Discussion: What Autodesk's Printer Means

Last year an announcement came from Autodesk that excited lots of printing enthusiasts. Autodesk would be entering the 3D printing foray. Since then we haven't heard much from them. Kicking off the new year though Autodesk has released a time lapsed clip of their printer in action

The Spark logo printed above was designed in 3D by Keith Chamberlain and Shalom Ormsby, according to YouTube user Matt Hova. Hova explains that the print was made with 25 micron layer thickness and took about four hours to create. This isn't an entirely vast improvement in the technology. Print speeds are only a bit above average STL styled resin printers as well.

However, the key note worth discussing is that Autodesk has finally delivered more information on their promise. What future advents does this bit of new information hold? My biggest excitement for the software turned-printer manufacturer. Is the bundled software. Autodesk has a long history storied history in regards to their design programs; they are by far some of the best and most polished.(Also most expensive).

Currently most printers rely on a proprietary software that slice the model and process it for printing. Now imagine being able to do that with one of Autodesk's programs, think of the depth of modifications we might be able to do in program and the time it would save for prototyping. Avoiding messing with filetypes and models outside of the program would solve file transfer issues experienced in other programs like Zbrush/Rhino. Not to mention the fact that Autodesk is already an established figure on the software end of things meaning less downtime for early software bugs. This means less hassle and more printing in the end. That's always good news for printing enthusiasts!

What this could also mean is we finally begin to see a standardized software being developed and used across a majority of printers. With Autodesk officially entering the forray we might see them branch out and extend their hands to allow compatibility across the FORM 1, DWS LABS xFab, etc... Overall this means less hassle on the consumer side as standardization will remove un forseen variables on the software side of things. For instance if a modeler makes his/her stuff in zbrush and converts it to .FBX file; others using the same model won't have to convert that particular file again minimizing quality distortion.

Overall I think the arrival of Autodesk to the printing foray means, massive, industry wide improvements as we begin to see standardization easing up the rapid prototyping processes.

A Lesson in Producing Designs

Ok, we're not going to draw fresh from news this time around. Instead I'm going to recall my own trials and tribulations and offer up some advice on producing your own wonderful designs. Detailing how to avoid the troubles I had to deal with.

1) Double check your models for holes.

I actually didn't have any problems here however, I have found helping others, this is a common problem. Tiny holes can really screw up a print so always double check your model for holes. You can use functions like Cap or Patch in Rhino/Matrix. While the Close Holes option in Zbrush will fill in any undesirable spaces that you may have accidentally left behind using Dynamesh on your model.

2) Double check your file types.

Before you throw your computer out the window trying to upload your precious 3D model to service sites like Shapeways. Check what file types they take and what your program saves them as I've accidentally gotten enraged at Shapeways for mistakenly trying to upload .3dm and .ztl files several times. Most print service sites like Shapeways take .stl/.obj files. Most modeling software also have the ability to save in those. These are the two formats I usually default to. Of course if your site requires other file types you may have to use converters like netfabb which you can pick up for free.

3) Check your model's walls.

This is one that put me in multiple pickles. A lot of my models have had issues regarding "thin walls" It's not something a designer thinks about consciously, while attempting to create art. You don't want to be spending weeks in limbo with your print service trying to fix thin walls. This is less of a problem for designers using Rhino/Matrix and more of a problem with heavy Zbrush users like me. Pixologic hasn't included a real life grid measurement system so always double check your wall thicknesses before uploading. It'll save you a lot of time and heartache. Programs that are especially designed for rapid prototyping work will have less of an issue with this as there are built in measurement tools and customizable sized grids.

Increasing wall thickness in Zbrush is fairly easy, functions such as Inflate in the Deformation tool menu can easily fix some of these thickness issues. Just be aware that it may distort your model a little. Be prepared to re-adjust your model accordingly.

Likewise in Rhino and Matrix you can simply go back to your curves and re-size them before extruding into a surface. Similarly you can use T-splines to try to manipulate them accordingly.

