You’ve got from now to the second week of December to get a 3D design together, if you want to order a 3D print before the Shapeways Material Cut-Off Dates for the holidays. In this post we’ll show you how you can create a custom 3D-printable clock face with three different software programs. Don’t have time for that? Skip to the end to see how you can customize a retro clock very quickly with our Sunburst Clock Maker.

Beginner: Tinkercad

Even if you’ve never created a 3D design before, it’s easy to get started with Tinkercad, a free in-browser 3D design tool with a simple drag-and-drop interface. To get started, sign up for a free account and check out the All3DP video Getting Started in Tinkercad: A Tutorial for Complete Beginners. Once you know a few Tinkercad tricks, you can create complex designs from very simple combinations of shapes; throughout this post we’ll link to helpful YouTube videos to show you exactly what you need to know.

To make a simple clock in Tinkercad, we’ll start with a cylinder for the center face, and then create a couple of stretched-out rings with Rotated “Round Roof” shapes and Holes:

By using the “Control-D” duplication tool we can copy and rotate those rings in a pattern around the cylinder. After modifying the heights of each shape with the Ruler, we get a simple retro clock face design:

If you want to pick apart our Tinkercad design and see how it works, just open this Quick Clock link and tinker for yourself! Add some Text for numbers, if you like, or design something new from scratch. When you’re ready to download your design for 3D printing, click the “Export” button and then choose “Export as STL”.

Intermediate: Fusion 360

To make a fancier custom clock, try Autodesk’s Fusion 360 3D software, which is free for students, educators, and hobbyists. There’s a steeper learning curve to get started in Fusion 360 than there is with Tinkercad, but there are plenty of video tutorials online to help you learn. Some of the best are the Fusion 360 tutorials by Maker’s Muse. We’ll link to relevant video tutorials throughout this section so that you can learn just what you need. Fusion 360 is a very powerful program with a lot of features and tools, but you only need to know how to use a few of those tools to make a simple clock!

For example, if you know how to create a Sketch, add Constraints, and use a Circular Pattern, then you have all the tools you need to create a 2D shape for a clock face design in Fusion 360. To create the example below we started a Sketch, added a Circle at the origin, then formed spoke shapes with Lines. We kept the shapes symmetric by using Constraints, and rotated them in a Pattern around the origin. In the screenshot below we are in the process of duplicating and rotating the thinnest spoke to create twelve copies of it around the center circle:

Most models in Fusion 360 start from a two-dimensional Sketch like the one above. Once you’re done with your Sketch you can Extrude to give it some three-dimensional depth, and then Fillet the edges to make them rounded and professional-looking:

To download your model for 3D printing, right-click on the gray name of your model in the Browser menu (if you haven’t saved your Fusion 360 design yet, then the name of the model will be “(Untitled)”, as it is in the screenshot above). Select “Save as STL”, click “OK” in the new window that pops up, and save the STL file to your computer.

Advanced: Make ALL THE CLOCKS

Feeling more ambitious? With some parametric design you can write OpenSCAD code to generate billions of clocks, each from a random seed. For example, consider the many types of retro-styled “Sunburst” or “Starburst” clocks shown in this Google Image search:

Clocks like these were inspired by the modernist-style work of industrial designer George Nelson, who made many variations of such clocks in the 1950s. There are some common design features that are shared by most of these clocks: geometrically-shaped spokes, a star/sunburst pattern, a circular inside for the hands… Here’s what our first notes looked like when we started thinking about the typical parts and designs for Sunburst Clocks, and some of our early test prints:

OpenSCAD is a free code-based design software that works on any platform. With just a little bit of coding knowledge you can write simple code to describe a library of geometric spoke shapes, and then options for rotating those shapes around a central circle. There are literally billions of configurations; here are just a few:

If you want to learn more about OpenSCAD, check out our beginner’s video tutorial PolyBowls – A simple OpenSCAD code walkthrough and intro document Hello OpenSCAD. The “Hello” document has a link to sample code you can inspect and modify; if you want to play around with the code that made the clocks in the rotating image above, you can download it from our Thingiverse page.

