A new 3D model generator has emerged that can produce models of crystals.
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Design of the Week: Gyro 7 Printable Jointed Cat
This week’s selection is the Gyro 7 Printable Jointed Cat by Printables contributor Neybao.
3D Body Data Slowly Coming Online
Aetrex announced they are now providing comprehensive 3D data for foot scans, which can be used for 3D printing.
Hands On With The Calibry 3D Scanner, Part 4
Hands on with the Calibry 3D Scanner. This part explains my experience using the Calibry 3D scanner to capture 3D models of larger objects and and my conclusions on using this device.
Hands On With The Calibry 3D Scanner, Part 3
Hands on with the Calibry 3D scanner. This part explains my experience using the Calibry 3D scanner to capture 3D models of small objects and medium-sized objects, as well as 3D scanning live subjects.
Hands On With The Calibry 3D Scanner, Part 2
Hands on with the Calibry handheld 3D scanner. In this part we’ll look at the operations of the Calibry handheld 3D scanner.
Hands On With The Calibry 3D Scanner, Part 1
Hands on with the Calibry 3D scanner. In this part we’ll examine the Calibry hardware and software configurations.
Free 3D Printable “Maker Mask” Receives Federal Approval
A former Microsoft executive leveraged his connections to achieve certification for a 3D printable respirator mask that makers can download and manufacture on their 3D printers.
3D Printable Respirator Design Receives Certification
Czech researchers have produced a certified design for an N95-style respirator that can be quickly produced on several HP MJF 3D printers.
Question of the Week: Swiss Guard Helmet
Need a theatrical prop? Consider 3D printing it; but you will have to find a 3D model to do so. We present several alternatives for doing so.
3D Printing Your Own Voice, Or Someone Else’s
There’s an interesting service called 3DPrintedSound, and it does just that.
1,000 3D Printed Hearts
Henry Ford Health Systems has brought 3D printing into 1,000 patients’ cardiac treatments.
What Is The Most 3D Printed Object?
I was reading an interesting piece by Bertier Luyt when a question arose.
FDA-Cleared Medical 3D Printing with Stratasys and Materialise
3D printing medical models offers benefits to patients and those providing their care with highly accurate patient-specific anatomies able to be held, examined, and practiced on.
Generating 3D Models from Video?
Have you heard of “continuous-time structure from motion”? You may hear a lot more soon.
Sketchfab Scales Up
Sketchfab announced – and displayed a new method of displaying massive 3D models, which they call Massive.
Would You Try a New 3D Model Repair Service?
We’ve been covertly testing a new cloud-based 3D model repair service that is now available for testing.
Zoetropes Get “4D” with the Incredible 3D Printed 4-Mation Platform
4-Mation Is A Series of 3D Modular Zoetropes With Swappable Animation.
How To Make A 3D Printed Roller Coaster
Matt Schmotzer, a graduate student at Purdue University for mechanical engineering, has always had an affinity towards both roller coasters and 3D printing.
3D Print Community: PotterDraw
This month’s community support selection is PotterDraw, a software project to very easily generate vases and other cylindrical shapes.
Instantly 3D Print Cities with SketchUp PlaceMaker
SketchUp has a very interesting extension called “PlaceMaker” that can instantly generate 3D models of cities.
Sightline Maps Produces Instant 3D Printable Terrains
A new project hopes to provide an ability for educators to create any type of 3D contour maps.
Autodesk Announces Gift of $25,000 in Product Design Software for Every Fab Lab
When it comes to equipping tomorrow’s designers and engineers with the tools they need to create compelling projects today, few companies have been as generous in offering access to software, tools and even fabrication facilities as Autodesk has.
3D Models, Created by an A.I.: Good or Bad Idea?
An experiment by researchers at the University of Copenhagen attempted to persuade an A.I. to create a 3D model from scratch. It did.
The 3D Nefertiti Hack
A clandestine group has secretly 3D scanned the famous Nefertiti sculpture at the Neues Museum in Berlin – and released the scan publicly!
MakePrintable’s Free Star Wars 3D Model Offer
Online 3D print repair service MakePrintable is offering a free Star Wars 3D model download available to their users.
Artist Don Foley’s Gift to Everyone’s Halloween
Noted 3D print artist Don Foley has released a set of free spooky Halloween 3D models.
