hopes to recover their investment in the 123D suite. How will… Continue reading 123D Offers Premium Memberships
KraftWurx Launches
The mysterious Kraftwurx finally appeared publicly last week at CES, where they showed off their new 3D print service. We spoke with founder Chris Norman, who explained they’ve recently received a patent award for his complex and detailed vision of a 3D print service. The concept is to combine an online “storefront” containing a… Continue reading KraftWurx Launches
Thingiverse Breaks Out In Apps!
It started as a simple free repository for patterns for personal making and then exploded into an overwhelming cacophony of 3D models. Thingiverse provides free content for 3D printing not only on MakerBot’s own line of 3D printers, but for any printer. That changes significantly as MakerBot CEO announced Thingiverse now includes programming… Continue reading Thingiverse Breaks Out In Apps!
Cubify’s AppCreate
Over the past few months we’ve noticed that 3D Systems has relentlessly built features in Cubify to provide generative models to print on their (and other’s) personal 3D printers. You can quickly get a customized 3D model of rings, pictures, bracelets, space aliens, earrings, crowns and probably a few more things after we’ve written this… Continue reading Cubify’s AppCreate
Sculpteo’s Strategy
At CES we dropped by the Sculpteo booth and had a chance to discuss the state of business with CEO and co-Founder Clément Moreau. Like most companies in the 3D printing space, Sculpteo is faced with the difficult question: “If you can print anything, what do you print?” The availability of printable 3D models… Continue reading Sculpteo’s Strategy
Cubify Capture Announced
Don’t have US$60,000 for a super accurate color 3D scanner? We don’t either, so instead we recommend you try Cubify’s latest app: Cubify Capture. It’s a terrifically simple method to produce a quality 3D scan of objects around you. Capture uses an approach that’s been used by others: a series of images taken of… Continue reading Cubify Capture Announced
Crayon Creatures!
In yet another easy-for-consumers 3D printing service, Crayon Creatures provides a way for your children to receive a 3D printout of their hand drawn crayon sketches. Using the service is incredibly easy, assuming you have a crayon sketch previously scanned into an image file. You simply upload the file, pay €99 (plus €15 for… Continue reading Crayon Creatures!
Shapeways’ Tetris Process
Our visit to Shapeways Factory of the Future revealed a fascinating technique they use to produce your objects. You might assume they take your order and then simply print it on one of their big machines. This is hardly the case, as they have to ensure the most efficient use of those big boys in… Continue reading Shapeways’ Tetris Process
Deep, Deep Inside Shapeways
During our recent visit to New York we journeyed to the peculiar neighborhood of Long Island City to visit one Duann Scott of Shapeways at their brand new “Factory of the Future”. Scott graciously showed us their operations in gritty detail. You’d never know Shapeways main plant is present in these streets and avenues of nameless… Continue reading Deep, Deep Inside Shapeways
Inside Shapeways
Forbes’ Andy Greenberg was able to get inside Shapeways’ New York City production facility to interview Duann Scott. In the video, Scott explains to the layman the process used by Shapeways, which is different from the typical plastic extrusion used by personal 3D printers: powder sintering. Scott explains that Shapeways includes a wide variety… Continue reading Inside Shapeways
Cubify’s Ornaments
Just in time for the holiday season, Cubify released a new 3D model generation tool, Cubify Ornaments. “Ornaments” joins several other very easy-to-use online tools capable of quickly generating 3D models suitable for 3D printing on your own printer. Similar to their other apps, the three-step process involves selecting a type of ornament, sizing… Continue reading Cubify’s Ornaments
Materialise’s 3D Barometer
Once you get into 3D printing you quickly realize that every 3D model is not the same. Some are easily 3D printed, some can successfully 3D print only using certain processes and others are simply pathological and can’t be successfully 3D printed. How do you know which one? Materialise has taken a step to… Continue reading Materialise’s 3D Barometer
BREAKING: Staples to Use Mcor IRIS in Copy Centers
In a blockbuster announcement, Mcor, the makers of the IRIS color 3D printing system based on plain old paper, say they’ve struck a huge deal with print services giant Staples to supply 3D printing equipment for their numerous print and copy centers. This will obviously take a while to implement, so Staples Printing Division… Continue reading BREAKING: Staples to Use Mcor IRIS in Copy Centers
Sculpteo’s Secret iPhone Case-Printing Service
We’ve been investigating Sculpteo’s new iPhone case service. You’ve seen these things before: select a cool iPhone case from a series of astounding designs and receive it in the mail, freshly 3D printed. But there’s quite a difference with Sculpteo’s new service. Yes, you select and receive a cool case. But it has an… Continue reading Sculpteo’s Secret iPhone Case-Printing Service
