tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621099192010417732024-03-14T02:17:27.937-04:00Maker ClubMkrclub.com is a journal about making things - mostly 3D Printing.JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-13197526502059800392020-09-14T21:15:00.001-04:002020-09-16T13:58:06.390-04:00New Hobbies, New Problems - New Solutions, New Crafts<div class="separator"><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In most things we do, we often notice something that could be "better". We hit simple challenges, find a way around them - or not - and move on. Sometimes we hit that same challenge many times and get frustrated enough to think about how we might solve the problem more seriously. Sometimes we hit larger challenges - might even call them roadblocks - and absolutely need a solution to move on. When these things happen in important areas of our life - when they get in the way of seeing family, or doing our work, or impact health - we seek solutions immediately. When these challenges impact just a hobby or fun activity, they can be more easily ignored - and it might take a while before we think about how we might solve it... but when we do, it can be fun, rewarding and inspiring to take on larger solutions.</p></div><p>I've realized that I relish that second type of "problem" - the ones which don't impact the course of our life, but just get in the way of a fun activity or hobby. I enjoy inventing simple solutions to simple problems. Maybe that's just to make up for all the REAL problems that we encounter in life and work ;) </p><p>I'd even go so far as to say that I take on new hobbies looking for these problems - so that I can come up with <a href="https://www.homestudiostuff.com?ref=blogpost" target="_blank">solutions</a> that make things better... </p><p>My newest old hobby (it's really a very old hobby that I picked back up again in the past 6 months) is electronic music composition. I love the electronic gadgets and making new sounds and beats and songs. One common problem that I've encountered is finding just the right stand for the gadgets I use. I seem to always want my devices raised up a bit and angled toward me a bit. So - I got to work inventing a few.</p><p>These Home Music Studio Stands worked so well for me, I thought I should <a href="https://www.homestudiostuff.com?ref=blogpost" target="_blank">offer them to other people too</a>! And people really like them! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvlfPXK9VpM/X2AVDMwWENI/AAAAAAAAB-I/2gL9o1TCaDYvnnyTU_wNZkSs0t7_uzPEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1012/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-14%2Bat%2B9.12.14%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1012" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvlfPXK9VpM/X2AVDMwWENI/AAAAAAAAB-I/2gL9o1TCaDYvnnyTU_wNZkSs0t7_uzPEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-14%2Bat%2B9.12.14%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So far, I've made a stand for specific devices...</p><p>like the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/784213992/desktop-studio-stand-for-ableton-push-2" target="_blank">Ableton Push</a>,</p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="1731" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OxOtoeVJ84Q/X1_6fhh39KI/AAAAAAAAB9g/2hlKNLu8Q5sbuXjPtHwSEE6ynEEv2IZBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20200912_112152.jpg" width="320" /> </p><p>the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/837972313/op-1-angled-desktop-stand-for-teenage">Teenage Engineering OP-1</a></p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6MS1_W8uNV0/X1_6ZLyxqJI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/gzBnWdY9tg8rkrlLZSxVsuAXc51Er9KDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20200914_185439.jpg" width="320" /> </p><p>and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/856336668/pocket-operator-double-rack-with-cable">Pocket Operators</a>,</p><p><img alt="Pocket Operators" border="0" data-original-height="2031" data-original-width="2048" height="254" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iR3ymRJlVYM/X1_6UDm-vAI/AAAAAAAAB9U/kPk4DEFNYUAbm_2te5E1Womz32p-iql5QCLcBGAsYHQ/w256-h254/IMG_20200914_180457.jpg" title="Pocket Operator double holder" width="256" /></p><p>and the Akai MPK 225 and other smaller midi keyboard controllers.</p><p>These are all made using Adobe Illustrator in the design phase and the <a href="https://glowforge.us/r/DTFVHSLM">Glowforge Laser cutter.</a> Above is just a sample of some pictures of these "solutions" - these products - and I'll soon try to post more in-depth views of how I design and make them.</p>MkrClubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11931450925982059735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-62333300761835527362018-10-09T09:33:00.002-04:002018-10-09T09:33:34.844-04:00Laser Cut Project #1 on Glowforge: a Custom Phone Stand (of course)Within hours of getting my <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">Glowforge laser printer</a> set up (they call it a printer - it's really a cutter), I had to design and print/cut something of my own. Of course I did cut one of the free designs on the <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">Glowforge</a> web site - the classic snap-together box - but everyone who knows me knows it's the design process that makes me happy, not just printing pre-made designs.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9jHJiVna30o/W7yksVBQg_I/AAAAAAADHK4/COwxQiNuHGk3ZXEbqqwq38xARl-uZAjOACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-09%2Bat%2B8.52.31%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="712" height="127" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9jHJiVna30o/W7yksVBQg_I/AAAAAAADHK4/COwxQiNuHGk3ZXEbqqwq38xARl-uZAjOACLcBGAs/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-09%2Bat%2B8.52.31%2BAM.png" width="200" /></a>What better first object to design than a custom phone stand?! I've never done that before (<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2017/01/yet-another-3d-printed-phone-stand.html" target="_blank">ahem</a>).<br />
