Tag Archives: iPad
Structure Sensor Closes $1.3M Kickstarter for 3D Scanner iPad Add-On
Last month, San Francisco-based hardware startup Occipital launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to turn your iPad into a powerful 3D scanner.
Their product is called the Structure Sensor, and the company pulled in $1.3 million from Kickstarter, wildly beating their goal of $100,000.
The Structure Sensor is the world’s first 3D sensor for mobile devices. It gives mobile devices a new sense – the ability to not just capture the world as two-dimensional images, but to actually understand it in three dimensions.
This enables a completely new set of mobile applications, including:
- 3D mapping of indoor spaces for instant measurements and virtual redecoration.
- Augmented reality (AR) games where virtual objects interact precisely with the geometry of the physical world, including occlusions.
- 3D object scanning for 3D content creation with no knowledge of CAD required.
- Body scanning for fitness tracking and virtual clothes fitting.
- Virtual reality games using 3D environments imported from the real world.
Occipital sells the Structure Sensor kits (retail or the hackable version) for $349. You can still pre-order for shipment in April 2014.
The 3D printing community is getting excited about it too
Many of the uses for Structure are related to augmented reality and entertainment, but it also can be used as an object 3D scanner. In the 3D printing world, 3D scanners have had a surge in popularity over the last 6 months, between the launch of the MakerBot Digitizer desktop 3D scanner, a handful of Kickstarter campaigns, and the 3D Systems Sense 3D scanner.
Structure is the newest entrant in the 3D scanning world, and some of the key folks in the industry are sharing their excitement.
“We can’t wait to play with one of these around the MakerBot office,” said Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot.
Josh Levine, VP of Engineering for Shapeways is also excited about the opportunities with the technology. “For me the challenge has been in creating 3D objects. This completely obliterates that challenge,” he said.
Learn more at structure.io.
eBay Breaks into 3D Printing with iPhone App eBay Exact – Our Review
eBay Exact is an iPhone App for 3D Printed Goods
Leading auction marketplace eBay is the latest major e-commerce company getting into 3D printing, following the recent news by Amazon, Tesco, and others. eBay launched an iPhone app called eBay Exact that lets users customize and order 3D printed goods.
How eBay Exact Works
eBay has partnered with 3D printing companies and designers, including MakerBot, Sculpteo, and Hot Pop Factory, to source 3D printed goods that can be customized and purchased.
Here’s the description from the eBay Exact product page:
Unleash your creativity by customizing select products to create exactly what you want with eBay Exact. Simply select a product, choose a design, and add your own personal flair to create a unique item for yourself or someone special!
With our first foray into 3D printing technology, we have partnered with Sculpteo, MakerBot, and Hot Pop Factory who are leaders in 3D printing technology to hand-select a range of special products including, iPhone cases, figurines, and jewelry.
Take the power of creation into your own hands and download the app now to start customizing right away.
Bring your style to life. Choose from a variety of materials, including plastics, wood and metals. Use the engraving feature to further customize your product.
Be the first to use new technology to create one-of-a-kind iPhone cases, jewelry, and figurines based on self-portraits.
Build your collection. Whether you love jewelry or figurines, eBay Exact allows you to create as many unique products, exactly as you like, based on your personal desires and preferences.
Reviews
There are just a few reviews so far, but some of them are glowing.
“Really cool app that gives affordable access to 3D Printers. I’d love to see more templates to customize and buy. Opening up to user generated content – a deviantart like community for 3D models would really make this a very addictive app!”
“App is beautiful- first company to do something like this, impressive.”
Below is a gallery that shows how you can discover an item, customize it and preview your design before ordering it.
Get the app for iPhone and iPad at iTunes or learn more about eBay Exact at eBay.
Cubify Draw App for iPad and iPhone: 3D Print Your Sketches
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) launched today Cubify(R) Draw, a mobile 3D printing app for iOS. Cubify Draw empowers anyone with an iPhone(R) , iPad(R) or iPad Mini(TM) device to create printable content with their fingertips. Users can digitally doodle with their finger or trace an imported picture and then enhance it with features like adjustable line thickness and height, auto-fill and auto-connect. Users can upload their drawing directly to Cubify or have the STL file emailed to them for printing. Cubify Draw is available in the App Store today via free download.
“Cubify Draw takes digital doodling to printable reality” said Sarah Stocker, Senior Director of Cubify for 3D Systems, “This boundary breaking app is our latest gamified installment in our commitment to democratize content-to-print entertainment on Cubify.”
