Shapeways Blog - Art

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:24:00 +0000

Happy Friday! Your fresh dose of community generated, digitally fabricated awesome has arrived...

TurtlesAreCool is doing some wonderful things with Stainless Steel. Below is a clip for holding pages in a book of sheet music.

Sometimes you just want a taste of the old days. If you're iPhone is feeling too modern and shiny for you,you can kick it retro-style with ZeeMar's decorative CB Radio Antenna in Black Strong Flexible.

a.wieneke's awesome ring is made up of 7s, one of the most important numbers in fairytales. It was printed in Silver, and he turned it black via post-processing.

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:37:33 +0000

Hello and welcome to Friday! Feel free to crack a beer, and check out some of the amazing designs the Shapeways community has been working on this week.

Kspaho's thoughtful pendant in Stainless Steel.

Electrobloom's Snap Chain Bracelet can have links added or removed to fit your wrist. Shown in Black Strong & Flexible.

growthobject's africa #ceramic grape holder is not only lovely, but a good cause. Following a common Spanish new year's tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, the shape of the design happens tp resemble the African continent. They currently have $12 towards each purchase earmarked for an African NGO.

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:02:24 +0000

I must say, today's blog content, in aggregate, has already packed some serious inspirational punch. But it's still not complete without Friday Finds, right? ...

Kevinwei dropped by last night's Shapeways NYC meetup and showed off Beraldo, his new silver bangle. The next day, there it was on the forum. Love this design…

unellenu making an oversized impact with her oversized fractal heart ornament

Michael Mueller is afraid of many things, including losing his keys. But with his new belt clip he doesn't have to be, and neither do you.

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:05:00 +0000

Hey friend! How's 2012 treating you? How are those resolutions hanging in? If the work of the Shapeways' community is any indication, I'd say the new year is coming along swimmingly.

Just a quick reminder that if you want to join the ranks of the 3D creatives, Shapeways NYC has an intro Design for 3D Printing class this Monday 1/16, and there's 1 spot left!

Hope you enjoy the inspiration, happy friday!

printedCat's Bird of Beauty is, well, really beautiful.

bobvanvliet's Minimal Piggy bank

Ein-Ajan Bliej's Family of Ghosts

Under The Right Lighting, Albert Einstein Looks Like Marilyn Monroe

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:17:40 +0000

We all know nightclub lighting can play tricks on the eye, harsh fluorescent lighting may reveal a different face, but did you ever think you could mistake Albert Einstein for Marilyn Monroe?

Drzach & Suchy, (previously mentioned on the Shapeways blog) have been working on a series of 3D printed shadow casting panels that allows multiple images to be encoded within a single physical object, a white panel, which displays the separate images under specific lighting conditions.

"The underlying principle of our technique is based on a simple observation: the shadow cast by an object depends not only on the object itself, but also on the light; therefore the same object under changing lighting conditions can totally change its appearance."

With Conversation, the technique is used to make an image of Albert Einstein transform into an image of Marilyn Monroe. See the video below for a vaguely unsatisfying demonstration.

Continue reading "Under The Right Lighting, Albert Einstein Looks Like Marilyn Monroe "

A Touching Story of A 3D Printed Christmas Gift for a 4 Year Old Daughter

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:57:57 +0000

Possibly one of the most touching stories of using 3D printing to create a unique, personal gift and we are not just talking a photo printed on a cup...

Shapeways community member Phelicia Ramlogan created a gift straight from a child's imagination and 3D printed it in full color. Kira wanted a submarine duck, mocked it up in ZBrush and Photoshop (yes she is 4 years old), her father cleaned up the 3D model a little then had it 3D printed by Shapeways.

You must read the story below from the parents perspective.....

CUTE!!!!

When a 4 year old understands that they can 3D model to design and 3D print exactly what they want, nothing is going to hold them back....

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:04:00 +0000

The Xmas day festivities and food coma are less than 48 hours away. You might still be in the office, contemplating how much longer before you can break out the egg nog, and whether your boss will really mind… The Shapeways community has still been busy making awesome stuff these last few weeks though. So before you settle in, take a moment to marvel and get inspired for 2012.

