Between the Lines

Big Hearty Autodesk Welcome to Tinkercad

Autodesk announced yesterday at Maker Faire which is essentially the center of the universe event for DIY & Makers our intent to acquire Tinkercad. Tinkercad is an easy-to-use browser-based 3D design tool and will become part of the popular Autodesk 123D family of apps and supports Autodesk’s vision to help anybody imagine, design and create anything..  The addition of Tinkercad to Autodesk will help broaden the  The acquisition will also revive the Tinkercad service and community, despite a previously announced shutdown by its founders and creators.

Tinkercad has been one of the favorite tools of many Makers just wanting a simple web based 3D design tool to create 3D models for 3D printing. With Autodesk as a new parent and placed into 123D Family it is not only not going away as was the case before Autodesk, but it will be improved and given much love and attention.

Tinkercad Blog Post:
Tinkercad has found a new home at Autodesk

Go give Tinkercad a try, its super simple and a fun way to create 3D geometry for 3D printing or just for fun.

http://www.tinkercad.com

 

Autodesk Press Release:
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 18, 2013-- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK)

"We are excited to have reached an agreement with Autodesk that will provide a solid home and bright future for Tinkercad," said Kai Backman, founder of Tinkercad. "We found in Autodesk a shared vision for empowering students, makers and designers with accessible and easy to use software, and with their global reach and expertise in democratizing design, we're confident in their ability to introduce Tinkercad to new audiences around the world."

Autodesk intends for the Tinkercad service to remain available as part of its consumer portfolio. The company also intends to incorporate elements of the Tinkercad technology and user experience into the Autodesk 123D family of products as part of its ongoing effort to make 3D design easier and more accessible to everyone. The transaction is expected to close within the next 30 days.

"Tinkercad is a natural extension of the Autodesk 123D family as well as our other apps and services for consumers, as it is already used alongside Autodesk products," said Samir Hanna, Autodesk vice president, consumer products. "We look forward to welcoming the Tinkercad community to Autodesk and to continuing their mission of accessible 3D design for all."

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Autodesk’s 3D Printed Speakers Project - Behind the Scenes

A month ago I wrote about the wildly unique & creative 3D printed speakers and their built in LED lighting “The Coolest 3D Printed Speakers in the World”. Now a new video going behind the scenes on the inspiration, goals, design and creation of the 3D printed speaker enclosures has just been published on YouTube.

The team for this project was:

Maurice Conti: Director, Strategic Innovation, Autodesk
Evan Atherton: Engineer, Applied Innovation, Autodesk
Arthur Harsuvanakit: Technical Assistant to the CEO, Autodesk

I am really honored that I am on the same team as these creative guys.

Video: 3D Printing - Behind the Scenes With Autodesk
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSaa4ltocI4)

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The Coolest 3D Printed Speakers in the World

3D printing is now a viable technique for manufacturing highly customized, consumer-ready products. Designers can now go from concept to reality 100% digitally.

My Autodesk teammates Arthur Harsuvanakit and Evan Atherton are an amazing dynamic duo (3Duo) researching digital design, fabrication, and 3D printing technologies. They have developed some 3D printed speaker enclosures after Maurice Conti said “Hey, this would make a cool speaker” and then determined the project goals. The first speaker appeared on the cable channel Current TV with Autodesk CEO Carl Bass as well as featured in my Autodesk University 2012 session.

Now the 3Duo Arthur and Evan have taken the 3D printed speaker concept much further. They designed and 3D printed a new set of speakers in multiple materials using a Stratasys Objet Connex 500 printer and then incorporate LED lighting by startup LumiGeek.  If you are going to have a one of a kind set of speakers, why not really challenge what can be done and make them really wild and not only play cool music but light up LED lights in patterns synchronized to the music.

YouTube video of the speaker pulsing to the beat of music. http://youtu.be/50TBPeu560U

From Evan:
The main goal was not about making something wicked cool, although it was a factor but  more down to earth goals were established for this project.

• Demonstrate 3D printing as viable Manufacturing tool.
• Create something unique, but also useful.
• What can we print vs. what should we print.
• Now that we can print just about anything. We need to take a closer look at what we should be printing.
• In order to understand we must participate (in 3D printing)

How did digital design tools enable this project?

