Monday, December 13, 2010

Procedural Objects

This Minecraft Like Rendering Experiment is extra-interesting from a rapid prototying perspective because it suggests a method to create a near infinite number of unique designs that fit some parameters, and are physically manufacturable. (if you design the procedure correctly)



It won't be long before someone gets a full color 3D print of their minecraft world.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Fab@home, RepRap or MakerBot?

A nice reply in the Fab@home Forums:
"I'm a little biased in my answer, but here is my honest assessment.

Fab@Home has a dremel attachment tool and can do 3 axis CNC milling. So if you were considering getting a 3 axis CNC machine, get a fabathome instead. You can use our software for controlling and planning the prints, or you can use the Snap motors program listed on the JRKERR website to use G-Codes to do milling and interface with MasterCAM or other G-code based programs.

Fab@Home has a much larger build area than the makerbot or repraps and can use a wider array of toolheads. Repraps are cheaper in terms of BOM but take a lot more care to build, and take a lot longer to build. Not to mention to cost of getting your initial plastic parts made. If you want something that you can order and use in a day, your options are Fab@Home and Makerbot."

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Open Source Machine

"The MultiMachine all-purpose machine tool that can be built by a semi-skilled mechanic with just common hand tools."