Hello Flowers! Amazing Interface for 3D Content Design

Not all 3D content is suitable for printing on our home 3D printers.

That's a shame.  Because, the iPad app that I'm going to talk about now is a marvelous 3D application with the most intuitive interface that I've ever used.

The app is called Hello Flower.   It's the work of a small two person company called Hello Enjoy.

There is no doubt that 3D printing is coming to homes and schools in a huge way.  It's inevitable.

But, 3D printers are just piles of parts without the apps and software that enables and empowers users to create the content to be printed.  And, when it comes to software, that is to be easy to use for the widest audience,  control structures and interface is everything.  And, Hello Enjoy knows control structures and interface.

It was hard enough to find people that truly understood how to make 2D graphic design easy on a computer.  3D adds a lot more complexity to the task of creating tools that are easy to use.  Carlos Ulloa and Libertad Aguilera have hit it just about perfectly for their application that allows users to design their own 3D flowers.  It's a gorgeous application.

The images can be saved as.OBJ, I doubt that they would print well because they create such delicate features.  But, that doesn't keep me from longing to see Hello Enjoy create an application specifically for creating unique works of abstract art that is suitable for printing.  The almost unlimited ability to reshape, segment and twist should create some amazingly unique and beautiful work.

Come back later and I'll have some images to share.  I'm using an Apple to compose this post.  And, I am Apple challenged.  But, as soon as I'm back home, I will upload some samples and talk more about the interface features that I love so much.

But, I definitely wanted to immediately let you know about this amazing app as soon as possible.

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Happy Valentine's Day to the Cube Team

Valentine's Day is a special time for sending those you appreciate a card, letter or some token of your appreciation.  This year it is appropriate for me to send a Valentine Greeting to 3D Systems and the entire Cube/Cubify team.  Beyond my immediate family, if there is a team that I admire more, I sure can't think of one.  So, here goes...

Happy Valentine's Day

Cubify Team!

Thank you for all your efforts to design, build and support my favorite 3D printer.  It is more than simply a machine.  It has become an important part of my life, enabling me to realize long held dreams and ideas that less than a year ago I could only visualize in the recesses of my mind.

I think of you often, no matter what part you have played in continuing to make both the Cube and Cubify better.  I am very thankful that you do what you do and care as you care.

     Tom

It's very easy for me to embrace the Cube/Cubify Team.  I am privileged to know some of them and to have interacted with others with questions and suggestions by email or phone.  I have visited Rock Hill to see the Cube before it was released.  I have visited the factory in Virginia and witnessed how much each one on the assembly line and at the pre-shipping testing station cares that you get the best Cube possible.  Recently, I spent two days with several team members at the Hagley Museum, in Wilmington, Delaware, watching and listening to them explain and demonstrate to parents and children how the Cube works.  And, saw the look of awe in the faces of those children.

I have run my Cube day and night for months now.  And, yes, I have had a cartridge or two give me the dreaded "Filament Flow Fail" and, early on, a few clogs here and there.  But, on a scale of 1 to 100, I give my experience with the Cube a solid 99.9 and I doubt that any 3D printer could deliver anything more than that.

Equally importantly,is what it has done for me at an intellectual level.  My creative skills have been sharpened and my imagination has been unleashed in ways that leave me in awe.  I thought I was a creative person before the Cube came into my life.  But, looking back, having ideas without a means to go anywhere with them, really stifled the creative process.  The product that the Cube/Cubify team has brought us has changed all that.

So, again, no matter where you are located, or what part you play, Happy Valentine's Day 3D Systems and the entire Cubify Team.  I love what you have done.  I love what you are continuing to do.  And, I love that you care as I know you care.  :)

 

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The Significance of the Cube to 3D Printing

One of the things that's nice about being a bit older is that you have some history to look back on to help put things into perspective.

Most people with even a remote interest in 3D printing probably don't remember the days of Heathkit, Allied Radio, Lafayette Radio and the early days of Radio Shack, then best known for parts and kits.  Nor, do they remember that the earliest sound systems and computers came in the form of kits.

But, there is a lesson to be learned from this ancient history.  And, that is that useful technologies often begin with hobbyists; but, don't really flourish until they begin to be delivered as fully assembled and finished consumer products.  We are probably at the end of the maker-hobbyist domination of the 3D printer market and are rapidly entering the dawn of the consumer 3D printer phase with all the good things that follow such a transition.

Let me explain.

