Said Cathy Lewis, VP of Global Marketing for 3D Systems, “This new site underscores our commitment to technology leadership and showcases the high value, low volume 3D printing applications that leverage our first mover advantage in this exciting shift to on-demand, rapid manufacturing.”

Check out the website here: http://production3dprinters.com/

3D Systems
www.3Dsystems.com

3D Systems acquires Alibre

Get your complete 3d printing system

3D Systems acquires Freedom of Creation

3D Systems acquires The3DStudio.com

3D Systems buys Deelip Menzes products

Another Acquisition for 3D Systems, Print3D Corp.

3D Systems acquires Accelerated Technologies Inc.

3D Systems Acquires Quickparts

3D Systems teams up with Solidvision

Bits from Bytes acquired by 3D Systems

3D Systems acquires French prototypers CEP and Protometal

3D Systems acquires Design Prototyping Technologies

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

This latest version focuses on making mesh operations easier and more powerful. The SDK now includes Rapidform’s advanced rewrap, adaptive remeshing and curvature flow improvement algorithms, making mesh optimization easier.

INUS Technology has spent more than a decade creating and refining point cloud and mesh processing tools to deliver great results from any type of 3D scanner. With Rapidform.dll, third party developers can take advantage of this expertise and integrate the technology into their own apps.

New features in the SDK include:

• Mesh topology improvement tools

• Mesh editing capabilities, such as mesh Boolean operations and mesh cutting

• Advanced triangle normal repair (to fix common issues with mesh direction)

• User interface APIs for large point cloud and mesh display and selection tools

In addition to the extensive point cloud, mesh and NURBS surface capabilities found in Rapidform.dll, there is also a set of APIs for dental and prosthodontic design from 3D scan data. Developers can create custom dental CAD programs that enable prosthesis design specific to each patient.

Rapidform.dll Dental is a superset of the standard SDK that makes developing custom applications for coping, pontic, crown, bridge and custom abutment design fast and easy.

INUS Technology Inc.

www.rapidform.com

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

The MaxSHOT 3D adds the accuracy and speed of photogrammetry to the range of applications already possible with Creaform technologies, especially when it comes to larger parts. It combines the MaxSHOT 3D photogrammetric video camera and the VXshot processing software.

According to product director Jean-François Larue, the software is innovative and simple to operate. The system features real-time visualization and validation of acquired data and an entirely guided step-by-step operation, it allows even those new to photogrammetry to quickly and easily generate a high accuracy positioning model of an object.”

In concrete terms, using the MaxSHOT 3D with a Handyscan 3D self-positioning scanner, a MetraSCAN optical CMM 3D scanner or a HandyPROBE arm-free CMM translates into shorter measuring time on larger parts, accelerated positioning of the device around the part and higher measurement accuracy.

Creaform
www.creaform3d.com

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

“The addition of this scanner to our product line provides our customers with even more flexibility,” commented threeRivers 3D President & CEO Mike Formica. “It was developed in direct response to their request for an affordable 3D scanner specifically engineered for small parts scanning.”

It has a working volume of 4 in. x 3 in. x 3 in. and a point spacing of 80 µm, enabling it to capture very fine details. Sharing the same state-of-the-art high-speed architecture as the LC-2, the –MACRO version has a scan time of 5 seconds for a single view, a resolution of 1.2 million points and includes an automated rotary turntable for fast, easy 360 degree scanning.

Actual scan of a penny with the LC-2-MACRO scanner

An Ethernet interface makes the scanner simple to setup and configure and provides fast, reliable data transfer. It weighs less than 5 lb, and easily fits on a desktop or can be integrated into a process line; its light weight, small form factor and tripod mount make it suitable for remote scanning jobs.

threeRivers 3D, Inc.
www.3rivers3d.com

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

Educators worldwide have recognized the annual design and 3D printing contest for its positive impact on students. “Students have the opportunity to put their critical thinking skills to the test, as well as to demonstrate their creativity with this design contest,” said Jesse Roitenberg, Stratasys Education Channel Manager. “Each year they demonstrate they are up to the challenge, with the unique submissions we receive.”

Dimension 3D Printing will award nine student winners either $2,500 or $1,000 scholarships in the categories of Middle School and High School Engineering, College Engineering, and Art & Architecture. Designs are awarded based on creativity, usefulness, part integrity and aesthetics. Instructors of the three first-place student winners will receive an Apple iPad for use in the classroom. Since the contest’s inception, more than $90,000 in scholarships have been awarded to students.

Each submission must:

• be a sound mechanical design

• be realistic and achievable

• include a clear written description of the design.