Another Cubify App: Pics
3D Systems’ Cubify division certainly likes you to do the designing. They’ve been pumping out “generator apps” for various 3D models for several months and now they’ve added on for pictures. The “Pics” app is rather simple compared to their other customizable models. You need only select a “frame” shape, upload your picture and… Continue reading Another Cubify App: Pics
MakerBot’s Photo Booth
It doesn’t exactly print photos, however. It prints sculptures! Of you! It can be found at MakerBot’s retail store in Brooklyn, NY. Team MakerBot has combined their Replicator 3D printing technology with ShapeShot 3D capture software into a booth setup to provide a true 3D printing “photo booth”. The ShapeShot involves several fixed cameras… Continue reading MakerBot’s Photo Booth
Mixee Me Launches
There’s always room for another design-it-yourself service and today is the launch of Mixee Me, a service specializing in personal design of figurines. The concept is straightforward: you aren’t able to design in 3D yourself, so you’d go to Mixee Me and use their incredibly easy web interface to design a personalized figurine. Your… Continue reading Mixee Me Launches
Digital Reality Announces Pro-Quote
Digital Factory announced a new plug-in service, Pro-Quote that can handle the preparation of cost estimates for 3D printing. Who can use this service? If you have a commercial 3D printer available and a website you can place Pro-Quote on your site and immediately accept 3D print requests. The Pro-Quote software presents a web… Continue reading Digital Reality Announces Pro-Quote
CubeHero Manages Your 3D Models
If you’ve made many 3D models you’ll soon encounter the problem of managing them. Which one is the correct one? Which copies are old and which are new? What changed between this version and that one? The software world has long solved these issues through the use of “change management software”, such as the… Continue reading CubeHero Manages Your 3D Models
i.Materialise Reduces Ceramics Price
If you’ve got a model requiring a cubic centimeter of ceramic to print, i.Materialise can print it for you at a lowered price of USD$0.18. Their ceramic material is particularly useful due to its smooth appearance, wide variety of kitchy colors, heat resistance and the fact that it’s food safe. You can produce functional… Continue reading i.Materialise Reduces Ceramics Price
There’s Only One One Just One
Some say that 3D printing is not useful for manufacturing due to the per unit cost of printing versus traditional mass manufacturing. That’s true, and so 3D printing is often used for prototypes and low-quantity production. Or even one-off personalized items. But now a venture attempts to push that concept to the limit. One… Continue reading There’s Only One One Just One
MediaGoblin Shares 3D Models
MediaGoblin, the open source project that enables easy sharing of media, has added the ability to share 3D models. Not familiar with MediaGoblin? Here’s their own explanation: MediaGoblin is a free software media publishing platform that anyone can run. You can think of it as a decentralized alternative to Flickr, YouTube, SoundCloud,… Continue reading MediaGoblin Shares 3D Models
A Swiss 3D Printer Seller
We just noticed a business selling 3D printers in Switzerland. Zurich-based 3D-Model (German: 3D Drucker kaufen) appears to resell a variety of 3D Systems gear, including not only the large commercial units such as the Projet, but also 3D Systems’ personal 3D printer line, Bits From Bytes. The company also offers 3D print services,… Continue reading A Swiss 3D Printer Seller
High Detailed Stainless Steel Prints at i.Materialise
3D print service i.Materialise now offers “high detailed stainless steel” materials for prints. As you can see in the sample print above, there is indeed a lot of detail visible. i.Materialise says that the new material is “between silver and titanium”. In other words, it’s shiny but still strong. The detail is such… Continue reading High Detailed Stainless Steel Prints at i.Materialise
Cubify’s Bugdroids
3D Systems’ Cubify service announced yet another 3D model creation service: Bugdroids! The new service joins several existing services that enable anyone to create fun 3D models directly from your browser. Like their previously released Robot Nation app, Bugdroids permits tons of droid customization, including various structural adornments as well as colored stamps. … Continue reading Cubify’s Bugdroids
Canadian Plastic
The pattern seems to be regionalization. Plastic filament supply shops specifically focused on 3D printing are emerging in many countries supplying primarily their local markets. We’ve seen shops open up in the US, UK, Switzerland, Netherlands and other places. Now there’s one in Canada, based in Montreal: Voxel Factory offers an extensive list of… Continue reading Canadian Plastic
A West-Coast 3D Printer Store
Two 3D printer stores, one on the east coast (MakerBot in Brooklyn, NY) and now another one to tell you about on the west cost: Deezmaker in Pasadena, CA. Deezmaker is the fruit of maker Diego Porqueras, who is also behind the Bukobot Kickstarter project. The intention is to sell not only the Bukobot,… Continue reading A West-Coast 3D Printer Store
Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Maker
3D print service Sculpteo adds to the ever-increasing set of 3D model-generating apps by creating a custom iPhone design service. It’s similar to most other apps: a basic model is display and limited customization capability is provided. Sculpteo first requires you to download their 3DPcase iPhone app. Within the app you’re presented with several… Continue reading Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Maker
123D Catch In Your Pocket
Autodesk has released an iOS version of its staggeringly easy-to-use 3D model generator, 123D Catch. The tool isn’t a 3D scanner, exactly, but the results are similar. You collect a series of images of a 3D subject from many angles, then submit them to 123D Catch for processing. Autodesk’s magic algorithms in the sky… Continue reading 123D Catch In Your Pocket
Freshfiber Offers 3D Printed iPhone 5 Cases
Mere hours after Apple’s iPhone 5 announcement, custom case vendor Freshfiber announced they now offer cases for said device. In all, Freshfiber announced six different case styles, all of which are quite interesting, uniquely functional and offered in several cool colors. The cases include one that doubles as a business card holder; another… Continue reading Freshfiber Offers 3D Printed iPhone 5 Cases
Sculpteo Lowers Prices
3D print service Sculpteo has abruptly lowered their pricing for 3D models. Evidently their print volume must have increased sufficiently to permit more effective plastic purchases from their suppliers. This change affects only their plastic price. They say: Thanks to this success, we can now lower the price of your 3D prints made… Continue reading Sculpteo Lowers Prices
Cubify Introduces Bracelets
Well, that didn’t take long! Mere days after introducing web applications capable of dynamically generating rings and earrings to your specifications, 3D Systems has fired up another similar application: Bracelets. It’s very easy to use and offers just the right amount of customization for most people. The Bracelet app works in a fashion similar… Continue reading Cubify Introduces Bracelets
The ShapeWright Experiment
Artist Dolf Veenvliet is experimenting with user-designed custom 3D printed metal jewelry. His new experimental site, ShapeWright, allows anyone to pick and shape components into a unique jewelry item that can be immediately sent for 3D printing in precious metal! The service is incredibly easy to use. The experiment is to customize a “Variable… Continue reading The ShapeWright Experiment
Shapeways Gets A New Engine
Did you visit Shapeways recently? It’s different – but not different visually. Instead the techs at Shapeways have replaced the software engines running behind their website to provide various improvements, specifically in the Order Placement and Order Fulfillment functions. Some of the improvements include: An ability to consolidate all your Shapeways coupons into… Continue reading Shapeways Gets A New Engine
Ponoko’s Badass Black
Ceramic 3D printing services are not exactly new, but there are limits to the colors offered by popular 3D printing services. Ponoko has announced the availability of black ceramic material. Previously Ponoko offered a variety of pastel-ish colors, including Green, Pale Blue, Peach, Periwinkle, Teal, White and Yellow. The new colors include a choice… Continue reading Ponoko’s Badass Black
Cubify’s Rings and Earrings
Cubify has been very busy lately. They’ve introduced a way to “design and personalize your own rings” very soon after launching a similar method for producing customized earrings. Both cubify “apps” work similarly: select various physical features of rings or earrings. The apps include a very wide variety of preselected shapes and icons, as… Continue reading Cubify’s Rings and Earrings
3D Printing Price Check
You’ve got a terrific model you want printed at high resolution in a great material. What do you do? You spend some of your valuable time checking out the prices at each of the 3D print services by tediously entering the specifications of your model into their price calculators. Or, you use 3D printing… Continue reading 3D Printing Price Check
i.Materialise Introduces Ceramics
3D print service i.Materialise has announced the availability of ceramics as a print material. They aren’t the first to introduce commercial ceramics print capability, but it’s an excellent capability improvement for them. Ceramics offers a few key advantages over other materials: Heat resistant up to 600C (1112F) Ultra-smooth finish with no visible… Continue reading i.Materialise Introduces Ceramics
Introducing Mak3D
Opening in “late August 2012”, Mak3D is billed as the “World’s first 3D printing co-working environment”. Located on London’s Brick Lane across from the notable Brick Lane Bakery, Mak3D will provide workspace and access to 3D equipment for makers. For £200 per month (USD$312), you’ll have access to the following: A 1000 sq ft.… Continue reading Introducing Mak3D
HeadBobble!
