Motorola Mobility, a Google company, is building a 3D printed modular phone, and has partnered with 3D Systems for commercial fulfillment. More »
The Captured Dimensions pop-up studio was located in the Smithsonian Castle and featured approximately 80 digital cameras all connected to 3D software. More »
Microsoft expanded their support for 3D printing by launching a Windows 8 app called 3D Builder. It includes a library of objects you can edit and 3D print. More »
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced the availability of the Sense 3D scanner, the first 3D scanner designed for the consumer and optimized for 3D printing. More »
With rumors circling that 3D Systems will be purchased by IBM, the stock soars. We look at why IBM might be interested in the 3D printing giant. More »
Browser-Based Modeler 3DTin Acquired by Lagoa in 3D Printing Consolidation
“We are excited to be giving our support to the growing community of makers, young creators and 3D printing prosumers” – Thiago Costa, CEO and co-founder of Lagoa
Lagoa, the 3D cloud platform company, has acquired 3DTin, a browser-based 3D modeling tool. Over the past 3 years, 3DTin has grown a user base of more than 100,000 designers who signed up to use the Cloud-powered, simple 3D modeler. Lagoa raised money and launched earlier this year with a photo-realistic cloud rendering product.
With Lagoa’s products, you can work on rendering projects from your low end laptop, where it used to take a rack of powerful desktop machines before. Lagoa leverages the cloud to do the compute intensive rendering jobs. You can import your 3D models (in many different formats) to Lagoa’s Scene editor, apply different materials to the model, adjust the light configuration in the scene and create gorgeous picture perfect renders like this one.
The acquisition demonstrates Lagoa’s commitment to its vision of bringing the accessibility and power of browser-based 3D applications to everyone. In addition to supporting 3DTin’s community of young creators and makers, the acquisition will allow Lagoa to improve its scene editing capabilities in its online 3D rendering platform. Lagoa intends to maintain 3DTin as an independent solution. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“The browser-based nature of 3DTin makes it the perfect addition to Lagoa,” said Thiago Costa, CEO and co-founder of Lagoa. “We are excited to be giving our support to the growing community of makers, young creators and 3D printing prosumers that make up 3DTin’s user base. We also look forward to the new scene editing capabilities we will be able to bring to Lagoa as a result of the acquisition.”
3DTin Founder and Developer Jayesh Salvi said, “We are thrilled to be joining Lagoa, who share our passion for the accessibility and freedom of browser-based 3D tools. With Lagoa’s exceptional rendering product, 3DTin users will be able to do more with their 3D models. They will continue to enjoy all the great features they have grown to like in 3DTin and can expect more enhancements to their workflow, thanks to Lagoa.”
Both the Lagoa rendering application and the 3DTin modeling tool will be on demonstration at World Maker Faire in New York City, September 21-22, at Lagoa booth number MP39, Pavillion C.
History of 3DTin and Lagoa
3DTin was the first company to enable browser-based modeling, in 2010. Free and easy-to-use, 3DTin is a 3D modeling environment that is perfect for beginners and young makers, but with a growing list of advanced features it is attracting professional 3D artists as well. For more information, visit http://www.3dtin.com/.
Lagoa is a 3D Cloud Platform utilizes the power of cloud processing for photoreal 3D visualization and collaboration, and allows developers to create their own applications via their API library. Fast and powerful, Lagoa enables 3D artists, designers, engineers, architects and advertisers to collaborate while rendering and finalizing spectacular 3D content. The company was founded in 2012 in Montreal, and has offices in Bonn and Boston. For more information, visit http://home.lagoa.com/.
3D Systems CEO Video Interview: A Leader’s Perspective on 3D Printing
Avi Reichental Shares His Perspective on Materials, M&A, and More
Avi Reichental is CEO of the $5 billion 3D printing market leader 3D Systems. After delivering an inspiring keynote at at the Inside 3D Printing conference in San Jose, Mr. Reichental gave On 3D Printing an exclusive interview, where we discussed the future of materials for 3D printing, materials safety, unintended consequences and risks, and of course, M&A.
Watch the video below to see the full interview.
Related stories:
- 3D Systems Continues Acquisition Trail with 3D Printing Startup The Sugar Lab
- 3D Systems: Will the 3D Printing Giant Continue to Thrive?