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The design I had in my mind was quite simple, so I sketched a quick version of the idea on paper - it was just two identical, vertical parts which actually support the phone, and a perpendicular support which keeps the two stand parts aligned and stable.<br />
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<h3>
Detailed Requirements Planning</h3>
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I barely needed any more planning - but, as in all product design, it's good practice to think about what I'm trying to achieve in more detail. I like to think about all my projects like this: What am I trying to achieve with this product? What problems should it solve?<br />
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What are my "Design Do's and Don'ts" for this product? <br />
Here's the simple list I compiled for this phone stand product:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-okAiJt95w7U/W7yjTBEdTUI/AAAAAAADHKk/mxz9xqMk7NgQ4td5IPMoB6_orCV-gqWWACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180714_143041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-okAiJt95w7U/W7yjTBEdTUI/AAAAAAADHKk/mxz9xqMk7NgQ4td5IPMoB6_orCV-gqWWACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_20180714_143041.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DL8I3_-j_oI/W7yjTEinLcI/AAAAAAADHKg/FjTDDI218fsXXKHdLfMocf4xqaZVGFJNQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180714_143130%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DL8I3_-j_oI/W7yjTEinLcI/AAAAAAADHKg/FjTDDI218fsXXKHdLfMocf4xqaZVGFJNQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_20180714_143130%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<ol>
<li>Hold a phone easily and quickly without having to open, close, snap-in, pry or otherwise fit the phone into anything. I just want to drop it in and easily take it out.</li>
<li>Hold a phone BOTH vertically (portrait) AND horizontally (landscape).</li>
<li>Hold a phone at a comfortable video-viewing angle on the desk - mostly upright, not flat - less than 90 degrees from the desk, but more than 45.</li>
<li>Hold any phone, regardless of size, including my big Pixel XL and my son's small iPhone.</li>
<li>Don't obstruct any of the screen.</li>
<li>Be easy and fast to cut on the Laser Cutter, using minimal materials. Cheap to make.</li>
<li>Be simple, not fancy - since it's mostly hidden behind the phone.</li>
<li>Easy to put together, and bonus if it comes apart to fit in your pocket.</li>
</ol>
<h3>
Reflecting on the Design Process</h3>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ugiXZPEF7_Y/W7ymCRgRZrI/AAAAAAADHLE/Hk-SiT02lfAldJPMHJAxH3NuQqh44WJVQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180923_124606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1468" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ugiXZPEF7_Y/W7ymCRgRZrI/AAAAAAADHLE/Hk-SiT02lfAldJPMHJAxH3NuQqh44WJVQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_20180923_124606.jpg" width="183" /></a>Even for a project this simple, you can see it's pretty easy to quickly come up with a whole lot of detailed requirements! That's actually what we do at work all day as product managers - mostly with software - but sometimes with hardware. I think it's good practice to be this detailed and diligent with #maker projects too, especially when it's teachers using these projects as lessons to achieve other learning objectives.<br />
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This allows for each requirement to explicitly be solved with math or art and design or other skills, depending on the project. Every one of these requirements can have it's own failures, learnings, solutions, inventions and insights attached to it - and this is where even a simple project becomes an engaging and inspiring learning adventure!<br />
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<h3>
Cardboard Prototype</h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZB1uW_-uXyc/W7yi-X-QKZI/AAAAAAADHKY/2_LwurRwFcgsD8FeUrD_yzYnUrXhllVqQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180714_143237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZB1uW_-uXyc/W7yi-X-QKZI/AAAAAAADHKY/2_LwurRwFcgsD8FeUrD_yzYnUrXhllVqQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_20180714_143237.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I did a rough sketch using a fantastic, free iPad app called "<a href="https://vectornator.io/" target="_blank">Vectornator Pro</a>", which makes it really simple to create a multi-point vector design that can be adjusted by simply moving the points or changing the curves. When I had the 3-parts roughly designed, I moved right into laser-cutting, and cut it out of cardboard first to see how far off I might be. Surprisingly, the design mostly worked on the first try! There were small tweaks I could make to hold larger devices, maybe allow for a couple of different angles with the same device - but generally, the design met most of my requirements!<br />
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The cardboard version was actually strong enough to hold my phone firmly - maybe I should stop here and declare victory ;). I quickly realized this design could be used to hold other things too - like business cards - so even my cardboard prototypes are being put to good use as business card holders.<br />
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<h3>
Getting to a Final Version</h3>
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The next step was cutting this design out of "real" material - something that will hold up to being used everyday, like wood or acrylic. It became clear with the first print that the design needed two tweaks.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5R4BorEP2kQ/W7yrg9VIiWI/AAAAAAADHMU/u9PBEzOal7c0ateziUiz2JYpcVAUQnGigCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20181009_091703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1600" height="209" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5R4BorEP2kQ/W7yrg9VIiWI/AAAAAAADHMU/u9PBEzOal7c0ateziUiz2JYpcVAUQnGigCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20181009_091703.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
