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Tag: Shapeways

  • Charmr Makes 3D Printable Jewelry Out Of Your Photos

    Autodesk’s 123D Web app is an easy way to create 3D models that can then be sent to your 3D printer. For Valentine’s Day, Autodesk has added a new app called Charmr that lets you convert a photograph into jewelry.

    In essence, Charmr is a lot like those custom jewelry kiosks you used to find in Walmart. You upload a picture, place it onto the pendant or charm of your choice and then print it. What sets Charmr apart is that it generates a 3D printable file for you to make with your 3D printer.

    For example, let’s say somebody wasn’t right in their right mind and wanted a charm with my face on it. With Charmr, I just simply have to upload the picture onto the sight, set it inside the charm of my choice and download the STL file.

    Charmr Makes 3D Printable Jewelry Out Of Your Photos

    If you don’t have a 3D printer, you can still obtain a 3D print of your jewelry through Shapeways, Sculpteo and i.materialise. Shapeways may be your best bet as the company offers prints in a variety of materials that aren’t plastic.

    If you’re like me and have a face that only a mother could tolerate, you might want to go with one of the designs already up on Charmr. At the moment, you can choose between some Milk Box earrings, a Ye heart pendant, a BFF pendant or a Year of the Horse pendant. There will be more designs added soon as more people make more charms.

    Image via Charmr
    [h/t: 3ders]

  • 3D Printers Had A Great Year In 2013

    3D printing has been around for over two decades now, but it has really come into its own these past few years. You could even argue that 2013 was the year that 3D printing went mainstream with the release of several affordable 3D printers that greatly expanded the hobbyist movement. It’s that expansion that led Shapeways to have a rosy outlook on 3D printing in 2013.

    In a series of slides released today, Shapeways delves into this year’s maker movements and the effect they had on the 3D printing industry. As you might expect, there’s a lot of attention paid to expansion as more and more people are now getting into 3D printing. While the hardware may be expanding, Shapeways is even more impressed by how many people are learning 3D modeling to take advantage of their new printers.

    For those who don’t know how to use 3D modeling software, Shapeways points to the rise in apps and software that make it easy. As more 3D printers get into the hands of non-professionals, the number of 3D modeling apps will surely increase.

    As for businesses, Shapeways sees 3D printers leading the charge in what they call “garage entrepreneurs.” In other words, more and more people are able to start their own businesses in a variety of fields thanks to the flexibility offered by 3D printers. For example, check out this custom chocolate delivery company that makes all of its products with 3D printers.

    While Shapeways does a good job of touching upon all the major 3D printer innovations in 2013, it does neglect what is perhaps the most important (and controversial). Earlier this year, Defense Distributed, for better or worse, made 3D printing a common household term by printing a gun entirely out of plastic. Since then, other designers have made 3D printed rifles and even a 3D printed metal handgun.

    Image via slideshare

  • This Google Tech Talk Is All About 3D Printing

    3D printing is going to change the world. That’s at least what some people will tell you. Those who are a bit more realistic will tell you that there are many challenges the technology must overcome before it becomes the revolutionary technology that some think it is.

    Vladimir Bulatov, a 3D graphics research scientist at Shapeways, came to Google recently to be a bit more realistic about 3D printing. His talk – 3D Modeling for 3D Printing – focuses on what he’s doing at Shapeways to improve 3D modeling:

    We discuss technical challenges of creation of 3D printable models and what Shapeways team is doing to help developers and regular users to create unique and customizable 3D pieces. In particular we will pay attention to use of AbBab3D – open source software for 3D voxel based modeling library developed by Shapeways.

    Of course, Google is no stranger to 3D printers. The company even outfits its chefs with 3D printers so they can create custom pasta for employees.

  • Can 3D Printing Really Change Everything?

    3D printing has easily established itself as something amazing. Is it really the revolutionary technology that everybody makes it out to be though? That’s the question behind a new episode of PBS’ wonderful Off Book series.

    This week, Off Book interviews numerous 3D printing insiders and experts to get their opinions on the future of the technology:

    Much attention has been paid to 3D Printing lately, with new companies developing cheaper and more efficient consumer models that have wowed the tech community. They herald 3D Printing as a revolutionary and disruptive technology, but how will these printers truly affect our society? Beyond an initial novelty, 3D Printing could have a game-changing impact on consumer culture, copyright and patent law, and even the very concept of scarcity on which our economy is based. From at-home repairs to new businesses, from medical to ecological developments, 3D Printing has an undeniably wide range of possibilities which could profoundly change our world.