Yet another use for 3D printing: Printing Your Head. Yes, this has been done before quite a few times, but HeadBobble seems to have simplified the process and produces great 3D prints in full color. And you get a Bobblehead! How does it work? At their website you go through a selection process, where… Continue reading HeadBobble!
Ponoko’s Color Ceramics
Ponoko has announced the availability of seven different colors for their glazed ceramic 3D printing material. They previously offered four colors, but now add Yellow, Green and Pale Blue. Even better, they’re offering a discount of 10% off any orders using glazed ceramic until July 29th. Now you can make that coffee cup… Continue reading Ponoko’s Color Ceramics
The Brass at i.Materialise
They’re at it again. i.Materialise has now launched a trial of Brass 3D printing. Shortly after launching Bronze, we now see Brass on their materials sheet. It’s not a permanent thing, however, as i.Materialise terms this a “summer trial”. 3D print service providers often experiment with new materials in this way, as they are… Continue reading The Brass at i.Materialise
The Met’s 3-D Scanning and Printing Hackathon
An interesting experiment took place at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art recently, in which the Met tag-teamed with MakerBot to produce 3D art models. A team of folks from MakerBot were invited by the Met to journey through several collections to perform 3D scans of famous artwork. The scans were then converted… Continue reading The Met’s 3-D Scanning and Printing Hackathon
Bronzed by i.Materialise
i.Materialise, one of the popular online 3D print services, now offers an experimental Bronze 3D printing capability. This isn’t bronze plating – it seems to be solid bronze. However, during this experimental phase they limit the size of your bronze prints to 5 x 5 x 5 cm. We think that’s quite appropriate as… Continue reading Bronzed by i.Materialise
FujiFilm to Operate 3D Printer Kiosks?
A report from GizMag describes how Fujifilm is considering operating a chain of kiosks capable of printing 3D models. Yes, we thought this was strange, too. The idea is that an inexpensive 3D printer “kiosk” would be located in trafficked areas where customers could peruse a catalog of objects and select one for… Continue reading FujiFilm to Operate 3D Printer Kiosks?
MakieLab Makes Makies
We’ve seen some very specific applications of 3D printing where end-users may choose limited customization for picture frames, robots, etc. Today we’re looking at Makielab’s Makies. They’re 10 inch tall customized figurines designed by you. Similar to other services, you must choose from several customizable dimensions: Hair style, Eyebrow shape (selecting a slider for… Continue reading MakieLab Makes Makies
Fabberworld
Are you in need of supplies for your 3D printer? Do you live in Switzerland? If you answered yes to both questions, you’ll be pleased to learn that there is now a 3D printing supplies operation located in Switzerland: Fabberworld. Fabberworld sells a selection of 3mm plastic filament, bearings, motors and even kapton tape.… Continue reading Fabberworld
Introducing TeamPlatform
Things are advancing from the days of local storage of 3D models and traditional online 3D repositories. Consider TeamPlatform, an online service dedicated to not only storage of 3D models but also the entire development process for producing 3D models. The service operates on a subscription basis, where you are provided with an allocation… Continue reading Introducing TeamPlatform
Shapeways Gets Bendy
Shapeways, the popular 3D print service constantly experiments with new materials and perhaps they have the widest variety of materials one can select from. We’ve noticed they’re now offering a material with a unique property: it’s flexible! The new material, appropriately named “Elasto Plastic” will be tested by Shapeways users until July 20th. Shapeways… Continue reading Shapeways Gets Bendy
A Visit With IPF
While in London recently we had a rather long lunch meeting with Gary Miller of IPF, a.k.a. Industrial Plastic Fabrications, a growing 3D print service based in the UK just outside of London. Also in attendance was Claire Russell-Jones, a publicist often providing service to Objet, manufacturers of commercial 3D printers. Miller’s operation uses… Continue reading A Visit With IPF
Sculpteo Introduces Color Ceramics
Growing 3D print service Sculpteo has introduced a little bit of color to their ceramic material options. Today you can choose from these tasty glazing options: White Glossy, Oyster Blue, Tangerine Orange, Turquoise, Aquarius Blue, Satin Black, Anis Green and Lemon Yellow. Not only will you receive colored objects, but they’ll be perfectly smooth… Continue reading Sculpteo Introduces Color Ceramics
Want Your Shapeshot?