First, I wanted the three parts to stay firmly together so it didn't fall apart when picked up, but be able to come apart when needed (for pocket carrying). I experimented with notch designs which help the parts "click-in" and stay together, but are simple to pull apart. (Note: this was a revisit design adjustment once I had more experience with the Laser Cutter and acrylic material... not a beginner design.)<br />
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Second, I wanted it to feel firm and not flimsy - which wasn't true of this current design. The 3-part design felt like it could break easily - it was "racking" (a wood-working term where an object doesn't have the right opposing angles of support, making it prone to leaning or breakage at the joints). It was simple and it worked... but I wanted it to be better.<br />
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<h3>
Iterate!</h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pu9gA00d2aY/W7ysB3RwHEI/AAAAAAADHMc/zMoAQiNypjshYxZYQHSrbZBlSBgphKdOQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20181009_090216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1600" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pu9gA00d2aY/W7ysB3RwHEI/AAAAAAADHMc/zMoAQiNypjshYxZYQHSrbZBlSBgphKdOQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20181009_090216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I decided that I could provide TWO angles for the phone to rest by adding a second set of holders to the otherwise useless back-side of the stand - this worked pretty well and with a little adjustment in the depth of the base - to avoid the phone from tipping over with that shallower angle.<br />
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<h3>
Calling it Done</h3>
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I decided to add a 4th part - another support which would help keep the two vertical stands aligned and not prone to motion which could break it. This, of course led me to many experiments - and I quickly violated one of my own design "Don'ts" - I started thinking about the aesthetics. Even though I came up with a very strong design with a 4th part, I didn't like the aesthetic. I proceeded to spend too much time trying to make it look better - and ended up with two final designs - one stronger, one prettier. These became the final versions... for now... since no design is ever actually "done" ;)JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-60272488043767139772018-08-11T13:27:00.000-04:002018-08-25T09:55:43.513-04:00The Glowforge Laser Cutter (Product Review)This post is my lightweight review of the <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">Glowforge Laser Printer/Cutter</a> - the long-awaited #maker tool that promised to make laser-crafting something anyone could do in their home.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A00TIisTLlM/W28YgT_41UI/AAAAAAADEVw/IoB5PAzijWg9ECnlIH_rzdS6XaOKuDjEQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180709_161232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A00TIisTLlM/W28YgT_41UI/AAAAAAADEVw/IoB5PAzijWg9ECnlIH_rzdS6XaOKuDjEQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_20180709_161232.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<h3>
Quick Summary</h3>
After using the <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">Glowforge</a> Plus (middle model) for a few weeks, I'm extremely positive and 100% satisfied with it. I've worked with acrylic, wood and cardboard - and mainly with custom designed projects so far, and I've had no issues and have a very positive experience with the company and the community forum. (Note: if you're thinking of buying one, <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">this link will give you a $100 - $500 discount</a> and will give us referral points for craft materials so we can do more project posts here! ;)<br />
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I waited too long to buy my first 3D Printer - probably 2 years from the time I considered it. Once I dove in, I regretted that wait and wished I started earlier. Recently I started getting the same feeling about trying Laser Cutting - but this time was different. I saw laser cutters before, and they were simply too high maintenance and "shop ready" rather than "home ready". So I waited, hoping that I could eventually see a more home ready laser cutter at some point. Then, <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">Glowforge</a> happened - and while this kickstarter-born phenomenon took way longer to launch than I had hoped, it finally did start shipping this summer, and I committed.<br />
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<h3>
Pricing</h3>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1onsjXoKOs/W28Yn7O1SvI/AAAAAAADEV0/RfrEUkpdOUUbw0B0QAhPz4bdDDPLg8_gwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180709_212909%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1onsjXoKOs/W28Yn7O1SvI/AAAAAAADEV0/RfrEUkpdOUUbw0B0QAhPz4bdDDPLg8_gwCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_20180709_212909%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="150" /></a>While the Glowforge was not cheap (gulp - $2,495 for the entry level, $3,995 for the middle model and $5,995 for the pro level as of this writing - I got the middle model), it met all my other criteria and was clearly angled to the "Easy enough for anyone" category. That promise has been the most positive aspect of the product.<br />
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<h3>
Un-boxing</h3>
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The <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">Glowforge</a> was packaged and shipped with high attention to detail and safety - but easy to unpack, even with it's large size. I was pleasantly surprised that it also came with a huge box of various sample materials - and following the simple directions online, I was set up and printing/cutting within an hour from delivery! Set up of the hardware and the software was REALLY easy. Since all the print/cut prep is done on the software and the device itself only has one button!<br />
