This week’s selection is “Fallen Woman” by Netherlands-based 3D artist Wilfred Stijger. The piece was designed in Z-Brush and subsequently 3D printed in white material as you can see above. Stijger works in a wide variety of materials, including sand, ice and snow. We’d like to see him test out a snow-3D printer, if… Continue reading Design of the Week: Fallen Woman
Design
Design of the Week: Sphere Autologlyph
This week’s selection is the utterly fascinating “Sphere Autoglyph” by master mathematical modeler Henry Segerman. Segerman has used his extensive mathematical background to generate a vast collection of fantastic generated artwork; his Shapeways shop contains 94 items as of this writing, and all of them are Design of the Week-worthy. At first glance the… Continue reading Design of the Week: Sphere Autologlyph
Design of the Week: Strain My Tea
This week’s selection is “Strain My Tea” by Shapeways creator sbf54. This item is both attractive, functional and practical, making it an excellent choice. Using the teacup is straightforward: pull your teabag into the upper chamber to strain it out and then enjoy your hot beverage. Strain My Tea is available on Shapeways… Continue reading Design of the Week: Strain My Tea
Design of the Week: Coffee Filigree
This week’s selection is the Coffee Filigree by Brian Drescher of The Netherlands. Drescher says: Another variation of the coffee cup design…organic filigree. An example of common objects transformed into art via 3D printing. Click the blue animation button to see it from all angles. Available also as a full-scale (10cm) table-top object. … Continue reading Design of the Week: Coffee Filigree
Design of the Week: Filament Clip
This week’s selection is a purely functional design: the Filament Clip by Thingiverse maker Elk. There’s not much to say about its structure, because the value of this design is in its function. It simply holds the end of a filament against the spool, as you can see in this image by Thingiverse maker… Continue reading Design of the Week: Filament Clip
Design of the Week: Volta Necklace
This week’s selection is designer Phil Renato’s Volta, billed as “An evolving 3D printed necklace design with a serpentine linkage system.” The necklace has indeed evolved since we featured Renato’s work many months ago. Today it is a refined design that is becoming a true product for consumers. The design is based on… Continue reading Design of the Week: Volta Necklace
Design Of The Week: Safe T Bagel
This week’s selection is a practical one: the Safe T Bagel by Thingiverse contributor poetryinmotion. It’s not particularly artistic, but it is very functional. The method of use involves placing a bagel (or other bagel-sized and shaped food object) into the middle of the Safe T Bagel. Then simply slide a knife along both… Continue reading Design Of The Week: Safe T Bagel
Design of the Week: The Lost Boys
This week’s selection is artist Sean Dabbs’ “The Lost Boys”. It’s actually a small collection of designs related the the movie of the same name. We specifically liked the rendering of Kiefer Sutherland’s frightening vampire character, especially the teeth. Also included in the collection are vampire-like hands and feet. Dabbs is a UK-based… Continue reading Design of the Week: The Lost Boys
Design of the Week: Spiralis
This week’s selection is Spiralis by Shapeways designer Emm@nuel. There are actually two variations of Spiralis in the Shapeways catalog, the Spiralis+0,025-7cm and the Spiralis+0,025, which appear to differ only in size. Designer Emm@nuel describes Spiralis as: Mathematical oddity composed with 20 triskelions (triskelion, triskele) and 12 spirals. Definitely! You can… Continue reading Design of the Week: Spiralis
Nokia’s 3D Printing Adventure
Nokia has long used 3D printing internally to design cases and shapes for their handsets, but now they’re permitting customers to do the same. Nokia has released the 3D model files required for designing your very own back cover for their new Lumina 820 handset. The model includes the structures required to match the… Continue reading Nokia’s 3D Printing Adventure
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
Incredible 3D Fashion Video
There’s an increasing interest in 3D printed fashions, perhaps because of the novelty of 3D printing, but we suspect also because you’re able to create fashions that could otherwise not be manufactured. As wonderful as such fashion may be, it has been difficult for the public to understand it as 3D printed fashion shows are… Continue reading Incredible 3D Fashion Video
Design of the Week: Voronoi Yoda
