With all the quarantining and disease spread lately, you’ve probably thought, “When’s the next flight off this crazy planet?!” Alien abduction volunteers? “Take Wuhan!” Hey now! The virus has already spread. “Blow the planet!” Calm thyself. “I’m outta here!” Ok, granted you’ll take all your bacteria and viruses with you, but should you be planning a departure, you’ll want to pack away this 3D print for looking cool in the isolation of space. Practical 3D printed device maker ‘SunShine’ has the perfect solution for any space-related travel or, for that matter, anywhere you need some extra awesome for holding your phone. How is it ‘designed for space’? SunShine designed it…

It may not be as common in our uber-CGI world of today, but back when digital effects weren’t so realistic, using animatronics and puppetry was the best way to get a fictional or non-fictional beast into your movie without having to train it. The velociraptors in Jurassic Park, Gremlins, Yoda from Star Wars – these were made by artists and designers who literally brought these mechanical characters to life with tools, glue, electronics and a lot of time. Using a gorilla head as an example, Lustre Effects, a China-based special effects studio, gives us a closer look at how these animated creatures are made from start to finish: 1. Sculpt…

When the opening collapsed and the purple sludge seeped past the ivy-lined crevices, time almost seemed to stop, frozen in a moment where we could neither see the other side nor extract the bag of happy from its resting place behind the swollen kneebone of these links. Dániel Taylor – Rich, surreal, 3-dimensional, cel-shaded illustration style with careful color, gradients, and composition that grabs you by the eyes. Case of the Missing Hit – We rarely share podcasts, but this is excellent. The mystery of a lost pop song that seems to have vanished from the world. Listen while you browse everything else. Single Paper Zine – How to make…

If you’re a skateboarder like myself, you know how awesome it feels to fly down a hill. But you know what stinks? Going up that hill. With no momentum or pedal of any sort, skateboarders have little choice but to awkwardly push themselves up or (ugh) walk. In an attempt to remedy the propulsion problem and take boards with wheels to the next level, designers from Dublin-based Moby Bikes are creating the YX One – an electric skateboard that can traverse all terrains, especially those pesky uphill slopes. The All-Terrain Wheel Skateboard The YX One looks a little different than your average skateboard. In fact, it’s a bit of stretch…

Matt Boyle is the VP of Engineering at Shapeways and, in a recent post from him on StackOverflow, reveals some of the methods the company uses to provide high-speed, global 3D print services.  Shapeways History Shapeways has been one of the longest-running 3D print services available to the public. They launched in the Netherlands long ago, even before the advent of desktop 3D printing when the patents started expiring in 2009. Their initial strategy was to allow consumers to request printed parts instead of attempting to operate complex 3D printers themselves. Over time Shapeways introduced “stores” for artists to market their designs, and thus drive more 3D printing activity for…

Yep, you’re right. I just double-checked. It is, in fact, 2020. How easy is it to view and share 3D models online? Well, easier — we’ve made a lot of progress over the last decade — but you would think viewing and sharing photorealistic 3D models would be common and incredibly easy. Until it gets easier, we’ll prep our models properly and take the little 3D sharing wins when we have them. Online STEP File Viewer One such win is a new, free online STEP file viewer from eMachineShop. eMachineShop is more commonly known for, well, their machine shop services — 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal, and injection molding…