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<h3>
Setup & Venting</h3>
The main setup challenge for some buyers will be the venting - make sure you can put this near a window or external vent. I'm lucky to have a window nearby and I use the INCLUDED dryer-vent-style hose to vent the exhaust through a window rig. Glowforge is apparently creating a filter system - but that's not available yet - so venting for now is a must. If you don't have a way to vent the exhaust from cutting, don't buy any laser cutter. The exhaust fan in the Glowforge is powerful, and it does a great job of pushing the cutting exhaust through the vent.<br />
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<h3>
The App (in your browser!)</h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DTjKf2SzWfo/W28WpDK7VdI/AAAAAAADEVk/CC0gkq7F6AMqEdhIFBm1BWHFJwt0gCIgACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-11%2Bat%2B1.01.48%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DTjKf2SzWfo/W28WpDK7VdI/AAAAAAADEVk/CC0gkq7F6AMqEdhIFBm1BWHFJwt0gCIgACLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-11%2Bat%2B1.01.48%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The GlowForge App home - where my designs live</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Glowforge App is available on the web - which is HUGE... That means I can get to it on a chromebook or any other device - and I am able to access all my designs, interact with the printer, even see the print/cut bed through the built-in camera. It is incredibly easy to use - to align a design - even resize, move and rotate it - so that it prints on the material that is in the printer at the time. This really helps to maximize usage of the material you have (by using the un-used sections of partially used material). There is also an iOS app, but I haven't tried that...<br />
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To get a design into the Glowforge app, I can upload it (SVG format is what I use) or even put a printed or even hand-drawn version of the design in the printer, scan it, and then print/cut it on the wood/acrylic/whatever material! It's truly magical to let my daughter draw something - scan it in the printer - and then cut that design onto the material!<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FPoB3pijjE/W28bbmti3gI/AAAAAAADEWE/SC8tn8PcGrsRFKscuZwzkjZrMh2WSoS3gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180720_201624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FPoB3pijjE/W28bbmti3gI/AAAAAAADEWE/SC8tn8PcGrsRFKscuZwzkjZrMh2WSoS3gCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_20180720_201624.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<h3>
First Projects</h3>
One of my first custom-designs was a tiny jigsaw puzzle. I used a simple drawing product on the ipad (vectornator) and exported the SVG. pulled that into the Glowforge app, and in 1 minute, 48 seconds, the puzzle was done - on draftboard (chipboard-like wood from Glowforge sample pack). It came out AMAZING! I've experimented with making photo puzzles, and almost have a winner ;) - just have to play more with protecting the photo during cutting (look for that post coming soon!).<br />
I also printed one of their sample boxes which had intricate connectors that worked incredibly well.<br />
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I've included images (and one quick video) of some early projects I made - puzzle, custom-designed box (to store the puzzle) and the pre-designed box from the Glowforge library.<br />
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<h3>
Glowforge Community & Library</h3>
The online resources at Glowforge.com are incredibly valuable. The community is very active and responsive - so any questions I had were answered within a day by experienced owners and the company itself. I've been finding answers there for practically every topic - including cutting non-standard materials, venting ideas, design apps, etc.There is also a library of designs - some free, some for pay, which is definitely another great resource, particularly for those who are not inclined to start from scratch.<br />
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<h3>
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<h3>
Summary</h3>
This was a tough purchase decision - practically the cost of a small family vacation - but the <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">Glowforge</a> has exceeded my high expectations in every way! If you're a crafter, who makes a business making things, the Glowforge seems like a must-have. If you're a #Maker, 3D-printing enthusiast or a just a hobbyist and just want to tinker with Laser-cutting, you should seriously consider the Glowforge.<br />
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Watch this space for posts on the Glowforge projects we pursue here at MkrClub - I've already got a few really fun projects done and waiting to be posted. And - If you found this review helpful - feel free to use <a href="https://glowforge.us/DTFVHSLM" target="_blank">THIS LINK to buy the Glowforge </a>- as it will give you a great discount and give me referral points for buying materials for projects :)</div>
JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-45351696007119634262017-03-15T15:48:00.002-04:002017-03-15T15:51:44.986-04:00BlocksCAD 104: 3D Modeling a Multi-compartment Box with Code<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oH8GlUWZDb4/WMmX3CB6YHI/AAAAAAACe7E/9aP_gmUygIMx0satwJrcHC5_IMCWzfBoACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170315_152549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oH8GlUWZDb4/WMmX3CB6YHI/AAAAAAACe7E/9aP_gmUygIMx0satwJrcHC5_IMCWzfBoACLcB/s320/IMG_20170315_152549.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