This week’s selection goes to 3D artist Dzingof, whose 3D Voronoi Yoda caught our eye. It’s a Yoda, definitely, but with a twist: it’s composed of an incredibly complex interior shape. The secret to this design is its voronoi, which is the method of generating the fill. According to Wikipedia, voronoi is: … Continue reading Design of the Week: Voronoi Yoda
Design of the Week: Caged Heels
This week’s selection is London-based shoe designer Bryan Oknyansky’s Caged Heels. Oknyansky runs Shoes By Bryan, a bespoke designer of very unique shoes, operating since May 2011. The award-winning designer begins a shoe design by analyzing the physics of the shoe. He uses personal orthopedic dimensions and ergonomic measurements in the parametric 3D CAD… Continue reading Design of the Week: Caged Heels
Design Of The Week: Albert Einstein Wall
This week’s selection was observed at CES at the Sculpteo booth. We didn’t manage to find the official title of this work, nor the associated artist, but nevertheless, we think it’s very cool. It’s a rather large wall composed entirely of 3D printed iPhone cases, each with slightly altered visual characteristics, gradually building up… Continue reading Design Of The Week: Albert Einstein Wall
Design of the Week: Yellow Vessel
This week’s selection is Matthew Plummer-Fernandez’ Yellow Vessel. We spotted this wonderful vase at the 3DEA exhibit in New York and it was sufficiently interesting that we looked it up to find out more about the artist behind the work. Plummer-Fernandez uses his own software interface developed with several open source software systems for… Continue reading Design of the Week: Yellow Vessel
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
Design of the Week: Fractal.MGX Table
This week’s selection was encountered during our visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, specifically in the Modern Art section. The Fractal.MGX table is a stunning demonstration of the possibilities when one combines creativity, size, mathematics and of course, 3D printing. The Fractal.MGX table was designed in 2007 by three:… Continue reading Design of the Week: Fractal.MGX Table
Ford Equips Engineers With MakerBots
It’s no surprise that engineers at Ford make use of high-power commercial 3D printers; the technology has been in use at major industrial design operations for, well, decades. What is surprising is the revelation that Ford intends to “put the smaller Makerbot replicators at every engineer’s desk in the coming months”, according to a report… Continue reading Ford Equips Engineers With MakerBots
Design of the Week: Chrysanthemum
This week’s selection is the astonishingly beautiful Chrysanthemum by South African artist Michaelia Janse van Vuuren. A PhD in Electrical Engineering as well as an accomplished artist, van Vuuren focuses on designing artwork specifically for 3D printing from her studio outside of Pretoria. (Click image for larger view) This 250x250x82mm piece is a centerpiece,… Continue reading Design of the Week: Chrysanthemum
Virtual Jewelry Becomes Real Jewelry
You might not be aware of it, but there’s a pretty competitive fashion industry within the still-kicking virtual world of Second Life. For years fashion designers have created pretty amazing virtual clothing, jewelry and other artifacts, some not possible in real life. Such items have been sold to Second Life avatars for many years. But… Continue reading Virtual Jewelry Becomes Real Jewelry
Design of the Week: Key Waffle
This week’s selection is a tremendously functional design with an unusual name. The Key Waffle, designed by artist Tim Potter, attempts to simplify the use of keyless mobile devices. You’ve probably heard someone say, “I need REAL keys to type on my mobile!”, when they discount full-screen phone options. This item is designed for… Continue reading Design of the Week: Key Waffle
Design of the Week: The Evolution Bracelet
This week’s selection was observed in a small display in a less-traveled corner of Euromold 2012. The evolution bracelet attempts to show the process of evolution along its axis, from molecules to humans, with lesser creatures in-between. Designed by Netherlands-based Studio Mango, this beautifully detailed bracelet is 70 x 65 x 20mm in size.… Continue reading Design of the Week: The Evolution Bracelet
3D Print Lightweight Load Bearing Structures
In most large constructions, rigid, dense and heavy support beams are used to keep a structure from crumbling in on itself. But for some applications, having dense structural components is a drawback. Researchers in Europe have shown that the density of structural components can be greatly reduced if they’re constructed around a fractal pattern. … Continue reading 3D Print Lightweight Load Bearing Structures
Thirty Artists are CALMed with 3D Printing