I remember, vividly, in the early 1970's sitting in the living room of a friend as he proudly displayed the HUGE set of speakers he had built.  The cabinet was plywood with a maze of internal baffles to get the most out of the enormous woofers, mid-range and tweeter speakers all precisely arranged.  It had taken hours upon hours to build and it was clear that he thought he had produced the ultimate in Hi-Fi (High Fidelity) reproduction.  And, he probably had.  He was justly proud, since he was probably one of a hand full that could boast such fine acoustics.

Today, however, that same level of sound quality can be had by virtually anyone.  And, it doesn't require us to take up half the living room!  It comes in packages as small as 4"x4".  In fact, most automobiles probably offer better sound. 

Like many in that period of time, I built things like mixers, amplifiers and even what pretended to be a computer.  In both the audio and the computer worlds, I was there as the technology moved from the hobbyist stage to gaining wide acceptance in every facet of society.  Both "Hi-Fi" and computer power are so widely used and appreciated that we almost take them for granted.

Bridging the gap...

I mentioned Heathkit, Allied Radio and Lafayette Radio along with Radio Shack.  It is significant to note that of these four companies offering kits to hobbyists, only Radio Shack remains.  That is because Radio Shack, rather than resisting the inevitable market shift from hobbyist to consumer, embraced it.  The first Tandy computer was envisioned to be a kit.  But, fortunately, its primary designer convinced Radio Shack to release it as a fully built system named the TRS-80.  Radio Shack had, thus, bridged the gap.  As a company it had one foot in the electronic kit marketplace and with the other foot had stepped out of the kit builder space and into the domain of the average consumer.  One no longer had to know how to solder to learn to use a computer.

3D Systems has done a remarkable thing in bridging the gap when it comes to 3D printing.  First, they bridged the gap between the expensive high end 3D printing world that they already knew very well and put one foot into the hobbyist/builder market through their acquisition of some 3D kit manufacturers and a company called Desktop Factory, which was aiming to produce a small format 3D printer for under $5,000.  But, then they took another step across an even greater gap with the design and release of the Cube 3D Printer, which is clearly the first 3D printer designed from the ground up to be purchased for the home by anyone, including those without any building skills.

The Case for the Case and the Cartridge

I once had the privilege, back in the early 1980's of working with not one; but, many very creative people.   The genius that put together this incredibly innovative team was David Judd Nutting.  I've already mentioned one of his books and will, in a future post, talk about another.  But, one of the things that Dave writes about is product empathy.

The best way to describe product empathy is to say that it is the feeling most of us get when we see something like a favorite Corvette model or the Gull-Wing Mercedes.  It's that intangible thing of beauty that makes some designers household names to the point where we look forward to their next new designs.  It is what draws us to a favorite purse, pair of shoes or tea kettle.  It's an emotional response that all great designs elicit.

As far back as 6 years ago, I know that it was just a matter of time before someone, somewhere would finally deliver a 3D  printer design that had that quality of producing the level of product empathy to the point its appeal would go beyond the limits of the hobbyist market and take 3D printing to a whole new level of consumer acceptance.

I distinctly remember, on my visit to 3D Systems last February, saying, "That's it.  That's what I've been waiting for."  For the first time, I truly had product empathy for a 3D printer design and I knew that others would feel the same.  For me, it was all about the design of the case and cartridge.  It encapsulated the functionality and revolutionized the way 3D printers would be viewed by the public.

Again, there is precedence in history.  Audio tape only became widely used when the cassette was introduced.  Video tape only became accepted by consumers when the tape was put into a cartridge with the advent of the VHS recorders and camcorders.  Without both the case and the cartridge, the Cube would have been just another 3D printer that happened to be a very good value.


While I have no way of knowing the numbers of Cube printers that have been sold, I do know that the readership of this blog was steadily increasing and suddenly surged with the introduction of the Next-Gen Cube last month. I'm assuming that the product empathy factor was raised even further by the steps that 3D Systems took to become the first 3D printer to be approved by UL for the home and children.

Why is this important to the world.

As I have repeatedly said, for me, 3D printing is NOT about printing cheap plastic objects.  It is about helping us to realize, in tangible form, what our minds visualize.  It is, perhaps, the single most valuable tool I have ever encountered to increase creativity and actually build new brain connections in astounding ways.  It is no accident that Virginia Tech named their 3D printing center the Dreams Lab and that the DreamVendor, a 3D printing kiosk is in non-stop demand.