• Combined surface and solid modeling to create a unique design and product.
• Using 3ds Max we were able to pattern in an organic surface modeling environment to allow form exploration. The form exploration in 3ds Max gave us complex shapes and patterns that would be hard in a solid modeling environment.
• Using the Autodesk Labs plugin Mesh Enabler for Autodesk Inventor, the solid model was created from the .STL exported mesh from 3ds Max.
• Using Autodesk Inventor parametric features were created. Working on a solid model parametrically in Inventor is much more accurate for creating the necessary mounting geometry for the speakers and cables, etc.

Note from Shaan:
Now that we are starting to beta test the upcoming Autodesk Fusion 360 product, this might be a great one place to design the entire project. With the freeform sculpting powered by the T-Splines technology and also a top notch parametric design mode. Its like the reeses peanut butter cup of industrial and mechanical design software combining the best of both worlds.

Here are two screenshots showing the larger speaker enclosure design in 3ds Max.

 
3D renderings of the speaker designs.

 

The completed speaker set in the Autodesk Gallery all ready to rock and put on a trance inducing LED light show.

Wired Article on the speakers:
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/04/lumigeek/

Thanks to the mad speaker scientists Arthur & Evan for designing and creating the speakers, and Maurice for challenging and focusing them on this wicked cool project.

Here is the Instructable to create them from Evan:
http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Speaker-Enclosures-With-Lights/

I would like to challenge them to create the ultimate stereo enclosure to make this a complete uniquely styled and created music experience. I would love to bring the cool set to Autodesk University 2013 to show off what can be done with a complete digital design to manufacturing process.

Cheers,
Shaan

MakerBot and Autodesk Partner Up for 3D

The announcement was just made by MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis in speaking at SXSW 2013 and the Autodesk press release just went live announcing Autodesk and MakerBot will be partnering to provide 3D design software and 3D printing hardware to engineers, designers, architects, makers, creators, and artists.

Autodesk and MakerBot have been working together for awhile now on many projects including MakerBot’s Hackathon using Autodesk 123D Catch to capture models of the New York Metropolitan Museum exhibits and 3D print them. There was also the infamous horsehead captured and 3D printed and even larger Bay Bridge lights project. Beyond just capturing 3D geometry using 123D Catch there are many people that use Autodesk software to design in 3D and send their designs to a MakerBot 3D printer myself included.You can use everything from the Autodesk 123D family including 123D Catch, 123D Creature, 123D Design, and 123D Sculpt to the professional Autodesk design software to create 3D models and 3D print them on MakerBot 3D printers.

“Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, announced the partnership during his Opening Remarks for SXSW 2013, and the companies showcased creatures designed with Autodesk’s new 123D Creature iPad app, which were printed on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer at SXSW Create Presented by Autodesk.

“Software is key in showcasing the capabilities of 3D printing, and Autodesk’s 123D Creature iPad app is an awesome way to highlight how you can customize a design, make it your own, and print it in 3D on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. “MakerBot prides itself on setting the standard in desktop 3D printing, and now in working with Autodesk, we are also together, setting the standard in providing the leading 3D design software that is optimized for printing on a MakerBot.“

“Our goal is to continue making 3D printing from our applications simpler and more straightforward, and optimizing the Autodesk 123D family to work with MakerBot printers delivers on this promise by enabling our community to print their creations with greater ease,” said Samir Hanna, vice president of Consumer Products at Autodesk. “Our collaboration will help accelerate the next industrial revolution, and we are excited to work with MakerBot to make this happen.”

This might be bigger than a Kardashian wedding, and certainly last longer and be more meaningful.

Kairos Society Summit & Some 3Doodling

Last Friday and Saturday Autodesk participated as a sponsor in the Kairos Society Summit in New York City. The Kairos Society is a non-profit organization founded to foster innovation and entrepreneurship by students.

“Founded in 2008, the Kairos Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization based in the United States. We work to find and empower the young pioneers who will push the world forward through entrepreneurship and innovation - we do so with the support of the top universities, mentors, and corporations across the globe. At the Kairos Society, we view today’s global problems as opportunities for entrepreneurs to focus on the meaningful businesses and innovations that will radically change the world for the better. Not only for our generation, but for the generations to come.”

Autodesk CEO Carl Bass and Autodesk CTO Jeff Kowalski were at the event as were about 6 Autodesk employees including myself presenting on the subjects of 3D design and 3D Printing. Many of our 3D printing friends like Stratasys and Shapeways were also at the event.

