With Halloween just around the corner, our next 3D model was an easy choice: a unicorn Halloween mask created in Vectary as the finishing touch to your magical costume!

To create the unicorn mask, open this Vectary template and click the Customize button to enter the 3D editor.

Note: Before you start transforming a geometry in Vectary, it is better to turn Smoothing off so you can see the object in its low poly shape. Seeing the way it is constructed will make it easier for you to see and work with it clearly.

Start by clicking Select Points in the top panel and then click the point located in the middle of the forehead portion of the mask to select it.

Click Bevel in the left toolbar and drag the blue handler to create a polygon as the base of the horn.

With the selection active, click Select Faces so that the face of the polygon is automatically highlighted.

Next, we’re going to use the Extrude tool in the left toolbar to create the horn. To do so, drag the blue arrow to set the size of the horn. Then scale the tip of the horn using the proportional scale on the Gizmo — it’s the grey cube on the top. (In Vectary, the Gizmo is a universal tool used for transformations.)

Click Select Lines, then click on all of the four lines of the horn’s base.

Now we want to add some lines on the horn, so click the Slide tool. In the Slide tool’s jog, set the number of copies to 6 and then set the Offset value to -1 to make the lines evenly distributed along the horn.

Click on the lines at the horn’s base with right click to deselect them. Next, deselect the lines on the tip of the horn using the Marquee Subtract in the top panel.

Bevel the selected lines a bit and then, while the selection is active, click Select Faces.

Extrude the faces inwardly, into the geometry. Use the Extrude tool and drag the blue arrow inside the horn.

You can now deselect all and click Smoothing to see the high poly shape of your mask.

To create holes on the mask for a string or stripe, you can use one of our pre-modeled objects.

Click +Add plugin to enter My Plugins and then select the Boolean plugin.

First, select a layer to be subtracted, in our case, the Mask Template.

Next, choose the layer to subtract with. You can find our pre-modelled objects in the layer named String Bools Template.

Click the Subtract icon and then Boolean.

When the Boolean process is completed, click Bake in the dropdown menu to create the final 3D object with holes.

Now your 3D model is ready to be sent to Shapeways. To do so, click +Add plugin and select the Shapeways plugin from the list. Check the geometry, select the material (we chose White Strong and Flexible for this one), and send your 3D model to Shapeways.

Check your email for a confirmation message from Shapeways, which may take a few minutes to arrive. Once you receive the email, click the Proceed to Shapeways button, and it will take you to a Shapeways page where you can order your 3D print.

Of course, the customizing doesn’t stop there… feel free to go ahead and paint your 3D printed mask in a base color and add some glitter for a sparkling effect.

Have you tried customizing this mask in Vectary? What would you design differently? Perhaps adding some devil’s horns? Let us know how you decked out your mask in the comments below!

inspired? design your own

The post Vectary Tutorial 4: Create a Unicorn Mask appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

I usually start my designs by prototyping at home with a desktop FDM/filament 3D printer. But some models are really, really difficult to print on a filament-based 3D printer, and my “Fidget Cube” model is one of the worst: it has enclosed hinges that point in every possible direction, and pieces of the model that have to somehow print floating right above other pieces. On an SLS/nylon powder printer like those used for Strong & Flexible plastic prints at Shapeways, such “impossible” prints can be printed with great success rates. But at home, different desktop filament printers, different filaments, and seemingly even different days of the week can have an influence on the success or failure of 3D printing Fidget Cubes.

In this post, we’ll track the evolution of one particularly fidgety 3D design over the past five years, from an assembly model to print-in-place on FDM machines, to multicolor variants, and finally all the way to SLS printing at Shapeways, where we will be able to level up our idea of “impossible” to include the printing of a fully-functioning Yoshimoto cube!

2013: Pieces

Our story begins with a 3D-printable Folding Cube by the legendary emmett. This model prints in eight separate pieces which you then click together to assemble.

This model is based on the popular “photo cubes” that you might have made out of paper and tape when you were younger. If you want to make a paper one, check out Magic Folding Photo Cubes on Instructables. Emmett’s Folding Cube is a beautiful model that is really fun to fidget with, but because I’m not good at rotating or visualizing objects mentally, I had a really difficult time putting the pieces together properly. In fact, I was so bad at it that I vowed never to do it again, and set about to create a remix that could print all in one piece, fully assembled.