The Easy Way Out: Customize a Sunburst Clock

But… you may be thinking… there is NO TIME FOR THIS!! The holidays are coming fast, and you don’t have time to learn how to write parametric OpenSCAD code right now? No problem, just use our Customzier to design your own retro clock! We’ve made our design free on Thingiverse so you can create unique and interesting Sunburst Clocks in just a few seconds. Just go to the design on Thingiverse and click the “Open in Customizer” button to get started (you’ll have to sign up for a free Thingiverse/MakerBot account to open the design in Customizer):

The Customizer version of the Sunburst Clock design lets you create new clocks just by clicking in the Random Seed slider and selecting design options from drop-down menus. You can also set the overall shape and size of your clock, and control the center hole and backing to match your clock kit:

Once you have the clock you want, click the “Create Thing” button and download the STL file from your list of Things within Thingiverse. Here is a design we made with the Customizer and had printed at Shapeways in White Versatile Plastic for less than $30 (it’s the “Cordelia” design), together with the clock mechanism we’ll use to assemble the final clock:

After assembly, the clock looks like this:

And here’s an “action” shot on the wall:

Light Speed: Order an Existing Design

If you’re really down to the wire and don’t have time to create or customize your own design, then quickly head over to the Shapeways Marketplace for a huge selection of unique 3D printed gifts that you can order right away. If it’s before the December 13 cutoff date for medium-sized White Versatile Plastic at Shapeways, then you still have time to order, with next-day shipping and priority manufacturing, one of our best twelve pre-made retro clock designs from the geekhaus shop, like the Velma:

Happy making, and happy holidays!

The post Just in Time: Last-Minute Holiday Gifts appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Spring & Wonder

The new destination for customizable jewelry, Spring & Wonder lets you select the shape, size, message, and material of a whole range of high-quality pieces, from necklaces to rings and earrings.  

Ciphering

This app creates a ring with a sentimental surprise – built into the physical form of each ring is an encoded number of your choosing, which is only revealed when you shine light or look through it at the right angle.

Twine

Twine interlocks two names of your choosing into a chic necklace pendant, connecting loved ones forever.

Cookie Caster

Buying a present for the baker in your life? Make standard cookies a thing of the past with Cookie Caster, the app that allows you to draw and 3D print your own unique cookie cutter.

Our creators apps are for everyone, helping new as well as experienced 3D designers create their own perfect piece in a breeze. So skip the holiday rush this year and use Shapeways to create timeless gifts that show your loved ones exactly how well you know them.

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Order deadlines might have passed, but you can still give them a passport to over 1,000,000 products by skilled independent designers. Plus more than 60 materials and finishes to help power their own 3D printed projects. We think that Shapeways Gift Cards might just be the ultimate gift.

A Gift Card can empower them to learn to 3D model, print that thing they’ve been dreaming of with a file they find online, or find a one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day gift. Not to mention open them up to a community of other RPG / RC Car / Model Train / Paintball / Drone enthusiasts to bond with.

We’ve also expanded our Gift Card amounts on offer to give you options for people just getting started with Shapeways ($25 and $50), anyone who might be looking to get something special and shiny ($75, $100, and $300) and those who think beyond limits of size, finish, and complexity ($500).

So give them something that’s more than just store credit or a last-minute solution. Give them the power to bring their ideas to life.

The post Don’t Worry — There’s Still Time to Wow Them! appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Make the Nintendo Switch Work for Anyone

I covered some of our community’s amazing solutions to the shortcomings of Nintendo’s blockbuster Switch portable gaming console in the magazine earlier this year, and the options have only grown since then. Still, my favorite remains the Arrow Joycon Grip by Edrice. It reconfigures the two joycons to make them feel more natural and comfortable for adult-sized hands.

Vessel Pendant by Nervous System

You have to go pretty far to find a necklace no one’s ever done before, but thankfully, superstars of 3D printed fashion/art, Nervous System, have used the magic of an open mind combined with generative design, opening the door to endless possibilities. Not quite sure what I mean? See for yourself.