The University of Exeter’s Centre for Additive Layer Manufacturing (CALM) recently hosted a collaboration between 30 artists and its engineers to leverage 3D printing technology. The event was intended to introduce 3D printing technology to curious artists who expressed an interest in trying out the new approach. According to the University: The… Continue reading Thirty Artists are CALMed with 3D Printing
Design of the Week: Accommo
This week’s selection was seen at Euromold 2012: Accommo by artists Levin Wagner and Jannis Thiele of the University of Arts, Berlin, Germany. This design was also selected as one of the top ten finishers in the 2012 Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge by Dimension/Stratasys. The Accommo at first appears to be a… Continue reading Design of the Week: Accommo
Art and Sound at Euromold 2012
At trade shows vendors wish to thrill visitors by showing example prints from their machinery. Often the most impressive prints are artwork. That being so, Euromold is riddled with 3D printed artwork everywhere you look, at least in Hall 11, the home of 3D printing technologies during this year’s event. We thought you’d like to… Continue reading Art and Sound at Euromold 2012
Design of the Week: Self-portrait 21
Artists often push the envelope of design and technique and that is certainly the case for “Self-portrait 21” by Dutch sculptor Caspar Berger, selected as this week’s Design of the Week. The production of this bronze self-portrait is quite a story. Berger used a medical CT scanner to capture a 3D model of his… Continue reading Design of the Week: Self-portrait 21
Design of the Week: Anatomica di Revolutis
This week’s design is Anatomica di Revolutis by Chicago’s Joshua Harker. You may recall Harker as the artist who showed the world how to get it done on Kickstarter: his work, Crania Anatomica Filigre, scored a very healthy USD$77,271 when it closed over a year ago. That 3D print was one of the most popular… Continue reading Design of the Week: Anatomica di Revolutis
Furniture That Can Carry Its Own Weight
Multithread, a furniture collection that is currently on display at the 2012 Istanbul Design Biennial, has an interesting story behind its creation. Designed by Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram, the Multithread collection was built using custom-created CAD software that can analyze the support forces acting on a piece of furniture’s joints and modify the… Continue reading Furniture That Can Carry Its Own Weight
Mixing Digital Sculpture With Real Objects
We’re fascinated with this beautiful mashup of reality and fantasy using 3D printing by artist Greg Petchkovsky, who created it as his entry to the Instructables “Make It Real” contest. Petchkovsky first scans a broken brick corner and then using a combination of Agisoft Photoscan and 3DS Max he designed and 3D printed a… Continue reading Mixing Digital Sculpture With Real Objects
Softkill’s Protohouse
We’ve previously written about experiments in 3D printing for building construction and while these experiments have experienced varying degrees of success, there remains the question of “what do you print” if you can build house-sized objects. That was the question answered by design firm Softkill, whose exhibit at the recent 3D Printshow displayed a… Continue reading Softkill’s Protohouse
Design of the Week: Holy (USB) Hand
Occasionally great designs can happen accidentally. This week’s selection is the “Holy (USB) Hand” by Newcastle University’s Dr. Javier Munguia’s team of three mechanical engineering students. The origins of the hand were practical: the team required a “hand” to test an experimental wrist splint concept and prepared a “hand” model to print on their… Continue reading Design of the Week: Holy (USB) Hand
Design of the Week: Flux
This week’s selection is Flux by artist Daniel Hilldrup. This fascinating piece is obviously quite simple in its exterior structure, but it’s interior is far more complex. Functionally, it’s a simple capacity-three candelabra formed from a square box. However, the interior structure is almost in motion as it seems to exude from the inserted… Continue reading Design of the Week: Flux
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
Design of the Week: Würfel in Würfel 2
This week’s selection is Thingiverse user Achim Esslinger’s beautiful “Würfel in Würfel 2”. The title in English means “Cube in Cubes”, which it clearly is. It’s a two-part item that you could easily print on most personal 3D printers. When assembled it should clearly demonstrate your ability to produce amazing objects right in your… Continue reading Design of the Week: Würfel in Würfel 2
