With the Kinect 2 coming out, that means I can finally afford some sort of 3D scanner. Yup, the original Kinect is now cheap enough that I can get one. The Kinect isn’t the best scanner out there, the original Kinect even less so. But it’s cheap. If you’re thinking of getting a Kinect for XBox 360 you’ll need an …
Prepairing for GenCon
I apologize for the folks who’s feathers were ruffled by my last post. My comments were meant purely in the context of people experiencing 3D printing from the outsize. But by those of us with 3D printers having the ability to make a custom widget to solve our problems is the most exciting part about 3D printing, and definitely not …
Functional prints are boring
Lately I’ve been hearing this same refrain in a number of different voices: If 3D printing is supposed to be so great, how come all anyone ever prints is stupid stuff? I’m sorry that giving hands to children where making an expensive prosthetic they’re going to grow out of just isn’t practical isn’t enought for you. It’s too bad you’re tired …
Chessbot wins again!
The winners of the PinShape Kids’ Toy Design Contest are out, and in first place is… The Chessbot transforming robot chess set. I was rooting for the Modwheels or Cybot, but I guess you can’t beat an old classic. For winning I’ll be receiving a Cintiq tablet, a copy of ZBrush, credits for professional 3D prints from sculpeo, and a …
My second segment on 3D Printing Today
A little bit behind on this one, but the second segment I recorded for the 3D Printing Today podcast. Episode 43 if you want to listen to it at the 28 minute mark. http://threedprintingtoday.libsyn.com/ Decimating meshes is now part of my workflow, especially if the thing I’ve been making involves sculpting with dynamic topology. I do it quite a lot. …
Drama with the removable build plate
I’ve been using Bottleworks build plate upgrade for almost a year now and in that time I’ve run through 4 glass plates. Two snapped in pieces for various reasons, mostly my fault. Two of them chipped glass off the surface of them that stuck to the print. Not a good situation. (It’s hard to see in the picture but those …
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try again
Iterative designing is what 3d printers are for. Print your design out, test it, fix the design, repeat. Sometimes you get it right in a few tries, and sometimes… My sister uses these modular loom kits that snap together but are missing a concave “L” so she challenged me to make one for her. I used the technique that I’ve …
Just Game Boardcraft on Kickstarter
The game I’ve been doing the 3D design for, Boardcraft by Just Game, is now up on kickstarter. It’s exciting to see models I made in the promo video. And there will be more to come. I finished the gnome and a vampire chick recently and I’m working on a few more. I’d really like to see this be successful …
Fixing the left thermocouple
It is majorly disheartening to get home and discover a print didn’t even try because the printer started complaining about the readings it was getting from the left thermocouple, the part that measures the temperature. Especially disheartening when I considered that I had only a month ago replaced the whole extruder assembly, but it was the thermocouple connectors on the …
One more day to vote for me on Pinshapes Toy Contest
Sorry for the silence lately. I’ve been working on a couple of paid projects that don’t leave me much to talk about and a left thermocouple that’s not working and I don’t know if it’s the thermocouple, the board, or my soldering holding them together. But in the meanwhile… PinShape’s toy contest is in it’s final day and I’l love …