The Planter Necklace Pendant by Oreosmooshy’s Shoparoo

Do you know someone in your life who is a green-thumbed gardener? Or a plant lover that can’t seem to keep even a cactus alive? Well, tell them to let their green flag fly with this Planter Necklace Pendant from creator Claire Ashcraft. This pendant is perfect for housing air plants, which, in case it isn’t obvious, basically live on air (or, ok, the moisture in air). Not to mention, they’re super hip.

Full Color BMO Lamp by blind.i.studios

So it turns out that if you use our full color sandstone material to print a model and keep it hollow, you can put a light in it to make a really unique lamp shade. It works for all of our plastics as well, but things just look so much cooler in full color. And this BMO Lampshade, inspired by Adventure Time, is the perfect example. Fully detailed right down to the vents on her back, this is a true-to-life figurine when the lights are off, and a lampshade when they’re on. It’s a must for any Adventure Time fan or lamp enthusiast in your family.

Hats off to Vincent Maxwell over at blind.i.studios for giving us such a cool take on a lampshade, as well as all of the other cool things he’s doing over there.

Framework Menorah by Craig Kaplan’s Mathematical Art

For those of us who celebrate Hanukkah, Shapeways has a wide variety of custom menorahs for sale. The Framework Menorah by Craig Kaplan is a marvel of simplicity. The stacked architectural design of this menorah makes this piece interesting even before the candles are lit. Even once the holiday is over, this still remains an attractive set piece for any living room, especially ones with a modern or minimalist aesthetic. This model is printed in our white Strong & Flexible plastic.

The Dank Memes of Ryan Kittleson’s Sculpture

Few people are as committed to creating the dankest memes in 3D printed sculptural form as Ryan Kittleson. Seen above, his Doge sculpture is an adorable piece of Internet humor given life. The brilliant Potato Jesus, Miracle Potato Chip piece takes two funny things and smashes them together: the trope of finding the images of iconic religious figures on food and other things, and the so-bad-it’s-funny “restoration” of the iconic painting Ecce Homo (AKA Beast Jesus).

But Ryan also has created likenesses of enthusiastic French-Revolution-era rapper Joseph Ducreux, as well as a bust of the triumphant Success Kid.

Mortal Coil (Top to Bottom Stretching) by Ryan Kittleson’s Sculpture

Now, I know that I’ve featured him twice in the same section. But honestly, Ryan Kittleson isn’t the only person making incredible miniatures and figurines out there. He just has some really cool, super giftable things I want to show off. This “helix toy,” as our creators call them to avoid using a copyrighted name (coughSLINKYcough), is shaped like a skull. Crafted out of our Strong and Flexible plastic, this is a complex item you don’t need to put together or paint. You (and probably your teenage cousin who’s going through a goth phase) can play with it right out of the box. It’s a reminder of not only the creativity, but the functionality Shapeways is able to deliver.

And there we are! So many categories covered, yet so many left untouched. There’s literally no end to the amount of creativity you can find here on Shapeways. And we want you to make the most of it! Find gifts they’ve never seen before. Or, if you’re still on the hunt for a gift, help someone start making on Shapeways with a Maker Kit. Happy Holidays from all of us at Shapeways, and happy gifting!

The post Time’s Up: Last-Minute, One-of-a-Kind Gifts For Your Whole List appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Makers can be hard to shop for because, often, if they want something, they’ll make it themselves. That’s why we created the Maker Kit. The kit includes a $25 digital gift card and 3D printed samples of our most popular materials — all of which represent cutting-edge industrial 3D printing tech, light-years ahead of desktop 3D printers.

When a maker finds a new material — or a new tool — it can be a life-changing moment. And often, it comes as a huge surprise that, with Shapeways, anyone can access 3D printed steel, laser-sintered nylon, full-color sandstone, high-definition plastics, and more. Once they hold these materials in their hands, armed with $25 in printing credit, they’ll be ready to take their making to the next level.

So, inspire them to reach beyond what they think is possible — and power their 2018 projects — with a Maker Kit!

The post Blow Their Minds With a Maker Kit appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

So, from all of us at Shapeways, thank you. Thank you for testing new materials, creating new games (and new ways to play the games you love), bringing miniature worlds to life, taking RC cars to new heights (and speeds, and strengths…), and sharing your spectacular art and jewelry with the world.