4) Double check the size of your model

This one is pretty self explanatory. But, I actually goofed and almost printed what should have been a 60mm across bracelet as almost a 30mm across bracelet. That would have been a really tight fit XD Luckily orders are easily cancelled at Shapeways so when someone pointed my mistake out I was able to quickly re-upload the appropriately sized model.

Rhino and Matrix has multiple ways of scaling using the Gumball feature you can simply scale your model accordingly by dragging the tiny square at the end of the arrows. Or you can use Scale 2-D/3-D depending on what you need to increase.

Zbrush has similar scaling mechanics with the Transpose tool in the move menu. However, it's best to size your model before bringing it into Zbrush to sculpt.

5) Double check your site's upload rules.

Some places don't allow X-rated materials to be posted. So always double check lest you wish to get in trouble by breaking TOS (Term of Service). If your site does allow X-rated material, great. Then you can probably ignore this rule.

Next Gen 3D Pen

In today's market evolution happens right quick. You barely have time to blink. I remember just reading last year about the great new sensation that the 3Doodler would be and earlier this year the Wix Pen kicked itself off with a thinner option that could extrude filament with less clutter.

Fast forward to the present and now we have a STL (stereolithography) pen. The Polyes Q1 looks a lot like the 3Doodler in shape and size, but, instead of using ABS/PLA plastics the material it takes is resin. Yes, resin, and prints things with lasers.What does that mean for 3D printing enthusiasts? It means quite a lot actually lets break it down into a 3form factor.

1) You'll be able to print without the plastic odor. I know the smell of burning plastic is one of the least enticing things to people and with this pen you'll probably only be smelling the resin for a brief few seconds.

2) You're printing with a laser. Yes, a laser. So that means you won't have to burn yourself or whoever you're printing with if you happen to have sweaty hands. This also means it's safer for children to use than conventional 3D printing pens. There are two features that allow for this, the Polyres Q1 is built so that pointing it upward automatically stops the pen's functions and an alternate optional resin that hardens under blue light excluding the need for higher-energy uv-light.

3) No material feed and wires. Some older models relied on a material feed or to be plugged into an outlet. This means more limited motion and also limited workflow and space. This means bigger more elaborate projects with less down time and mess.

This pen is going to allow a lot of more artistic people the ability to create amazing pieces with the freedom and high resolution of resin and lasers.Will this completely wipe out ABS pens? Specifically the Wix. I don't think so. ABS pens will most likely become cheaper as this comes out and fit into a retro niche market with the plastic also giving a particular styling effect.

Current cons

1) The current iteration of the Polyes Q1 is bulky, I understand that it's resin so the tank has to be large or you won't be able to print anything. However, holding that looks like it could be a challenge for people with smaller hands.

2) It operates on battery. Meaning it needs to be plugged in when it's out of power. That's pesky if you want to make larger sculptures.

3) Cartridge operation. It's a marketing thing. Cartridges are convenient but I would have rather seen a refillable resevoir tank. It would save on the plastic and be more conducive to just being refilled instead of replaced.

However, at the end of the day this is all speculation the Kickstarter for FutureMakes  Polyes Q1 has not yet to start. Look out for the project sometime in November.


You can check out their website here  http://www.3dp.fm/

Magnetic Designs

Something not new but rather unique to the 3D printing world is magnetism. By that, I mean using magnets to create 3D printed work.

Even though his work with magnets isn't entirely headline news. Jólan van der Wiel does have compelling influence and knowledge in this area. Starting from his Gravity Stools.

It is an interesting process. He hangs a magnet right above a rotating potters wheel while extruding a wet clay mixture (slip) with iron filings inside. This allows van der Wiel to manipulate the slip to some degree, creating really interesting pieces. They contain both natural and mechanical elements as the magnetism cannot be influenced, on the other hand the clay extruder nozzle can be directed. Resulting in structures created both by man and nature.