2014: Print in Place

After a lot of trial and error, I ended up creating the design from scratch in OpenSCAD. Clearances between hinge parts and adjacent surfaces have to be just right for the Print-in-Place Fidget Cube to print successfully, and getting your slicer settings and model clearances to hit that sweet spot is a fairly advanced 3D printing challenge.

It probably isn’t going to work on your printer, with your filament, on the first try, but once you find the right settings and clearances you should be able to print these Fidget Cubes reliably with a low failure rate (or, you can obviously go straight to Shapeways). If you decide to print it at home, the Print-in-Place Fidget Cube model we put on Thingiverse is customizable so that you can tweak sizes and clearances and try to find what works for your machine.

2015: Yoshimoto

The folding action of the Fidget Cube is the same as that of the Yoshimoto Cube, an incredible model that takes advantage of the fact that a cube can be evenly dissected into two Stellated Rhombic Dodecahedra — and in fact, that those two Stellated Rhombic Dodecahedra can themselves be folded inside out to form cubes of the same size as the original cube. You kind of have to see it to believe it:

You can make a Yoshimoto Cube using origami or you can purchase a truly beautiful version from the MoMA store. Unfortunately, you can’t make a Yoshimoto Cube by carving up a Fidget Cube into two pieces, because the hinges protrude out of the shape and would interfere with the nesting of the pieces. However, we can carve out a Stellated Rhombic Dodecahadon shape from the inside of our fidget cube to form a Fidget Star that folds one way into a cube and the other way into a Stellated Rhombic Dodecahedron.

Here it is in action. This piece isn’t any more difficult to print than the Fidget Cube, but it seems a lot more impressive and surprising when the entire shape of the object changes as it turns inside out.

2016: Embedded Hinges

Next in line is the Kobayashi Fidget Cube by pkobayashi, which prints in one piece and has flat hinges! I think you still couldn’t make a good Yoshimoto Cube out of this, but this version should be much, much easier to print than the Fidget Cube. This design isn’t a remix of mine or of emmett’s, but it is definitely an improvement on both:

Designer pkobayashi later created a Dual Color version, which you print in pieces and then assemble:

2017: Multicolor

What about two-color print-in-place cubes? As of this year, that also exists. MosaicManufacturing has been making beautiful Multi-Color Fidget Star prints! Design-wise, this was made from the Fidget Star just by splitting the model into two pieces (a cube surrounded by a shell). But, printing it is a serious accomplishment:

They made me one, and it’s huge! Thank you, Mosiac Manufacturing!!

They handled the two-color printing with a Palette, a device you can use for pre-processing filament to send to your 3D printer. The Palette actually cuts and assembles pieces of colored filament at exactly the right lengths for switching colors in the correct places while printing.

If you have a dual-nozzle 3D printer then you can download Mosaic Manufacturing’s Multi-Color Fidget Star model and print it yourself. Here is one I printed on the lovely dual-nozzle Ultimaker 3. I happened to print it very small, and on fast, low-res “draft” mode, so it’s nowhere near the highest quality that the Ultimaker 3 can produce, but it still looks pretty good and it works!

… And Beyond: Shapeways!

Printing any of the Fidget Cubes above on an FDM printer can be a difficult process that involves a lot of trial and error, skill, and luck. A lot of the problem lies with the fact that the model has to print without support material for the hinges to operate, which means that the many overhangs and bridges on the model have to print without that support. These problems melt away if you print with a “powder printer” such as the SLS Nylon printers they use at Shapeways to print in Strong & Flexible plastic:

Having industrial-grade 3D printers makes a huge difference in what you can print successfully. Here’s a wonderful, tiny Fidget Cube Stress Reliever by brandutchmen on Shapeways:

Even better, with the SLS printers, we can get to the holy grail of Fidget Cubes: Nesting hinged models that combine to make a Yoshimoto Cube! VeryWetPaint created a fully functional, two-piece, nesting Yoshimoto Cube model that prints in SLS Nylon at Shapeways, called the Yoshi prime box. His open-style design very cleverly allows both pieces to be hinged so that they can nest together. It’s amazing!

Shapeways people, what’s next? Can you push this design to the next level? What even is the next level? Let us know in the comments and we’ll see which designers dare to take fidgeting to new heights…

The post Printing the Impossible: Evolution of a Fidget Cube appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

For this launch, we will be offering four different chains and one cord, to match your pendant or necklace’s finish and style. There are two ways to purchase chains: On all pendant product pages, a button will be provided to order one of the chains. You choose the chain or cord that is just right for the pendant you’re purchasing.