This year’s contest will also feature an award category in which students may compete for a bonus prize. Students who incorporate a school-spirit theme into their designs will have a chance to win a $250 gift card.

For video, photos, and descriptions of previous winning designs, visit Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge. For contest rules and regulations, visit ER Rules & Regulations.

Dimension
www.dimensionprinting.com

Stratasys, Inc.
www.stratasys.com

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

Marloes ten Bhömer is an acclaimed designer of provocative and otherworldly shoes. For some of her work, she uses a 3D printer from Object Ltd. Because of the multi-material printing capability of these 3D printers, she can design and manufacture her shoes to be modular so that they can be dismantled and reassembled for the purpose of replacing parts. One example is the Rapidprototypedshoe.

“My work is very much about liberating design – I use new materials and methods because this helps to break away from conventional approaches,” said Marloes ten Bhömer. “The rapid prototyping process stimulated the idea for this shoe, as the name suggests. I explored the technology and saw that rapid prototyping – adding material in layers – rather than traditional shoe manufacturing methods – could help me create something entirely new within just a few hours.”

Further research led ten Bhömer to Objet’s Connex range of multi-material 3D printing systems. “These printers make it possible to print an entire shoe – albeit a concept shoe – including a hard heel and a flexible upper in one build, which just isn’t possible with other 3D printing technologies,” stated ten Bhömer. “The shoe is printed as a single entity so the parts come off the printer already assembled, and you can still take the shoe apart later on. It is inspiring and opens up the possibility of interchangeable heels and creating custom designs. Also, the possibility of repairs allows for a more realistic product and changes the idea of rapid prototyping into rapid manufacturing.”

Designer shoes are easy to manufacture and assembly thanks to 3D printing

The Connex line of Objet 3D printers can combine rubber-like materials and rigid materials in a single prototype; they are used extensively in the footwear industry. Said Gilad Gans, executive vice president of Objet, “As an affordable alternative to factory-produced samples, the process encourages users to review more design alternatives, increasing the potential to produce a more creative or better designed concept.”

“Cost-wise it does make sense to use these printers, particularly for haute couture shoe design,” said ten Bhömer. “I can have prototypes printed in multiple materials with no expensive set-up costs and no minimum quantities. I also have great confidence in the quality of digital prototyping – with conventional shoe mould making, the heel is matched to its left or right counterpart by eye, so there’s always room for error and it can be a slow process. By making the moulds digitally you know the left and right shoes are an exact match and it’s also economical and easier to scale seven different sized pairs, as required for a commercial line of shoes, using specialist software and Objet 3D printing.”

Objet Ltd.
www.objet.com

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

There are as many ways to interpret 9/11 as there are people who experienced that horrible day, whether up close or at a distance. One man’s preference is documenting Ground Zero, in painstaking detail, before the attack, after the twin towers had fallen, and today, now that the site is being rebuilt.

David Munson’s amazingly detailed three-part model “WTC Triptych” is on display at the New York City Fire Museum in Manhattan’s Soho district. With each model measuring 17 in. x 17 in., it was created on a Z Corporation 3D printer.

“There are many wonderful writings, photos and artwork that interpret 9/11,” said Munson. “I think it’s also important to document the totality of it as objectively, realistically, and completely as possible, with a minimum of poetic license and a devotion to detail, on a scale the average person can absorb. These are my strengths, and this is my small contribution to ensuring people never forget.”

Munson, with a background in producing construction documents, owns the Munson3D.com architectural visualization company, and is a specialist in precise, complex representation. He drew from numerous data sources to create “WTC Triptych,” including 2D satellite imagery, Google Earth, photographs (personal and downloaded from the Internet), publicly available 3D models and Wikipedia, among others. He used Autodesk 3dsMax Design computer-aided design software as well as AutoCAD, Google SketchUp, and Adobe Photoshop as auxiliary programs.

“The data was not from one particular source but was cross-checked against multiple sources,” he said. “So I could cross-check a graphics source with http://skyscraperpage.com/, for example, or simply go to Wikipedia to find the numerical height of a building. Also, 3dsMax Design let me extract 3D information from flat photographs as long as there were enough ‘known’ points. So, I used photos for more than just applying textures on the models. There is no simple way to describe this process other than to say it is very precise for the scale.”

Though extremely labor intensive, gathering the data was only the beginning. The data was then used to create an accurate physical representation. “There is only one way to do it,” said Munson. “I needed the ZPrinter®, which not only accommodates large sizes but, because of its unique color capability, is the only way to accurately reproduce the highly detailed texture mapping used in these computer models. This process creates a whole new medium for city planning, and I hope this exhibit illustrates its potential value to a larger audience.”

