MakerBot’s R&D all-stars have been printing up a PLA storm on our MakerBot Replicators and getting impressive results! Last night we did an overnight time-lapse of this skull and it turned out beautifully!

What lands will your astronauts traveling to? Take some pictures of your MakerBot Astronauts in the wild and show us what kinds of adventures they’ve been having!

Checking out a flamingo.

Riding an escalator.

Testing out Aridion tech.

Hanging with some MimoBots.

Chillin with Dennis Rodman.

Gambling.

Cuddling with Paro, the therapeutic robot.

Enjoying some chips and guac.

Drawing with SketRobo.

On a plane to Brooklyn.

As a special treat for CES this year, MakerBot posed a set of provocative questions:

Remember the playsets, dollhouses, action figures, army figurines, and plastic ponies you played with so passionately in your youth? Dreaming up secret worlds — or creating narratives with friends, neighbors, classmates, and siblings?

Well, what if you could produce these tools of imagination with the push of a button? And what if you could roll up your sleeves and invent your own characters, furnishings, and buildings — and share them not only with your children, nieces, nephews, neighbors, or friends, but also, and instantly, with the rest of the world?

Handcrafted dollhouses are nothing new to the serious Maker, but MakerBot is taking steps to make this practice easier and more widely adopted than ever before. For the rest of January, MakerBot and a squadron of Makers will be introducing the MakerBot Playsets to the Thingiverse: 1:18 scale dollhouses as full of imagination and mischief as craft, modeling techniques, and cleverness.

MakerBot’s own design superstar Michael “Skimbal” Curry, creator of such Thingiverse megahits as the Turtle Shell Racers and Gothic Cathedral playset, starts the ball rolling by architecting a pair of MakerBot Playset buildings. Introducing two new Thingiverse superstars: Cushwa and PrettySmallThings are doing a tremendous job furnishing these playsets with their imaginations.¹

So without further ado, straight from the soundstage backlot of Annelise’s Replicator music video, The Right Heart, we present you with the MakerBot Fairytale Castle Playset and the Damsels!

The MakerBot Fairytale Castle Playset and Damsels

MakerBot Fairytale Castle Playset by MakerBotWorkshop

Long Long ago in a land far away, there was a little castle surrounded by an industrious town. The townspeople loved their little castle and wanted it to be perfect. But the little castle was empty. Its owner had left long ago, taking all the fine things with him and locking them away. The Townspeople resolved to re-furnish there castle. They learned to craft and create. Making chest and chairs, tables and beds, gadgets and gizmo's, they filled the castle with things that reflected themselves and their experiences. They created so many things that at the end of each day it looked like little castle couldn't hold any more. But the castle had a secret. Every night, it grew. Sprouting new towers, chambers, and cellars. The town's people would awaken and rejoice, ready for another day of crafting and creating. The town was proud of its magical castle, and everyone wanted to fill it with the best that they could offer. But wasn't a magical castle, it was a MakerBot Castle. Each night the daring Damsels deftly deployed their wondrous Replicator, creating new rooms to extend the structure. Floor by floor they built up into the sky. Until one day the little castle had become the tallest and grandest in all the Thingiverse. And the small town around the castle had grown into a great city, filled with the incredible things and spectacular ideas. The Makers, Crafters, and Hackers had learned from furnishing the castle. They had perfected their crafts and honed their skills. When they looked out on the world from the tallest tower, and saw that it too was a place they could rebuild. And they spread across the land, sharing their knowledge and teaching others how to improve the world around them.Created by Thingiverse user Skimbal, designer of the Turtle Shell Racers, MakerBot Botmobile and the Gothic Cathedral Playset.

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MakerBot Damsels by MakerBotWorkshop

The daring MakerBot Damsels are in no manner of distress -- they deftly define their own world of wondrous wizardry. Making, Creating, and Crafting, they dexterously develop designs for castles, creatures, and contraptions. Deploying Cupcakes, Thing-O-Matics, and Replicators, dozens of Damsels distribute production precisely for punctual perfection. Dastardly deed doers and nefarious ninja gnomes beware, the Damsels don’t take kindly to klepto capers and would-be kidnappers.Created by Thingiverse user Skimbal, designer of the Turtle Shell Racers, MakerBot Botmobile and the Gothic Cathedral Playset.

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Pour imagination from the Thingiverse into your playsets!