Happy Friday, and happy holidays!!

TurtlesAreCool's homespun present for his brother Eric (nicknamed Eric the Red…) printed in WSF and hand painted:

thvoelker made a tribute espresso cup with the Sicilian symbol on the side, sitting atop a saucer shaped like the region in Italy. Pictured here in ceramics.

Happenstance Heroes recently placed their first order from Shapeways, including this Pressed Flower Pedant in Polished WSF. Hopefully they keep it up!

Geometricity's Dodecaball, in WSF, is looking good.

Stunningly Beautiful Kite Constructed with 1700 3D Printed Parts and Aerospace Materials: Must Watch Video

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:15:00 +0000

Three Cubes Colliding is a beautiful project by Ivan morison and Heather Peak, in collaboration with Sash Reading and Queen and Crawford using 1700 3D-printed connectors linking carbon fiber rods that support cubenfiber aerospace fabric sheets.

Three Cubes Colliding from Jimandtonic on Vimeo.

Found via 3Ders.org

Unpacking Amazing 3D Prints from Shapeways

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:04:14 +0000

Growthobjects have shared the unpacking of their africa #ceramic and lillyseed #02 3D prints from Shapeways. Beautiful.

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:22:00 +0000

Incredible work from the Shapeways community just keeps rolling in. Check out some of this week's highlights below, or browse "It Arrived" on our forums for more. Happy Friday!

unellenue's Spinnoloids Pendant -- an incredible design that really shows what Polished Silver is capable of!

Darren Abbey's fossil project continues, with the next evolution below in Polished WSF:

rminkes' clever ballpoint pen design -- everything is 3D printed except for the pen filling. Shown in Black and Red Strong & Flexible:

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:10:50 +0000

As you may know, today is the last day for our North American customers to order Shapeways plastics and receive them in time for Dec. 24th (sadly, the date has passed for the rest of the globe). But if you're anything like me, and you're still running behind, we've got your back!

Below is a handpicked collection of ornaments, all in our Strong Flexible materials. If you hurry up and order today, you'll still be able to give your loved one a custom-made, 3D printed present. Special thanks to Jeff Bare, who suggested an ornament feature, and helped me curate!

gibell's Koch Fractal Ornament

Michiel Cornelissen's Merry Bird

Magic's IcosididecaLink

cunicode's 3D Printed Christmas Ball

3D Printed Math on the Radio

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:23:29 +0000

Shapeways community member and mathematician Henry Segerman was recently interviewed on BBC Radio show Outriders about mathematical shapes and their transference to the physical world as sculpture via 3D printing. Listen to the interview, check out Henry's site and ponder visualizations of a multi dimension universe. You may remember Henry's Hilbert Curve 3D print (pictured below), and Knotted Kog. Henry is a research fellow at the University of Melbourne doing research in 3-dimensional geometry and topology, particularly involving ideal triangulations.

3D Printed Bronze Nautilus Sugar Skull

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:44:47 +0000

It is the day of 3D printed skulls at Shapeways

Minetoys: 3D Print Your Own Minecraft Character for Your Desktop

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:04:00 +0000

What better gift for the Minecraft addict than a full color 3D Print of their avatar.

Minetoys is an online service that uses Shapeways 3D printing to create a full color 3D model of a Minecraft avatar.

How does it work? Your Minecraft skin is rendered in HD file (yeah, HD pixels !) and applied to a 3D model, verified by a human being, and then sent to Shapeways for 3D Printing. You can also choose from over 600 Minecraft avatars from the Minetoys Shapeways Shop including Le Boblennon officiel !, xXNuageZombieXx, Manamaxxx and many, many more.

Continue reading "Minetoys: 3D Print Your Own Minecraft Character for Your Desktop"

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:14:05 +0000

Cyber Monday may have passed, but for many of us, that's only the beginning. We're back this Friday with a few more sweet gift ideas for you via the incredible Shapeways community.

Please do check out the holiday planning guide and keep in mind that we're in the final bit of the window for holiday orders!

Oliver's Menger Gyroid, in White Strong & Flexible, clearly a great pick for all the geniuses in your life.