Design of the Week: Rollercoaster
This week’s selection is famed 3D print designer Janne Kyttänen’s 2006 piece, “Rollercoaster”. It’s a stunningly beautiful fruit tray – which evidently holds up to nine oranges. We like not only its visual attractiveness, but its simplicity and utility. You can indeed store oranges or perhaps other lesser fruit on said tray. However,… Continue reading Design of the Week: Rollercoaster
Design of the Week: Humming
This week’s selection is Eric van Straaten’s “Humming” Statuette. With the simple description, “Girl holding a hummingbird”, van Straaten’s statuette clearly demonstrates the power of color 3D printing. Polychemy says: Eric van Straaten is a Hyper Surreal artist and a noteable 3D Print artist and sculptor. His work has been featured in… Continue reading Design of the Week: Humming
Design Of The Week: Sunken Coffee Mug
This delightful and shocking design by German Thingiverse user FMMT666 has been selected as this week’s Design of the Week. What is it? Simply a coffee mug, but with a surprising difference: the lower portion is sliced off, making it appear to be embedded in the table. You’d visually expect it to either be… Continue reading Design Of The Week: Sunken Coffee Mug
Nick Ervnick’s Sculptures
Belgian sculptor Nick Ervnick has been working with Materialise to print several of his works for exhibition. One of his sculptures is featured in Tongeren, Belgium’s town centre, right in front of the Gallo-Romeins Museum, “one of the most important archaeological museums in Europe”. That’s not all. Ervnick’s works are being shown in… Continue reading Nick Ervnick’s Sculptures
Design of the Week: Antique Scandinavian Stoves
This week’s selection is a set of Antique Scandinavian Stoves by New York-based Thingiverse user PrettySmallThings, also known as Kacie Hultgren. Hultgren’s design represents a class of 3D print we’ve been seeing more frequently lately: miniature furniture. She says: I’m a scenic designer in the theatre industry, using my makerbot to make amazing… Continue reading Design of the Week: Antique Scandinavian Stoves
Design of the Week: Mobius Sake Cup
This week’s selected design is Ovidiu Opresco’s Mobius Sake Cup. How simple is a Sake cup? What could transform such a straightforward object into the unusual? Ovidiu Opresco’s idea was to blend the concept of a an endless Mobius strip with the cup to create a very unusual piece. The cup is functional… Continue reading Design of the Week: Mobius Sake Cup
Design Of The Week: Doublefeature
We’ve selected designer Paul Kweton’s Doublefeature as this week’s noted design. What is it? It’s a dual wristwatch, apparently “custom made for a client in Houston, TX”. If you’re interested in getting one, don’t fear, as Kweton says: “For custom orders please contact us via email at …” Obviously the intricate time-telling watch… Continue reading Design Of The Week: Doublefeature
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
Design of the Week: The Bloom Table Lamp
This week’s selected design is Patrick Jouin’s incredible Bloom table lamp. What makes it so interesting? It’s based on the mechanics of an actual flower: to emit more light, the lampshade opens as a flower does when exposed to light. The piece is actually 3D printed as a single unit, including hinges for the… Continue reading Design of the Week: The Bloom Table Lamp
Design of the Week: RD Time Extrusion
This week’s selection is the RD Time Extrusion. What is it? We’re not sure, but the designers, Nervous System believe it could serve as a pencil holder, as depicted here. You’re free to figure out other uses for this unusual item. The item was designed mathematically, like many Nervous System products, and is freely… Continue reading Design of the Week: RD Time Extrusion
Neri Oxman Exhibition Video
Oh, you DIDN’T manage to get to Paris to view Neri Oxman’s astonishing display of multicolor 3D prints at Centre Pompidou? We managed to do so and reported it here. But just in case you didn’t see it, there is a very interesting video of the event produced by Objet, the sponsors of… Continue reading Neri Oxman Exhibition Video
3D Print Your Escher
Everyone has seen those perplexing drawings by M.C. Escher and marveled at their paradoxical nature. Confusing images that could never be real. Until now. Gershon Elber of the Computer Science Department of Technion, Israel Institute of Technology has done just that. He has designed 3D shapes that, when 3D printed and viewed from specific… Continue reading 3D Print Your Escher
More 3D Printed Shoes
