MakerBot’s own Tony Buser has put together this helpful video tutorial showing how he uses a variety of programs to fix 3D objects and scans to make them more printable.  There are a lot of ways for things to go wrong with a 3D object.  You could have a flipped triangle, internal structures,  or there could be a hole in the mesh.  Tony’s video provides a great overview and takes you step-by-step through the most popular 3D mesh fixing programs.  Even though this video depicts a 3D scan being fixed, the programs and methods shown could be used to fix any problematic 3D object.  Give it a shot!

The Smiths by Tony Buser

MakerBot’s own Tony Buser has been scanning and sharing his family on Thingiverse with quite possibly the most creative use of the new “multiple derivative” feature yet!  (Each person was scanned separately and then arranged together into the picture above.)  Tony has thoughtfully memorialized his family and friends with these scans.

The possibilities opened by cheap ubiquitous 3D scanning technology are nearly endless.  A 3D printed family portrait, a movie of 3D scans morphing from one month to the next showing how a person grows, replacing the pen marks on the door jamb for marking height, or maybe even a way to easily assemble as seamless family portrait without everyone being in the same location at the same time.¹

1. Also, who will be the first to upload a Tony BuSta? [↩]

What would you do with a bionic eye?

Tony Buser posted his own take on the “MakerBot Goggles” phenomena where you see everything as DIY 3D printable:

I think I’ve discovered a corollary to MakerBot Goggles – Spinscan Goggles. Now everything I see I wonder if I can scan and MakerBot a copy.

Making a rote copy and merely duplicating an existing object can definitely be useful.  What I find more interesting is being able to scan a physical object in the world around you and manipulate the 3D image to be remixed into something even more useful.

So, if you were wearing your own Spinscan Goggles, what would you want to scan and duplicate?  What would you want to scan and mashup or remix?

We really want — really need — a 3D printable cute robot mascot.¹ So when we heard that GrabCAD wanted to collaborate with us, we took this opportunity to create a challenge on their site and put up a brand new MakerBot Thing-O-Matic kit as stakes for the engineer who blows our minds and warm our hearts.

The concept of the robot is wide open so feel free to enter creatures of all shapes and styles. Inspired by the lunchbox on wheels that rolled around on the Death Star in Star Wars? Great! You’re a fan of humanoid robots like the B9 from Lost in Space? Super! All shapes of robots’ designs are expected to participate. The winning entry will become the lead MakerBot Robot Mascot. It is very likely that most, if not all entries will be filmed for MakerBot.TV videos. The finalists will have their robots 3D printed on a MakerBot at MakerBot HQ and sent to them.

You may submit as many robots as you like, just don’t wait around! This competition ends on September 28th.

The inspiration for this challenge is Tony Buser’s “BOB” robot. We saw this and all we could think of was “MORE!”, especially considering the popularity of robot models in the Thingiverse, on GrabCAD’s Library, and elsewhere in the Internet kingdom.

Bob is built from a toolset of robot parts that include joints for arms and ears. This toolset gives you a nice set of components that you can use to make your robot design have pose-able parts. The toolset also includes the MakerBot M logo design to make it easy to badge the robot with it. Using the toolset is not required, but we wanted to make the functioning side as easy as possible for people to express their robo-creativity, so some of the components are offered up front for optional use in this challenge.

We’re doing this with GrabCAD, a great community and platform for engineers to collaborate and get hired to make things. Head on over to GrabCAD to read the rules and requirements, and get started with our challenge. We hope that you will post your projects on Thingiverse as well as GrabCAD so that both communities can benefit from your creativity!

1. Yeah, we said “cute.” [↩]

Gnome and Gnome

There is no doubt Tony Buser has definitely done more for the 3D printing community than anyone else when it comes to advancing gnome duplication and teleportation technology.  However, I’m convinced that his SpinScan open source software and hadware has a larger potential besides assisting in the controversial practice of gnome cloning. ¹  Tony hasn’t finalized the materials list, but the final project would probably involve a decent web camera with good low light performance² , a cheap laser³ , a stepper driver, a stepper motor, an arduino, a few bearings, threaded rod, and some nuts and bolts.  The whole lot would set you back around $200 and significantly less if you can scavenge a few parts.

So, if you could scan and print anything, what would it be?⁴

Spinscan by tbuser

Untitled by tbuser

This thing brought to you by

1. I mean, the anti-gnome-stem-cell lobby is just insane! [↩]
2. Perhaps around $100 [↩]
3. He got a $4 laser from eBay [↩]
4. But, perhaps a better question is…  what are you waiting for?! [↩]

Mars Exploration Rover by tbuser

In honor of Space Month on Thingiverse, MakerBot’s own Tony Buser has designed an amazing replica of the Mars Rover:

Articulated, snap together, Mars Rover! No screws, glue, or support structure needed (although some glue in a few places wouldn’t hurt). All the parts can be posed, turned, twisted. The wheels turn and the legs even pivot like the real thing to go over obstacles! Unfortunately, it is not autonomous.