Strolling around Rapid 2012 we encountered an unusual service named ShapeShot. What do they do? Well, they shoot your shape. 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… Continue reading Want Your Shapeshot?
Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Contest
3D print service Sculpteo has launched an interesting contest for those interested in designing unique cases for iPhone 4’s. They’re seeking “the best iPhone 4 case that you could ever imagine with 3D printing”. Judging will be done by a panel composed of “design and 3D printing professionals and representatives of Sculpteo”. Specifically… Continue reading Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Contest
Sculpteo OpenSCADs
A very interesting development appeared at the Sculpteo 3D print service: parameterized OpenSCAD. 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.… Continue reading Sculpteo OpenSCADs
The 3D Printing Network
Want to connect with other 3D print folks? One way might be the newly created “3D Printing Network”. The network, which appears to be a mailing list and IRC channel, is sponsored by the Fellowship of Free Software Foundation Europe, or Fellowship of FSFE. According to the network’s description: The 3D Printing Network… Continue reading The 3D Printing Network
A Very Smooth Idea, Indeed
During our visit to Stratasys’ RedEye On Demand facility the other day, we observed a fascinating finishing process that might be applicable to personal 3D prints, given the appropriate equipment. This process solves one of the flaws in objects produced by personal (and some commercial) 3D printers: layer visibility. If you look closely, it’s… Continue reading A Very Smooth Idea, Indeed
Flat-Rate 3D Print Pricing From i.Materialise
3D print service i.Materialise is experimenting with a form of flat-rate pricing. Normally they employ the standard “how much material and what kind of material are you printing” approach, but perhaps this was seen as a barrier to expanding their business. They’ve been testing this approach throughout May, when the program ends. How… Continue reading Flat-Rate 3D Print Pricing From i.Materialise
3D Printing Discount Available
Some say that 3D printing services are expensive, and that may or may not be the case depending on your situation. However, we do know that students worldwide typically aren’t flush with cash, and that’s why the new i.Materialise Student Discount is so important. The 3D print service offers a 20% discount on 3D… Continue reading 3D Printing Discount Available
Be An Action Hero!
There are quite a few specialized 3D print services emerging in the consumer space, but we kinda like this one: Firebox. Why? Because you can easily (well, by paying their fee of £79.99, or USD$127) you can get your own head on a real action figure. The process is simple: take two pictures of… Continue reading Be An Action Hero!
A Visit to RedEye
Recently we had the privilege of visiting Stratasys’ Minneapolis-based 3D print service: RedEye On Demand. Wait, we shouldn’t call it a “3D Printing Service” anymore. This facility performs much more than just 3D printing, although that forms a large portion of their work. In addition to Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), they offer cast urethane and… Continue reading A Visit to RedEye
FigurePrints Moves Into Minecraft
We hadn’t noticed this before, but specialty 3D printing service FigurePrints is now into the MineCraft business. FigurePrints, long-time Fabbaloo readers may recall, was featured in one of our very first posts in 2007. They’ve been around a long time. What do they do? They extract 3D information from online games and produce the… Continue reading FigurePrints Moves Into Minecraft
Sculpteo Alumides!
3D print service Sculpteo announced the availability of a new 3D print material: Alumide. What is Alumide? It’s a mix of polyamide and aluminum powder yielding 3D prints that are stronger than just plastic but weaker than metal. Like plastic and some metals, it can actually bend slightly, making it useful for objects undergoing minor… Continue reading Sculpteo Alumides!