There’s more cool stuff from the folks at Continuum Fashion, who have previously produced a 3D printed Bikini. They’ve now released the “strvct” 3D printed shoes, a mesh-like design printed in nylon. Don’t worry, they are indeed wearable as they include a “patent leather inner sole, and coated with a synthetic rubber on the bottom… Continue reading More 3D Printed Shoes
Design of the Week: For All Mankind
There is but one choice for this week’s Design of the Week: For All Mankind, by Thingiverse maker Doug Keenan. We selected this design in honor of the passing of Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to step onto another world. The model depicts an Apollo astronaut taking that giant step off the Lunar… Continue reading Design of the Week: For All Mankind
Design of the Week: The Dragonbite Grip
This week’s chosen design is the Dragonbite grip pencil holder, which was recently chosen by i.Materialise as the winner of their Metal Accessories Challenge. The Dragonbite grip is both artistic and functional, as it securely holds your pencil in a way that offers comfortable writing. And it’s a dragon, too! Created by the… Continue reading Design of the Week: The Dragonbite Grip
Design Of The WeeK: Julia Vase #001 Aqua
This week’s selected design is Julia Vase #001 – Aqua by Virtox, also known as the Dutch artist Stijn van der Linden. Virtox has released this amazing design on Shapeways, where you can purchase a 3D printed version in a variety of materials, and also on Thingiverse and GrabCAD where you are free… Continue reading Design Of The WeeK: Julia Vase #001 Aqua
Design of the Week: The Teeth Tea Cup
Artist Lily Su has produced a rather unusual tea cup. What makes it unusual? Two things. First, and most prominently, is the teethy edge along the rim of the cup. We’re certain you’ll agree that the teeth produce feelings when you see them. Would you drink from this cup? Su says: Why is… Continue reading Design of the Week: The Teeth Tea Cup
One More Designer: Dizingof
After publishing Chris Waldo’s terrific “Showcase of Influential 3D Print Artists” the other week, we received a suggestion of another artist who might have been missed: Dizingof. Under his real name, Tel Aviv-based Asher Nahmias, specializes in mathematically-generated 3D models, or “math art”. Dizingof’s creations are typically complex, flowing and invariably beautiful. Browsing through… Continue reading One More Designer: Dizingof
Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Design Challenge
We’re reviewing the winning entries to Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Design Challenge and we like what we see. There are some very interesting designs, including the winner above: The String Case by FCPRS. It’s quite startling to see how inventive designers can be given the constraints of an iPhone case. Strangely, the winning entry… Continue reading Sculpteo’s iPhone Case Design Challenge
Design Of The Week: The Love Bone
This week we turn to i.Materialise where we found the beautiful “Love Bone” by Studio Mango, selected as Design of the Week. This smoothly shaped item is intended as a necklace by attaching a chain: For our loved ones Studio Mango designed the Lovebone necklace, the last missing bone in the human body.… Continue reading Design Of The Week: The Love Bone
Design Of The Week: Turk’s Head Knot
Thingiverse maker jtbowden created the beautiful “Turk’s Head Knot”. This design caught our eye not only because it’s visually attractive, but also for two other reasons. First, this design should be very easy to 3D print even on the most basic 3D printers. Some designs can be quite aggressive and require particular resolutions or… Continue reading Design Of The Week: Turk’s Head Knot
A Showcase of Influential 3D Print Artists
Editor’s note: This guest post comes from 3D printing aficionado Chris Waldo, who has compiled a very impressive list of some very impressive folks pushing the envelope on 3D printing every week. [Update: All images below are thumbnails; please click on them to see larger views] Throughout all emerging markets & technologies, there… Continue reading A Showcase of Influential 3D Print Artists
3D Printed Design Awards In Barcelona
Barcelona’s Association of Industrial Design has selected several student projects for Student Industrial Design Awards at the Barcelona School of Design and Engineering and we had to show them to you because, well they’re amazing! The winning entry was designed by student Marion Frei, who came up with a unique “Vinculum” system for identifying… Continue reading 3D Printed Design Awards In Barcelona
3D Printing 2012 – Top Prints So Far
Editor’s note: This guest post comes from 3D printing aficionado Chris Waldo, who’s anxious to tell us his thoughts on some very cool 3D prints in 2012. Since the late 1970’s, 3D printing has come a long way. Build sizes, detail levels, material science, and speed have all improved significantly in comparison to the… Continue reading 3D Printing 2012 – Top Prints So Far