3D Printed Trucks Initiative Needs Your Help
Arin Panait is a Romanian hobbyist with an affection for 1960’s trucks that’s so deep he’s developed several incredible 3D models of them. And he needs your help.
Emendo 3D Repair Software Now Available For Windows and Adds an SDK
Avante Technology’s Emendo 3D model repair software has had a couple of major changes recently.
Snowden Bust Busted, But Revived with 3D Printing
A bust of controversial whistleblower Edward Snowden has migrated to a digital format, suitable for 3D printing.
Not a 3D Modeler? Hire One!
If you’re unable to obtain the 3D model you require for a print, just design it yourself. But what if you can’t?
3D Printed Left Shark Controversy
The popularity of the Super Bowl “Left Shark” has reached the 3D printing world.
inbu’s 3D Modeling Approach
A UK-based service offers a way to transform an idea into a printed 3D model. This is the way it’s going to be for quite a while.
DesignSpark Mechanical Goes 2.0
CAD design tool DesignSpark Mechanical has now been upgraded to version 2.0.
Modio: Design Articulated 3D Models
Printed figurines can be amazing, but what about making them move? You can do so with Modio.
Fixing 3D Models?
Most 3D models for 3D printing still use the now-aging STL format. That can cause problems.
Hands On with the Honeycomb 3D Modeler
A new web-based 3D modeler is emerging: HoneyComb3D.
Leopoly’s Web-Based 3D Modeler
We’re looking at an alternative web-based 3D modeling tool that might just work for you: Leopoly.
Make Certain Your 3D Model’s Bottom is Flat
If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will in the future: prints with not-quite flat bottoms.
Fraemes App Expands MakerBot’s Ecosystem
MakerBot announced a new app for their 3D content generation family: Fraemes.
Hyve-3D’s Unique Interface
A new method of 3D sketching has been developed: Hyve-3D.
3D Design By Example
Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed a new twist on 3D design by creating “Fab By Example”.
MeshMixer’s Very Cool Updates
It’s becoming a big favorite around our lab and it just got even better: MeshMixer 2.5 offers some very interesting new features.
Research Done, But No 3D Chop Yet
Following up on our piece about the 3DPrintTech free utility for segmenting large 3D models for printing, we found something.
Made With Code’s 3D Printed Bracelet
Google’s Made with Code site took a step into the world of 3D printing with a simple bracelet generator.
Silo 3D Modeler now Available for Linux
The Silo 3D modeling software system now adds Linux as one of its supported platforms, joining OS/X and Windows.
Three Cheers for MeshMixer Supports!
If you’ve been 3D printing you’ll be familiar with the challenge of printing overhangs. Now there’s a terrific solution that enables printing almost any shape on any 3D printer.
MakerBot’s Digital Reconstruction Patent
We’ve uncovered a very curious patent application from MakerBot that seems to indicate they’re developing an automated way to reconstruct broken objects.
Dr. Fluff Helps You Evolve 3D Printed Robots
A new Android app permits children (and adults) to create 3D robot models suitable for 3D printing with an unusual approach.
MixFab’s Mixed-Reality 3D Design Approach
The most significant barrier to widespread 3D printing adoption is the difficulty of mastering 3D CAD software. MixFab hopes to overcome that with a new approach.
CubeTeam’s Collaborative 3D Modeling
A new project hopes to revolutionize web-based 3D design by including collaborative capabilities.
Tiles: Easier 3D Modeling Software
A new software tool hopes to make it a bit easier to get into 3D printing.
Meshmixer Updates With Cool New Features
If you aren’t yet using Autodesk’s free 3D model manipulation software Meshmixer, you should be. Two new features were announced that we think are pretty cool.
Can ZBrush Be Used for 3D Printing?
There are a great many software tools that can be used to develop 3D models for printing. Is ZBrush one of them?
What’s Up With Sketchup?
For many of us, SketchUp was our first encounter with 3D modeling. But what’s the latest from SketchUp?
Uformia’s Fascinating Uformit
We received a tour of a breakthrough new 3D modeling service that we’re pretty sure you’ll like.