BlocksCAD combines two of my favorite things: Coding and 3D Modeling. I've <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/search?q=blockscad" target="_blank">written about BlocksCAD before</a> - to show the basics of how code can be used to produce 3D Models - and more recently I found a real world use for this tool that I just had to share.<br />
Note: This is basically the 4th in a series of posts about modeling with BlocksCAD. The <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html" target="_blank">first</a> is here.<br />
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<h3>
Background</h3>
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A while back I created a small "Battery Holder Box" - which was specifically designed to hold one type of button battery - the CR2032. This small battery has specific dimensions, so my 3D Model was made to fit that specific battery. I made a single model with specially sized compartments to hold 10 of these batteries.<br />
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About a week later, I needed another similar box to hold LR44 batteries, which are slightly different dimensions than the first - so I went through the painstaking process of reproducing the battery box to those dimensions.<br />
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Then a few weeks after that, I wanted a similar box to hold SD cards - and again, I grimaced while I considered repeating all the steps to create a specially sized box to hold a dozen SD cards. Then it struck me - I can CODE THIS!<br />
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<h3>
The Power of BlocksCAD</h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6iUOHv8P6yo/WMRyFSPSnkI/AAAAAAACeuM/Y0oFe3lXEfIr4k71TAexKVygN4VZPvMVACLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-02-05%2Bat%2B8.28.38%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6iUOHv8P6yo/WMRyFSPSnkI/AAAAAAACeuM/Y0oFe3lXEfIr4k71TAexKVygN4VZPvMVACLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-02-05%2Bat%2B8.28.38%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a>As a software engineer, I'm trained to recognize patterns like this - and it's exciting when a pattern as obvious as the above can be turned into code. That's what BlocksCAD lets me do! Using code to produce storage boxes like this, I can use parameters (variables) to change the measurements in my code, and within seconds, have practically ANY size compartment and box configuration!<br />
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<h3>
How I Made AnyBox - an overview</h3>
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I'm going to give you just the basics here - I won't describe every line of code (or, in this case block of code).<br />
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I start by creating ONE compartment. It's basically a hollowed out rectangle meant to hold something - a box. From there, I simply make a bunch of those compartments by repeating the same code as many times as necessary. I do this in two dimensions - so I can have, for example, 3 across and 4 down, or 1 across and 3 down - similar to what a book case might look like. Once the boxes are done, I create a TOP - with the exact configuration of n across and m down as the boxes, but with a more flat extrusion vertically.<br />
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That's the high level story - below is the detail...<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EeN_mL28S4I/WMmCSukidOI/AAAAAAACe4E/GUt2K4v2OHsh_oNpFTVeBL83ISthBTzNACLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B2.04.09%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EeN_mL28S4I/WMmCSukidOI/AAAAAAACe4E/GUt2K4v2OHsh_oNpFTVeBL83ISthBTzNACLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B2.04.09%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a>Making the First Box</h3>
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I start by creating ONE box, one compartment - using 3 variables - the width (X), the length (Y) and the height (Z). These measurements are the measurements of the INSIDE of the compartment that I wanted. So I basically measure the dimensions of the object I'm trying to hold in the box, and use those for X, Y and Z. <br />
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The "CUBE" block in BlocksCAD easily produces the cube with those dimensions. But I don't actually want a solid cube, I want a hollow cube. To achieve a hollow cube, I have to use the TRANSFORM / MINUS block to subtract this cube from a slightly larger cube.<br />
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To decide how much larger that outer cube should be, I have another variable which holds the "Wall Thickness" (let's call that W here) of the box I want - and I add that to the original X, Y and Z dimensions to get the outer cube dimensions. Now the outer box can be defined as X+W, Y+W, Z+W.<br />
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<h3>
Watch The Box Multiply</h3>
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Now that I have ONE compartment successfully made, I can repeat the creation to make an array of boxes connected to each other to get the "cubby" look I'm aiming for. Remember the original reason for this was to hold several of the same item - button batteries in my case.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuEnKqmYLLE/WMmEEUUrwpI/AAAAAAACe4Q/DS9oNbi_-BQ8Z3OcIH3MijE7m3V_KxHqQCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B2.12.03%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuEnKqmYLLE/WMmEEUUrwpI/AAAAAAACe4Q/DS9oNbi_-BQ8Z3OcIH3MijE7m3V_KxHqQCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B2.12.03%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the great things about programming is that once you figure out how to do something, you can re-use the code to do it again. So in this case, now that I know how to make a box in the dimensions I want, I can just repeat the code to do it again. All I have to do is start the second box just next to the first, and then again, start the third box, just next to the second, etc.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jseGmFqQ6KA/WMRyFZHv9kI/AAAAAAACeuI/IHaq0rlUtAMqPwV_ZCMoHZKD9HQQXUWKwCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-02-03%2Bat%2B7.34.05%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jseGmFqQ6KA/WMRyFZHv9kI/AAAAAAACeuI/IHaq0rlUtAMqPwV_ZCMoHZKD9HQQXUWKwCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-02-03%2Bat%2B7.34.05%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>I do this with a LOOP (in coding, it is also called "iteration") to simply repeat the running of that box-creation code over and over again, as many times as the number of boxes I want. Since I want the option to have multi-dimensional cubbies - I also need a second loop around that first loop to repeat that whole set of boxes again, making another set of n boxes next to the first set of n boxes.<br />