By recognizing the importance of product empathy, whether they called it that or not, 3D Systems has done what Radio Shack did for computers in 1977... moving the availability of computing power from the kit builders to the rest of us.  3D Systems has, forever, opened the door to 3D printing for all of us.  And, the result, I predict, will be an explosion of new levels of creativity in our young people and new products and opportunities that would never have been otherwise.

Ken Mammerella, a writer for the Wilmington News Journal started out his article on 3D printing with the words,  "Tom Meeks cannot contain his praise for 3-D printing".  He follows that with "Whitney Sample, a research design engineer at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, is equally effusive."  And, then includes these words, "Jack Gillespie, director of the Center for Composite Materials at the University of Delaware, believes 3-D printers promote education and innovation for children. It “really gets them to be creative at very early age,"

I am not alone in my belief that 3D printing will have significant impact on the creativity and lifelong outcomes of our children.  And, I am very thankful that 3D Systems had the vision to look well beyond their comfort zone of business-to-business marketing and not only design a 3D printer that we could afford; but, one that had that magic ingredient... product empathy.

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Assessing Value vs. Absolute Capabilities

I've been hard at work designing, what for me, is probably my most exciting Cube project to date... an iPhone to Microscope adapter.

Along the way I have had to address various design issues within the capabilities of my first generation Cube.

At the same time, Chris and Mike, two extremely astute Cube users, have been doing their own research into the behaviors of their Cubes and we've been carrying on dialogs via email or through comments on this blog about their findings.  As I pondered what we were discovering, it dawned on me that all of us were pushing the Cube beyond the purposes for which it is designed.  And, while I don't think that is a bad thing, I do think we must always keep that in perspective.

Perhaps the best way to illustrate what I am trying to say is to introduce you to some of the microscopes that I own and explain how I view the VALUE of each within a PRICE/PERFORMANCE context.  It's useful to make some comparisons between various microscopes in my stable of scopes from C & A Scientific.

VALUE EXAMPLE #1: COMPOUND MICROSCOPES

When most people think of microscopes their immediate image is of a compound microscope, so we will start there.  Each of the compound microscopes we'll examine for VALUE is designed and priced for a specific target market.  Very young users, student users and professionals.  Let's start at the top, with the MRJ-03T.

C & A Scientific MRJ-03T

This probably the most expensive of my microscopes.  And, clearly it has the best optics and the smoothest overall operation.  For the money it is an exceptional value and I have fitted it with a Dark Field condenser for studying protozoa.  From a PERFORMANCE point of view it is clearly better than one of the lesser expensive student compound microscopes... like this one, the MS-03L

C & A Scientific MS-03L

This microscope is less than half the cost of the MRJ-03T.  Yet, from the point of view VALUE or PRICE/PERFORMANCE ratio, they are equal in every respect.  In fact, I probably use the MS-03L a great deal more than my MJ-03T because I love the fact that I do not have to plug it in.  It uses LED lighting and the optics are excellent for the cost.

But, as great as it is in terms of value, I cannot expect it to meet the more stringent requirements that can be met with the MRJ-03T.  It's more difficult to mount a camera, since it is not a trinocular design.  More importantly, I cannot mount a dark field condenser on a student scope.  To expect it to perform at the level of the MRJ-03T is just plain unfair.  It is far better to realize the great value it represents for the market for which it was intended.

VALUE EXAMPLE #2 - STEREO MICROSCOPES

When I think of VALUE when it comes microscopes I invariably think LOW-POWER STEREO.  Of all my microscopes I use this type most often.  I even use then to test for print characteristics of my 3D printers!

Again, let's start with the most expensive that I own, the trinocular SMZ-04.

C & A Scientific SMZ-04

This microscope sits on my desk, right beside me, at all times.  I love it.  Look through this blog and you will see images that have come from this scope using various dedicated digital microscope cameras.  It zooms from 10x-40x and the trinocular feature allows for easy attachment of a microscope camera.  It is a great VALUE for those needing the highest performance from a stereo microscope.  But, what about a student stereo microscope that cannot zoom and is not a trinocular design like the SMD-04 that costs about 1/10th the price of an SMZ-04?