The Raven Mask from Sheila Munro, shown here in Bronze

unellenu's Snowflake, in White Strong & Flexible.

Happy Friday!

Team Shapeways

Shapeways 3D Printed Goodness at the Wired Store in Times Square

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:19:29 +0000

The Wired Store in Times Square NYC is currently featuring the coolest gadgets, gizmos and technology from around the world so of course the Shapeways community is representing the best of 3D printing. As mentioned on the Shapeways Blog the pop-up store is open until December 24 so if you can brave Times Square head on in to see the 3D printed goodness in context of some of the coolest stuff around.

Continue reading "Shapeways 3D Printed Goodness at the Wired Store in Times Square"

The 3D Printed Strandbeest Takes Wind Power and Walks (Video)

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:14:00 +0000

Just when you thought Theo Jansen's 3D Printed Strandbeest could not get any more creepy cool, Tim van Bentum and Bo Jansen have helped take the Strandbeest into the fourth dimension with a 3D Printed Wind Propulsion add on for the existing Strandbeests.

The 3D printed Strandbeests can now walk autonomously, powered by the wind, just like Theo's full-scale Strandbeests. The new propellor add-on gives new and existing owners of these kinetic sculptures a new way to set them in motion!

Continue reading "The 3D Printed Strandbeest Takes Wind Power and Walks (Video)"

Sophie Kahn's 3D Printed Sculpture

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:25:00 +0000

3D printed in full color then sandblasted and sanded to perfection, Sophie Kahn's sculptures evoke fragile unearthed relics.

Shakuhachi Flute 3D Printed in Stainless Steel

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:07:00 +0000

Traditionally made from bamboo, the Shakuhachi Flute has entered the digital age thanks to Shelia Munro and Shapeways 3D printing. This version of the flute is an "F" Key, is around 9.5 inches long and is 3D printed in Antique Bronze Glossy.

It is so inspiring to see old world musical instruments being produced with the most advanced fabrication processes currently available, it will be interesting when we start to see musical instruments 3D printed that cannot be produced through any other means.

The detailing on this piece is really lovely, it must have taken hours to 3D model all of the components but what really makes it work is the beautiful, almost 'handmade' finish. Not what one might expect to come out of a 3D printer.

Check the video of the 3D printed Shakuhachi Flute in action, after the break.

Continue reading "Shakuhachi Flute 3D Printed in Stainless Steel"

Math and Fashion Fuse with the 3D Printed Hilbert Curve

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:20:29 +0000

So rarely do the worlds of math and fashion mix it is great to celebrate when it does thanks to 3D printing.

The Hilbert Curve by Henry Segerman shows the flexibility of WSF put to good use as a bracelet or hair accessory.

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:35:41 +0000

It's true, the holiday rush is right around the corner. In addition to the Shapeways Gift Guide, I'll be using every chance I get during Friday Finds to give you awesome gift ideas.

To all you Shapeways designers out there, keep posting in the Feature This part of the forum. You're giving us great materials!

growthobject's subtle and beautiful shell #01 in Stainless Steel

For the genius puzzle lovers in your life, consider richgain's Superstings, (1st prize winner in the International Puzzle Design competition!)

Dario Scapitta's doing amazing things with Black Strong Flexible. His Black Rose Earrings are pictured below.

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:42:00 +0000

Oh you nylon materials, sometime you're so perfect. Sure, you may not have the wow factor of silver, or the homeyness of ceramics, but sometimes your simplicity and versatility can be downright striking. The designers featured in Friday Finds this week have proven that much!

If you're looking for more 3D printed awesome (in all sorts of materials) swing by the "It Arrived" section of the forums. Happy Friday!

Vaclav Mazany's blossom heart in Red Strong & Flexible

Vertigo Polka's Mesh Purse in White Strong & Flexible

Gibell's Koch Snowflake Christmas Ornament in Red Strong & Flexible

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:51:32 +0000

It's Friday and the Shapeways community has been designing, receiving, and sharing their 3D printed awesome all week. Now it's time to look back at a few of the highlights.