Alternatively, for those who need to stock up on chains for sales off of the Shapeways site, chains are available for purchase apart from products. You can find the link to the chain offering here.

So, which chains will be offered, and how much are they?

Silver Beveled Cable Chain

Offered in:

• 16” for $4.00
• 20” for $5.00

A slightly beveled edge gives this chain a bit more shine. This chain pairs perfectly with silver, steel, strong & flexible nylon, and more. The chain has a width of 1.1mm, a clasp connector of 4mm, and a small lobster claw clasp. Chain traditionally supplied by a Shapeways partner.

Specifications:

• Metal type : Sterling silver
• Karat/purity : 925
• Width : 1.1mm
• Overall length/dimensions : 20″
• Clasp type : Lobster
• Material : Metal
• Style : Cable
• Metal color : White
• Link length : 1.8mm
• Link ID : 0.41mm
• Country of origin : Italy

Silver Round Cable Chain

Offered in:

• 16” for $10
• 20” for $12.50

This Argentium Silver chain is a classic round cable chain with excellent tarnish-resistance due to the touch of Argentium. This chain pairs perfectly with any silver finish, strong & flexible nylon, steel, and more. The chain has a width of 1.1mm, a clasp connector of 4mm, and a small lobster claw clasp. Chain traditionally manufactured by a Shapeways partner.

Specifications:

• Metal type : Argentium Silver
• Karat/purity : 935
• Width : 1.5mm
• Overall length/dimensions : 16″
• Clasp type : Lobster
• Material : Metal
• Style : Cable
• Metal color : White
• Link length : 1.5mm
• Link ID : .3mm
• Link ga./thickness : .015″
• Fabrication method : Soldered links
• Country of origin : United States

Yellow Gold-Filled Cable Chain

Offered in:

• 16” for $10
• 20” for $12.50

This 14/20 yellow gold-filled cable chain will pair perfectly with Brass, Bronze, Steel, and 14k – 18k gold jewelry. The chain has a width of 1.5mm, a clasp connector of 3mm, and a spring ring clasp. Chain traditionally manufactured by a Shapeways partner.

Specifications:

• Metal type : Gold-filled
• Karat/purity : 14/20
• Width : 1.5mm
• Overall length/dimensions : 16″
• Clasp type : Spring ring
• Material : Metal
• Style : Cable
• Metal color : Yellow
• Link length : 1.73mm
• Link ID : 1.03mm
• Link ga./thickness : .026″
• Country of origin : United States

Silver Bead Chain

Offered in:

• 20” for $12
• 24” for $15

The bead chain is made up of spherical beads joined by a narrow connector wire or bar. This chain will pair perfectly with nearly any material, particularly silver, precious plated metals, strong & flexible nylon, steel, and more. The width of the chain is 1.8mm, with a clasp connector of 3mm , and a small lobster claw clasp. Chain traditionally manufactured by a Shapeways partner.

Specifications:

• Metal type : Sterling silver
• Karat/purity : 925
• Width : 1.8mm
• Overall length/dimensions : 20″
• Clasp type : Lobster
• Material : Metal
• Style : Bead
• Metal color : White
• Country of origin : Italy

Black Satin Cord

Offered in:

• 30” for $2.00

This black satin cord will go well with all materials. We will provide 30″ of 2mm black satin cord, which may be cut to your desired length. This cord can be tied into an adjustable knot and used for a bracelet or necklace. The satin cord is traditionally manufactured by a Shapeways partner.

These chains are the next step in creating a complete jewelry product with Shapeways. For any questions on concerns please reach out to your Shapeways Jewelry Community Managers Victoria and myself at jewelry@shapeways.com.

The post Finish That Pendant With One of Our New Necklace Chains! appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

1. “Why do golfers always carry two pairs of pants with them? Just in case they get a hole in one.”

Desk Golf set by Urbano Rodriguez

2. “People keep telling me to take a chill pill. I tell people, ‘Will that make you any less annoying?'”

Chill Pill Ring by Modern Basic

Grumpy dads, unite!

3. “I’m all about fitness. Fittin’ ‘dis whole pizza in my mouth!”

Fitness Weight Necklace by Health Nut

4. “How do you fix a broken pizza? With tomato paste.”

Bonus dad joke:

“Why did the hipster burn his mouth? He ate pizza before it was cool.”

Pizza Charm by Luv Fit Jewelry

5. “They used to make these for cats, and now they make them for young people. I guess the internet turned you all into cats.”

