WebGL Draft Specification Published
Rich 3D graphics in standard web content without a plugin just got one step closer to reality. The Khronos Group recently announced the availability of the first WebGL specification draft.
Virtual Worlds
The Lumen, a physical 3D display
Here’s a cool project by Ivan Poupyrev, an interactive 3D surface called Lumen. Unlike a regular 3D display, which uses optical tricks to make the image appear to extend out from the screen, in this display the pixels actually move.
Designing in SketchUp
In my Principles of Technology class, we’re using Sketchup to design the parts we will make for the Mendocino Motor. Though we’ll fabricate the parts with hand and power tools, you can also use Sketchup to make the files needed to cut parts on a mill, Makerbot, Shopbot or other CNC tools.
The Mendocino Motor project appears in the Teachers’ Pet Projects section on
in MAKE, Volume 20, page 79.
Here are some techniques to design parts for the motor:
First get familiar with the Sketchup interface. This is pretty easy, the software is rather intuitive. A good place to start is by making whole shapes with the rectangle and circle tools. Draw a shape, then use the Push/Pull tool to extrude it up or down. You can make a shape on the side of another shape, then pull it out or push it in. Make some shapes. Mouse over the tool icons and you should see the name of the tool in a popup.
Volpin Props Bioshock “Big Daddy” on eBay
The amazing “Big Daddy” costume build from Volpin Props that we covered back in September is up for auction on eBay. The listing closes just after 9:00 PM PST on December 3rd which, incidentally, is my birthday (hint hint hint). The image shown above is actually a photograph of the costume (admittedly one that’s been run through a PhotoShop filter or two) taken at the Georgia Aquarium. You can view the entire photo-set here. [Thanks, Phil!]
Inside the Halo armor with Vrogy
Over the past few years, I have been fascinated by Michael’s Halo armor project. The piece that first caught my eye was his M6G pistol made of foam. Insulating foam is a fascinating material, due to its’ consistency, low cost and ease of tooling. Machined foam can be cut quickly, and can be finished with a variety of surface treatments from diluted white glue to some paints. He’s been posting to the MAKE Flickr pool for quite a while, allowing us to see what he’s up to as the projects evolve. Recently, we’ve had an email exchange where he has shared some of the process and techniques that he is employing on this masterful personal project.
3D scanner using standard webcam
Qi Pan, a PhD candidate at the Engineering Department of Cambridge University, has developed a novel approach to capturing 3D objects with a standard webcam.
Real imitates virtual – Windows/Mac calculators
Korean product design firm MintPass came up with these great concept designs for real calculators that imitate their software implementations. [via Boing Boing]
