A Merry Christmas to all New and Previous Cube Owners!

I'm hoping that our ranks increase dramatically on December 25.WelcomeWe're happy to have you join us and look forward to hearing from you.  That also goes for those times when things don't seem to be going so well.  Working through issues is how we learn the most about our tools and our craft.Cube OwnersThis blog exists to serve all Cube owners... from those that bought the 1st Gen Cube to the newest of the new.The good news for all 2nd Gen Cube owners is that the printer and software continue to be improved by firmware and software...

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Experiments with Painting Cube PLA Prints

Now that I have the new Sense 3D Scanner, the amazing potential of this great tool has stormed my brain with hundreds of new applications for 3D printing.The Sense color capabilities can't be realized with the Cube printer; but, that does NOT mean that we cannot begin to think COLOR with our prints.  And, this most likely means paint and dyes.So, I've been experimenting with using modeler's paint to see how it behaves with my PLA prints. ...

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Excellent Review of the Sense 3D Scanner

Engadget has posted an excellent and bery thorough review of the Sense 3D Scanner from 3D Systems. Brian Heater covers all the bases with a great writing style.3D Systems Sense review: a 3D scanner for the masses (almost)I really appreciate the thoroughness of the review.   But, in reading through the replies to the review, it is obvious that many people don't know how to put price/performance into the proper perspective.  This isn't isn't a +10K device!  It's a low cost consumer device that works well for its intended applications.Many...

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Cube Print Table Tool - Checks and Helps Level the Cube Print Table

I have spent much of my free time in the last three or four months trying to come up with a tool that would help Cube owners check the level status of their print table and make the leveling process a lot easier and more accurate.  There have been a lot of ideas and failed attempts along the way.But, the effort has finally born fruit in the form of a tool that Cube owners can print from an STL file on the Cubify Store site.  I will be putting...

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Vicious Turkeys, LBJ and 3D Scans of Cadets - Thanksgivings to Remember

Perennial holidays have a way of creating and recalling memories of those same holidays from the past.That is especially true for THIS Thanskgiving,Thanksgiving 1948 and the Surly TurkeysMy first Thanksgiving memory is one that makes eating turkey particularly satisfying.  My relish at the thought of eating turkey began at the age of 4.  We lived in what was then a rural area and one of the ways the local Burke volunteer fire department raised funds was to sponsor a turkey shoot.  My father happened to win two turkeys at that event.These...

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A Glue to use in an emergency...

The longer I work with the 2nd Gen Cube, the more I learn about glue application for the most effectiveness.  But, I often wonder what we would or could do should we run out of Cube Stick at a critical printing moment.Recently, a 3D printer owner contacted me and in their email they mentioned using Elmers Disappearing Purple School Glue Stick with his printer... which also has a glass bed.  So, I decided to see how well it might work.Some observations...First, it works.  It goes on purple and as it dries it disappears. ...

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New Update to Cubify Sculpt

There is an update to Cubify Sculpt that includes new "Mashup" capabilities and a direct interface to the Sense 3D Scanner.With so much happening at one time, I'm a little behind checking out all the changes. But, there are two things I need to point out immediately.  First, the icons have been completely changed to a solid grey.  I was concerned that something was wrong since normally a solid grey indicates "disabled".  I'm not sure I'm crazy about this change.  But, I will follow up to find out why this was altered. But,...

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Exploring the Sense 3D Scanner

A lot of people think I work for 3D Systems.  Not only do I NOT work for 3D Systems, I am forever surprised to find that I'm late coming to the party when they release something new.This was the case of the Sense 3D Scanner.I had not idea they were even contemplating a low cost 3D scanner... especially one that retails at $399.00!  My first clue came from an email sent to me by a friend that pointed to an article on the web announcing it. ...

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Leveling Print Table & Non-Magnetic Tools

One of the reasons why we've not addressed the issue of checking the levelness of the print table is that leveling the print table poses some interesting challenges.  Among these has to be the fact that most wrenches that we could use, including the very convenient one that comes with the Cube 3D printer can be yanked from our hands by the strong magnet holding the print table.The other challenge, of course, is simply being able to accurately determine if we have, in fact, leveled the table.  It's extremely difficult to see a less than...