For all you designers out there, please keep up the great work and remember to keep taking beautiful pics of your work, and sharing them via "It Arrived" and "Feature This" on the Shapeways forum.

fdecomite is using the "slide together" technique for his 5-color dodecahedron, and making great use of Shapeways new Full Color Sandstone!

cadalu's first experiment with Silver, finished off with a beautiful purple stone, is making an impact:

For his first go at 3D printing, Allochtoon made a long armed <3 shaped lamp, powered by well-placed LEDs:

Foul Play Football Trophies : Celebrating Bad Sportsmanship

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:11:49 +0000

Wong Wong enlisted the help of Shapeways community member and 3D Ninja Dotsan to realize the first in a series of trophies recognizing the best & worst of football.

The Best Dive Trophy is to be awarded to the player who is judged to have executed the art of 'The Dive' and successfully deceives the referee. The Worst Tackle Trophy goes to the player that executes the dirtiest tackle against an opposing player.

Continue reading "Foul Play Football Trophies : Celebrating Bad Sportsmanship"

The Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:51:03 +0000

Jonas Pfeil used Shapeways 3D printing to fabricate his Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera, a project of the Computer Graphics Group, TU Berlin..

Panoramic photography creates fascinating images. Very wide angle images are closer to the human field of view than conventional pictures. If seen through a panoramic viewer they let us experience a location as if we were there. Panoramic image stitching can create panoramas from pictures taken one after another. Unfortunately, acquiring the images takes a lot of time and moving objects may cause ghosting. It is also difficult to obtain a full spherical panorama, because the downward picture cannot be captured while the camera is mounted on the tripod.

In this work, we present a throwable panoramic camera that solves these problems. The camera is thrown into the air and captures an image at the highest point of flight - when it is hardly moving. The camera takes full spherical panoramas, requires no preparation and images are taken instantaneously. It can capture scenes with many moving objects without producing ghosting artifacts and creates unique images.

Continue reading "The Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera "

Dutch Design Week Commences with 3D Printspirations

blog@shapeways.com (Carine) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 05:53:00 +0000

Shapeways joined thousands of design enthusiasts experiencing stimulus overload yesterday and kicked off Dutch Design Week 2011, unveiling 3D printing awesomeness to the well-heeled masses. Located in the Klokgebouw Building, Stand #53 (Klokgebouw 50, 5617 AB Eindhoven), it's hard to miss us between our newly printed bright blue shirts and the incredible Hybrid Male sculptures by Catharina van de Ven and Dotsan that mark the entry with their sleek Ferrari black and bronze cast finishes. Today we met hundreds of community members, Shapeways fans, and soon to be makers who were mesmerized (like we still are!) by the incredible designs created and printed by the community. We've brought an array of materials and products to DDW, including too-good-to-be-true ceramic cups and metal jewelry, such as the jaw-dropping designs of Nervous System. We'll be joined throughout the week by talented Shapeways community members: Virtox, Tristan of Shoe burger, Bo & Tim of Strandbeest fame, and the inspiring collaboration between Catharina and DotSan. Come early and often so you get a chance to meet them all! We also hope to see you Wednesday night at our DDW Meetup.

Continue reading "Dutch Design Week Commences with 3D Printspirations "

Video: Playing the 3D Printed Stradivarius Violin

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:59:00 +0000

When Shapeways was featured in the Economist back in February the cover image was of a Stradivarius Violin 3D printed by EOS. Following is a video of 'In the Meadow' being performed on the very Stradivarius that inspired the Economist Article 'Print me a stradivarius: the manufacturing technology that will change the world'. Sounds amazing to me....

3D Printed Glazed Ceramics Are Back

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:21:00 +0000

After a brief hiatus while we refined the fabrication process, we are now bringing 3D Printed Glazed Ceramics back to Shapeways. The previous trial was so popular we had to pause production while we organised more infrastructure to handle the massive volume of designs submitted by the Shapeways community every day.

We are maintaining the same price of $0.18 per cm² with a few tweaks to the Design Rules. For example, we've increased the build size over 70%! The new max build size is 30x22x17cm (11.8x8.6x6.7 inches). Minimum wall thickness and details remains the same at 3mm and 2mm, respectively. Note, glazing process can add up to 1.5mm of thickness to your item so some finer details may be lost or softened. This is especially true for the nooks and crevices, as well as the bottom portion of cups.