Project Shapeshifter: How To Torture Objects
Autodesk certainly has delivered very interesting free 3D software available recently – and another that might join the suite might be “Project Shapeshifter”. It’s a web-based service that can be used to develop 3D models. The service is terribly easy to use: start with a template and simply shift the sliders (as seen in… Continue reading Project Shapeshifter: How To Torture Objects
Uformia’s MeshUp
Scandinavian software developer Uformia is working on a new tool: MeshUp. The new product complements their existing product, Symvol, which operates as a plugin to Rhino3D, the popular 3D modeling software package. MeshUp offers similar functionality but in a standalone application without the requirement for Rhino3D. But what does it do for you? Many… Continue reading Uformia’s MeshUp
3D Printing Pre-Formed, Expandable Structures
In what could be a preview of the future of architectural design, Los Angeles-based architecture office ID4A has created a method for creating pliable, reconfigurable 3D prints. According to Rania Hoteit and Malek Idriss, principles at ID4A, their new method for architectural “hyper-prototyping” employs a “rigorous exchange between computational design, physical prototyping and additive… Continue reading 3D Printing Pre-Formed, Expandable Structures
Cubify’s Software Pricing Breakthrough: Cubify Design
In a rather underplayed announcement, Cubify announced new software yesterday that deserves much more splash. Cubify Design could significantly change how people use their personal 3D printers. Cubify Design is a low-priced 3D modeling tool, but it’s quite different from other free or inexpensive modeling tools. The key feature is that Cubify Design can… Continue reading Cubify’s Software Pricing Breakthrough: Cubify Design
Blokify: 3D Modeling for Kids
A new modeling option is about to launch: Blokify. It’s a tablet-based app that provides a very simplified interface suitable for kids to develop their own 3D models. In an interview with MAKE, creator Jenny Kortina explained the dilemma facing 3D printer owners who want to design their own objects: The huge gap… Continue reading Blokify: 3D Modeling for Kids
3D Printing Your House – Really!
There’s an Instructable from AMMONITEa that describes how you can actually 3D print your home. There’s just one catch: it’s only a miniature model. But it could be your home. The model includes a fantastic amount of detail as you can see in this closeup view. There are plenty more detailed images on the… Continue reading 3D Printing Your House – Really!
The 3DAGOGO Model Repository
Another 3D model repository focused on printable 3D models has surfaced: 3DAGOGO. This service is new and has a very limited set of models to choose from, but is well-organized and easy to use. One of the most interesting features we noted was the display of useful 3D print information about the model itself.… Continue reading The 3DAGOGO Model Repository
The Bld3r Repository
We bumped into another printable 3D model repository: Bld3r. The site operates as a kind of meta-layer over top of other repositories, but brings it all together in a single interface. The idea is to reduce or even eliminate any difficulties typically caused by a repository’s terms of use. You can store your models in… Continue reading The Bld3r Repository
Pushing the 3D Printing Envelope
There’s a new 3D model pattern slowly emerging within the 3D print community that should lead to much more interesting printable objects. In the early years, 3D printers were not particularly reliable or capable. In fact, they still could be considered so, but they have improved somewhat in the past year as manufacturers tune… Continue reading Pushing the 3D Printing Envelope
NetFabb Private
NetFabb offers a software product specifically designed for personal 3D printing: NetFabb Private. It’s a lot more useful than their free NetFabb Studio product, which we and many others use for basic 3D model repairs. NetFabb Private offers these capabilities: Fix complicated file errors Make late design changes Combine parts into one Hollow out… Continue reading NetFabb Private
Not Quite a Nuclear 3D Print
Some 3D models are lousy for 3D printing – they may be difficult to print, expensive or just plain dull. But this one is interesting. As you can see, it’s a mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion. With an LED light installed in a version printed in plastic of the correct translucency, it looks great.… Continue reading Not Quite a Nuclear 3D Print
OpenFab’s Visionary Goal: Multi-material Objects
Developed by MIT and presented at this year’s SIGGRAPH conference, OpenFab proposes a way to more easily produce incredibly complex milt-material objects. OpenFab is not a 3D printer; it is a software “pipeline” of steps that enable the creation of complex, multi-material 3D models that can then be printed on a 3D printer capable… Continue reading OpenFab’s Visionary Goal: Multi-material Objects