Fashion and Jewelry 3D Printing Workshop
Interested in fashion or jewelry design? Want to do it with 3D printing technology? If so, you may want to attend one of the workshops taking place at ELISAVA, School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona. There are two five-day workshops scheduled, one from 23-27 July and a second edition from 10-14 September of… Continue reading Fashion and Jewelry 3D Printing Workshop
GrabCAD’s Tool Challenge
GrabCAD is one of the world’s largest repositories of (mostly CAD) 3D models and one of the largest groups of designers, too (250,000+). This means that when they run a contest you can be sure you’ll see some very interesting entries. This month they announced the winner of their “Useful 3D Printed Tool Challenge”, in… Continue reading GrabCAD’s Tool Challenge
3D Printed Voodoo
As the popularity of 3D printing increases, so does its attraction to designers of incredible things. One designer we’ve noticed is Rob Elford, whose Shapeways shop, Hoodoo Botanical, exemplifies how designers are working in the space. He’s been working on developing fashion accessories 3D printed in full color sandstone. Successful designers tend to focus… Continue reading 3D Printed Voodoo
More 3D Printed Fashion from Rapid 2012
We’ve received additional images and now a video of the 3D printed fashion event held at Rapid 2012 this past week from NYC-based designer Aaron Trocola, who appears here with model Abbey – and wearing one of his works. Aaron’s exceptional video of the 3D printed fashion show runway, intermixed with shots of several… Continue reading More 3D Printed Fashion from Rapid 2012
Rapid 2012’s Fashion Show: Pics
We weren’t able to attend Rapid 2012’s 3D printed fashion show, but we obtained photos of the event for your perusal today courtesy of designer Aaron Trocola, whose work was one of those featured in the show. Incidentally, you can see more of Aaron’s work at his Shapeways shop. Model at the aftershow reception… Continue reading Rapid 2012’s Fashion Show: Pics
3D Printed Fashion at Rapid 2012
While much of Rapid 2012 centered on manufacturing and part development and analysis, we observed a fair bit of fashion. Here’s what we saw. Among several jewelry items was this amazing bracelet, designed by the Nervous System Design Studio. Speaking of jewelry, we caught a glimpse of this rather elaborate 3D printed ring… Continue reading 3D Printed Fashion at Rapid 2012
Self Powered 3D Printed Lamp
Designer Margot Krasojevic has developed a very unique piece: a 3D printed light that provides its own power. How does it do that, exactly? The shape of the case is the secret. While it appears to be an attractive lamp, aerodynamically its actually a propeller! It’s mounted on a rotating axis connected to a… Continue reading Self Powered 3D Printed Lamp
Vortex Salt and Pepper
There are tons of 3D designs available from a variety of sources these days. Some are very simplistic utility objects, like clamps or basic shapes, while others offer incredibly complexity, perhaps even designed through mathematical algorithms. But every once in a while a truly unique design appears that is not only beautiful, ingenious and functional,… Continue reading Vortex Salt and Pepper
3D Infographics
Admit it, you’re in love with those beautiful infographics we so often see in newspapers, magazines and online. They convey an idea, concept or statistic in a visual way that is frequently easier to understand that plowing through text. It’s lazy, but oh, so true. Now a Shapeways designer has produced a kind of… Continue reading 3D Infographics
The Secret Color Process
As much as we’d like to have attended Neri Oxman’s talk at Centre Pompidou in Paris the other day, we were simply unable to get there. However, we were able to view videos and images from the exhibition, sponsored by 3D printer manufacturer Objet. Ms. Oxman produced fantastic and beautiful 3D printed objects inspired… Continue reading The Secret Color Process
3D Printed Typography
This is an interesting design: designer Luca Ionescu used typography as the foundation for this piece, which is not surprising, since Ionescu is also a typographer. The complex design incorporates type as a main feature; this approach is something we see often when people are preparing custom 3D prints. Typography is one of the… Continue reading 3D Printed Typography
Pottery Via 3D Printing
