So you want to enter the iPhone 5 contest we are running to win $500 worth of 3D Printing but you do not know where to start? We uploaded some files to TinkerCad so you can get started and now the team from TinkerCad have taken it one step further with a really handy video showing how to customize an iPhone case in TinkerCad.

TinkerCad is a perfect tool to get started designing for 3D Printing thanks to it's drag and drop capabilities.  Because it is browser based you never need to download or update the software. You always have the latest version.

Thanks again to the team at TinkerCad for putting the video together... 

It Arrived!!!

The first 3D Printed iPhone 5 has landed at Shapeways and along with it an update to the design for the iPhone 5 case templates for the contest we are running at Shapeways where you can win $500 worth of 3D Printing by designing an accessory for the iPhone 5.

There are already over 30 3D Printed products already available on Shapeways to fit the iPhone 5, enter your design in the contest to win.

We have updated the downloadable files for customization now that we have been able to test the fit, especially around the corners for the iPhone 5, the case can be downloaded here, and the bumper here. 

Teenage Engineering not only make one of the sexiest synthesizers but also get the prize for being the first electronics company to offer their replacement parts as downloadable 3D Printed files.

This is the first company that I have seen so far that offer replacement parts to be 3D Printed by their consumers.  This is an incredibly smart move as it takes away the need for them to warehouse and distribute replacement parts.  It also means that their fans have an opportunity to modify and customize aspects of their synthesizers.

We work hard to make our OP-1 users happy with free OS updates and added functionality. But sometimes we fail. As some have noted, the shipping cost of the OP-1 accessories is very high. This is because we can't find a good delivery service for small items. Meanwhile, we have decided to put all CAD files of the parts in our library section for you to download. The files are provided in both STEP and STL format. Just download the files and 3D print as many as you want. Next fail is the OP-1 manual update. We are almost there...we promise it will be ready sometime next week. Thank you all for your patience, we promise to work even harder in the future to make you happy.

Teenage OP-1 "fail" Team

The parts are now available on Shapeways if you need to 3D Print replacement parts for your OP-1 synthesizer. 

Teenage Engineering, we LOVE you.... 

Who wants 3D Printed food when you can dine in elegantly decayed style with the range of cutlery in 3D Printed sterling silver designed by Eragatory.

Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food. Aside of the functional aspect of tableware, silverware has always been and will perpetually be an ornamental figure. Conceived to pleasure the eye while fulfilling one of our most primary needs of food consumption and or squander. Cutlery is unique in its ability to sustain time and carries a remarkable family heritage. Sets of knifes, spoons, forks have been passed on from generation to generation all over the globe, traveling the whole world as a piece of personal history. Key elements while designing this set was the notion of decay/processing, ornamental and aesthetic excess as in former rococo and barock times, moments of collapse/disequilibrium and a balance in between etiquette dining and painful torture tools. By subverting the logic of perfection and beauty, non-perfect images coming from controlled methodologies were generated. What used to be about mastering the result of a non-perfect process is now about the production of monstrosity and the grotesque throughout very accurate mechanisms, like 3d printing. Which creates an unlimited range of possibilities concerning material usage, design approaches/aesthetics and form production.

UPDATE: These files may not be 100% correct, I will double check ASAP...

UPDATE 2: THE CORRECT FILES ARE NOW AVAILABLE, PLEASE SEE DETAILS HERE.

We announced the contest to win $500 worth of Shapeways 3D Printing last week and have already seen a few designs for the iPhone 5 trickle in but we wanted to make it a little easier for you with a few 3D files to download that might help.

We have used the specifications provided by Apple to 3D model a dummy iPhone 5 suitable for 3D Printing in Nylon and one for Full Color 3D Printing, along with a basic case for the iPhone 5 and a basic bumper.

Please note we are waiting for the 3D Prints to come back and of course we have not yet tested them on an iPhone 5 yet..... 

