Personalized 3D Printed Busts

A company called 3dforUs is selling these starting at around $270:

This is definitely a cool idea, but my god they're so creepy! Just the stiffness of these figures creeps me out, I don't know. I'm curious how they color these things though, it's very realistic. 

I think they're appealing to the wrong crowd. No graduating teenager would want something like this, and I don't think many parents are on to this sort of thing. I feel like compiling 3D scans of important figures and turning them into sculpture form of this caliber would work better. Hell yeah I'd buy a lifelike bust of Abe Lincoln. 

Thingiverse Picks- stuff that would actually be useful edition!

Often times when discussing 3d printing with people, some question what they'd actually find it useful for. These are people accustomed to having everything designed for them; they simply don't know what it means to create. I'm always pleased to find novel items being added to the Thingiverse and other sites. Here's just a few I personally would find useful:

1.) IPhone Tripod Attachment

And this one even appears as if it works without rubber bands.

2.) IPhone Lifeband 

3.) Cookie Cutters

4.) Caddyrack

5.) Cheating Pencil

6.) Juggernaut

Most useful desk toy ever.

Random Inspiration

New Printers from China

Lots of theft of intellectual property going on here....



Ideaprinter 

Winbo (They didn't if try and hide the fact that it's just a Replicator II)

Obama 3D Printer (Yes, this is a real thing)

Pretty Body Scanner

New Renders

Earring... Still Not Sure

Definitely not finished, but coming along.

Wireframe Elephant

I found this one Shapeways. I think it's a cool idea, but it wasn't executed too well. I plan on modeling it myself, hopefully before the end of the semester so I can gift it for Xmas!

MINIGUN!

I don't even need to say anything, the pictures speak for themselves. All I know is I WANT.

Disclaimer: It's Just a Replica!

That Moment When You Realize...

That DEFCAD was put together primarily for the distribution of 3D printed weapons. Check out the "Most Downloaded" tab...

(enlarge by clicking)

Makes sense though, Defense Distributed are the guys making these guns. DEFDIS, DEFCAD, I should have known all along! I guess they got pretty ticked off when Thingiverse banned the uploading of weapons on their website. From what I've read, DEFCAD has been coined "Anti-Makerbot" and "The Pirate Bay of 3D Printing." I found both of these sensationalist terms completely inaccurate, because:

a.) The page is COVERED in advertisements for Makerbot products

&

b.) These files are distributed for free anyway. No piracy going on here...

Overall, I love DEFCAD. I think the people behind it, however, are assholes. Cody Wilson, the mastermind behind it all, is stirring up quite the controversy in the media. And because the general public doesn't actually know anything about 3D printing, he's scaring the shit out of everyone. Everyone thinks that because of him, everyone has access to deadly weapons. Which is true, everyone has access. But to go through with all the printing and assembly of the weapons takes quite a bit of printing expertise  not to mention a printer that'll set you back at least 2000 dollars. Truth is, it's easier to make a weapon out of materials from Home Depot then it is via 3D printing. If you think a killer is going to rely on a one-shot-only-explode-a-pistol to get the job done, think again.

Freakin' Sweet Knots

I found this cool little app that allows you to create Turk's head knot rings with no CAD modeling experience at all. The textures are already generated, all the app does is input your ring size and desired height and then sends the information to Shapeways for a quick and cheap print. This is cool for convenience, but the fact that you can't get the STL files when all is said and done is a bit discouraging. But the rings are definitely cool, and at 3 bucks, it'd make a cheap, but sweet gift for a loved one.
Maybe I'm wrong though, is there anyway to get STL files from Shapeways? I'm thinking no, but who knows...

Here's the ring I made!

Printed ring, looks beautiful.

Here's the website: http://knots.freakinsweetapps.com/

Future Piece

This is a piece of the lid of my accessory. I noticed how cool the inside of it looked. Since it won't be visible with the rest of the lid, I decided to dissect it in an aim to make a whole new piece. I don't know what to do with it. Maybe I'll use it as a an architectural piece for the final. Maybe a ring or something. WHO KNOWS?!?!?

Renders

Check out my final renders for the accessory project. I'm pretty happy with them, considering the fact that they were rendered with Rhino's default rendered, no plugins or anything.

Full View:

 Open:

 Detail:

 Cool Shadow:

 More detail:

Blueprints

Beautiful Gear Table

Bringing Manufacturing Back to America!

I just read this inspiring article (not too many of those on the internet these days) that talked about getting 3D printers into "every school" in America. Pledged by Makerbot, Autodesk, Stratasys, and even President Obama, it seems quite feasible that we can bring 3D printing to the forefront of our nation. The president affirmed "3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. We must ensure that the Next Industrial Revolution in manufacturing will happen in America. We can get that done." 

This is definitely good for anyone trying to make a career out of this. I feel that right now, 3D printing is still to complicated to be truly successful on a consumer level. Even if the software is easy to use, printers need constant maintenance. Regardless, I'm glad the President is on board with how powerful 3D printing can be in an economic sense. We have the power to free ourselves from the clutches of China! Which, might not be as great as it sounds, because the only reason they aren't pestering us about our debt is because we are still adding to it... But, we'll see. 

Check out this article, definitely worth the read: 
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/makerbot-and-partners-are-leading-the-charge-to-crowd-source-a-makerbot-desktop-3d-printer-in-every-school-in-america-2013-11-12?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Thingiverse Picks - Gift Edition!

Upon successfully printing something from the Thingiverse, I realized that I can utilize it to make cheap, yet highly personalized Christmas gifts for my family. Here's a list of four I'm contemplating working on.

For Dad - An Adjustable Wrench

I'll I have to do is put his name on it and you got the most thoughtful gift you could ever give to your father. Seeing as my Dad already bought everything he could ever want for himself, I have to kick it up a notch by giving him everything he has... but 3D PRINTED.

For Mom - A Pen Holder

Maybe a bit cliche, but Mom's love this sort of thing!


For Brother - HOW ABOUT A FULL SIZE MASTER CHIEF HELMET!?!?!

In reality, I would probably have to downsize this and give it to him as a desk toy. But still, this is sick. The plastic actually replicates the computer graphics pretty well.


For Sister - A Kitty Self-Defense Keychain

Best idea ever. My sister is seriously a cat lady, she'd love this.

Accessory Nearly Finished

Aside from a few technical issues that need to be settled, my accessory is almost done. I may redo the text, it looks a little funny from far away. I'm also not completely satisfied with the top. I don't know if I want to make it more decorative or not. But I'm happy that I at least encapsulated the essence of the stein with just a few simple Sweep commands. I'm also having issues with manifold curves, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!

Pictures of some 3D-printed food

We've all seen a bunch of 3d-printed chocolate. That's nothing new, since hot chocolate's physical behavior is similar to that of hot plastic. However, I'm going to show you some examples of 3D printed food you won't even believe...

Yeah, that 3D printer just schooled your son who's in Culinary..

As of now, 3D printed food is altering the way the food looks more than anything else. Hopefully one day, it'll reach a point where it changes the way food is delivered.

Ok, I lied about not posting chocolate, but this is just too damn cool...

THIS IS SO COOL. YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE THE PRINT MARKS.

Delicious!