Dragonstone | Jólan van der Wiel from Mir Motion on Vimeo.

Fast forward a few months. Iris van Herpen has created a new line of apparel, her SS15 ready-to-wear collection titled "Magnetic Motion". This line was inspired by the chaotic forces of magnetism.

In her new Spring'15 line, the designer utilizes Jolan van der Wiel's technique of laying down layers of metal and pulling them in different directions with magnets. This yields shoes and accessories with similar stalactite variations.

But, not depending entirely on van der Wiel's methodology she inserts injection molding, laser cutting, and hand crafting to further tailor the clothing to suit her models. The result of this fusion between similar ideas is clothing that looks both wearable, yet, definitively unique. It has both organic and non-organic elements. This embodies van der Wiel's original premise of having both natural and human influence on structure. The flexible materials move with the models contours and create a feeling of chaos yet strange subtlety. It is not quite as gravitationally influenced as van der Wiel's constructions; I believe this will easily pave the way for more designers to embrace natural elements into their clothing. The dresses below show influence from Philip Beesley and Niccolo Casas. Beesley's influences can mostly be seen in dresses like these

Niccolo Casas has influenced this piece in particular.

We see more traditional van der Wiel construction with this dress.

Revolutionizing 3D Scanning: Materialise Gets Serious

3D Scanners aren't by any means new or marvelous. The technology has been available for a while now, at both a professional and consumer level. Hollywood uses it to bring various objects into movies, game designers use it to bring actors into games, and 3D designers use it to bring humans/objects into digital workflows. The concept of it has been around and many companies have experimented with it to varying degrees of success.

Professionals probably have the best of it, mocap has been used for a while now to bring actors into films and games. Most notably in movies like Avatar and games like Beyond Two Souls. However, the printing industry and likewise the entirety of the consumer industry have gotten the short end of the stick. There are 3D Scanners made available to these groups, but, generally the quality has not been as good as those used professionally. This is to be expected given the cost of professional equipment.

Some examples available to us are the

Sense,

 

Makerbot Digitizer, 

 

 and Artec 3D Scanner

 

Each of these devices has their pluses and minuses all sharing one major minus, that being quality of scans. Generally that has also been the biggest problem for non-commercial/commercial scanners.

Materliase is taking a stab a bridging that quality gap. News has recently surfaced that Materialise has begun to embrace professional 3D scanning services. With 20 years of experience already in the 3D printing industry. This giant has the tools and knowledge to crack open what would be considered more or less impossible for others.

Jurgen Laudus, Director of Additive Manufacturing Solutions at Materialise believes it'll strengthen the company's leadership position a the forefront of the 3D printing evolution. “Materialise is committed to providing its customers with high-quality, 3D Printed products,” he said. “The Scanning and Measurement Service is a result of our continued efforts to provide expertise at every step of the design process and help our customers realize the full added-value offered by 3D Printing. Combined with our expertise in software, design, and engineering, this new service helps us truly become the innovators our customers can count on to push the boundaries of 3D Printing technologies.”

The benefit to consumer 3D scanners is as larger companies like Materialise make headway in both research and technologies, smaller companies can more readily make better scanners available to the general enthusiast. Eventually reaching and influencing all fields currently tied to the 3D printing industry, spanning anywhere from fashion to games. Indie developers and startup companies will more readily have the tools to reverse engineer products and scan detailed objects into a digital field at a lower cost.

3D Libraries

As a 3D Artist, your value lies not only in your ability to create, but your 3D Library. What that means is the works that you have either collected or created over your lifetime doing this particular field of work. This includes, models, textures, color palettes, etc... The list is fairly extensive. Sometimes we all need a boost to our repertoire. Most times it's not worth it to create it from scratch. With numerous base models that already exist it's really hard to justify devoting time to create a proportionate human from scratch.

That's where free 3D Model Libraries come in. Some are fantastic others are so so.