We never realized it, but extrusion-based 3D printing is quite similar to traditional methods of making ceramic pots. In the ancient method, a roll of clay is set in a circle, then another is affixed on top, gradually building up the object into a full pot. Sound familiar? Artist and potter Jonathan Keep realized… Continue reading Pottery Via 3D Printing
How To Screw Your 3D Print
We don’t mean ruining it! We mean being able to successfully insert screws into your 3D printed model for attaching other components. Let’s be clear: you can make much more interesting objects when you use multiple components. But how do you fit them together? One could resort to designing matching slots in each piece… Continue reading How To Screw Your 3D Print
3D Printing a Pulsar
A pulsar is a very strange astronomical object that is the result of a collapsing star. The conservation of angular momentum means the small collapsed star spins very rapidly, causing it to “pulse” its radio signals on a very reliable frequency, hence the name “Pulsar”. Peter Walters and Katie Davies of England’s University of… Continue reading 3D Printing a Pulsar
Print The Eiffel
A post on Objet’s blog shows off a totally amazing 3D print of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. This 20+ cm version is highly detailed and is made with Objet’s clear material. We’re particularly impressed with the lack of “stringies” that are so often found on prints from extruded plastic personal 3D printers. The problem is… Continue reading Print The Eiffel
Printing a Buckliball?
We’re always fascinated by those gift cards that pop up into ingenious 3D structures when you open them up, but could something like this be done in 3D? It turns out you can with a new design called the “Buckliball”. The Buckliball is a sphere that can grow or shrink by twisting its form… Continue reading Printing a Buckliball?
Scream A 3D Print, Literally
A truly amazing installation of what’s called “Production Art” is now open for viewing – and screaming – at Rabobank HQ in Utrecht, Netherlands. Screaming, you ask? That’s exactly what visitors must do when the visit Alicia Framis’ “Screaming Room” exhibition. You scream, the waveform is recorded and translated instantly into a 3D model (a… Continue reading Scream A 3D Print, Literally
Hilldrup’s Fragments in Time
We caught news of an interesting artistic application of 3D printing, on display this past week in Munich at the 84Ghz exhibition. Artist Daniel Hilldrup created two works from his series Fragments in Time using 3D printing tech from Objet. One item is imaged here, showing a candle holder with the wax seemingly melting… Continue reading Hilldrup’s Fragments in Time
Make Your Own iPhone Case, and More
There’s a great Instructable now available showing how to design and 3D print an iPhone case. You might not find that particularly interesting, but we found one aspect quite intriguing. It was the method of design. While one might simply obtain the dimensions of an iPhone and then design around that, the Intstructable did… Continue reading Make Your Own iPhone Case, and More
The Stelliform Owl
California-based customer service rep Grant Miller is one of many folks who moonlight as a 3D artisan when not doing their day job. Miller’s particular interest lies in “toys, statues and animations” and he’s been freelancing in this area for some time. To produce a “portfolio piece” he drew upon his love for owls… Continue reading The Stelliform Owl
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… Continue reading Shapeways’ Peek Into Imagination: Finds Apple’s Siri
A 3D Printed Heart
We were contacted by designer Mat Schwartz, who’s been experimenting with jewelry printing. Recently he made something unique for Valentine’s Day: a heart. He had been developing jewelry in the form of traditional rings but then was inspired by a Circulation Research report project he’d been working on: If you have been following the… Continue reading A 3D Printed Heart
The Useful iPod Nano Watchband
You’ve no doubt seen those squarish iPod Nano’s in the Apple Store. They’re so square that someone long ago thought they’d be easily transformed into a Dick Tracy-style watch by merely adding a band. And so it went, until Fernando Sosa decided to improve the design using 3D printing. Sosa has produced an Instructable… Continue reading The Useful iPod Nano Watchband
The 3D Printed Art of Robert Geshlider
Artists have begun leveraging 3D printing technology to produce wondrous creations. This week we encountered an artist who is pushing the technology to its limit by creating perhaps the most amazing 3D printed pieces we’ve ever seen. We contacted California-based Robert Geshlider and asked him a few questions about his work, some of which… Continue reading The 3D Printed Art of Robert Geshlider
RAPID 3D Printed Clothing?
