3 Dimensional Printing.

Meowster · Wed 19/05/2004 14:14:18

I was flicking through 3D World magazine when I saw something about 3D printing. However, I was in a hurry, so I had to look it up on the internet later.

http://www.zcorp.com/

From what I understand, you can actually print a 3D figure from your 3D model that you have designed/textured in a modelling program such as Blender or 3Dsmax. From what I understand of what I read in the magazine, it is quite cheap at Â£20 per figurine. Fine details such as eyelashes aren't printed, but for a relatively new technology, the end results are pretty damn good.

Imagine being able to present your game concept to a publisher, and being able to show them the protagonists, and let them hold them in their hands. Imagine even us AGS users being able to have 3D figurines of our own, designed characters on the desks in front of us! It's completely affordable, even to a home user.

I thought this was particularly cool because I for one would love to use this service.

I'm sure it could be used for things such as printing rooms designed in 3D. You could have your concept art right there in front of you. Awesome.

Ishmael · Wed 19/05/2004 14:17:13

Yeah, sounds really awsome!

* TK gets a 3D modeling program

HillBilly · Wed 19/05/2004 14:29:20

Wow! That's gotta be one of the coolest thing ever.

LordHart · Wed 19/05/2004 14:54:48

This sounds pretty cool, and didn't think something like this would be possible. What kind of material do they use, plastic or something?

Hmmm... a 3D Brad Bradson!!!

veryweirdguy · Wed 19/05/2004 14:59:12

Hmmmm, I spent half an hour downloading the flash demo, but I still don't really understand.

Have you got any pictures of final printouts for us to look at? That demo didn't have any, just a cartoon showcasing various parts of the machine.

EDIT: Nevermind, I did find a couple on the site, & I must say, I am impressed. This looks like a good development.

Minimi · Wed 19/05/2004 15:06:53

So from what I've seen, the powder is blown into some printed plastic?! That's really cool, but I won't pay $25000 for it

LGM · Wed 19/05/2004 15:10:00

Holy shite... I'ma get me one of those!! .. I see a new way of creating action figures...

Haddas · Wed 19/05/2004 16:02:17

* Prints a new Graphic-card that he found on a warez-site

COOL! Maybe I'll get me one of those someday. Seems ultra cool! cool!

Meowster · Wed 19/05/2004 16:05:48

$25000? Perhaps the printer costs that much. Understandably, as it's new technology. But as far as I know, Minimi, it costs somewhere around Â£20 to have a model printed. Which, in my opinion, is pretty good value and fairly affordable.

HillBilly · Wed 19/05/2004 16:45:26

Some day, we can probably burn/import books too.

Ginny · Wed 19/05/2004 17:02:53

:o awesome, this completes my dream of the future, where I think of something, and t appears. /me thinks of pizza. Mmm! We are on our way!

I'll try 3d modelling sometime.

Darth Mandarb · Wed 19/05/2004 17:15:18

This technology has been around for some time. Back in '95 I worked for a company which had a machine that could do this.

It's called Stereo Lethography (probably spelled wrong). I made a model of an X-Wing in trueSpace 2 and the programmer guy imported it into the program and I watched it build it.

It's one of the coolest pieces of technology I've ever seen! There's a little pool of 'goo' in the basin and a laser constructs the object layer by layer.

Now you can get a machine for 25 grand?? That's just amazing ... this little machine we used (which took up a whole room) was about 2.5 million then!!

Amazing! I'm going to buy one.

badboy · Wed 19/05/2004 17:29:54

* badboy downloads 3d pron...

Darth Mandarb · Wed 19/05/2004 17:48:41

There's a company called Gentle Giant Studios out in L.A. that will take full body scans of you and then make an action figure out of you!Ã,Â They use this same technology.

You can pick the body type, clothing, style, etc.Ã,Â It's totally awesome!Ã,Â I'm going to do this for my girlfriend and I as an engagement present when (if) I propose to her! I was thinking of using Guybrush and Elaine (MI is her favorite game!) as our characters, only it would be our heads and body shapes, just wearing the MI clothing!Ã,Â She'd get a kick out of that!

It's expensive, but you get two figures: 1 in a box and 1 out.Ã,Â It's soooo frickin' cool.

And the cool thing is that they have 'mobile scanners' they take on the road so I can set up an appointment away from their studios.Ã,Â This way she won't know what I'm having made!Ã,Â It'll be a suprise!

Anyway ... just thought I'd share.

Haddas · Wed 19/05/2004 17:54:25

That is an awesome Idea DM. It'd be a great idea!

Nacho · Wed 19/05/2004 18:11:26

I am worried... I must confess that when I read "scan your body and make 3d models of you" I instantly thought in a dildo... $:-\$ I must be becoming a sicko...

Damien · Wed 19/05/2004 20:14:54

I also heard of that technology a few years ago. It was mentioned in Croatian computer magazine and the article was about home use of the 3d printers (called fabbers in the text). Of course, the machines are too big, not to mention expensive so I guess the home use of 'fabbers' will have to wait for a few years.

The article also dealt with posible usage of it, for example you wouldn't have to visit your optician to make your glasses, he would just send you the file with the dimensions for the lenses via the internet and you could 'print' them yourself.

Meowster · Wed 19/05/2004 20:23:42

I wonder how realistic/detailed the printouts will be, in years to come. It could practically be like teleporting!

Humans are so great.

Evil · Wed 19/05/2004 21:39:21

Yufster, as soon as you finish that "sextastic" model, you can make it and send it to LGM.

Personaly, I think that if you got a loan and bought one, it would eventually pay itself back if you got customers to buy products.

Meowster · Wed 19/05/2004 21:46:06

Shbaz made the model. I just textured it.

*sniff*