Grabcad 
Perhaps one of the better options after registering you have both the option to share models and download models free of charge. Other than having to register for an account there's no real downside to this other than perhaps that this is largely related to CAD;so the type of material uploaded tends to be architectural, inanimate, or of the non-organic nature.

DAZ
DAZ is weird. I wanted to like DAZ when I first tried it but I really couldn't. It's got the tools to make it great buts its promise of "FREE" is really smoke and mirrors since there's a premium for textures and certain model packs. It also doesn't have the ability to alter any of its existing models and if I recall correctly the models are not compatible with anything other than their program. It's still got some great models and you can rig and pose models freely in their program which is a great benefit all its own.

Aversis

Conceptually the same idea as Grabcad but on a much smaller scale. It's library consists of 5 items right now. However, it does include other benefits such as V-ray program tutorials and lack of registration.

TF3DM

This site includes models of all types human ones also. Because, of that there is an 18+ rating on this website due to the ability to upload nude models. Sometimes it's necessary. All of the models are free to grab and it certainly is one to hold in the memory banks.

TurboSquid

This place needs more quality as the uploads are quite random and scattered. Most are free some are premium. I think it truly depends on the uploader here. The nice part about all this is that the site is very accessible to someone non-CAD attuned. 

CreativeCrash

Has a great library all organized into multiple respective categories. On the downside this site is pretty much all a premium. A good premium mind you but a premium nonetheless. If you need almost finished models then this is probably your best place to look if you've got some cash to spare. There's around 9 pages of Free models with around 500+ in commercial or premium models.

The Da Vinci 1.0- A review

After getting lucky with ordering one from Amazon, I've been busy playing with the factory features and software. This will be my first 3D printer review so bear with me. The review criteria will include Performance, Pricing, and Aesthetics/Build Quality.

PERFORMANCE
First of all the one thing that everyone cares about most. Performance! I mean a 3D printer that can't produce workable prints is about as good as a wet match will be in a dark cave. Luckily the Da Vinci 1.0 delivers a decent print. I've spent about 2 weeks printing objects from both their demo reel and from my own library of designs. I have to say that the print quality is impressive. Considering that it is an abs extruder type printer. The heated bed keeps prints from warping; a problem that earlier abs printers like the Makerbot Replicator had. There have been one occasion in my experience where the Da Vinci has produced variably warped models, but from the roughly 20 successful and failed prints, the fact that I've produced only 1 very minutely warped model impresses me. I do have to fault XYZ printing however for the bottom few layers. Every print I've produced so far has some inherent problems with the quality of the bottom few layers of each object. ( It's uneven, and shaky, it almost looks smushed). Perhaps this is the fault of the factory standard software I am still using.

Regarding the speed of the printer it feels average. Large prints with high density take quite a long time to produce, My longest print time was 17 hrs with a 0.2 layer thickness and 50% object density. Despite tinkering with the settings there also problems with the quality in prints. As to be expected from extruder type printers the layering of heated filament produces a rough exterior. But, my complaint about quality isn't with the exterior finish but the problem in fine details and its inability to produce wholly triangular shaped objects. The extruder nozzle minimum thickness and inaccuracy of the print head are most likely the culprits for this.

The software provided leaves a lot to be desired. however, for first time printers, the options and simplicity make it accessible to printers of every skill level. More advanced users will want to opt for 3rd party software though as the adjustable options are extremely limited.

XYZprinting 

At the end of the day performance receives an 8/10. For good overall quality.

PRICING
Regarding the price of the printer it is simply top notch. A pre-assembled machine for 500$ that has the capacity/ ability to produce prints of its 2000$ cousin the Replicator 2. There are some quality control issues that need to be looked at into with regards to the machine. Upon un-boxing of our Da Vinci 1.0 I noticed that one of the hinges to the door that covers the power plugs was snapped same as the front door. There was a piece of the plastic that was noticeably snapped off. Neither of these faults affected performance though so we decided to keep the machine. It is worth something worth noting though as some users may find the lack of quality control as a troublesome sign. The manuals and software are also designed with its original consumer base in mind. So a lot of the staffed help and manuals regarding the Da Vinci are written in Chinese.