 

During our panel session on 3D Printing where we spoke of Autodesk role in developing software and technologies used in design and also supporting 3D printing. We covered a great deal of ground in a short amount of time to 350 students broken up into 3 groups. I absolutely love discussing technology with students as they come up with the greatest questions and ideas since they don’t know the boundaries or set in their ways. During the session I brought up the hot topic of the 3D Printing pen “3Doodler” on Kickstarter that was trying to raise $30,000 and are now OVER 1.8 million dollars and causing a buzz all over in social media and even among researchers in the 3D printing space. In fact there was a long email thread I was involved in the evening before the Kairos event discussing what it really was and if it was really 3D printing, or really a free form 3D sketching tool. When I brought up the 3Doodler topic a gentlemen in the back of the session pointed to himself and so I asked what he wanted to add to the discussion, it was none other than the co-founder of WobbleWorks and the 3Doodler pen Maxwell Bogue.
3Doodler: The World's First 3D Printing Pen

 

On Saturday we were invited to participate in the launching of the Kairos 50 on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. What a surreal and interesting venue where many of the startups in the Kairos 50 were presenting their projects.We were all dressed up in suits and I even had a tie on.

I also met Anybot a virtual presence robot that allows people to attend remote locations even attend meetings while away over the Internet.  One cool thing was the ability to attach a mobile device running Google Hangouts and that could then be used to allow people to join a Hangout session and experience an event or place remotely. Would love to have some of these at AU.

Cheers,
Shaan

Raar! Autodesk Releases 123D Creature

Now you can be a monster Maker creating your own 3D creatures on your iPad for only $1.99 limited time pricing. The designs can be shared as well as 3D printed.  Autodesk 123D Creature app.

From Techcrunch:
Autodesk Releases 123D Creature, A Tool To Design, Paint, And Print Your Own 3D Monster stcrn.ch/Uftj0P

Go create your own and don’t forget to tell young kids with access to an iPad to create their own creatures.If robots are more your style check out designing your own robots in 3D using Autodesk 123D Design which there is an iPad version available.

Cheers,
Shaan

Is it Physible?

Yes “physible” which means that it can be 3D printed. The word was just accepted into some online dictionary as a real word now. So next time you get a 3D model from someone you can ask them if it is physible and then explain that you are asking is there enough thickness, angles in order to be able to 3D print the model from the digital to the physical world.

Scott Sheppard and Brian Mathews were physible after capturing them with a photos and using the free Autodesk 123D Catch to generate 3D models and then a little touch up in the free Meshmixer then 3D printed on my Makerbot 3D printer.

Go get physible!

123D Make My Day

Autodesk 123D Make 1.1 for Mac and Windows has been released. Autodesk 123D Make is free software that allows you to import a 3D model (STL & OBJ) and slice it up into printed patterns. You can then using the pattern build a 3D model from cardboard, wood, plastic, tin, or even fabric. In the past we have created some really cool 3D models from cardboard including fossils, museum pieces, and even the life sized recyclable cardboard CEO named “Carl’board”.

What's new in 123D Make 1.1 for Mac and Windows:

• Folded panels construction technique. Folded panels can be assembled in a variety of ways; tab and slot, stitching, and many more!
• Multiple improvements for CNC users, including the ability to automatically generate Dogbones and T-Bones on cut slices, and to define the cutter tool diameter in manufacturing settings.
• By popular demand: added export option to output your cut layouts in layered DXF format.

123D Make Video on YouTube

 

 

Download Autodesk 123D Make
http://www.123dapp.com/make#download-make

 

After installing you get the dialog that provides the opportunity to learn about 123D Make. I always try to look at these in any application I install that provides one as there is always something I learn as opposed to just installing a product and blindly exploring and potentially learning bad habits or long methods to do something. I won't hold it against anyone that doesn’t watch the videos and loves the exploration learning software brute force as you notice I said I try to watch them but there are time I just both feet in and go. In the case 123D Make I would suggest taking a couple minutes and just understanding how the UI, navigation, slices and patterns work as that will save you a great deal of time in the long run.

My good friend Dr. Louise Leakey the Turkana Basin Institute & Africanfossils.org has printed the 123D Make created patterns for miniature models of ancient skulls on paper lunch boxes so that kids can cut out and build their own 3D printed skull model after eating their lunch. It also provide a way for almost any classroom to have 3D representations of various fossils, museum specimens, or other 3D objects without requiring a 3D printer or expensive materials. You could also capture something using the free Autodesk 123D Catch and then create a pattern from the created model as that is how we created “Carl’board.”