Utah Teapot by phooky

This is an STL file decribing a Utah Teapot, based on data created by Martin Newell. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_teapot This is a pretty poor model for printing; it's been refined by Unfold since:thingiverse.com/thing:918

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Tea cup by MakerBlock

This is just a small tea cup sized to go with the Utah Teapot thing posted by phooky. thingiverse.com/thing:821 I have included the Sketchup file in case anyone wants to play with the design. The walls are extremely thin, so make sure you have good Skeinforge settings. FYI, the reason for the funky handle is to make it more printable. :) More about this design and other things at my site MakerBlock.com Tea cup post: makerblock.com/2010/02/tea-cups/

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Mushroom - style lamp by Saminvent

This was my first 3d model posted on Thingiverse. It should be able to be made on a makerbot/reprap style machine as it doesn't need any support material(it has no bad overhangs). Any problems with this build then please email me. As soon as I have my 3D printer up and running I will post pictures. Print the lamp upside down.It will look lit up with an LED printed in PLA. It currently fits in a makerbot build area however you can scale it how you want.

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cube farm - messy book case by tc_fea

This is modeled after my own messy book case at work. One of these days I will go thru it again and get rid of obsolete manuals and clutter.

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Design Armchair by Emmet_Brown

This is a design armchair I created with the software solidThinking. This is the first model I designed with it, following a tutorial.

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Princess Heart Crown by syvwlch

For those of us with a Princess in our lives, and the need to be forgiven for the state of the living-room-slash-mad-scientist-laboratory and the ABS fumes... the ability to print a crown made of hearts can go a long way to securing continued forbearance. ;-) Thank you MakeALot for the original of which this is just a quick hack.

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Cow by JonMonaghan

Moo.

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Miniature Queen Anne Chair by PrettySmallThings

This is a miniature Queen Anne style chair, designed for use in scale models and dollhouses. The files below are provided in 1/2" = 1'-0" scale, also known as 1:24. My design goals were: Maintain delicate proportions, but balance the need for durability. Print without support Good looking resolution, with little cleanup needed This does print at 50% (1/4" scale or 1:48) but is very fragile. I imagine that printing at 200% (1" scale or 1:12, typical dollhouse scale) would require support, and I have not tested it.

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MIrror by cushwa

Sort of a fancy mirror. Suitable for Kings or Queens

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Medieval table. by cushwa

Hefty sort of table. Suitable for Kings and Queens for those spur of the moment banquets.

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Medieval chair by cushwa

Medieval type chair. Suitable for the commoners and riff-raff that one must sometimes have at a impromptu Medieval banquet.

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fire place by cushwa

This is a big old fire place with a fire going inside it. Sort a like a fire place you might find in a medieval (note the correct spelling) castle. This will keep you warm on those cold winter nights in that drafty castle!

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Canopy Bed by cushwa

Canopy bed suitable for Kings and Queens.

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dresser by cushwa

Medieval sort of dresser. Suitable for Kings and Queens.

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suit of armor by cushwa

Suit of Armor. Suitable for knights in castles

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Vanity table and stool by cushwa

Vanity table and stool. Suitable for princesses.

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Anvil by MNinventer

Anvil

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Frog Prince by cushwa

Frog Prince originally from Grimms fairy tales. A classic fairy tale character that no castle should be without.

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claw footed tub. by cushwa

Not really from the Middle ages but still good for an "up to date" Medieval castle. Nothing feels better than soaking in a hot tub after a good jousting match.

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Treasure Chest by cushwa

All-purpose Treasure Chest. Suitable for a Medieval castle or a pirate ship. filled with massive treasure.

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Candelabra Update 1 by cushwa

Candelabra, suitable for Medieval castle or anywhere a little candle light is needed Updated files with corrections based on feedback from PrettySmallThings

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Miniature Queen Anne Sofa Tables by PrettySmallThings

A collection of 1:24 sofa tables to match the rest of the parlor set. Two sizes, with a demi lune thrown in for good measure. Two styles, one exemplifying typical Queen Anne S-curves, and another with faux drawers. These are scale reproductions of furniture with 36"x12" and 48"x18" footprints. Building a Makerbot Playset? Scale the tables up by a factor of 1.5 to get them into 1:18 scale.

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Miniature Queen Anne Chaise Lounge by PrettySmallThings

A 1:24 scale Chaise for lounging, to match the rest of the parlor set. *This is a Thing in Progress: I edited the leg fitting since printing this the first time. I don't expect any issues, but I haven't actually printed the update myself yet. Building a Makerbot Playset? Scale the chaise up by a factor of 1.5 to get it into 1:18 scale.