3D Printing Plastic AND Metal
Whoa – 3D printing plastic AND metal at the same time? There are many kinds of 3D printers in the world these days, most printing only plastic and some able to print metal. But printing both? That’s exactly what a joint initiative between ABS plastic 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys is doing with metal 3D printer… Continue reading 3D Printing Plastic AND Metal
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… Continue reading Hear and Feel Your Favorite Sounds
SparkLab: BuildMobile
Of all the Kickstarter-style 3DP projects we’ve seen lately, the SparkLab concept may be the most valuable to society. No, you won’t get a fancy sculpture but you will get the satisfaction of supporting the spread of 3D printing and DIY making knowledge. What is the SparkLab concept? It’s quite simple. They proponents realized… Continue reading SparkLab: BuildMobile
Tinkercad Now Sculpteos
Everyone’s favourite web-based 3D modeling software now has another partner: 3D print service Sculpteo. Previously Tinkercad could automatically send your 3D design directly to Materialise, Ponoko or Shapeways, but now you have a fourth option: France-based Sculpteo. Actually there is a fifth option: download the 3D model to your own computer and print it… Continue reading Tinkercad Now Sculpteos
Thingiverse Terms Changed
3D Model download site Thingiverse has made a dramatic change in its licensing terms. As most startups tend to do, the initial version of legal terms are typically cobbled together from other sources. MakerBot Chief Bre Pettis writes: I went and looked at Blip.tv’s and Etsy’s and Youtube’s and I basically copied them and… Continue reading Thingiverse Terms Changed
3D Printing Stack Exchange?
You may have heard of StackOverflow? It’s a very popular question and answer website for computer programming topics. The makers of StackOverflow now permit the same software to be used for question-answer sites on other topics. But which topics get a site? At Area51.StackExhchange.com discussions are held to determine whether a topic warrants a Q/A… Continue reading 3D Printing Stack Exchange?
The New Tinkercad
Tinkercad, the amazing web-based solid 3D modeling tool has recently improved its capabilities. This tool permits creation of basic 3D printable objects without an expensive software and more importantly without a lot of training. Tinkercad uses WebGL, so be sure to use a reasonably modern web browser. What did we notice about Tinkercad? Gorgeously… Continue reading The New Tinkercad
Sculpteo’s Cloud Engine
3D print service Sculpteo announced their “3D Printing Cloud Engine” that provides a way for websites to create online stores for 3D printed items. The service apparently permits customization of 3D models to some degree. The customized models are then automatically submitted to Sculpteo’s print service for production and shipping. Sculpteo also says they… Continue reading Sculpteo’s Cloud Engine
The Society for Printable Geography
There have been many attempts to print landscapes with 3D printers, but here’s a whole service dedicated to that pursuit: The Society for Printable Geography. While it’s called a “society” it’s actually a specialized 3D print service. The Society uses the Shapeways 3D print service to produce its attractive items. They have a huge… Continue reading The Society for Printable Geography
Another 3D Printed Proposal
Earlier we wrote of how an Objet employee created a special engagement ring using 3D printing and successfully proposed marriage with it. Now we’re pointed to another similar scenario, this time involving 3D print service MyRobotNation. MyRobotNation is one of several small 3D print services that specialize in a particular genre. Of course, theirs… Continue reading Another 3D Printed Proposal
Sculpteo’s New App
3D print service Sculpteo just released a new iOS app that hooks directly into their service. With the app you can select a variety of 3D models that are tweaked with your personal data. You can take a side view image of your face (or your dog’s, we suppose) and it automatically creates a… Continue reading Sculpteo’s New App
More on Cubify
As we mentioned the other day, 3D Systems was set to announce something big at CES and they did: plenty of details on the new Cubify system are now available. Cubify is a very comprehensive 3D printing “system” involving a new personal printer, 3D print services, an online community, a model repository, an API and… Continue reading More on Cubify
Thingiverse Updated
MakerBot’s source for freely available 3D models has been updated. Thingiverse, the repository for thousands of 3D models had a makeover yesterday and now sports a much cleaner look. The site still focuses on the key categories of objects: Who’s Making What? Newest Derivatives, Most Popular Things and the Newest Things, making it pretty… Continue reading Thingiverse Updated
The Materials Project
We’re not sure how useful this is to most Fabbaloo readers, but it is very cool. The Materials Project is an online database of, well, materials. Once you register for free you can access the service by entering a chemical formula and the service returns you a wealth of information about the selected material. You… Continue reading The Materials Project
KraftWurx’s Patent Available
The legalities behind the KraftWurx 3D print service/software are now available for public viewing, courtesy of the US Government’s Patent and Trade office. Patent application number 20110313878, entitled “Made-to-order direct digital manufacturing enterprise” includes this abstract: Methods and systems for designing and producing a three-dimensional object selection of a base three-dimensional object from a… Continue reading KraftWurx’s Patent Available
Secret Cubify Project To Be Unveiled
A fascinating press release from 3D Systems describes what appears to be a whole new product line: Cubify. Is it a 3D printer? Yes. Is it 3D modeling software? Yes. Is it an online service? Yes. Whew! Several announcements bundled into one! 3D Systems is to formally announce this product in a few days… Continue reading Secret Cubify Project To Be Unveiled
Bodyworks Human Models
Want to 3D print a person? Need a 3D body model to put your head on? Go no further than Bodyworks – an online store specializing in sales of 3D models of people. All of their products are SolidWorks models, suitable for modification for your own purposes. Prices range from USD$99-149 for body models… Continue reading Bodyworks Human Models
3D Printed Fractal Cube Originated in Second Life
In December 2007 Henry Segerman, a.k.a. Second Life avatar Seifert Surface, designed a “Hilbert Cube” using Second Life’s then simplistic 3D model creation tools and some tricky Python software. While this interesting object was for years used only within Second Life’s virtual world, there’s been a recent change: you can now 3D print this item… Continue reading 3D Printed Fractal Cube Originated in Second Life
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… Continue reading MineToys!