Our Review
Cubify Draw is a very simple and straight-forward app. You trace or draw with your finger, and it creates a file for you to print. With this simplicity in mind, 3D Systems shared that “the app is ideal for drawing and printing cookie cutters, pendants, ornaments, bracelets and simple toys.”
We tried out the app and found it very easy to navigate, but hard to create models of any precision. Similar to an Etch-A-Sketch, you have one try to get your lines right or you have to clear the canvas and start over.
We imported the On 3D Printing logo in an attempt to trace the “On”. The results are in the gallery below.
It’s great to see the Cubify team extending into digital and competing with other apps like Autodesk 123D Catch. While this first app feels a bit limited, it’s free and easy to use. So if you have a Cube 3D printer, or want to quickly print a design via Cubify.com, give the app a try!
Sculpteo Cloud 3D Printing, iPhone Cases, and More – 3D Printing Conference (Part 6)
Sculpteo Launches Services to Grow their 3D Printing Marketplace
Sculpteo is a 3D printing marketplace that is innovating on 3D printing services. Sculpteo was formed in 2009 with operations based in France and San Francisco, CA. The majority of Sculpteo’s sales are outside of the US, but they are growing their US operations.
While much of the 3D printing media coverage focuses on 3D printers, guns, and organs, there are companies who are innovating on the very important concept of how do I 3D print and what can I 3D print today?
We sat down with the team at the Sculpteo booth at the Inside 3D Printing Conference to see their new services.
3D Printing for iPhone and iPad
Sculpteo published a free iPad and iPhone app that lets customers design 3D printable ideas, like iPhone cases and coffee mugs. The company partnered with designers to develop templates that can be easily customized by users. Cases cost $25 to $30 to produce.
The result (shown in photos in this article) are highly personalized and affordable goods that are accessible to the average consumer.
3D Printing Cloud Engine
The power of the cloud is coming to 3D printing with Sculpteo’s white label service, called Cloud Engine. Think of this as a “click to print” service that can connect your designs to a remote 3D printer connected by the Cloud. For users who want 3D printed objects but don’t own a 3D printer yet, this is an option. Websites and mobile apps can also embed the service.
For example, Autodesk embedded Sculpteo Cloud Engine in its 123D Creature app.
Showcase
Below is a photo gallery of custom iPhone cases and more.
Doodle3D Kickstarter Campaign: Design on iPad and 3D Print
Doodle3D: Design on an iPad and press 3D Print
Doodle3D is a new Kickstarter campaign to help kids and adults get creative with 3D printing. Not to be confused with 3Doodler, a recent project that raised over $2MM.
What is Doodle3D?
Doodle3D is a very simple sketching tool enabling everyone to make his own drawing come to life with a 3D-printer. This way people can get familliar with the 3D printing technique not just by seeing how the printer works, but by creating something themselves! And all this without needing any knowledge of difficult 3D design programs. It’ll allow you to create that much more with your 3D printer.
How does it work?
After creating a simple line drawing on an iPad or computer the user presses ‘print’. Layer by layer the printer creates a 3D object from the 2D sketch using plastic. This way you can print out your name, a symbol, just a simple doodle or anything you like within a few minutes.
But there’s more, you can make the 3D object more than just a stack of identical layers by sculpting and rotating the object. This way you can make a nicely designed 3D object without needing to make complicated blueprints! Works great for sharing your new 3D printer with the family!
Why are we doing this?
Although low-cost 3D printers are quickly becoming more available, low-entry barrier software is still quite uncommon. Even though 3D design programs are getting more user-friendly and accessible they still form a major barrier for widespread use of this technology.
The Doodle3D software is created by Rick Companje who works at FabLab Amersfoort and is a proud owner of a 3D printer. The idea of Doodle3D came forth out of his personal experience with the entry barriers of 3D design programs.
Doodle3D WiFi Box
The Doodle3D WiFi Box is a WiFi device connecting your iPad/iPhone/laptop or other devices to your 3D printer. Simply connect the 3D printer (currently Ultimaker, open-source MakerBots, Printrbot ) to the USB port of the Doodle3D box, connect to the WiFi network and start sketching and printing in 3D.
Below is the video of the Kickstarter campaign. Doodle 3D has raised just over half of their $50,000 goal with 33 days to go.