- 3D Systems Acquires UK-Based Rapid Prototyping Firm CRDM
- 3D Systems CEO Predicts Moore’s Law Will Hit 3D Printing Technology – Inside 3D Printing Chicago
- 3D Systems Issues New Common Stock; Watch Out for M&A
- 3D Systems: Geomagic Design to Advance CAD and 3D Printing
Watch the Top 3D Printing Exhibits at Inside 3D Printing San Jose (Video)
We are having a great time at the Inside 3D Printing conference in San Jose. To share with you, our readers, what we’re seeing here, we asked the top exhibitors at the conference to give us a quick demo of their products.
Here we showcase the exhibits at Inside 3D Printing conference and expo in San Jose 2013, featuring 3D Systems, Stratasys, Afinia, Sculpteo, Leonar3Do, FATHOM, Mcor, Made In Space, Solid Concepts, Zip-Bit, Sixense, NRI, and more.
10 Principles of 3D Printing – Presentation by Melba Kurman
Industry Analyst Presents Key Principles of 3D Printing
Melba Kurman is a former Microsoft product manager turned author and technology analyst who has been writing about 3D printing for the last 3 years. She co-authored Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing with Cornell professor Hod Lipson, which was published earlier this year.
At the Inside 3D Printing conference in San Jose, Ms. Kurman delivered a presentation called The 10 Principles of 3D Printing.
The overall theme of the talk is that 3D printing is an ecosystem that is disruptive to the limits of design, but not a technology that is going to take away jobs. Rather, 3D printing is going to open up the doors for revolutionizing design and manufacturing by making complexity free.
Below are the 10 Principles of 3D Printing by Melba Kurman:
1. One 3D printer makes many shapes - Just upload a file and the 3D printer will take over. The 3D printer can print whatever is defined by the file, in contrast to single-purpose machines of the industrial revolution era.
2. Small footprint manufacturing – Home 3D printers are small enough to sit on a desk but advanced enough to create truly functional objects. It doesn’t take a 3D printer the size of a showing printing an airplane wing with a small 3d printer
a man carrying the cube
3. No lead time from design to product – It used to take weeks for each step in the design and manufacturing process. Now just upload and 3D print.
4. Skill lies in the design, not the operator – While it’s still a skilled craft to 3D model and design, 3D printing now works with the push of a button. This ease of reproduction also comes with risks, such as 3D printed guns and IP infringement.
5. Less waste – The original trade name for 3D printing is “additive manufacturing,” because objects are created layer by layer rather than subtractive methods like milling. This process means that there is less waste as a by-product of production.
6. No assembly required – 3D printed objects are made in one single piece, even intricate designs with moving parts. This leads to more elegant products that are sturdier while relying less on an expansive supply chain and assembly.
7. Infinite blends of materials – New materials for 3D printing continue to become available, and even blending materials is now possible.
8. Duplicate, edit and copy physical objects – With advancements in 3D scanning technology like the MakerBot Digitizer, physical objects can be digitally captured and reproduced, physical copy-paste.
9. Unlimited design space – Traditional design constraints do not apply in 3D printing. Take for example, the 3D printed titanium jaw used as a personalized implant on a patient, or “biomimickry” art that takes inspiration from nature.
10. Manufacturing complexity is free – Historically, cost is correlated to complexity; more complex objects are more expensive. But with 3D printing, a complex structure (like the one pictured below) is equivalent in cost to physical block of material of the same volume. This has profound implications on pricing and the cost of personalization.
The Future of Retail is Personalization – Isaac Katz on 3D Printing
3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the retail industry – Isaac Katz, Electronic Art Boutique
Today’s retail world is one-size-fits-all, said Isaac Katz at the Inside 3D Printing show in San Jose, whereas tomorrow is all-for-one.
Isaac Katz is a pioneer in simulation-based design and in its application to create physical products via 3D printing technology. He presented at Inside 3D Printing San Jose about The Future of Retail. (Related: Isaac Katz also presented at Inside 3D Printing Chicago earlier this year)
In Mr. Katz’s store of the future, personalization makes the difference. Today’s retailers allow consumers to customize aspects like size and color, but tomorrow’s retailers can employ 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies to get the perfect fit and the shape and design the consumer prefers.
Clothing is a simple example of this. Instead of picking a dress off the rack, consumers at the store of the future will be able to look in a virtual mirror to try on and personalize a dress.
Below is a 3D printed dress worn by Dita Von Teese.
How long until we get to this Future of Retail?
The design technology is available today, said Katz, and 3D printing will likely get there in the coming years. 3D printed cloth has been developed but needs more time to be ready for retail.
Mr. Katz pointed to 3-Sweep, an amazing technology we covered last week, as an example of a design technology that could be incorporated into the retail process. (Related: Take a Photo, Get a 3D Model – This Could Change 3D Printing Design)