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Holes Revisted! Amazing Improvements in Both Horizontal and Vertical Hole Printing

When I first started printing with a 3D printer, just after the 1st Gen Cube was announced, I discovered that I couldn't really achieve a clean hole in a vertical wall.  A little experimentation showed me that I needed to print a hexagon or a pentagon (in the right orientation) to simulate a hole.That has all been changed with the latest Cubify Client software upgrade!  There can be just the tiniest flattening at the top of larger holes.  But, it is miniscule and inconsequential to the point where designing a hole in a vertical wall,...

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Firmware & Cubify Client Updates Noticeably Improve Print

Latest firmware at the time of this writing is V2.08. The combination of 2nd Gen Cube's firmware update V2.08 and the latest Cubify Client update offer what appears to me to be remarkably improved print quality. While I do not know all the improvements that have been implemented, I do believe that I see much smoother curved surfaces.  There are other LCD user interface changes as well.  I STRONGLY suggest that all 2nd Gen Cube users take the time to apply both updates.It is my understanding that CubeX owners will benefit by the most recent...

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Pinhole Camera - 3D Printing & Creatively Recreating Classic Film Fun

I love blogging because it puts me into contact with passionately creative people.Last night was a case in point.A young man named Paul emailed me about his step-father's 3D printing project on Kickstarter.It wasn't a new 3D printer.  It wasn't a new highly technological marvel of never-before-conceived innovation.  It wasn't even a $10 breakthrough in scanning technology.  But, it still got me excited at seeing what 3D printing can...

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Animating Cubify Sculpt Objects Just for the Fun of it.

I have a very old copy of COOL3D that at one time was marketed by Ulead.  Ulead ended up selling all their products to Corel, which appears to have abandoned COOL3D.  Too, bad, because while it is admittedly buggy and tempermental, it was also the easiest way to create animations and motion titles.In fact, all the openings for the videos that I create for this and other blogs are created in COOL3D.As I played around with Cubify Sculpt, I began to have some fun creating fantasy creatures and objects that really weren't as suitable for...

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Sculpt Tutorial #7: Mashup - Unlocking the Power of Cubify Sculpt

OK, so we're getting things a little out of order here.  Tutorial #6 was suppose to go over the usefulness of changing the shapes of the primitives (Cube, Sphere, Cylinder & Cone).  But, I became so excited about extending that concept to creating NEW primitives that I just had to show you that first.  We'll get to #6 as soon as possible.  :)First, a side topic that you may find interesting.Before trying Cubify Sculpt, I tried any number of sculpting applications.  Each of them were decent.  And, among the best...

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Sculpt Tutorial #5 - Repairing Poor STL Files

There are a number of developing ways to create 3D objects based on already existing items.  Scanning, while expensive now, is destined to both drop in price and yield more useful results.  Another way that several companies, including 3D Systems, are pursuing is turning a series of 2D images into a 3D object that can then be printed on a 3D printer.But, all of these techniques can have difficulty capturing things like hair or highly reflective...

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Cubify Sculpt - Yes, We CAN Do It!

It's a given that those with true artistic talent can use Cubify Sculpt to create art.  But, what about us.  What about NON-ARTISTS.  Will we be able to create items that even come close to creating anything even resembling art?I have to tell you.  That was one of my biggest questions as I downloaded and installed Sculpt.After all, over more than a few attempts at various sculpting applications, I had struck out on all counts.  I loved Cosmic Blobs and CB Model Pro.  But, try as I might, I never even came close to...

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Cubify Sculpt and the SpaceNavigator

Good News!The SpaceNavigator 3D Mouse device from 3DConnexion works well with Cubify Sculpt!!!I had noticed that the Options Dialog had a tab for "SpaceBall Device".   Since I knew that the original SpaceBall had been discontinued, I asked Sculpt Support if that feature would work with the SpaceNavigator that seems to have replaced the original Spaceball.  They indicated that it would.So, yesterday, I ordered the SpaceNavigator from B&H Photo and it arrived today!!!  That was a big surprise since I expected it no sooner...