You can download the STL files to modify in your 3D software of choice as long as it supports STL import, we have also uploaded the case to TinkerCad along with the bumper and the dummy iPhone 5 so you can start customizing the design even if you do not have any 3D CAD skills, yet... 

UPDATE: THE CORRECT 3D FILES ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD, PLEASE SEE HERE.

The iPhone 5 has now been announced and about go on sale on in the U.S. so we want to see what innovative new designs you come up with to 3D Print for the latest iteration of the iPhone to hit the market.

We are running a contest to find the coolest possible 3D Printed accessory for the iPhone 5, be it a case, mount, amplifier, magnifier, connector, stand, spinner, launcher, disguise, necklace, shoe, bottle opener, ping pong paddle, helmet, destroyer, anything.

Upload your NEW design for the iPhone 5 with the tag iPhone5_3D by Friday October 19th for your chance to win $500 worth of Shapeways 3D Printing!

The Shapeways team will choose a winner based on the design we deem to be most awesome... 

You can download the dimensions of the new iPhone 5 from Apple now to make your design perfectly fit the new device and check out their Case Guidelines to ensure your design does not impede the performance of the iPhone 5.

Continuing our series of Solidworks 3D modeling tutorials for 3D Printing by SolidWize, this week they explain Validating your Design with SimulationXpress:

You just received your bright new 3D printed part and the unthinkable happens; it breaks. With the right model prep, this can be avoided. Last week I did a post on creating a one handed bottle opener modeled after the Kebo from Rush Design. The last thing you would want to happen is to have your brand new bottle opener break the first time you use it. That's why in this week's tutorial by SolidWize, I'll be talking about validating your design using SolidWorks SimulationXpress. The most suitable Shapeways material for this use case would be Stainless Steel.

SimulationXpress is a fairly simple tool to use, and can allow you to quickly verify that your model will have adequate strength.

Watch the full tutorial below. If you'd like to follow along, you can download the SolidWorks file from my GrabCad Profile.

simulation xpress from Rohit Mitra on Vimeo.

About the author: Rohit Mitra is the founder of SolidWize.com, a membership based online training system for SolidWorks users.

From time to time, you'll likely come across an image of something you want to create a 3D model from. With SolidWorks, you can use the sketch picture tool to import an image to build from. This Kebo bottle opener by Rush Product Design Studio makes for a great example, and we'll use it in this weeks tutorial from SolidWize.

By bringing the picture into a sketch, you can quickly reproduce the desired geometry inside of SolidWorks using just a few lines, arcs, and the fully define sketch tool.

Watch the full tutorial below. If you right click and save the picture of the Kebo, you'll be able to follow along. You can also download the completed model from the Solidwize Shapeways page.

Kebo Bottle Opener Upload 2 from Rohit Mitra on Vimeo.

Next week's video will cover using Simulation Xpress to validate and optimize your design for a Shapeways Stainless print.

About the author: Rohit Mitra is the founder of SolidWize.com, a membership based online training system for SolidWorks users.

UPDATE: Solidwize is holding a webinar on creating beautiful renders using Photoview 360 next Wednesday, September 12th. Check out http://solidwize.com/webinars for more information.

This is a 3D Printed right-hand side sun visor clip for the Porsche 911 (993) with an integrated GoPro camera mount. It replaces the OEM sun visor clip and is a direct 'bolt on'. The camera sits next to the rear-view mirror, just below the sun visor. The sun visor is still usable even with the camera attached. NOTE: You may need to file down the groove that receives the actual sun visor clip a little bit. The tolerance is intentionally close to ensure a tight fit.

Watch the video of it in action... 

So, you have the knife that does everything, cuts things, corkscrew, fish scaler, toothpick, that weird thing that you are not sure exactly what it does but they all look kinda the same, red.

3D Printing comes to the rescue once again with the Swiss Army Knife Side Scale to customize your trusty multi-tool designed by Electronic Nonsense.