    What’s sets 3D printing apart from other so called “revolutions” in tech or manufacturing is that 3D printing has over 20 years of innovation behind it. All that knowledge will soon be passed on to us as we move from a consumer culture to a creator culture. The Internet has already achieved a creator culture in digital goods, and 3D printing may very well be the thing to extend that into the physical realm.

  • 3D Printers Are Changing How Designers Make And Market Art

    If you believe the hype, 3D printing will be everywhere sooner or later. It’s only a matter of time before the price comes down enough for everybody to afford one. Many companies are jumping onto the hype train before it becomes mainstream, but one company in particular is the focus of today’s video.

    The Creator’s Project, a video series that looks at how artists are using technology in new ways, recently released a feature on 3D printing. The video looks at Shapeways in particular as the site has been instrumental in expanding the reach of 3D printing beyond traditional manufacturing. In a way, the site is kind of like the Etsy of 3D printing as designers can sell their creations to the masses.

    The amount of items available on Shapeways is actually kind of staggering. Designers are selling everything from modern art to Steve Jobs busts.

    In a similar vein, Thingiverse is also shaking up the 3D printing industry by offering designs that 3D printer owners can make themselves. No longer does somebody have to be an expert in 3D design to make everyday objects. They can just download the files from Thingiverse and get to work.

    Shapeways and Thingiverse are just two brands that are leading the charge into the future of 3D printing. The hardware itself has made leaps and bounds since it became affordable only a few years ago. Now there are numerous successful Kickstarter campaigns where people are pledging thousands of dollars to see cheaper 3D printers be brought to market.

    It’s an exciting time to be in the industry as the future is exceedingly bright.

  • Keep Your iPhone 5 Warm For The Holidays With A 3D Printed Sweater Case

    We’re halfway through November, and it’s only going to get colder from here on out. It’s time to bust out the itchy sweaters from holiday seasons past. This year, with the help of 3D printers, you can make your iPhone its very own itchy sweater out of plastic.

    Shapeways, makers of fine 3D printed products, recently held a contest that asked designers to create a unique design for an iPhone 5 case via 3D printing. The winner, ArtizanWork, created a “sweater” case for the iPhone 5 that really does look like a sweater. It’s even emulates the flexible stitching that handmade sweaters sport.

    For their efforts, the designers at ArtizanWork received a $500 prize. The prize may be nice, but the real reward lies in increased visibility. ArtizanWork sells these sweater cases at $75 a piece. They’ll easily make more than $500 this holiday season as more people are made aware of their really unique designs.

    You can pick up your own iPhone 5 knitted sweater case today. The design hasn’t been made publicly available for obvious reasons, but I’m sure 3D printer enthusiasts will knock out something similar very shortly that others can make themselves.

    [h/t: Make]

  • Shapeways Offers New iPhone Case With Sound

    Innovators are sure to love this case. Shapeways has just revealed their new iPhone case and it’s loaded with features. The Vibe features SoundCloud integration. If you don’t know what soundCloud is, take a look at their website. Essentially it is a place to share and listen to sounds.

    Vibe owners can have their favorite sound wave transformed into a plastic 3-D sleeve for their iPhone. The result is a totally unique case that no one can mistake. Creation is simple with Shapeways’ new web app that allows consumers to design and transform sound waves into products you can touch. Available in high-gloss white or black, the case can be purchased for an introductory price of twenty bucks.

    Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen comments the new case:

    “We are really excited to let anyone design their own personalized iPhone case with their favorite sound. The Vibe is literally sound you can touch! This is yet another example of how Shapeways is enabling personalized production using 3D printing.”

    It sounds exciting and it’s definitely a new take on what can be done with sound waves. I like the idea, the iPhone is a truly innovative product so why not pair it with a case that’s equally novel? If all your friends have iPhones this will be a great way to distinguish yourself and get crazy with the graphics at the same time. It’s kind of a hard concept to explain, but a pictures worth a thousand words. If you’re an iPhone owner it might be worth the twenty dollars.

    Thanks for the upgrades Shapeways. Can’t wait to see this app in action.