Fidget Beads by MyGadgetLife

Ok, Dad was right about that last one.

Tell us your best/worst dad jokes in the comments. And don’t forget to give Dad the gift of… anything he wants.

The post 5 Dad Jokes-Inspired Ideas for Father’s Day appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Shapeways member David Hsu wrote in to let us know that he won an A’ Design Award last month for a “cable management sculpture” that he calls Loops & Cheese.

Back in 2013, David was making pasta for dinner and saw an iPhone charging cable that had fallen onto the floor. The noodles got him thinking about curving forms that could keep electronics cords in place. “While searching for some cheese in fridge to add to the pasta, I came across some Swiss, which provided inspiration for the holes that save on material,” he says.

David prototyped the Loops & Cheese at Shapeways, iterating on the thickness of his sculptural forms until he arrived at the right solution. And he still produces them on demand in Shapeways Strong & Flexible nylon, then adds a rubber gasket to the bottom to keep the cable holder from sliding on the table.

“Even though the project was conceptualized and produced years ago and was a super quick and simple project, it was nice to finally get some recognition for it,” he says of the A’ Design Award in 3D printed forms and products.

You can order Loops & Cheese from the David Hsu Design website. It comes in a fanciful cardboard box.

Have your 3D printed projects won you any awards? Let us know in the comments.

The post Loops & Cheese: 3D Printed Cable Management Sculpture Wins Award appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

The Autodesk flow chart handily nudging us toward Fusion 360

What can you make with Fusion 360?

Before we talk about how, let’s talk about what. What kinds of things can you make with Fusion 360? Well, because Fusion 360 allows you to work with sketches, booleans, and even sculpting, you can make pretty much anything you want… if you can figure it out. Here are three great things made with Fusion 360, then 3D printed at Shapeways.

Let’s start simple, with this elegant DNA Keychain by Shapeways shop owner BMImagining. A shape like a helix can be difficult to make in Tinkercad unless there is already a built-in Shape Script for what you want, but in Fusion 360, you have a lot more design options.

Fusion 360 is also good for creating intricate scale models, such as these Cockpit Hull and Wing Panel Connectors for a 1:24 scale Star Wars TIE Fighter, designed by Raymond Gaustadnes.

Finally, check out this beautiful Knotted Valentines’ Day Ring by design scroggin, based on the shape of a knotted slip of paper. This model was made in Fusion 360 by sweeping a rectangular form along a knotted sketch, and then printed in Raw Brass and Polished Nickel Steel at Shapeways. You can read more about the design process for this model on their blog: Valentines Day and How to Design a 3D Printed Metal Ring.

Tutorials and Resources

To get started with Fusion 360 we recommend watching the following Shapeways-curated Fusion 360 tutorial video playlist, starting with “Fusion 360 for Beginners”:

Then, when you’re ready to get your hands dirty, dive deep with a wide variety of resources from Autodesk’s extensive Learn Fusion 360 page:

Finally, for updates and new videos about Fusion 360, keep your eye on Autodesk’s Fusion 360 YouTube channel:

What have you made in Fusion 360? Tell us about your models and the design process behind them in the comments for a chance to be featured in our next Fusion 360 post.

The post Tutorial Tuesday 15: First Steps with 3D Design Software Fusion 360 appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

MC3 — Mini-Car Club of Canada

The 1/28th scale Mini-z racers have been a popular class at Shapeways for a while, with many upgrade parts available in our marketplace. One of the latest shops to join is MC3, which is short for Mini-Car Club of Canada. These guys have developed their own Mini-z based open-wheel Formula racer with a 2017 style body and wings, and realistic double wishbone front suspension, bringing back Formula racing to the Micro RC world.

If you’re interested in the realistic-looking and functional 2017 spec spoiler, you can find it here. All parts for this conversion kit are now available at Mini-car Club of Canada’s Shapeways shop.

*Images courtesy of http://minicarclubofcanada.com/

Thundershot Pit Stop

Another brand-new shop is Thundershot Pit Stop. While RC car manufacturer Tamiya has been re-releasing many of their vintage models, Tamiya Thundershot fans have been left chasing hard-to-find and brittle 30-year-old original parts to repair their beloved cars. With no re-released parts available, Shapeways user Badaboom49 has designed spare parts for the Thundershot and Terra Scorcher, often with improved geometry and extra options. Now, anyone can repair and race their car again as if it were a brand-new release.

So if you’re looking for a replacement suspension arm, you’re in the right place!