Fabbing in Russia
We received a note from the gentlemen at Fabbers.ru, apparently the first company to offer personal 3D printer gear in both Russia and the Ukraine. The new operation resells two 3D printer models: MakerBot’s Thing-O-Matic and the Buildatron. They’re also offering the David 3D Laser Scanner. As 3D printing interest grows, we’ll continue to… Continue reading Fabbing in Russia
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… Continue reading Shapeways NYC Base
Kraftwurx Opens
As reported previously, the Kraftwurx 3D print service has been under development for years, but a recent press release indicates they’re open for business. You can now buy printed objects from them and upload & print your own objects for printing or for sale. The magic behind the nine-person Kraftwurx is their Digital Factory… Continue reading Kraftwurx Opens
The Shapesmith Alternative
A new alternative to web-based 3D modeling tools is emerging: Shapesmith. We say emerging because it’s an unfinished work. Shapesmith is an open source project that offers anyone the chance of running their own 3D modeling tool from a website. The interface is truly beautiful and aesthetically simplistic, but as such it has some… Continue reading The Shapesmith Alternative
Tinkercad Gets Funding
First it was MakerBot with a USD$10M injection, and now it’s Tinkercad, that friendly online 3D modeling service that practically anyone can use. They’ve just received a boost of USD$1M from True Ventures with angel investment from Eghosa Omoigui, Taher Haveliwala, Jyri Engestrom, and Joshua Schachter. This is huge news for the small startup… Continue reading Tinkercad Gets Funding
Autodesk’s Two New Things: Catch & Make
With the success of their first web-based design tool, 123D, Autodesk has launched (at least for preview) two new apps, Catch and Make. They’re both quite different, but readers will find them both useful. Make is a 3D slicer that converts a 3D model into layers suitable for manual assembly. This is probably best… Continue reading Autodesk’s Two New Things: Catch & Make
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… Continue reading Shapeways Smooths Out The Ceramics
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… Continue reading From iPad to Your Finger
My Robot Nation Lives
This past August we learned of a new specialized 3D print service under development, My Robot Nation. It specializes (obviously) in printed robots. The service works much like 2D web-based composition tools and games, where you select parts from a library to build up your robot. My Robot Nation provides a variety of stickers,… Continue reading My Robot Nation Lives
Unlimited 3D Printing For Only $10K?
We’ve found out a bit more about MCOR’s intriguing free 3D printing program, called “freeDrevolution”. As we wrote earlier, the idea is to give you (literally) a free commercial 3D printer (the MCOR Matrix, of course) and then you simply pay a flat fee to cover all printing costs – including maintenance and supplies. In… Continue reading Unlimited 3D Printing For Only $10K?
3D Systems Acquires Kemo
Mark down another acquisition for 3D Systems, who this week announced they’ve picked up Belgian 3D print service Kemo B.V. Modelmaker. This Belgian firm adds to the significant number of 3D print services now under the vast 3D Systems umbrella. Kemo focuses on on-demand custom parts for industry, similar to other services that 3D Systems… Continue reading 3D Systems Acquires Kemo