42 separate pieces with 20 unique parts, painstakingly arranged into just five printing plates.  Designs like this really push the boundaries of what’s possible with just a 3D printer.  Parts that snap together with no hardware or glue, while still being movable means you can basically make any kind of plastic object out there.  It’s probably not long at all before we see a printable Transformer.

With any luck, a printed version might even be able to find its way back home.

Untitled by tbuser

This thing brought to you by

The Colbear by Tony Buser

Thingiverse champion Pattywac has another challenge for you (and your friends)!  The chosen design will receive $60.00 from Pattywac and $100.00 in MakerBot store credit provided by MakerBot Industries!  Here are the details:

With a great bust, comes a great responsibility. ¹  We must use Stephen Colbert scans in the greatest design challenge to date, the Makerstrong Mashup Challenge.  I can’t guarantee that a mashup resulting in a printable clock with a Steve Colbert head-pendulum and gears embossed with his likeness or a printable tank with a giant Colbert bust on the top that shoots smaller Colbert busts out would win, but they definitely wouldn’t get last place…

Just to clarify, all submissions to this challenge must use at least one of the Stephen Colbert head scans included in the following post and use it as part of a new thing posting “http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:9104”

The initial prize will be $60 cash transferred via Paypal from Pattywac, and $100 in Makerbot store credit, generously supplied by MakerBot Industries.  IF we can somehow get Mr. Cobert to agree to be a guest judge on the panel for the challenge, Pattywac will up the cash prize to $150 transferred via Paypal.  Any flattr money will also be added to the prize pool.

Rules:

1. Needs to be printable (at least partly… Unicorns, Frostruders, and other toolheads included) on a Makerbot
2. Needs to combine at least two designs, one of them being a Steve Colbert head scan (can include new designs of your own making)
3. Post submissions on Thingiverse by 8pm CST on July 17, 2011.
4. Multiple entries are allowed, but they must be distinct from one another.
5. To enter be sure and tag your Thing with the word “Makerstrong”

The entries will be judged using the following criteria:

• Number of Likes on Thingiverse
• Number of times it has been made by someone else
• Average Thingiverse rating
• Printability (not just fitting it in the space but also how many separate prints are required)
• Effort put into design (based on testing and revisions (if at all needed), how well does it fit the challenge)
• Does it build on previous challenge winners?
• Future for use in other Thingiverse designs
• Number of other items combined from Thingiverse to make new design

Yay!  I love mashup challenges!

1. MakerBlock:  Must… resist… jokes… [↩]

TARDIS and mini-TARDIS

Everything about this makes me happy. ¹²  Tony Buser printed the same object³ twice, fixed a hardware issue in between, printed it again in a scaled down form, and got a much better print result the second time.  In his words:

Now that I fixed the ripple problem. Unfortunately I don’t think I have enough blue filament for another large one.

Of course, he⁴ could always use the second print to go back in time and fix the ripple problem before his earlier self printed⁵ the first TARDIS. ⁶

1. Yes, I may well be a Doctor Who fanboy. [↩]
2. Tell me something I don’t know. [↩]
3. Two TARDIS‘es [↩]
4. Tony Buser One [↩]
5. Tony Buser Two [↩]
6. Sure, it might tear a hole in the universe, but I’m pretty sure he could fix that too. [↩]

Trimensional, an iPhone app for creating 3D scans, was just released!

The latest version of Trimensional, the 3D scanner for iPhone, has just been released.  For the first time ever, you can scan an object using your iPhone and immediately export a printable STL file via email. Within seconds, you’ll go from 3D scanning to 3D printing with no manual clean-up required.

Trimensional even has built-in methods to smooth the geometry of your scan and to ensure the exported model is made watertight by placing a closed rectangular back on the scan.  Enjoy!

What would you print if your iPhone could scan ANYTHING?

Trimensional

Cloud Options

Whatever your preferences and skill level, there’s now an online CAD program for you!  There have been several really amazing online CAD programs released in the last seven or so months. ¹  There’s Tony Buser’s CloudSCAD, 3DTin.com, and just today TinkerCAD just entered open Beta.  Interestingly, I don’t see these three CAD programs as competitors.  If 3D design were building blocks, 3DTin.com would be the Duplo – quick, intuitive, and easy to use with the trade-off being limited resolution.  CloudSCAD is the web based version of my favorite modeling program, the open-source OpenSCAD.  I’ve only used TinkerCAD a little, but it’s looking very promising so far as a full-fledged solid CAD program that lives in your browser.

FireFox users, be warned!  FireFox is kinda fussy about WebGL.  If you’re having problems getting FireFox to run TinkerCAD, give this page a shot.

1. Photo courtesy of Kevin Dooley [↩]