Are you ready to join the Robot Nation?  

This seriously fun site uses WebGL to assemble and customize your own robot ready for 3D printing. This is one of the easiest systems I have played with so far that makes it fun to create your own model, absolutely perfect for kids, addictive.. Go and play...

There are so many software options now to 3D model for 3D printing we would like to know which CAD packages you use?

Let us know so we can consider what tools we can provide to make 3D printing with Shapeways easier for you. 

Last time we asked on Facebook the most popular were 3D Studio Max, Maya, ZBrush and Blender with 36 different applications being used..

So what do you use? 

Father of the RepRap and nearly all things DIY 3D printing has managed to bypass the tyranny of the triangle to 3D print directly from OpenSCAD's CSG representation without using an STL file in the workflow.

What does this mean?

Printing directly from CSG is much more robust than using the flakey (literally) STL file format.  A CSG file can be wrong - we can all make mistakes - but, unlike STL, it always represents an unambiguous solid.
It should also be faster (5%)........  Finally, it should allow us easily to do fancy things like filling solids with scalar and vector fields representing build parameters, so you can have an object that is flexible (and/or green) at one end and rigid (and/or blue) at the other.

Visit the RepRap Wiki for instructions on how to use this process on your RepRap.

Perhaps this will actually pave the way to better communicate multiple materials to Objet 3D printers which currently require multiple STL files to create multiple material parts?  

Thank you Adrian

If you are in or around New York City here is your chance to show your skills live on stage in a 20 minute head to head contest at the first of the Cut&Paste events to be held this year. This qualifier for the global championships will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 - 6:00PM - 10:00PM Soho House 29-35 Ninth Avenue but you need to apply to compete by Friday, October 14, 2011..(yes, tomorrow)

Cut&Paste is THE Digital Design Tournament, a live action battle in 2D, 3D and Motion design facing off the best of the best across twelve cities worldwide. Once again the finalists from all international events will converge in New York to conclude the tour with the Global Championship, where one winner in each field will be crowned the victor. This is a design battle royale to launch designers into the spotlight and offer the audience the unique experience of sharing the creative process. This year’s tour will extend beyond the stage with audience meet and greets and the Cut&Paste: Show&Tell series, presenting an insightful how-to with some of the brightest minds in the design community.

For those outside of NYC the deadline to apply for Cut&Paste in the following cities is:

12th City To Be Announced - December 9, 2011

If you don't have the 3D chops to enter you can still head on over to the event and see the New York 2D, 3D and Motion Graphics masters go head to head. Tickets at Eventbrite.

Igloo.org are about to launch The Igloo configurator, a web-based platform that enables design professionals to reach a global audience of engaged consumers. With 3D printing? I hear you gasp in anticipation, it looks like with a few case studies on their site that hint at the potential including a pendant lamp, bowl and shoe configurator (his and hers).