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Barrel by MNinventer

Barrel

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Miniature Queen Anne Dining Tables by PrettySmallThings

Dining tables to match your favorite miniature chairs. Check out the rest of the 1:24 scale furniture pieces in my Queen Anne collection. The tables are scale reproductions of dining tables with the following footprints: 60"x36" - seats 6 48"x36" - seats 4 36"x36" - seats 4 30"x30" - seats 2

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Miniature Queen Anne Wingback Chair by PrettySmallThings

A 1:24 wingback chair to add more seating to your parlor set. Building a Makerbot Playset? Scale the chair up by a factor of 1.5 to get them into 1:18 scale.

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Miniature Mantel by PrettySmallThings

A traditional fireplace mantel for your 1:24 model. This model is the mantel only, so print up a firebox of your own design, or use traditional model building methods to finish the piece.

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1. We will be introducing new Thingiverse superstars over the next few weeks.

Three reptilian skulls

I was inspired by the dinosaur skull posted on Thingiverse and set out to look for more. The Digimorph project at the University of Texas has some dinosaurs, but the STL files are not posted.  However, Artect, a company that makes 3D scanners, has posted a very nice high-resolution STL file of a Tarbosaurus skull, on their 3D model download page. It’s the first model listed on the page.  I sliced it in Netfabb, and have posted the sliced files on Thingiverse.

Keep reading for some tips on how to print this object, and other complex organic shapes!

To print the Tarbosaurus, I first sliced the skull into 4 sections using Netfabb, using the same procedure I have posted about earlier on this blog, to print a crocodile skull. The key is to choose your slices in such a way that you don’t end up with too many hanging pieces, and also to reduce extreme overhangs.

Tarbosaur skull, assembled

There was really no way of printing this without extensive support, so I enabled support material in Skeinforge. However, I did not want a raft, since I wanted a very flat mating surface when I glued the finished skull together. To use support material without a raft, go into the raft settings in Skeinforge, and set the base layers and interface layers to 0.  You can then enable raft and support when generating G-Code, but no raft will actually be made. (Raft has to be enabled for support material to work).

For the raptor skull that is also posted on Thingiverse, I did the opposite. It looked feasible to print without support, but the very long and narrow pieces of the jaw print straight up a long way, and I was concerned that they would not adhere to the build platform. For this print, I enabled raft (setting base and interface layers to 1) but not support.

The default support options are very sturdy - unnecessarily so. The parameter that controls the density of the support material is hidden away in the raft module in Skeinforge, it is the Interface Layer Density (ratio) parameter. Reduce it to 0.4 or even less. Making this number smaller will make the support material flimsier, and easier to pull away from your model.

I have found it helpful to raise the extrusion temperature to 235C. This makes the ABS less viscous, and helps it to stay flat once extruded. Otherwise, some of the overhangs will curl up, and snag the nozzle as it travels back forth.

Once printed, you’ll notice that pulling off the support materials leaves white “bruising” on the ABS. In fact, any kind of trimming or shaping of the ABS will do this. A great remedy is to go over the piece with a hot air gun – a second or two of exposure is enough to “cure” the plastic, and magically erase the bruises.

If, like me, your print is not exact, you’ll have to bend it a little to make it fit properly when you glue it together. This places the whole piece under tension, which is not a good thing. Once again, a quick pass with a hot air gun is enough to slightly soften the piece, and relax any tensile stresses. Don’t overdo it – the piece can melt quicker than you think.

I hope this is useful. Please post if you find any other interesting models to print. The Digimorph project has some more STLs available for download, I look forward to hearing about any successful prints!

Dinosaur skull -- sliced and scaled for Makerbot TOM by tonyv

By request, I'm posting the files I used to print the dinosaur skull originally uploaded by cyborg527:thingiverse.com/thing:10447 In plenty of time for Christmas, it's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raptor". (I ran out of white...but the red works too, somehow %^)

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Tarbosaurus skull, sliced for printing by gpvillamil

This is the skull of a Tarbosaurus, an Asian relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The scan was originally posted online by Artec, a maker of 3D scanners, on their 3D model download page, artec3d.com/gallery/3d-models/. (Some cool stuff there, by the way.) All I've done is sliced it into 4 pieces using Netfabb, to make it easier to print. The STL from Artec is super clean, so if you have better ideas for how to prep the piece for printing, download their original file and give it a try!