C & A Scientific SMD-04

What you are seeing in the above image is what I consider to be THE greatest VALUE in terms of PRICE/PERFORMANCE of any microscope available today.  Sure, I could gripe that it's made of plastic and fixed at 20x.  But, that's the point!  It was designed to be able to be sold at a cost that consumers could afford while still providing excellent optics FOR THE MONEY.  Before the SMD-04 was introduced the cost of a stereo microscope was prohibitive to most consumers.  Now, I can tell any parent that this is the best microscope they could purchase for their child because it can do so many things.  The LED lighting means that you can even take it to the woods or beach to study nature up close and personal.  The cost is so low that even if if should be dropped and damaged, it's easily replaceable.

I believe in the high VALUE of this little microscope so much that I'd donated cases of them to my granddaughter's school and the Delaware Nature Society's Ashland Nature Center!

Yet, I have to be realistic about not expecting this wonderful scope to deliver beyond the criteria of its design.  And, that brings us back to the Cube 3D printer.

APPRECIATING THE PRICE/PERFORMANCE VALUE

I have other microscopes from C & A Scientific that range in price and capabilities from the very bottom to the very top.  And, I consider each of them a VALUE in terms of their PRICE/PERFORMANCE ratio.  What I tell people, when they ask about a particular scope, is that it is a great VALUE FOR THE MONEY and for its INTENDED MARKET.

By this criteria not a single one of my microscopes would a waste of resources as long as the user did not expect more of the product than that for which it was priced and designed.  Yet, they clearly have widely varying features and capabilities.

I can't say this about microscope cameras... which is why I have worked hard to create an iPhone to Microscope adapter.  But, that is for another post!  :)

APPRECIATING THE PRICE/PERFORMANCE VALUE OF THE CUBE 3D PRINTER

I know.  It would be wonderful if a $1299 3D printer could have the accuracy of a top of the line milling machine.  But, then it wouldn't be a $1299 3D printer.  It would have to be many multiples of that cost.

The Cube is designed to bring the benefits of 3D printing into the home and school environment at a reasonable cost.  And, it uses techniques and materials that allow it to deliver 3D printing at that cost.  But, these materials (plastic) and techniques (melting plastic) come with some very real benefits and limitations.  The Cube's accuracy is, at least to some extent, dominated by physics.  When plastic is melted and it cools, it contracts.  That's simple physics.

In the near future we will be talking about some of the observations that we have made about the performance of the cube related to accuracy, etc.  But, these should always be considered in light of  (1) the original market for which this 3D printer is designed and (2) the COST/PERFORMANCE ratio... or VALUE of the printer within the design goals for the target market for which it was intended... NOT a use for which we are trying to make it work outside of that design goals.

Yes, we are going to try and push the envelope of the Cube and the Cube materials.  But, rather than complaining that it cannot do what it was never designed to do, we will try to find ways to come CLOSE to simulating, through our own design techniques, the performance of more costly 3D printers.

So, like the SMD-04, I consider the Cube 3D printer, and in particular the Next-Gen Cube 3D printer to be the best VALUE in 3D printing for families and educational institutions available today.

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Warning to Curious Cube #1 Users

While the new Cube Client can be used with both First-Gen Cubes and Next-Gen Cubes, and some Next-Gen features might safely be experimented with on First-Gen Cubes, using PLA is NOT one of them.

I am NOT planning, under any circumstances, to test printing PLA in my First-Gen Cube until someone at 3D Systems confirms that it is OK.  And, I do not think that is likely.

Frankly,  I can't think of any good reason for doing so.  ABS is stronger than PLA and we have a heated bed.

No one at 3D Systems has confirmed my theory; but, my experience with PLA in a RepRap machine tells me that not only will PLA not work well at the First-Cube's temperatures; but, may damage the feed mechanism.  That potential just does not seem worth the risk to me, for so little gain.

Printing temperature for ABS is around 240C to  248C.  Printing temperature for PLA is begins at 190C and typically averages around 210C.  That's quite a big differential.

Here's my theory of the probable outcome...

First, remember that the filament is being pushed down a shaft before being melted at the tip.  In order to work properly the filament must be solid at the entry of the shaft to be heated and only reach the right temperature at or near the tip.  With ABS, the shaft at the entry point is just slightly lower than the melting point of the ABS itself.  So, the feed gear pushing on the filament is able to push the filament some distance into the shaft before it reaches the melting temperature at the tip.

Since the optimal melting temperature for printing ABS is quite a bit higher than the optimal temperature for PLA, running PLA through the head of the First-Gen Cube is likely to heat the PLA to the melting point higher up in the shaft where the melted plastic could back up into the threading mechanism. 