This material will be off by default and mark-up set to zero so if you would like to make it available in your shop you will need to manually update your products. It will also take a while to propagate through the entire database so check back if your model is not available in ceramics straight away.

So Cunicode, we can start printing your 30 Cups in 30 Days project again, Studio Hansen can bring their coasters back, Virtox can drink coffee whether hung over or sober, and you can start designing your own food safe table ware..

Want to purchase some Ceramics goodies right away? Check out Cunicode's A Cup A Day project. Cunicode took on the ambitious challenge of designing a cup every day for 30 days. You can browse and buy the collection right now in the Cunicode Shop.

More Ceramic inspiration below:

Continue reading "3D Printed Glazed Ceramics Are Back"

Friday Finds: Another Week of 3D Printing Awesomeness from the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:06:55 +0000

Friday is the day we take a look at some of the latest 3D printing awesomeness to be shared in the It Arrived and Feature This sections of the Shapeways Forums. Be sure to share your models as they arrive to inspire the Shapeways community and staff. We especially love seeing any post production techniques realized on your 3D prints.

Just in time for Halloween Kspaho (not his real name) has mass produced glowing spider earrings....

Michael Mueller (actual name) shared his Silver Crown Ring along with a tutorial to achieve similar effects with water, electricity and baking soda...

Ammnra's Gold Plated Solid Steel Pendant based on Assassin's Creed Apple of Eden gets some extra mystical power with a rubbing of black paint.

Continue reading "Friday Finds: Another Week of 3D Printing Awesomeness from the Shapeways Community"

How to Patina 3D Printed Silver & Experiments for Stainless Steel

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:52:27 +0000

Shapeways community member Erckgillis has shared some great tips on how to patina 3D printed Silver using Liver of Sulfur, along with some patina processes for other metals.

Patinating Silver

While Liver of Sulfur is usually used to form a black or gray patina on silver, there are a number of intermediate interference colors formed, especially if a weak solution is used. These include yellow, reddish brown, purple and blue. Some people recommend adding a small amount of household ammonia to the solution claiming it intensifies the lovely blue-green-red-purple interference colors one gets when using a dilute solution and slow approach. These pretty colors are not very stable over time because they continue to react with sulfur in the air and darken. You can sometimes 'save' them by spraying a lacquer over them. They may be retained if the surface is properly sealed. Acrylic resin is the recommended sealer for durability and resistance to darkening in light. Some jeweler's lacquers also work. Envirotex® works very well for this.

Using Liver of Sulfur on Silver

1.Take a piece of Liver of Sulfur, about the size of your finger nail, and dissolve it in a cup or more of warm water.

2.Heat the piece of metal to be treated and then dip in the Liver of Sulfur solution.

3.Rinse in water after each dip. While Liver of Sulfur is usually used to obtain gray and black colors on silver, there are a number of intermediate interference colors formed, especially if a weak solution is used. These include yellow, reddish brown, purple and blue. Some people recommend adding a small amount of household ammonia to the solution claiming it intensifies the lovely blue-green-red-purple interference colors one gets when using a dilute solution and slow approach. These pretty colors are not very stable over time because they continue to react with sulfur in the air and darken. You can sometimes 'save' them by spraying an appropriate lacquer over them. They may be retained if the surface is properly sealed. Acrylic resin is the recommended sealer for durability and resistance to darkening in light. Some jeweler's lacquers also work. Envirotex® works very well for this.

4.The piece may be sanded lightly and polished. Raised areas will show the original color of the metal, recessed areas will remained blackened.

5.Be sure to wear gloves and protective clothing when working with Liver of Sulfur. The fumes are dangerous and it should be used with good ventilation and covered right after use. It must not be allowed to come in contact with acids as a toxic gas is then rapidly evolved.