Cartridge pricing leaves much to be desired. They're difficult to open up and just replace the spool meaning you have to purchase both the abs spool and cartridge directly from them. I wish they had a replaceable cartridge model which allowed users to spool their own abs rolls in. This effectively limits you to purchasing their 28$ 600g cartridges. I've heard rumors of people cracking open their cartridges to insert their own rolls of filament but I have yet to try it. (Will update when that information becomes available).

Pricing receives an astounding 9/10 as it is literally the most cost effective hobbyist printer that is available on the market.  However, due to the price of the cartridges and the difficulty of replacing them I had to take a few points off.

AESTHETICS/BUILD QUALITY
The entire machine itself is actually very aesthetically pleasing. I enjoy the overall form factor of the machine, the lines are sleek and well rounded and it fits well into the design of where I keep the Da Vinci. My qualm lies in its build quality. The quality of the plastic used for its outer shell is really flimsy and leaves much to be desired. It would have been better if they used a more resilient plastic. or sheet metal like the inside.  As noted before, there were small damages to the plastic shell discovered after the unboxing.

 Regarding the inside of the machine. Most of the wiring is neatly bundled and everything is quite cleanly assembled. However, the manufacturer decided to use zip ties to hold some of the wires up making this commercialized machine look like a college engineering majors' final project. I had expected they use something more becoming of professionalism but the zip-ties do their job venerably. It should be noted that the manufacturer says that their build platform is pre-adjusted and should not be fiddled with but upon further instructional videos I revealed that our platform was not adjusted to appropriate levels and spent 3-5 hours tinkering with the settings and recalibrating by hand until it was workable. [There is no automated electronic calibration for the build platform which leaves the user open to a lot of guess and check; There are also no automatic sensors so adjustments have to be made by hand after using their auto-calibrate process which takes 5-10 minutes per each run. 

Due to these problems I can only give the Da Vinci 1.0 a 6.5/10 in this category. I was rather disappointed and frustrated even though most of my expectations were met. 

The Printer's overall score rounds out to a s score a 7.8/10. This is actually a pretty fantastic printer but the faults do really detract from making it 100% successful in its ventures. If you're looking for a cheap alternative to the Replicator 2 this is probably the best available option next to DIY 3D printers.


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3D Printer Pens- Something like 2.5D

While the idea of being able to draw 3D designs sounds attractive,  and while it may seem 3D extruder pens might be the missing alternative. I'm here to say that they draw more in like 2.5D, in that yes if done properly they can draw things according to the user's hands in free motion. But, achieving true free-form 3D is beyond us right now. It's also extremely painstaking to try to draw layers with your hands. The benefits of a 3D pen is more for artists trying to bring flat works into "pop-up" flat works. The structures "printed" from these pens are not structurally sound, tend to lack precision (as the extrusion is both controlled by your hand and your artistic ability), and currently their material of print is the low quality materials such as ABS, which has issues in regards to temperature of print environment. (Depending on your surrounding environment prints can curl up or droop based on the the temperature.) This was a problem the Replicator and Replicator 2's had to actively deal with and to an extent are still dealing with.

The basic principle is also similar to a high resolution hot-glue gun so don't get your hopes up of free-wire entanglements as well as having to continually feed plastic rods through the back of these pens. The size of the swissPen, 3Doodler, and 3DYaya are also not to be trifled with. The new lix pen being the only artist friendly form factor so far. I'd say if you have a machine don't give it up. These pens are not going to replace their usefulness in any way. Not unless you're a robot and can draw perfectly layer material together without any shaking from the hands. However, it is definitely an alternative to mocking-up concept ideas on paper. Being able to see Z-Axis prints can help in some aspects of the design process.