So while the entry to the shaft might be below the melting point of ABS it is likely ABOVE the melting point of PLA.  The PLA material will be too molten to be able to be pushed deeply into the shaft and I expect the molten PLA will flush back into the housing and then cool, causing more than a simple clog.  It could cause actual damage to the head feeding mechanism.

I'm aware that I may be completely off base.  But, I'm not willing to risk it.  I'll stick with the ABS for which the First-Gen Cube was designed.

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Thaw Iced Cubes Carefully

This comes under the heading of "What NOT to do with a Cube".

I managed to short out the control board or power supply on my Cube due to condensation that formed when I left my Cube in the trunk of my car overnight in sub-freezing temperatures, brought it into a warm room and immediately tried to start it.

Bad idea.

I should have known better.  Back in my years of video production with reel-to-reel video recorders I learned that condensation instantly can form on cold equipment when it's brought inside.  The tape would actually stick to the head drum from moisture forming on the drum.  We ALWAYS waited a few minutes before turning on our video tape machines that had gone from very cold conditions to a warm room.

Now, I know that leaving a Cube in the truck of my car in sub-freezing temperatures requires that same patience in starting up that Cube in a warm room.  Even a few minutes would have made a difference.

It's not that the Cube cannot survive the cold.  The outdoor studio in which mine usually sets regularly goes down below freezing.  But, I always warm of the building before firing up the Cube and so no moisture is formed due to the differences between the ambient temperature of the air and the Cube.  Both air and Cube warm simultaneously.

In this particular case the air was warm and the Cube was cold.  As we all learned in Science this can cause the water in the warm air to condense on the cold surface.  Water on electrical surfaces is NOT a good thing.

It's now in the hands of the good Cube doctors who will be performing open Cube surgery.  I'm told the prognosis is good and it should be back home shortly.  That is very good news.  I'm suffering a severe case of Cube withdrawal.  I've still got my RepRap; but, it's just not the same.

Summary

It's OK to let your Cube go below freezing.  But, when bringing a freezing Cube into a warm room, give the Cube some time to warm up before turning it on. Better safe than sorry.

UPDATED UPDATE

Keep watching the comments to this post as Mike continues to troubleshoot and make additional discoveries.  Thank you Mike for taking the time to chase this down!

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Chris Crowley Spots New Cubify Software!

I just got an email from Chris Crowley alerting all of us to the fact that there is a new unified version of Cubify Software.  It works with both the original Cube and the new Next-Gen Cube.

Cubify Software 2.0

He tells me that some features are only available for the new Next-Gen Cube and are greyed out when paired when the original Cube is selected.

More as we are able to test it....

Since I fried my Cube at Hagley, Chris will be looking for any impact this new version has on original Cube owners.  I had left my Cube in the truck of my car over night in sub-freezing temperatures and then brought it into a warm room and immediately tried to start it up.  We think that condensation was the problem and shorted something.  The Cubify engineers are looking at it now so that the precise cause can be pinpointed.

But, for now, be warned if your printer is brought in from a super cold environment, it's probably a good idea to let it warm up a while, allowing any condensation to evaporate, before firing it up.

The printer is normally located in an outside studio where temperatures go down below freezing.  But, both the ambient temperature of the room and the Cube are the same in that situation.  As I warmed the room up, the printer was also warmed.  So, I'd never seen an issue.

I should have known better because we had the same issue with video tape recorders in the past.  The tape would actually stick to the rotary drum due to moisture!  Sigh....

I can hardly wait to get it back.  I love that printer.

UPDATE FROM "Mike"
   
Thanks to Chris for the early heads-up!

I downloaded the new software (ver. 2.0.0) yesterday, and installed it. I did have a couple of problems others may not have, but I'll flag them here anyway.

1) After installation, Windows 7 wouldn't run the program, saying the program was having problems. In the end, I figured out that setting the "compatibility" setting for the Cube.exe file to "run as Administrator" fixed that. The Cube support folks told me they already were aware of that, and the next release will fix that.

2) If you use WiFi (WPS, at least) to send files to the printer, be aware that after you install the 2.0.0 software, you MUST do a firmware update on the Cube to the 1.09 firmware. Until you do you can still link your PC and the original Cube printer, but file transfers via the "Print" immediately fail, and there's no info regarding why. I've passed that info on to the Cubify support folks also.

I've only just gotten those problems out of the way and haven't had time to print more than one quick test file, and won't get back to it for a while soon. So Chris will likely have more to say about how it all works.

 THANKS Mike.  (The comment is below; but, important enough to also highlight here!)

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