Designing A 3D Printed Character
Ryan Boyle of The Hive has produced a tutorial showing the process of designing and 3D printing a unique character using Cinema 4D 3D modeling software. Most of the video walks through the design process in Cinema 4D. It’s a high-powered 3D modeling tool that is not often mentioned by those in the 3D… Continue reading Designing A 3D Printed Character
Apple’s Tiny Step into 3D
Shortly after we suggested Apple won’t be 3D printing anytime soon, they took a teeny tiny step in that direction. According to a report on AppleInsider, Apple has patented a system for accepting 3D input. As you can see in the diagram (and much more available at AppleInsider), hand gestures would capture 3D movements… Continue reading Apple’s Tiny Step into 3D
HBO Clips a 3D Print Artist
HBO has squashed a new 3D printed product by nuPROTO 3D print artist Fernando Sosa. The product, “Throne Dock” is an iPhone/Android docking station inspired by the hugely popular HBO series, “Game of Thrones”. At first, it seems like a good idea: “Let your friends and coworkers tremble at the sight of your Throne… Continue reading HBO Clips a 3D Print Artist
Cubify Announces Cubify Sculpt
Those software wizards at Cubify are at it again. After generating who-knows-how-many 3D model generators this year, they’ve now released another new tool: Cubify Sculpt. The new tool hopes to simplify the process of creating 3D models for printing on (presumably) 3D System’s Cube and CubeX personal 3D printers. The theme of this software:… Continue reading Cubify Announces Cubify Sculpt
The 3D-Lab Store
We’ve uncovered yet another 3D model store, the 3D-Lab Store. Like many similar ventures, Poland-based 3D-Lab Store offers shoppers the opportunity to select a 3D print from a set of models. Some of the pieces offer sizing and color choices, which is particularly useful for bracelets. Objects are printed in various colors of PLA… Continue reading The 3D-Lab Store
Use SculptGL To Quickly Make 3D Models
Here’s a free, web-based experimental tool that can quickly create interesting 3D models. SculptGL, created by Stéphane Ginier, provides a visual 3D model with very few tools. But the ones provided are sufficient to push, pull, tweak and pinch your model into the shape you want. SculptGL starts with a simple sphere, which you… Continue reading Use SculptGL To Quickly Make 3D Models
3D Modeling with Leopoly
A new browser-based 3D modeling tool has emerged: Leopoly. The new service presents simple-to-use methods of creating 3D objects. Leopoly focuses on the community dimension: created objects are shared among the community, who can build new objects based on yours. Tweeting, posting and tagging ensure wide visibility of Leopoly creations. Creating objects is… Continue reading 3D Modeling with Leopoly
More Advanced 3D Interfaces Brewing
California-based Atheer is developing an advanced wearable 3D visual display that should be available in 2014. The as-yet-unnamed product appears to be a set of North Korean-style glasses that display 3D information to each eye. You might think Atheer is repeating Google’s Glass product, but they’re not. Atheer’s product will be completely standalone and… Continue reading More Advanced 3D Interfaces Brewing
3D Printing Your Thoughts – Literally
This isn’t science fiction. ThinkerThing’s goal is to develop a system for actually reading your thoughts and sending them directly to a 3D printer for production. They say: We have built a machine that will allow you to make real objects with your mind. Incredible as this sounds, it does seem doable by… Continue reading 3D Printing Your Thoughts – Literally
MakerBot – Autodesk Discount Available
If you happen to be interested in purchasing a MakerBot Replicator 2 personal 3D printer and a premium membership in Autodesk’s highly useful 123D apps, you’re in luck: there’s a discount available. If you upgrade from the free version of 123D to premium level, you’ll receive a USD$40 discount on purchase of a MakerBot… Continue reading MakerBot – Autodesk Discount Available
Cubify Releases “Draw”
Yet another easy-to-use Cubify app has been released: Draw. It’s actually an iOS app where you can simply “draw” a shape with your finger. The shape drawn is a 2D trace, but the Draw app expands its thickness and extrudes it into a solid shape. You’re permitted to either email the corresponding STL file… Continue reading Cubify Releases “Draw”
CGTrader’s Massive 3D Print Competition
There’s a lot of 3D print competitions lately, but this one seems to involve more prizes than we’ve seen before. CGTrader’s “3D Printing Competition” seeks fully 3D printable models to be uploaded before June 30th, when they will be judged by CGTrader staff. What makes this competition different is the quantity and quality of… Continue reading CGTrader’s Massive 3D Print Competition
Tinkercad Lives!