We’ll continue to be here every step of the way, listening to your concerns, innovating in ways that will serve you and grow our community, and offering the highest-quality materials available anywhere. Here’s to a holiday season full of joy, discovery, and creativity. You are Shapeways, and we couldn’t do it without you.

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This holiday season is a great chance to show them that not only do you know them better than most, but that you care enough to actually make them a custom gift. If you’re adept at 3D design, we’re here to give you some inspiration for your own making. Of course, our community has already applied incredibly talent and care to the creation of some amazing dice, characters, and accessories. You can find all their awesome pencil and paper gaming-inspired 3D printed swag here, and a few of my favorites are below.

Let’s start with this incredible steampunk-themed D6 die by Alea Lacta Est. Look at the way it actually uses the gears to show the numbers. Look at that immaculate detail. And, with 27 materials to choose from, you can also make this die match the aesthetic of the game (or player) you’re buying it for.

Gears Delirium by Alea Iacta Est

One of the coolest ways to to visualize your role-playing world is with figurines you might already have on hand. If you have some LEGO mini figures laying around, why not put them to good use and turn them into brave heroes? This set of accessories by Mingles 3D will allow you to customize any mini figure with a little paint, turning it into an adventurer.

Hero Pack by Mingles 3D: Minifigure Accessories

True story: I brought this D6 die by dice veteran Ceramic Wombat to GenCon last year and people were blown away. They couldn’t believe it was real. Do the right thing and get it for your gamemaster so they can have the same experience. Make it truly personal by picking a material that matches the rest of their gear.

Labyrinthine Die6 by Made by Wombat

Do you have a GM who loves to get creative? These hero figurines come in our Black High Definition Acrylate and are a blast to paint.

Fantasy RPG Heroes miniatures set by Small Ox Miniatures

The post What to Make for My Favorite Role Playing Gamemaster? appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

There are a lot of holidays and observances in December, but of course, the big dog for shop owners is likely to be Christmas. Let’s look at everything that’s headed our way for that month (calendar thanks to www.timeanddate.com):

To order Shapeways products and have them delivered before Christmas, shoppers need to act early enough for those products to be 3D printed, processed, and packaged. The production time required varies by material. For example, Strong & Flexible nylon production time usually takes 4 business days, and can be rushed to ship in 2-3 days, but for large objects can take as many as 10 business days; most Sterling Silver jewelry-sized pieces can ship in 8 business days; and the printing, firing, and glazing process for Porcelain models takes 15 business days. Leaving room for shipping time, this means that for most designs, shoppers should place their orders in the first half of December.

Of course, as a shop owner you don’t want your products to become available at the last possible moment that people could order them in time for Christmas; you’ve got to be even earlier. How early? Let’s start with “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving, when lots of people start thinking about what they’d like to get for their friends and family (read more about getting ready for the big shopping days here). Ideally your products would be online and available for purchase by that date, which this year is November 24. It would be even better if your products had a chance to get “likes” or have orders already, or even to somehow get featured on the Shapeways site (or on Tutorial Tuesday!) before that, to optimize your products’ discoverability on the site. So we shop owners might shoot for having our products up on the site a week or two before Black Friday, let’s say by November 12. Let’s see what November looks like:

So, besides being World Pneumonia Day, let’s declare November 12 to be Shapeways Shop Owner Readiness Day! That’s the day to shoot for to get our products and shops ready for the holiday season. What does that mean for today? Well, working backwards on the calendar from November 12, we need time to perfect product descriptions and tags and to clean up our shops; and before that, some time to take good photographs of printed product examples.

But… to take photographs we have to have printed examples of our products ready and in our hands, and with production lead time… oh no, it turns out that today isn’t just Halloween, it’s Shapeways Shop Owner Start Your Engines Day, arghh!

Happy Halloween (and SSOSYE Day), everybody, and get to work!

Featured image at the top of this post taken from http://wittywomanwriting.com/time-will-tell/clock-ticking-down-time/

The post Tutorial Tuesday 41: Shop Owners, On Your Marks — Here Come the Holidays appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

A version of this piece was originally published by Savannah Peterson, the former Shapeways director of global community.