For more information on 3D Pens feel free to check out the websites of each of the makers listed above.

• Swiss Pen
• 3DYaya  (in Chinese)
• Lix
• 3Doodler

Some common cures for warping as provided by the makerbot blogs

3D Design Looking Forward from my POV

While I'm waiting on my Formlabs printer, I thought I'd enlighten everyone on what it was really like to a 3D Modeler. In short it's not easy, I'm still learning so this may still account for why I'm speaking with a bias. However, I feel it is fair to say that it's just flat out hard. I have never spent so much time mastering one particular skill. Well maybe other than gaming. It could be that I haven't had any "proper" classes. I've been learning most of my skills pretty much by myself or through some form of online class. Sometimes I feel like working on a particular project is a complete daze. I go through all the motions, but 1-2 days later I've forgotten the minute details that allowed me to reach my project goal. I don't blame my online classes for that, it's my fault for taking the task of learning something as complex as 3D design, lightly. Here is where I go for my tutorial and lesson videos: Digital Tutor 

I also spend my days reviewing and playing games, I find this a tad more entertaining, I'll admit. But, I love doing both just the same. It's my passion to work in the gaming industry and I want to eventually be more than just a low rung QA Tester (Sorry QA guys, I know you're really important, but you have to admit the position is pretty unsatisfactory as it stands). I'm working hard toward my goal and next week as both a reward and a job search opportunity I'm going out to GDC 2014 in San Fran, CA. I'll be sure to take keen notes and share my experiences when I get back. I'm super excited for the trip, enough to actually make the butterflies in my stomach change into raging dragons.

It'll be good to see how the development community has embraced 3D going forward. Perhaps there will be a panel on emerging technologies for practical usage in gaming. As most of the current applications seem to only involve just design. However, to truly appreciate what 3D Design is as a whole you need to look at other applications such as virtual reality. Products like the Oculus Rift which are still in their "developmental" stages should be looked at seriously for the next step forward in gaming. I want to embrace the world stepping forward into even something as fantastical and interacting with a 3D hologram.

More on the Oculus Rift here: Oculus VR

Printing Figurines- how to make it rich with nerds

Well the post title isn't entirely accurate. Copyrighted stuff can't be sold, the only people who'll be able to do this are people who have original custom ideas or are making them for their own usage. This came to my attention the other day while I was complaining about the fact that my Formlabs printer is now delayed due to shortage in production. While I believe in large part tabletop games are mostly dead there are still the few and dedicated who enjoy games like D&D and such. They drive a not new but definitely interesting form of business forward. HeroForge is just one example of a kickstarter company that gives players the ability to customize their own tabletop figurine via the usage of 3D printers.

By offering a service instead of a hard product it gives consumers the ability to customize and make a miniature to what they wish. However, like all services there are differences in levels of service. The old saying you get what you pay for holds true here. While HeroForge offers you the ability to use its software to customize a miniature with pre-rigged and posed figurines; 3Distributed hosts an even more intricate service. They allow you to customize multiple things down to the last detail. Of course this service is a bit pricier.

3Distributed offers these customization options for their figures and because they're not borrowing from a pre-made list of options the figurine that comes out will be purely unique in its own right

1. As detailed a visual description as possible (sketches and pictures, however rough, are always useful) 
2. A personality description to help our sculptors know who they're bringing to life
3. Weapon choices
4. Stance 
5. Clothing/armour and other equipment 
6. Colour scheme and ground description (if choosing 'painted')
7. Height (prices below are based on 28mm scale 

This opens up not only a previously closed market of design, but offers insight on what direction future 3D print franchises and artists might wish to do with their machine. People like to get exactly what they want. Even if they have to pay a little more. I've included links below to both websites.

• STORMBEARDS from http://www.3distributed.com/pages/stormbeards-emporium
• Hero Forge from Kickstarter.com