MakerBot Industries

“Prepare to be amazed.” That’s what Smithsonian.com says about MakerBot in a recent post on their Innovations blog. The blog asks the question “Will 3D printers become the new PCs?” and highlights a number of awesome things MakerBots have created, including Micah Ganske’s MakerBotted sculptures and Project Shellter. They also give Thingiverse a nice shout out, saying its “loaded with what’s described as “open-source art.”

When most of think us of internal combustion engines, we think of pistons exploding in a beautiful dance, with a crankshaft turning linear motion into circular motion. It’s a sight to see, and we can even print out such an example, courtesy of sirmakesalot.

However, there are other engines out there, and none perhaps more interesting than the Wankel engine. ROBK636 has created the engine rotor (as a fun keychain!) of this unorthodox design. Known perhaps most famously for being the engine of choice for the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8 sports cars, the Wankel engine has a place in hearts of many a gearhead. We thank ROBK636 for bringing this keychain to Thingiverse, and I hope this is just the start. How long before I can print out an entire assembly?

RX-7 / RX-8 Rotary Engine Rotor Keychain by ROBK636

Basic model of the engine rotor. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine

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Mystery Tag Hunt!

I had an idea for a little game, building on my recent call to action for people to tag things on Thingiverse.  Here’s how it works:

• I’ll pick something on Thingiverse and think up an appropriate tag for it. ¹
• To participate, all you have to do is find things on Thingiverse which would fit the tag I’ve suggested, tag that Thing, leave a comment that includes the phrase “taghunt” on that Thing.
• Later, I’ll check back on the mystery Thing.  The winner is the person who tags it and leaves the first “taghunt” comment.

The very first Mystery Tag Hunt tag is…  “hanger”

• Hint 1:  The mystery Thing doesn’t have any tags right now.
• Hint 2:  The mystery Thing doesn’t have the word “hanger” in the title, description, or instructions.

Good luck!

1. A tag that it does not already have. [↩]

Another cool thing from the Thingiverse camera section for this autumnal Friday: a whole quick-release system that you can just screw on to your existing tripod head!

This is a pretty basic design, but it’s very cool how it’s a totally modular add-on.  I personally don’t always love quick-releases, but with this, I can take it or leave it as I like…I think I might have to print out one of the bottom parts…and a few mounting plates.  Well done, Derekmellott!

Camera Quick Release by Derekmellott

A simple and strong quick release for you to quickly mount and dismount your camera, or whatever, on anything you want. I am using this to mount my DSLR on a time lapse panning rig. UPDATE I have added a redesigned handle that uses less material and can turn left or right. Another good use is to place this on a tripod that doesn't have a quick release.

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Protoceratops at the ROM by clothbot

Several months ago I had posted about a free website service called “My3DScanner.com“.  Basically, it lets you upload a number of photographs which their service turns into a cloud point which can then be converted into an STL for printing.¹

Clothbot has been playing with a similar service called Hypr3D.com.  Once you’ve uploaded photographs of the subject from different angles and Hypr3D has worked their magic, you can download a digital copy of your subject as a point cloud, STL, or 3D model in several formats.  A feature I really like is the in-browser 3D model viewer.

Such services don’t (yet) perfectly create meshes, so you may need to brush up on your MeshLab skillz, but they certainly take a lot of work out of the process and it is definitely more convenient to carry your smart-phone-camera rather than a 3D scanner.

1. Tony Buser provides a summary of his toolpath for doing this here. [↩]