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This is a very common pattern in coding whenever you are dealing with any sort of array - in this case it happens to be the physical creation of a multi-dimensional array object.<br />
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<h3>
Making The Box Top</h3>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NFA93d8GHfQ/WMmYhrdaczI/AAAAAAACe7M/BRm4yyr1oukugtDRWfumgc0nrjSOT7t7gCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B3.38.49%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NFA93d8GHfQ/WMmYhrdaczI/AAAAAAACe7M/BRm4yyr1oukugtDRWfumgc0nrjSOT7t7gCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B3.38.49%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>Before worrying about the complicated box top needed to cover this multi-box configuration I've now created, I need to make a TOP for that ONE compartment first. To do this, I'll use the same X, Y measurements from earlier - but I really don't need the Z, as the top will be mostly a flat top with minimal depth.<br />
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I start by creating a simple rectangle which is the same dimensions as the outer dimensions of the box - that is X+W by Y+W - which accounts for the width of the box walls again. Now, instead of hollowing out, like we did for the box, this time we want to create a slightly raised, slightly smaller panel which fits snugly inside the top of the box to hold the top on. This is done by creating another rectangle on top of the first which does NOT include the wall thickness, but just the inside dimensions X and Y.<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YDlKWlrY8Kw/WMmYhsTMNmI/AAAAAAACe7Q/R_ZN3jakZZ0Tf51AhDoKjqvRIvCoEpdEACLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B3.39.09%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YDlKWlrY8Kw/WMmYhsTMNmI/AAAAAAACe7Q/R_ZN3jakZZ0Tf51AhDoKjqvRIvCoEpdEACLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-15%2Bat%2B3.39.09%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a><br />
Now that we have one box compartment, we simply do the same thing we did with the box, and use a double loop to create the same number of tops connected to each other as we the box had.<br />
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<h3>
Practical Addition From Testing</h3>
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Along the way, of course I tested the creation of the single box, then multiple boxes in one row, then multiple boxes in an array of 2 x 3 and larger. The box was working quite well! But once I actually put objects in the box, button batteries in my case, I found a slight problem. There was no great way to get the objects OUT of the box! I had to turn over the box to get one object out, which of course dumped all the objects out.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WbRhjM0OEbY/WMmGx2GeIyI/AAAAAAACe40/3cQAfMI15Y0-cqfizQg6gPX8jqYfcII5QCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170315_122055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WbRhjM0OEbY/WMmGx2GeIyI/AAAAAAACe40/3cQAfMI15Y0-cqfizQg6gPX8jqYfcII5QCLcB/s400/IMG_20170315_122055.jpg" width="400" /></a>To solve this, I added one small feature - or should I say, I subtracted something. I created a small circular hole at the bottom of each compartment (by subtracting a centered cylinder from the base of each box) - which can be used to push objects out of their compartment when needed (using a paperclip or other small pointy object). This worked just fine!<br />
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<h3>
The Missing Steps Have The Real Learning</h3>
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Like with all great projects, the description above doesn't really tell the whole story. There are many details left out. I don't do this to torture you, but rather because I can't remember all the smaller tweaks and adjustments I had to make to make this project work - AND, because that is where all the learning is! If I gave you every detail, you'd learn much less than if you had to figure out some of the stuff yourself.<br />
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Chances are, in doing this project yourself, you'll discover a completely new way to do this project or perhaps invent some other cool object I didn't think about!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">NOTE: this is the FOURTH in a 4-part series on making models with BlocksCAD code.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html" style="background-color: white; color: #6c56dd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration: none;">Part-1 - Making 3D Models with Code Blocks</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"> (aka Intro to BlocksCAD)</span><br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-102-coding-3d-box-that-grows.html" style="background-color: white; color: #6c56dd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration: none;">Part 2 - BlocksCAD 102 - Coding a #3D Box that Grows</a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-103-making-fitted-box-top.html" style="color: #6c56dd; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Part 3 - BlocksCAD 103 - Making the Fitted Box Top</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2017/03/blockscad-104-3d-modeling-multi.html" target="_blank">Part 4 - BlocksCAD 104 - 3D Modeling a Multi-Compartment Box with Code</a></div>