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WNYC has included MakerBot’s New Museum window in their list of top Holiday Window Displays, Off the Beaten Path.  If you haven’t made it by the New Museum yet, there’s still time to see the Dalek Snowmen, X-Wing Reindeer and Cylon-Santa for yourself — the window display will be up through the end of the year!

MakerBot conquers NYC with the cover of this week’s Time Out New York! Not only did MakerBot print the entire cover, complete with our mascot, R. Maker, taking on a mini version of New York City, but the Thing-O-Matic is featured as a gift For the Person Who Has Everything. We are also giving away a Thing-O-Matic to one lucky reader, to enter click here!

New Yorkers who want to see a real MakerBot in person, or even buy one, can visit these brick and mortar stores:

AC Gears

69 E. 8^th Street (between Broadway and University)

New York, NY 10003

(212) 260-2269

Wired Store

4 Times Square (at 42nd and Broadway)

New York, NY 10036

Friday, 11/18 – Saturday, 12/24

Demo on December 17th

12pm-2pm

Gizmodo Gallery

White Box Art Gallery

329 Broome Street

New York, NY 10002

Tuesday 12/6 – Sunday 12/11

New Museum Store

235 Bowery

New York, NY 10002

212.343.0460

Once in a while an item comes up on Thingiverse that I just have to print. Immediately. Eried‘s awesome fastening system was one of those items. Using raised knobs spaced perfectly apart, this fastening system differentiates itself from the hook and loop system we all know.

By his own admission the system is not yet perfected, but Eried’s got a great start on his design. I’ve printed some out (you should too!) and have had fun testing its strength and the sound it makes when taking two sides apart. Make sure to join the discussion to offer suggestions for improvements and naming!

Printable VELCRO by eried

This is the first iteration (third internal) of my attempt to make printable Velcro. It is pretty nice to hang things, probably this small piece will resist much more than a kilogram of weight (hanging weight) and it is very easy to remove. 3d printing revolution is just starting, I don't say this is a flawless piece but I really consider it is a very good example about a very sweet future about us modifying our brains from "search-buy-adapt" (frustration included) to "think-design-print" (self-pride included :D ). Quick demo video: youtube.com/watch?v=BtLSMI3xVDY Quick demo #2 (perpendicular): youtube.com/watch?v=eLehgIfjmpA This was an object that did not exist in our 3d printing world, so I like to think this is an "upgrade" from real world to a better virtual&teleportable world ;)

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I’m a sucker for practicality and to this day have been looking for a good place to store my pots and pans. The cabinets work, until I have to stack one item on top of another, inevitably dirtying the bottom pot or pan. PolygonPusher‘s hook is brilliant: Strong, functional, and cheap. I’ll be printing some of these today to hang underneath my kitchen side table.

What’s particularly interesting about this Thingiverse item is the conversation about the, well, practicality of printing out such an item, when it would seem that these hooks could be sourced locally. PolyGonPusher gives a great explanation for why he did what he did, and it’s yet another example of what makes Thingiverse a fantastic forum for 3D design and printing.

Hook for hanging pots and pans by PolygonPusher

In this project I build a set of shelves for hanging pots and pans in my kitchen. For that I needed 27 hooks. In my local hardware store I did not find any suitable hooks so I decided to design and 3D print my own! :) This also saved me some money since a simple hook in the store costs $4 a piece, making the total $108!

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If you’ve been following the GE Air Show on Facebook, you might be interested in the Grand Finale, posted above. Tons of new models, and as always, funny animation.

All the models shown will make their way to the GE page on Thingiverse shortly, so keep an eye out.

It was really fun to work on this. The teams from Impact Media and Evolution Bureau were smart, creative, talented and great to work with. I’d like to highlight the participation of Gabriel Bentley from Impact Media, who basically taught himself Sketchup and Makerbot operations in the space of weeks, and was running a one-man model airplane factory by the end of the project.

Also, one more thing: the observant amongst you may have noticed that there was never a Week 2 video. Well, fret no more – that footage was discovered, and is posted below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Another video from the GE Air Show project, this time featuring helicopters. The client (GE) has discovered what most of us already know: that watching a Makerbot print is hypnotic! The creative direction has been to emphasize the design and print process, so you’ll be seeing more timelapse takes of the print.

This is likely to be the penultimate video of the project: they are taking submissions for the grand finale right now on the Facebook page.