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Cubify Sculpt Tutorial #3: The Beauty of Emboss Area and Texture Maps

I mentioned Emboss Area and Text Maps in a previous post.  I expect to explore these two features in many more tutorials.  They are SO powerful and make adding ornamentation SO easy that it truly makes designing in Sculpt child's play!When I first heard that the president of 3D Systems was committed to the democratization of 3D printing and design, it was difficult to know if it was a sales slogan or a fundamental core value.  With the introduction of Cubify Sculpt, I now know that it is definitely a fundamental core value and a...

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Cubify Sculpt Tutorial #2 - Setup and Potter's Wheel Simulation

I'm simply amazed that I have been able to actually complete some demonstration projects so quickly in Cubify Sculpt.  I can assure you that this would not have been possible in any of the other sculpting applications I've tried to learn in the past.One of the first upgrade features that I asked for when I first opened Cubify Sculpt was the ability to manipulate the clay in the fashion of a Potter's Wheel.  Well, it turns out that we can do just that using some hot keys or, I hope, by using a Spaceball type of device.  I've been...

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Cubify Sculpt - Emboss/Texture Maps: A Power Tool Combination

One of the problems I've had with previous sculpting tools I've tried is just how long it takes to make something useful in an educational setting.  If all we had were Push/Pull style tools, that would be true of Cubify Sculpt.  But, it's worth taking a look at the EMBOSS AREA tool and particularly the CUSTOM (with TEXTURE MAPS) option.In fact, a good number are included with the Cubify Sculpt install, in the PATTERNS directory under the...

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The NOT AN ARTIST Cubify Sculpt Tutorial!

It's a good thing that I don't embarrass easily.  Because, when people see what I'm able to achieve in Cubify Sculpt some are going to fall on the floor and laugh their heads off.   Yikes!But, let's put things in perspective.A LOT of us that are interested in 3D printing are not great artists.  We simply want to be able to have some fun and create some objects that we can print on our 3D printers.  My gift, if I have one...

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Cubify Sculpt - At Last We Can Edit STL Objects

I've been playing with Cubify Sculpt for the last couple of days.  My schedule hasn't allowed me to complete an indepth review.  But, I can tell you that I like it.  And, one of the most compelling selling points is that it finally gives us a way to customize and modify STL files that we find on the web.It's easy to miss; but, 3D Systems has provided some free STL "Templates" on the same page where you can download the Trial version of Cubify Sculpt.  So, be sure to scroll down to the free STL link so that you can check out...

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Cubify Sculpt is Released!

First a little history... Around six years ago, when I first became interested in 3D printing, it was obvious to me that the then current batch of software tools was daunting for mere mortals.  So, when Mudbox was released I instantly hopped on it and created a blog to document my learning progress.MUDBOX3D BLOGAs you can see, if you clicked on the link, I didn't get very far.  There was nothing wrong with Mudbox.  It was a wonderful product and artists could do amazing things with it.  But, I'm not an artist.  So, it was...

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Thingamajig Only Scratched the Surface of USPTO's Educational Outreach!

I have to admit that I was completely in the dark about the work that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was doing to promote creative thinking through its Office of Education and Outreach when I was first asked if I would participate in the Thingamajig Invention Convention.What I didn't realize is that the USPTO Office of education and Outreach programs go beyond simply participating in an occasional special event.  It turns out that they have focused on 3D printing by bringing in students from area schools to engage them in the entire...

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The Cube Travels to the YMCA Thingamajig

As I have mentioned multiple times, one of the things that impresses me about the Cube 3D printer is how well it travels.  And, this makes it easy to say, "Yes!" when asked to be a part of educational events for students.The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Office of Education and Outreach has participated in the Thingamajig Invention Convention as part of it's educational outreach mission.  And, this year they wanted to introduce 3D printing to the students that visit their booth.  I was very happy to agree to help out by bringing...

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Class 40 and Beyond!

Little did I know, when Cathy Lewis of 3D Systems asked me for a favor, that it would result in one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  Cathy Lewis was speaking at a conference on 3D printing organized by Homeland Security and asked me if I would be willing to bring my Cube 3D printer to demonstrate it.  I was more than happy to do so.During the conference Cathy introduced me to Lynda Mann of YouthQuest, who spoke of their desire to use 3D printing to inspire and motivate at-risk young people.  To make a long story short,...

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