Category 3D Printing

Science Can Be Fun!

For six decades and three generations, the Leakey family has dedicated themselves to uncovering, understanding and promoting the story of our origins. They have been systematically discovering evidence of our ancestry in East Africa. The Leakey team have collected thousands of fossils of human ancestors and other animals, as well as stone tools and other artifacts that are stored permanently in the National Museums of Kenya and at the Turkana Basin Institute (www.turkanabasin.org).

Aware of the general inaccessibility of these national treasures in their current locations, Dr. Louise Leakey, a third generation of the ‘fossil hunter’ family, took it upon herself to find a way to make them globally accessible for educators, kids, and science enthusiasts. Inspired by the possibilities presented by new capture and digitization technologies, about two years ago Dr. Louise Leakey began a fruitful collaboration with Autodesk (www.autodesk.com). Together, the team captured 3D digital models of the most significant fossils, and built a beautiful, interactive web site to host them.

Ask the Smithsonian Laser Cowboys Anything on Reddit

How do you digitize the Smithsonian artifacts in 3D?
Ask the Laser Cowboys right now on Reddit! http://s.si.edu/1hLnOD3

I am here with Smithsonian's 3D capturing experts the "Laser Cowboys" Adam Metallo and Vince Rossi, 3D Program Officers, Smithsonian Institution Digitization Program at the famed Smithsonian Castle in Washington DC for a Reddit AMA session. The Reddit AMA session will run until 1PM Eastern today Friday November 15th,2013. Adam and Vince use many 3D capture techniques such as laser scanning, microCT, photogrammetry and more to capture the objects and collection at the Smithsonian.

Smithsonian’s New x3D Explorer Announced

Autodesk has been working with the Smithsonian for over a year to bring some of the collection to more people by digitizing the objects in 3D and placing on the web to explore since only about 1% of the entire collection of over 130 million objects are ever on pubic display.

Today the Smithsonian's Secretary Wayne Clough announced the new Smithsonian x3D Explorer. Many technology partners worked with the Smithsonian to capture and present the first objects of the collection including many iconic objects. The Smithsonian x3D Explorer allows users in a web browser (WebGL based) to interact with the objects like the Wright Flyer, US President Lincoln life mask, Amelia Earhart's flight suit, Whale Fossils from the desert in Chile Cosmic Buddha, and ranging in scale from an Embreea Orchid to the CasA Supernova Remnant and even 3D print some of them. The objects were laboriously digitized in 3D by the Smithsonian using many different technologies like laser scanning, micro-ct, and photogrammetry.

No more "don't touch" warning signs or wondering what the object looks like on the other side or on closer inspection. This is an exciting new compliment to the physical exhibit collections in museums allowing people all over the world to explore and learn or even 3D print your own copy for yourself or classroom.

I hope you will have a look at the amazing objects in 3D set free from their exhibits and glass cases for you to enjoy and explore. Try the functionality in the Smithsonian x3D Explorer powerful features like the ability analyze the objects with different surface colors, surface contours, take measurements, share your objects, and learn about the fascinating stories from the museums curators about the object. Not only can you interact with the objects but you can take guided tours of key areas in the Smithsonian x3D

Smithsonian x3D Explorer Powered by Autodesk
http://youtu.be/wW5uDfl23-4
The Smithsonian x3D Explorer Getting Started
http://3d.si.edu/article/getting-started

3D Printing Coming to Your Neighborhood UPS Store

I have been waiting this announcement since 3D Printing started going mainstream and the Maker movement grew to more than a few people tinkering with 3D prints in garages, basements and dorms. I wrote over a year ago that someday you would be able to 3D design or print a pre designed 3D part from your home to a local brick and mortar store and pick up the 3D printed part.

Now you don’t have to buy that expensive 3D printer for occasional use or use a online print service and wait on UPS to deliver your 3D print. Soon you will be able to get it when it is done at the local UPS Store. It could be a replacement part for something in your house like that always breaking plastic dryer door clip, the worlds next big invention prototype, or perhaps you made a 3D model of your head using 123D Catch and made it into a 3D door knob using 123D Design to add that unique style to your home. With so many 3D software out there I am assuming all UPS will require is a STL file.

UPS Stores will be proving a 3D print service using professional Stratasys uPrint SE Plus 3D printers. No details on pricing per cubic inch just yet. It will be interesting to see how many stores expand this service and how many people prototype their next great inventions using them.

Autodesk 3D Print Utility

Autodesk has just released the Autodesk 3D Printing Utility (A3DP) for free. You can use this free standalone utility when installing Autodesk’s 123D Design, 123D Make, or 123D Catch and selecting the option to install the standalone 3D Printing Utility or go to the 3D Print Utility download page: http://apps.123dapp.com/3dprint/install.html. Make sure to close all applications and save all files before installing the utility. I experienced an installer reboot problem that might have only happened to me, but I wanted to make sure if it wasn't that you were aware

The utility optimizes the 3D printing of a model for best results and making it super easy to get a good 3D print by making sure the model is oriented the best way to print and support, healing the model of bad surfaces or holes as your model must be “watertight” closed to print in most cases, and also optimizing the material usage. You can print from within some of the 123D Apps, or use the stand alone 3D Print Utility to open a STL or OBJ and print them.

In addition to the healing, the 3D Print Utility also allows you to change options like thicken thin regions or hollow the 3D print. It auto-magically adds support material so you to print more complex objects with overhangs like the Delicate Arch model of mine.

The New Industrial Revolution Is Coming In 3-D

This is a great article by the online Wall Street Journal on new digital manufacturing and how some of those technologies translate into new ways to manufacture products. We are not yet in an age of robot factories, but getting close as more digital fabrication methods in additive manufacturing like 3D printing are advancing in materials, quality, and the scale required.

MakerBot + Stratasys Merge

Yesterday June 19th, 2013 the merger of two well known 3D printer manufacturers MakerBot and Stratasys was announced.

MakerBot and Stratasys Announce Merger

Rumors on the street for the past few weeks indicated they were possibly courting each other, but folks,they have now eloped and are now married. MakerBot gets a high end printing division and Stratasys gets a long needed consumer printer and the huge community and Thingiverse. It was mentioned that both will retain their independence and brands.

Big Hearty Autodesk Welcome to Tinkercad

Autodesk announced yesterday at Maker Faire which is essentially the center of the universe event for DIY & Makers our intent to acquire Tinkercad. Tinkercad is an easy-to-use browser-based 3D design tool and will become part of the popular Autodesk 123D family of apps and supports Autodesk’s vision to help anybody imagine, design and create anything.. The addition of Tinkercad to Autodesk will help broaden the The acquisition will also revive the Tinkercad service and community, despite a previously announced shutdown by its founders and creators.

Tinkercad has been one of the favorite tools of many Makers just wanting a simple web based 3D design tool to create 3D models for 3D printing. With Autodesk as a new parent and placed into 123D Family it is not only not going away as was the case before Autodesk, but it will be improved and given much love and attention.

Tinkercad Blog Post:
Tinkercad has found a new home at Autodesk

Go give Tinkercad a try, its super simple and a fun way to create 3D geometry for 3D printing or just for fun.

http://www.tinkercad.com