Tamiya Thundershot Arms & Shock Mount Combo

Tamiya Thundershot One-Piece Rear Bumper

A Thundershot model featuring many of the parts for sale in the shop

Tamiya Thundershot C-Knuckles, for use with Bearings

Find all the parts shown above on the Thundershot Pit Stop Shapeways shop.

The post The Best of the New: RC Car Shops appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

How did you come up with the shop name President Guinea Pig & Co.?
The name for my shop is a remnant from an old comic I used to draw as a kid. I would get my class work finished early and draw comics in my notebook. Unfortunately, it kept the kids around me from finishing their work!

Can you let me in on the inspiration behind a few of your pieces? Let’s start with Charles the Great White Hair Comb.
Charles was inspired by my sister. She had a close encounter with a manatee who came up to say, “Hi” while she was floating on her back. Thinking it was a shark, she bolted out of the water, screaming like a banshee. Many inside jokes later, the manatee became an imaginary shark named Charles who can be blamed for all false alarms.

How about the Hana Tentacle Hair Comb?
The Hana Tentacle Comb was partly inspired by my husband’s Japanese heritage and partly by an octopus at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I spent a long time watching it in the exhibit on our anniversary last year and found out they recognize people by “tasting” them with their tentacles. I thought that was cute — in an admittedly creepy way. Combine that with cherry blossom paintings done by my husband’s grandmother and you’ve got yourself a hair comb!

Any other items you feel have a compelling or fun story/background behind them?
One piece I’ve always been proud of is my first successful interlocking print – the Heart Charm Ring. It’s modeled after a ring my grandmother gave me when I was four. It was my favorite ring and I wore it every day. Being that my fingers have grown since then, I couldn’t wear it anymore, so I made it (with slight modifications to the design that I liked better) with 3D printing! That’s what really solidified my love for the process. The fact that you can recreate something you lost or make a better version — your idealized recollection of a treasured possession is so amazing. We can literally manufacture dreams now.

It sounds like your style is influenced by your family. Tell me more!
My grandfather is a former Disney employee. He worked there for 27 years as a handyman after bringing his wife and kids here from Cuba. During his time working there, he won multiple awards for designing tools and fixtures that increased efficiency in the hotels and rides. He paints, writes music and poetry, and makes instruments out of dried fruit. It’s because of him that I learned to draw inspiration from pretty much everything.

Definitely check out Cynthia’s shop on Shapeways for a gorgeous example of a shop that’s leveraging incredible product shots to highlight her designs.

The post Designer Spotlight: Cynthia Breheny – President Guinea Pig & Co. appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

These types of toys are definitely becoming more popular, with Buzzfeed even offering a roundup of jewelry and products that can help you calm down (which included Oddity’s Finger Hula Hoop on Shapeways). One standout gadget is the Cog Tri Spinner Fidget Spinner, which turns standard skateboard bearings into hours of fidgeting fun.

Below are a few more products that we think deserve shout-outs for being awesome fidget toys:

This working propeller ring is not only a fun little jewelry piece, it also exemplifies what’s possible with our recently launched interlocking metals capability. Pick one up and take it for a spin.

While similar to the spinner above, The Swirl has a minimalist design that’s worth checking out.

This Twisting Links Fidget series is designed to be a discreet but effective fidget toy with tactile sensation and endless movement.

The post Trending: Fidget Toys appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Since you’ll be driving, you’ll want a way to mount your GoPro(s) so you get a great view of those stunning flatlands in Kansas.  This 360 GoPro Mount by go360hero can be mounted anywhere to capture that all-around you feel.

And if you’re running the also highly rated Xiaomi Yi as your action cam of choice, here’s a great solution to get your 360 fill by clusteruk

Maybe you’re looking to pull focus on your fancy DSLR. Wileydavis created a great way to pull focus with this adapter that fits right onto your Canon 50mm lens.

There’s also the possibility that you have the ultimate aerial photography device: a drone. If you’re running a (slightly) older DJI Phantom, it’s easy to attach one of those six GoPro’s you’re running to the bottom of a quadcopter. Einaros’ simple vibration-damping mount will let you capture sweeping aerials.

And if you have a Phantom 3, Fusion Imaging has a great way to keep that high-def camera from getting damaged when landing on the jagged Rocky Mountains.

Want even more? We’ve got more ways to document that cross country escapade linked below:

Click For More Road Trip Fun

The post 4 Ways To Capture The Ultimate Road Trip appeared first on Shapeways Blog.