Continue reading "How to Patina 3D Printed Silver & Experiments for Stainless Steel "

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:23:21 +0000

To help you usher in some pre-weekend daydreaming, below are a few bits of art & inspiration from the uber talented Shapeways community. If you're looking for more, hit up the Shapeways tumblr, or the "It Arrived" section of our forum. Happy Friday!

mulciber's Viracocha Earring & Pendant Set in beautifully refined Silver:

henryseg's 24-Cell "a 4-dimensional polytope, so like a 3-dimensional polyhedron, but one dimension up" in White Strong & Flexible. So much geeky goodness!

Dario Scapitta's Sparkling Collier necklace in Red Strong & Flexible

Shapeways at Dutch Design Week

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 06:51:00 +0000

Shapeways will be representing 3D printed awesomeness at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven from 22-30 October 2011.

Joining us this year to help spread the love will be Shapeways community members Virtox of assorted awesomeness, Tristan of Shoe burger and 3D scanned fantastic, Bo & Tim of Strandbeest fame along with 3D ninja Dotsan and sculptor Catharina van de Ven with her Hybride Male sculptures.

If you are in Eindhoven come and visit us at Stand 62 Klokgebouw, Klokgebouw 50, 5617 AB Eindhoven, entry is free and along with the Shapeways booth there will be plenty of contemporary design to inspire... While you are there come along to our 3D printing meetup for a beer and get to know your local Shapeways community members in an informal show & tell session.

Electrolysis Finish Silver : Post Production Tip

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:04:35 +0000

Michael Mueller has used another post production technique on his silver 3D prints to give them a little more character. See the before and after below.

If you want to try this for your own ... if you need some hints... ... There are also a lot of links in the web how to do this. All you need is a glass, water, salt, wire and a 12 volt dc power supply.

Sounds like dangerous fun... For a slightly less electrically charged option you could try Mark Cheng's methods.

Real-f : File Under Freaky

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:59:16 +0000

If you have tried the ShapeMe app and found that having a 3D printed bobble head was so awesome you are ready for the next step, you might want to try Real-f, or, you might not..

Buyers can get a 3D “face mask” for US$3,920 (additional copies cost just US$780 each). Each replica of one’s head costs US$5,875 (copies: US$1,960).

What really bothers me is I do not know how the kid in the middle is holding his mask on???

via Adafruit & Techcrunch

Analog to Digital to Analog : Glitch Reality II

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:04:38 +0000

Glitch Reality II is a lovely project by Matthew Plummer-Fernandez that takes real objects, digitizes them then makes them real again with 3D printing while allowing the artifacts of the process to remain.

A tea set was created by purchasing non-matching tea set components, scanning them with a Z-corporation 3D scanner and roughly repairing the digital mesh files. The mesh files are then 3D printed to create an instance of this tea-set data that inherits the glitches from the analogue-to-digital-to-analogue translation.

Matthew Plummer-Fernandez studied MA Design Products at the Royal College of Art (2007 -2009) soon after a BEng Computer-Aided Mechanical Engineering at Kings College London (2002 – 2005). Since then he has received commissions through ArtsCo, Selfridges, It’s Nice That, Digit, Designersblock and Mint Shop.

via Creative Applications.

Design your own Pendant Lamp

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:39:00 +0000

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).

Continue reading "Design your own Pendant Lamp"

Colors of Birch : 3D Printed Glasses : Titanic Collection

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:26:11 +0000

Using 3D printing for a tailor-made fit, The Titanic Collection by Color of Birch ushers in a new era of bespoke eyewear with five and a half pairs of glasses. The Titanic Collection was launched on 3 October at the Finnoir exhibition in Paris as part of part of Paris fashion week and will also be on show at the official event for Helsinki World design capital 2012.

Sweet As! The Perfect 3D Printed Wedding Gift

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 03:46:55 +0000

Tom Kluyskens of Made on Jupiter has made the perfect, Sweet As! wedding gift using Shapeways 3D printing. Not satisfied with the standard coffee maker, kettle or toaster as a gift, Tom designed and fabricated a tie and bracelet in the wedding theme of Sweet As!

The pieces were modeled parametrically in Houdini (a high end digital film effects tool), and the resulting 3D model was sent to Shapeways for 3D printing. We (digitally) engraved the two key sterling silver pieces with the theme of the wedding:

Take a look at Tom's post that steps through the process including a video of how the tie was set up in Houdini, really interesting to see node based architecture for 3D modeling.

