Wired’s Chris Anderson digs Autodesk’s 123D
On the Cool Tools mailing list, Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson (a hardcore maker of cool things, like DIY Drones, and founder of GeekDad) heartily recommends Autodesk’s 123D.
3D Printing & Imaging
If you’re a maker, 3d printing is an incredibly useful tool to have in your arsenal. Not only can it help bring your projects to life faster, but it can also offer unique results that would be difficult (or impossible!) to achieve with traditional methods. In these blog posts, we’ll provide you with some essential information and tips regarding 3D printing for makers—including the basics of how to get started, plus creative tutorials for spicing up your projects. Whether you’re already familiar with 3d printing or are just starting out, these resources will help take your game-making skills even further!
LittleBits, Backyard Brains, MakerBot at TED
At the TED2012 Conference with Ayah Bdeir of littleBits, Gregory Gage of Backyard Brains, and Bre Pettis of MakerBot Industries
Laser Slicing Using 3D-Printer Files
NYC Resistor’s Trammell Hudson is playing around with creating 3D images out of sliced .STLs from Thingiverse. Love it! While uploading a model to thingiverse, I noticed an ultra cute Cthulhu and had to print it immediately on the Makerbot at NYC Resistor. Then I had an idea that the same process that generates the […]
Sketch and Print in 3D from Android
Folks over at House4Hack in Johannesburg are developing an app, called Paint3D, that will allow you to sketch and print directly to a 3D printer from your Android device. Their app allows you to create an extruded polygon mesh that’s then converted to GCode, stored on an SD card, and fed to the printer. Their goal is to create an easy to use 3D tool that does everything from the Android device.
Alex and the Pockets, Dispatch #3
Our favorite “3D printrepreneurs,” Alex and Bilal, continue their technocarnie roadshow and share with MAKE what they’re learning about selling custom 3D printed do-dads to the masses.
Make: Projects – Custom-Shaped Frameless Eyeglasses
Here is a process that would not have occurred to me. Make: Projects user Kiers knew enough about the machines used by eyeglass lens makers to know that they use a “dummy lens” template as a pattern to cut the outer profile of a lens. He found an accommodating online optician willing to use a […]
Building a Robotic Bee With MEMS 3D Printing
Basically, microscale 3D printing the same way a popup book creates a three-dimensional shape. The Harvard Monolithic Bee is a millimeter-scale flapping wing robotic insect produced using Printed Circuit MEMS (PC-MEMS) techniques. This video describes the manufacturing process, including pop-up book inspired assembly. [via Ponoko]