The annual RAPID additive manufacturing conference takes place this May in Atlanta and we’re expecting to see some interesting product announcements as usual. However, this year there might be something unusual in the plan, since the conference just put out a call for designers to submit “your most innovative 3D printed fashion piece”. … Continue reading RAPID 3D Printed Clothing?
More 3D Printed Shoes
After jewelry, the most frequently 3D printed item of clothing seems to be shoes. Some of the designs we’ve seen up to now were totally fantastic but were perhaps more arty than you’d care to wear in “real life”. Now we’re seeing more practical 3D printed shoe designs by artist Hoon Chung of the University… Continue reading More 3D Printed Shoes
Stackable 3D Print Design
Tom Modeen is at it again, developing weird but artistic techniques for producing 3D objects with 3D printers. This time he’s interrupting the 3D print operation before it completes, revealing the usually hidden inner support structure. By printing similarly sized objects, one can take these partial prints and manually assemble them in different combinations to… Continue reading Stackable 3D Print Design
3D Printed Ceramic Design
Artist Jonathan Keep provided an update on his experiments using ceramic 3D printing to create very unusual works. Using a modified RapMan personal 3D printer that has its usual plastic extruders replaced with syringes, Keep can successfully 3D print ceramic models. The syringes contain a fixed-capacity cartridge full of ceramic material, meaning Keep’s prints have… Continue reading 3D Printed Ceramic Design
North America’s Largest 3D Print?
Everyone asks how big can you print, but we have a group trying to print something truly massive. JF Brandon of Vancouver, Canada wants your help to print a gigantic version of famed 3D designer Bathsheba Grossman’s “Rygo” for outdoor installation at Gropp’s Gallery of Vancouver. The Rygo is an algorithmic design – generated… Continue reading North America’s Largest 3D Print?
3D Print Animated Beings!
It’s fun printing 3D objects with a 3D printer, but typically the problem is they are fixed, unmoving static objects that sit patiently on your desk. What if you could print objects that literally come alive and move around? What if you printed tiny beings that could walk? Sounds ridiculous, we know. But it’s… Continue reading 3D Print Animated Beings!
3D Printed Kite
Boing Boing reports on an amazing 3D printed kite. Well, the kite wasn’t completely 3D printed – instead just the numerous connectors were. They were used to connect carbon fiber rods to form the strange looking craft. While the kite looks incredible, it didn’t fly very well, at least as far as we can tell… Continue reading 3D Printed Kite
MCOR’s 3D Christmas Cards
MCOR’s 3D paper printer created a rather unique design for a Christmas card: a 3D object emerges from the (thick) card when you open it. As you can see in the image, the sheet-built Christmas tree is surrounded by the excess material, which is normally removed and disposed of. However, in this case the “excess”… Continue reading MCOR’s 3D Christmas Cards
3D Prints Hit The Apple Store
If it’s in the Apple Store it’s got to be good, right? That might be debated, but regardless Freshfiber has landed their custom-printed iPhone covers in US and Canadian Apple Stores. At this point only two models are offered (the “Weave” and the digital-like “Double Mesh”), but you can check out large quantities of… Continue reading 3D Prints Hit The Apple Store
Unfold Imagines Streetside 3D Printing
Several design firms specialize in doing amazing things with 3D printing and one of them is Belgium-based Unfold. Their new concept is streetside 3D printing. What? Yeah, it’s exactly that – a street vendor that prints arbitrary stuff on demand. Not hot dogs, but objects. Possible? Technically yes, but we suspect the clientele… Continue reading Unfold Imagines Streetside 3D Printing
The New Teardrop
Maker Zaggo has discovered a truly useful design tip for 3D models. The new design helps overcome a deficiency in many low-cost 3D printers: no support material. Support material is typically extruded from a second print head during the print to add support for overhangs and difficult object geometries. The support material is then removed… Continue reading The New Teardrop