All images by Tom Kluyskens, see all project images on Flickr

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:12:00 +0000

Hey there! Below is a small sampling of the wild and wonderful things made by the Shapeways community this week. If you want to find more, head on over to the "It Arrived" section of our forum or the Shapeways tumblr. Enjoy the inspiration, happy Friday!

archenemy76's Triangulated Cuff bracelet, a spare design in Black Strong & Flexible:

unellenu's Silver Glossy Heart & Diamond Spoon (I'd recommend glancing at a few more pics for the full effect!):

Virtox's Pharamo. Is it inside out? Outside in? Whatever it is, its awesome. Shown in Polished White Strong & Flexible:

RIP Steve Jobs : A 3D Printed Tribute

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:44:20 +0000

News in that Steve Jobs has passed away, whether you are an Apple fan or not (there is no in between) Steve has been a pivotal player in the way we interact with technology. Taking the computer into the broader public realm, redefining the music industry and the way in which we listen to music, changing the cell phone into a portable computing device, even helping to take computer animation into the cinemas and children's dreams with Pixar. Following are some designs on Shapeways inspired by Steve Jobs and Apple..

UPDATE: It is a sad day for the Jobs Family and Apple, my thoughts go first to them. I woke up to the news (in Australia), and thought of all the amazing things Steve Jobs has achieved in and outside of Apple and I really wanted to pay tribute to the amazing work he has done. I did not intend this to be a sales pitch for designs on the Shapeways site, but to show how he has inspired others to be innovative and creative as well. Steve jobs has changed the world for many of us, his vision will live on through his achievements, but his presence will be missed.

Steve Jobs Bust by Sevens Heaven

Continue reading "RIP Steve Jobs : A 3D Printed Tribute"

Friday Finds: 3D Printed Designs From the Shapeways Community

blog@shapeways.com (Ana) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Below are three picks to get us back in the groove with our Friday Finds. If you're looking to uncover more, check out the It Arrived section of our forum, or the Shapeways tumblr. For all of you designers, we want to keep a steady pipeline of great content, which means we need more great photos of your work! Here's a reminder of what we're looking for. Happy Friday!

leo rolph achieved beautiful, crisp detail in his Tyre Ring, printed in Silver:

bdeaver did a great job of adding some bling to his Frosted Ultra Detail Pug Ornament:

novaking's continues to play off the skeletal design theme with the Skellpod, his latest piece in Silver:

"When everyone has a laptop and connection to the world, then everyone owns a factory"

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:54:51 +0000

Whilst reading a blog post by Seth Godin entitled The forever recession (and the coming revolution) with the line "When everyone has a laptop and connection to the world, then everyone owns a factory" it reminded me of the book 'Makers' by Cory Doctorow and in turn of the potential of Shapeways 3D Printing as New Work.

Seth's post looks at the current employment recession as a long term revolution, where "The internet has squeezed inefficiencies out of many systems, and the ability to move work around, coordinate activity and digitize data all combine to eliminate a wide swath of the jobs the industrial age created." This echoes elements of Cory's Makers where an economic and employment revolution happens thanks in part to product hacks, access to 3D printing and internet notoriety.

If we look at the potential of Shapeways online 3D printing in the context of these visions which speak of 'employment' in terms of a series of projects you just do, whether they be self initiated, collaborations or by consultation for cash, a factory plugged into your laptop is an incredibly powerful asset.

Take a moment to read Seth's post, set aside some time to read Makers which you can download for free in various formats and prepare yourself for New Work.

Copeland-Chatterson Company, loose-leaf systems factory composing room, Brampton, Ontario ca. 1905 By Toronto Public Library Special Collections

3D Printed Cubic Singularities

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:44:00 +0000

By Universal Joint Design via Carl Rodenberg under Felix Klein.

There are plenty of amazing math models 3D printed by the Shapeways community that I like but do not fully understand but none seem to be hurting my head with weirdness quite as much as the recent series printed by Universal Joint Design.