Using 123D Catch I was able to create a 3D model of my head using just photos.

Using 123D Make I was able to import the OBJ from 123D Catch and proceed to slice it up into patterns to construct a 3D physical model from cardboard.

Don’t have any3D models, no problem as there are many stock and gallery 3D models available for free.

Go have some creative fun as it is like 3D printing, but in an abstract way.

Cheers,
Shaan

Learn to Design for 3D Printing in NYC

If you are in New York City next week you can get a free introduction on how to design for 3D printing with Duann Scott of Shapeways. Learn from the veteran 3D printing Jedi master Duann on how to design and prepare for the materials for the 3D printing process to get the best results for your design and most economically as wasted materials is wasted money with 3D printing. Duann will be using Autodesk’s free and easy 123D Design.

Since it is February 14th aka Valentines Day, feel free to exercise your geeky Maker side by bringing a date and learn how to print your 3D designed valentine heart. If you scare your date away, perhaps it was for the best, and you will be left with more free time and able to concentrate on mastering digital fabrication nirvana.

Sign Up Here

Don't have a 3D Printer, No Problem

I hear it frequently when I speak about 3D Printing “Shaan I don’t have a 3D printer”, but they were not aware there are many printing services available locally and on the web. I think that is the business model 3D printing will be for awhile where the design shops and ultra hobbyists may have a 3D printer, but others designing in 3D can still pay for someone else to create the 3D print for them. I don’t think in the near future every home will have a 3D printer, but I believe they will all have access to one. We are starting to see companies like Staples dabbling in a local 3D print services but I want to see a day where the manufacturers of consumer goods provide free or a for a small fee replacement parts or custom modifications that you can purchase online and then pickup at your local FedEx Kinkos which are located about everywhere. That would save time, energy, warehousing, transportation costs and be better for the environment.

3D Printing - The Future is Coming to a Print Shop Store Near You

A good option is my friends like Duann at Shapeways.com that have some 25+ materials from plastics, ceramics, to metals they can 3D print in and also you can even market and sell your designs on their marketplace. There is also Ponoko, Scultpteo, i.materialize, and many more including if you are  a member of 123D you can get 3D prints.

I currently have a MakerBot Replicator which is great for lower resolution ABS 3D prints and their HUGE freely usable Thingiverse community with 3D models ready to print or mod;

Soon I will have use of a real professional quality 3D printer the Mojo from Stratasys (acquired Objet). I am running to my door each time I hear a UPS truck drive by. Of course even with the Mojo I will still be limited in the number of materials unlike Shapeways and other 3D printing services which have several types of 3D printer types so if I want something other than a plastic I will use my Shapeways buddies.

You can also locate a local hacker space or TechShop and get involved as many of them have 3D printers as well as a host of many other tools for making things.

3D Printing is growing exponentially in use and applications and now including printing living human tissue and organs like the recent announcement of Autodesk and Organovo.

So if you have 3D software from free like the 123D Design & Meshmixer to AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Revit, Maya, Inventor Fusion, Autodesk Inventor, and others chances are you can export a STL file to be printed by a 3D printer and have options to print it. Your not going to be printing your replacement liver or hear, but 3D print your creation in plastics, ceramic, metal, and glass prints are currently possible by everyone.

Duann of Shapeways even printed me some wicked cool fun examples of materials including my cherished Bacon Mobius Strip which you can purchase one yourself!

Happy 3D Printing!

-Shaan

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"Bioprinting has the Potential to Change the World"

This was a quote from our Autodesk Chief Technology Officer Jeff Kowalski on the partnership with medical research firm Organovo.

While the ability to print yourself a new liver after a tough New Years Eve party may not be possible this year, the research and technology is definitely headed towards the ability to 3D print print real functioning human tissue and organs in the future will be reality.

Read more in the Wired.com article:

”Autodesk Developing CAD Software to Design, 3-D Print Living Tissue”

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/12/autodesk-3-d-print-tissue/

Take it easy on your body this holiday season as you cannot 3D print replacement parts, yet…

Cheers,
Shaan

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The largest  3D printed wrench by the new Stratasys Objet1000 printer. It is an example of the new wide format 3D printers ability to create larger objects in ABS plastic. The build size for this 3D printer is a whopping 1000 x 800 x 500 mm.

The one thing I think of when seeing this wrench, where is the scary big King Kong like guy that can use this 1.2 meter wrench.
Run Sam!

Cheers,
Shaan

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