At CES 2013, 3D Systems announced the release of Cubify Capture, which allows users to take a video or photo and turn it into an actual 3D-printable model. Over the past 9 months, 3D Systems has been trying to turn Cubify into a powerful cloud-based environment for not just downloading of files (for purchase), but uploading and 3D-ifying objects using video and images alone. That’s pretty exciting – but this is not a radical development – take a look at Trimensional or AutoDesk 123D Catch, for example. Plus, Makerbot has a kick-ass face-scanning booth at their Mid-town Manhattan store, covered by Solidsmack back in November. We tried the Cubify offering today…
What’s better than a buttery-smooth webGL-based free 3D content sharing app? Why, a buttery-smooth webGL-based free 3D content sharing app with a retinal-hemorrhage-inducing material editor, of course! Now we know you’re all like “oh, another webGL viewer? I can hardly contain my excitement. [grimace]” We know, we know. Just watch the vid, and you’ll be throwing your geek panties at your computer screen in 00:07:00 flat.
On a good day, the creative thinking meter embedded in my chest will register between 6 and 9.7. More often than not, distractions knock that down to an average of 4.2. It may be, however, that my meter needs an adjustment. An article at 99u explains how Ap Dijksterhuis and a team from the Nijmegen Unconscious lab (best name ever) in The Netherlands discovered how distraction from a main task can actually help generate better ideas when returned to said task. They have a theory as to why it happens as well.
Didn’t we just predict that acquisitions would be all the rage in 2013? Here’s a fun one: Autodesk buys German real-time rendering software Pi-VR, and when combined with the 2011 Numenus acquisition and Carl’s 2011 One Graphics System (OGS) initiative, we have a feeling AD is prepping to melt some faces.
Makerbot announced today at CES 2013 the release of their Replicator 2x Experimental 3D Printer, an upgraded version of their successful line of Replicator 2. I’m reading the feeds as the info comes in and it’s looking good. You get the impression Makerbot is trying very hard to hit the Living Room and the Office, all at once. Watch the video after the jump.
Industrial designer John Ford grew up with a professional woodworker by his side starting at the age of 7. A few decades later he’s still in the shop executing exceptionally-crafted furniture and other product designs. One of those designs just got funded on Kickstarter—and you should go check it out.