The models presented on Shapeways are recreations of a Classical Mathematical Model Collection originally made by hand in plaster in the 1800's. This portion of the collection was originally modelled by Carl Rodenberg under the direction of the famous mathematician Felix Klein.

The main portion of this research involved recreating a series of 24 cubic surfaces which demonstrate types of singularities possible on a cubic surface. In topology, singularities are opposed to smooth surfaces in that they demonstrate abrupt changes in curvature at their surface.

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How to make Pawfect soap molds with Shapeways 3D Printing

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:45:00 +0000

Want to make your own soaps with 3D printing, the perfect personalized gift? Take a look how Fredrik Perman of the Product Farm and his girlfriend used 3D printing to make his own Pawfect Suds.

The Pawfect Suds paw print shape for our silicone mold finally arrived from Shapeways! We’re really excited to get some OOMOO silicone compound and start experimenting with making actual “negative” silicone molds from this “positive” soap shape.

Continue reading "How to make Pawfect soap molds with Shapeways 3D Printing"

Awesome Post Production on 3D Printed Steering Wheel Emblems

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:52:08 +0000

Check out the amazing finish on these stainless steel and sterling silver 3D prints by Larry Williams aka THE1REBEL aka Nexus Studios.

Techniques used include the inlay of holographic carbon fiber, clear and colored resins, melted plastic an hand polishing. Take a look at his forum post for more details on the materials, tools and processes used.

Continue reading "Awesome Post Production on 3D Printed Steering Wheel Emblems"

Farah Bandookwala's Haptic 3D Modeling (video)

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:00:47 +0000

Nice video of Shapeways community member Farah Bandookwala, previously mentioned on the Shapeways Blog shows her use of haptics to 3D model her designs for 3D printing.

The Art & Science of Touch from Siri Rodnes on Vimeo.

How To Design Your Own Ring for 3D Printing with ShapeWright

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:46:06 +0000

A quick video to show how you can design your own ring with ShapeWright to have it 3D printed in your choice of materials by Shapeways. Further awesomeness plugging into the Shapeways API.

Developed by macouno aka Dolf Veenvliet

Fable Mantle Clock - Captures Time in 3 Dimensions

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:18:34 +0000

A digitally crafted ornamental timepiece by Gilbert13, Fable displays the time in an engaging and captivating way. The classically shaped domed cage houses a tranquil scene, the rotating tree moves with every second gently swaying the swing as time passes by.

It is human nature to be fascinated by unanswered stories and in the abandoned scene portrayed within the cage the designers have deliberately given little away allowing for individual interpretation of the intriguing spectacle. This encourages the onlooker to take ownership of the product, provoking thoughts and allowing them to create their own narration of the scene.

Fable will be on officially launched at Tent London, Old Truman Brewery between 22nd - 25th of September on Shapeways stand A02.

Continue reading "Fable Mantle Clock - Captures Time in 3 Dimensions"

Announcing Brighter, Higher Definition, Full Color 3D Printing For All

blog@shapeways.com (Nancy Liang) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Shapeways 3D Printed Full Color Sandstone just got a whole lot brighter thanks to a change in our post processing. Full color 3D prints will now have whiter whites, brighter colors, greater contrast and definition.

You have seen the beautiful results from community members Magic and Stony's experience with better color quality and resolution! Now this same quality is available for all. All orders in Shapeways Full Color Sandstone will now be finished with the new process so you and your customers will have the best quality 3D prints possible.

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Kelecrea: Design and 3D Print Jewelry from Your Android

blog@shapeways.com (Duann) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:48:00 +0000

Create your own silver ring on your Android device and 3D Print it with Shapeways!

kelecrea is developed for the Android platform by Shapeways community member Lajos Kelemen that lets you add text as engraving or embossing to 3D models. Currently you can modify a choice of rings, pendants, nameplates, coins, brooches and hairpins. You can already see some of the designs generated in his shop gallery.

Check out the video of the app in action then download it from the Android market.

It is applications like kelecrea, ShapeMe, Endless Forms, 3DTin and Tinkercad that will really bring 3D printing to the masses.

Awesome work Lajos