Take a deep breath. Look around at the products you’ve created. And get in the zone. We are entering the highest traffic time of the year here at Shapeways, and we want you to capture as much of it as possible, bringing excited new customers to your shops. We try hard to showcase the diversity of great products on Shapeways, but with millions of models uploaded, it’s impossible to feature everyone — so it’s important to put in the work to get the word out about your shop. Below is a guide for how you can optimize every day in the biggest holiday shopping weekend of the year.

Three Golden Rules:

• Schedule posts on your preferred social platforms: Shapeways shoppers come from around the world – you never know when they’re watching. Buffer is my favorite for this, and Tweetdeck and Hootsuite work great as well.  Both are free and work seamlessly with all your twitter accounts. This will help pace your content if you get caught up with a customer during the day.
• Respond to People Quickly: People are looking to buy between Black Friday-Cyber Monday more than any other time of the year.  This also means they’re looking to transact quickly. Be extra responsive to private messages, product comments, and engagement on social media. Showing people they matter goes a long way.
• Be Shameless: Yes, we all want to avoid being spammy. Telling people about something they want or would be interested in however, isn’t spammy. Include educational tips and designer scoop on how you make your creations, how we 3D Print them etc. and include a product in every post. By giving your audience something (awesome behind the curtains info) you appear as much like an educator as you do a business-oriented person. We’ll be looking to share your posts with the greater Shapie community, so keep ’em coming!

Three Important Days:

1. Black Friday: Historically the theme of Black Friday is “doorbusters” aka Early-Bird deals for shoppers. Take advantage of the buzz online by including #BlackFriday in your communications. Consider experimenting with lower prices on a few of your pieces early in the morning to see if you can increase demand. If you’re putting an item on Sale, be sure an indicate in the product descriptions so your shoppers know to take advantage of this special deal! Historically very popular in the US.
2. Small Business Saturday: A lovely day branded initially by AmericanExpress, #SmallBusinessSaturday is meant to celebrate the Independently owned businesses in our communities, both digital and IRL. Take the opportunity to tell people about your business, the collections you have available now, and the direction you would like to take it in the future. Though started in the US, it has spread across the globe. Take this day to tell your story through your products.
3. Cyber Monday: The mother of all online shopping days. A global phenomena that brings more people to e-commerce land than any other day. Schedule the most posts across the most networks on this day. We’ve got some great surprises in store on-site, so be sure and check it out. #CyberMonday is the tag to go with, and discounts are the currency. Don’t feel like you have to have a sale, however, as many of you are already so modest with your markups.

Cover image: Christmas Bauble 4 by Actual Factual Fiction. A previous version of this article originally appeared in Shapeways Magazine on November 21, 2014.

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#1 Add New Product Photos – Here are some helpful hints on how to take beautiful photos of your products for your shop.

#2 Enable the right Materials – Make sure you have the right materials for sale on your products. Don’t miss out on valuable sales – our Premium Strong & Flexible plastic and precious metal materials will surely be a hit this holiday.

#3 Shop Banner + Designer Avatar – If you don’t have them, you need them. ASAP! If you do have them, take a look and see if the look and feel are still in line with your brand. It may be time to brighten up for the holidays.

#4 Product / Shop Descriptions – Go through your products, and read the descriptions OUT LOUD. Does it flow? Is it still relevant, or is the info out of date?

#5 Link your Social Media Accounts – At the top of your shop page, you can link to your twitter account. This can be hugely helpful if a customer comes across your page and is interested in getting status updates long term.

#6 Product Display Order – Did you know that in your shop inventory page, you can change the way your products are assorted on the page? To reduce your bounce rate, boost your best selling items to the top of the page.

#7 Visual Coherency – If you’ve gotten someone to your shop page, you’ve already completed 80% of the battle. However, this is the part that makes or breaks the sale. It’s important to keep in mind the branding and language that you used to navigate people to that shop in the first place — and keep it consistent throughout.

Got any other tips or questions on spiffing up your shop this holiday? Check out all our past tips in the Shop Owner Bootcamp series. And come join in the conversation over in our Forums to give and get feedback from your peers!

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