Our beloved Tinkercad lives again. The very popular web-based 3D modeling service was used by many due to its ease of use, web availability and inexpensive pricing. But in a move shocking everyone, the owners of Tinkercad announced it was closing as their business moved off into other ventures. But now, in a rather… Continue reading Tinkercad Lives!
3D Genealogy with My People’s Tree
A new app from eliumstudio provides an ability to generate 3D printed genealogical trees. My People’s Tree, available at no charge on the iTunes app store, lets you specify names faces and relationships in true family tree style. Faces are created from uploaded photos. In our experiment it seemed that you need a clear,… Continue reading 3D Genealogy with My People’s Tree
Sculpteo’s Customizable Dock
3D print service Sculpteo has been experimenting with a variety of end-user customizable 3D models. Once customized, you can order a 3D print of the model through Sculpteo’s banks of expensive 3D printers. The latest end-user modifiable model they’re offering is an iPhone 5 dock. The customization offered is very straightforward: you can specify… Continue reading Sculpteo’s Customizable Dock
Parametric Parts’ CadQuery
Looking for an easy way to generate parametric 3D models? Tired of OpenSCAD? There’s a new approach from Parametric Parts that permits easy programmatic generation of 3D models: CadQuery Wait a sec, what’s “programmatic”? It’s a method of creating a scalable 3D solid model using commands instead of visually through a graphics interface.… Continue reading Parametric Parts’ CadQuery
Dongiverse
Oh dear. This was bound to happen. There’s now a parody of 3D model repository Thingiverse called, “Dongiverse”. As you might expect, it appears to hold actual 3D models related to its eponymous title. The site seems to be a layer on top of Thingiverse, as it simply links visitors to selected items in… Continue reading Dongiverse
3D Modeling? Where Do I Start?
Once you’ve got your personal 3D printer working and you’ve exhausted the usual sources of printable models, your faced with a dilemma: how do I create my own 3D models? You might ask someone trained in 3D modeling, but we think that’s probably not a good idea. We’ve found that pro 3D modelers tend… Continue reading 3D Modeling? Where Do I Start?
Testing the Customizer
The magic of 3D printing is that you can make something totally unique that has never existed before; something that’s just right for you. But how do you get the models to do this? One way is to make use of Thingiverse’s new Customizer feature. It’s an add-on to certain models that permits… Continue reading Testing the Customizer
Just An Engine Block, Printed
Peter from RepRapCentral advises us of a very cool 3D print recently done on one of their MakerBot Replicators: a Ford Engine Block. No, you can’t actually run this engine, but printed in blue translucent PLA it looks pretty good. Check out the high-precision detail of this print in the close view above. … Continue reading Just An Engine Block, Printed
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
Augmented 3D Printing
Architects have long used 3D printing as a means to better visualize their design ideas. By 3D printing a building you can “see” it much better than through a 2D screen and thus gain insight you’d otherwise miss. But the problem is that the 3D model is, well, static. It just sits there. It… Continue reading Augmented 3D Printing
Spotted: Joshua Harker’s Crania Anatomica Filigre
While shopping for toys at the famous FAO Schwarz in New York City, we happened to run across a stray 3D print: artist Joshua Harker’s Crania Anatomica Filigre, recently featured on Kickstarter. What was this item doing at FAO Schwarz? We didn’t see a price tag on the delicate skull, as it laid… Continue reading Spotted: Joshua Harker’s Crania Anatomica Filigre
Using SketchUp for 3D Printing
SketchUp is a free 3D modeling tool that is quite often the very first exposure to 3D modeling for many people. But is it appropriate for producing 3D models for printing? First off, we must say that SketchUp was not designed with 3D printing in mind; instead it was, like many 3D modeling tools,… Continue reading Using SketchUp for 3D Printing
AutoDesk Releases 123D Design
Software giant AutoDesk took a big plunge into the 3D consumer space by releasing 123D Design, a very user-friendly 3D modeling tool. The software is available for iPad, Mac or PC and also directly on the web if you don’t have any of those platforms. We took 123D Design for a spin and found… Continue reading AutoDesk Releases 123D Design
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