Z Corporation
www.zcorp.com

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

Said Cathy Lewis, VP of Global Marketing for 3D Systems, “This new site underscores our commitment to technology leadership and showcases the high value, low volume 3D printing applications that leverage our first mover advantage in this exciting shift to on-demand, rapid manufacturing.”

Check out the website here: http://production3dprinters.com/

3D Systems
www.3Dsystems.com

3D Systems acquires Alibre

Get your complete 3d printing system

3D Systems acquires Freedom of Creation

3D Systems acquires The3DStudio.com

3D Systems buys Deelip Menzes products

Another Acquisition for 3D Systems, Print3D Corp.

3D Systems acquires Accelerated Technologies Inc.

3D Systems Acquires Quickparts

3D Systems teams up with Solidvision

Bits from Bytes acquired by 3D Systems

3D Systems acquires French prototypers CEP and Protometal

3D Systems acquires Design Prototyping Technologies

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

This study offers an unbiased, expert opinion on software used to create parametric CAD models from 3D scans.

 Rapidform XOR was released in 2006.

The U.S. Air Force frequently needs to regenerate designs of decades-old parts, and so commissioned the University of Oklahoma to study both 3D scanning software and hardware to determine the best available technology. INUS Technology had no knowledge of the study or its outcome until it was published in CAD and Applications. 

Dr. Chang and his students surveyed the landscape of software available for converting 3D scans into parametric solid models usable in CAD, evaluated and then tested the front runners using practical examples. “We used five different examples in two rounds of testing,” said Dr. Chang. “The first round was surface modeling, and in the second round, we focused on parametric solid building. We found that Rapidform was the only viable option that supported support parametric modeling and transferring the solid model to CAD systems. When we say ‘viable option,’ it’s based on two things. One is the time and effort, the other is the accuracy.”

According to Chang, other software “was able to generate a parametric solid model, but it took a long time and the solid model created was not very accurate.”

“It’s very rewarding to see an unbiased study recognizing the value of Rapidform XOR compared to other 3D scanning software,” noted Calvin Hur, INUS Technology’s CEO. “We encourage anyone considering 3D scanning technology to read this paper to make a decision on their reverse engineering software solution.”
 
The entire paper, including technical details of each tested software, is available for free download at http://www.rapidform.com/reverse-engineering-study.

INUS Technology Inc.

www.rapidform.com


Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips

Even though it is still computer-aided design, it’s not CAD in the way most of us think of CAD today. And it’s changing the job of CAD engineers. Instead of designing objects that will eventually be made and sold, the function of CAD engineers is shifting to developing programs that automate design tasks so that anyone, not just engineers, can create. CAD programs are increasingly being viewed as inhibitors to product development precisely because they require some skill to use.

Blame the 3D printing industry for the change. Said Hod Lipson, Cornell associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and computing and information science, “Now that 3-D printing is taking off, the goal is to unshackle the design process, …” Lipson likens the 3-D printing industry to iPods with no music – the printers exist, but the availability of content is bottlenecked by the old methods like CAD that few people know how to use and that stifle creativity.

Cornell University is the latest organization to tackle the current design challenge; Lipson and his students just announced a website that lets anyone point, click, collaborate, and create online in the evolution of printable, three-dimensional objects. They aim to transform the design of art, architecture and artificial intelligence.

Their new interactive website, EndlessForms.com, eliminates the need for skilled engineers to draw in CAD programs, which can be complicated and non-intuitive. The site lets users design their own things without any technical knowledge and using the same principles that guide evolutionary biology. These new design tools free people to focus creativity, instead of being mired in technical details, Lipson said.

The Web site was developed by Jeff Clune, Cornell postdoctoral fellow; Jason Yosinski, Cornell graduate student in engineering; and Eugene Doan, Cornell undergraduate student in the Creative Machines lab of Lipson.

On EndlessForms.com, objects are evolved in the same way that plants and animals are bred. You pick the ones you like and they become the parents of the next generation of objects. As in biological evolution, the offspring look similar, but not identical, to their parents, allowing you to explore different designs. This grounding in developmental biology enables the evolution of complex, natural looking forms.

Users can further evolve, share, and rate these objects, creating a collaborative exploration of designs that, according to Lipson, represents an entirely new way of thinking about design. Users can then have their objects made by 3-D printing companies in a range of materials, such as silver, steel, ceramic or sandstone.

Cornell Creative Machines lab
http://creativemachines.cornell.edu

EndlessForms
http://EndlessForms.com

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

3D CAD Tips