<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-36107752433679110002017-01-08T21:04:00.003-05:002017-01-08T21:04:19.935-05:00The NewMatter Mod-T 3D Printer - reviewed and liked!I'm not the fastest to review things - and this one is no exception. It's been about 18 months since I first saw this <a href="https://newmatter.com/" target="_blank">Mod-T printer from NewMatter</a> - and I finally got to use it and review it a few months ago. Well, It took me even longer to mention it on my blog - but here it is!<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyJt2xMZ6yc" target="_blank">Watch the video</a> - or I've posted the text version below it...<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WyJt2xMZ6yc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WyJt2xMZ6yc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m always looking for great 3D Printers - at reasonable prices for practically anyone - but especially for educators. The NewMatter Mod-t 3D Printer is a great find in this quest. </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I first saw this printer at the NYC makerfaire in 2015, and even back then, just the look and elegance of the printer’s industrial design stopped me in my tracks. Almost a year later, I finally got to test one out for myself. The bottom line is that I like this printer and would definitely recommend it especially for people with a budget under $500.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tCkwlzqmfX8/WHLufWRX40I/AAAAAAACayo/NTHIMSaSvCEyy5ZZJpG52OVcJRWFzrpQgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0009%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tCkwlzqmfX8/WHLufWRX40I/AAAAAAACayo/NTHIMSaSvCEyy5ZZJpG52OVcJRWFzrpQgCLcB/s320/DSC_0009%2Bcopy.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The unboxing was a pleasant experience - a well-protected printer body, which required almost no assembly, and a well-organized set of well-labeled boxes for the minor parts that had to be assembled and the tools which come with the device.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The clear instructions direct you to their online site to get fully set up - where I had to create an account to continue. While slightly annoying, it was reasonable and worthwhile given the pleasant experience that followed. The newMatter software for set up is not web-based, it runs on windows and Mac - but was easy to get installed. After setup of the software, I was instructed to “download firmware updates” - which went smoothly.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Connecting the printer to my home wifi was mostly easy - but 5Ghz networks were not recognized so you need a 2.4 Ghz network to get up and running. There were some small bumps getting through the complete printer connection process - but within a few minutes I got through that and realized with delight that I would be able to control my printer now from a web interface, which gave super clear instructions on how to finish the printer setup. The site also has simple button controls to do things like load the filament and see the status of the printer. I mounted the light blue 1.75mm PLA filament which came with the printer onto the plastic spool holder which connects to the back of the printer, and loaded it into the hole clearly marked “filament” in the back. Then, I used the web-based printer controls to get the filament fully loaded. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2WgudcLAQ-o/WHLu8A7RUDI/AAAAAAACayw/an-aNJ4gZSEQvH5j9F3aZUQ5gh5uIwRqwCLcB/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2WgudcLAQ-o/WHLu8A7RUDI/AAAAAAACayw/an-aNJ4gZSEQvH5j9F3aZUQ5gh5uIwRqwCLcB/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My first print was something simple and small - I picked my simple pegboard hook that I know only takes about 10 minutes to print. Once I figured out how to upload my own models - which wasn’t as clear as I would have liked - but has become easier in latest updates - I uploaded my model and used the clear online controls to setup the parameters for printing. It was set a bit hot - 210C - so I lowered it to 185C and started it up.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There aren’t quite as many printing options as something like Cura for printers which require GCode to be directly loaded - but that’s the whole point of the Mod-T - to make printing simple. So the advanced options are somewhat out of the way intentionally. While there were some general usability issues with the online printing interface, practically all my main concerns have already been addressed - and while it is simple and not for the advanced 3D printing professional, it is easy to use. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the start of the print, there was certainly lots of print bed movement - which is clearly a process to home the print bed and perhaps auto-level it - but this was not excessive - and after the printer extruded a line of filament on the side of the bed to prep for printing, my object began to print. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The fan of this printer is quite loud without the cover on, but once the cover is on, the printer is pretty quiet - so I can see how that makes it more friendly than other printers which have no enclosure. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was very pleased with the way the model adheres to this print bed - which is clearly made of a special material which is intended to be good for this purpose. This is becoming more common in printers - and with the dozen prints I did, I had no problems with models adhering to the bed - and used no additional materials like hairspray. Note that I ONLY USED PLA - I did not attempt ABS. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G9cCQcQAYHs/WHLuxrhv95I/AAAAAAACays/G_WO87_rQAwfCB_-EFL8Z5wIXyXuDmlbgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G9cCQcQAYHs/WHLuxrhv95I/AAAAAAACays/G_WO87_rQAwfCB_-EFL8Z5wIXyXuDmlbgCLcB/s320/DSC_0037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The subsequent tests I did included one of my favorites - a single-print hinge. This model has a bunch of one-half millimeter gaps between parts that are intended to move freely - and you can see in the video that it printed rather well and just required a bit of forcing to freely move the hinge - almost exactly the same amount as that required when this model is printed on a printer which is literally 4 times the price of this one. I was very happy with the results here.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also printed a few other models including a thin-walled desk organizer in the shape of my initials - which has lots of curves - and it came out quite smooth - a great result on the first try. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the Mod-T has a very innovative mechanical design for the bed movement, which completely avoids belts and allows the bed to easily be removed and replaced - it is not necessarily space efficient. The footprint is approximately 15 inches square with the filament spool and 13.5 inches tall. The build envelope is 6 x 4 x 5 inches - 120 cubic inches - which is pretty good for most hobby projects.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pU6BwRKEYW0/WHLuegCtTkI/AAAAAAACayk/e614sG3Xp-swSSv0cY9qiOIPDrzOvE6JwCLcB/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pU6BwRKEYW0/WHLuegCtTkI/AAAAAAACayk/e614sG3Xp-swSSv0cY9qiOIPDrzOvE6JwCLcB/s320/DSC_0044.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not thrilled with the process of changing filament color - but that’s pretty much par for the course for most 3D printers. I’m spoiled by the ease of filament changes in the <a href="http://polar3d.com/" target="_blank">Polar3D</a> printer.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, the Mod-T seems like an incredible value for an elegant, easy to use 3D printer. While no 3D printer these days is a completely user-friendly appliance - the Mod-T comes closer than many I’ve tried and it’s elegant external design could be on display in your home or even the museum of modern art. At $399, it’s definitely one of my top recommendations for printers under $500 - and while I haven’t used it long enough to call it reliable, I would say that I’ve had no clogs, no failed prints due to adherence to the bed and generally no issues with the software.</span></div>
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<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-5215908562272503222017-01-08T13:40:00.001-05:002017-01-08T13:46:47.638-05:00Yet Another 3D Printed Phone Stand <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnulBBiVvQA/WHKCvv-v0mI/AAAAAAACaxg/F8RqZI3E5-ATwkOjHgx3pqltXNE6nmRFgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnulBBiVvQA/WHKCvv-v0mI/AAAAAAACaxg/F8RqZI3E5-ATwkOjHgx3pqltXNE6nmRFgCLcB/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I got tired of laying my phone down next to my computer - so I wanted a simple phone stand that would stand my phone upright or sideways so I could see it and use it. Of course there are likely cheap phone stands or 3D Models that would suit my purpose somewhere - but I had two reasons why I "needed" to make my own:<br />
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First, I wanted it to suit my needs and fit my phone exactly.<br />
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Second, I like to make stuff - so why pass up the opportunity to invent something new!?<br />
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<h3>
Design Requirements</h3>
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The basic requirement of this design was to firmly hold my phone upright without tipping over. But there were other things I had to consider in this design. Here's the full list:<br />
<ul>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N13M4A0FVXI/WHKDozgDFUI/AAAAAAACaxo/fMD3uMj5HPsIF-nv7J1btydB8-BwSOciQCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-08%2Bat%2B1.21.37%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N13M4A0FVXI/WHKDozgDFUI/AAAAAAACaxo/fMD3uMj5HPsIF-nv7J1btydB8-BwSOciQCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-08%2Bat%2B1.21.37%2BPM.png" width="183" /></a>
<li>Hold phone upright (portrait) without tipping and with firmness that let me tap the screen.</li>
<li>Hold phone in sideways (landscape) too. (hopeful on this one)</li>
<li>Have a slight angle so it is easy to see on my desk.</li>
<li>Nothing should block ANY of the screen.</li>
<li><b>Simple & Fast to print</b> - no supports, flat bottom surface to grip print bed, minimal mass.</li>
<li>Able to hold phones approximately the size of my Nexus 6P with or without a case.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Things I decided not to worry about for this first design included a way to dock the phone on the charging cable or making the stand portable to fit in my pocket. As with any product, sometimes it's just as important to pick things you're NOT trying to solve as it is to pick those problems you ARE trying to solve.</div>
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<h3>
The 3D Model</h3>
</div>
<div>
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<div>
This one was not as simple as it looks. The requirements I had to be simple and low mass made it more of a challenge - otherwise, I could have simply used a big block (as I've seen in many other phone holders).<br />
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I started with a block. I imagined the shape I wanted to be more like a wedge, holding the phone on the front, then angled back to the bottom surface.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S1dpPuZoveM/WHKDw8w6UZI/AAAAAAACaxw/eK77QI0gjiYyxfC-7SO4UsMs6Df385IcQCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-08%2Bat%2B1.22.39%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S1dpPuZoveM/WHKDw8w6UZI/AAAAAAACaxw/eK77QI0gjiYyxfC-7SO4UsMs6Df385IcQCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-01-08%2Bat%2B1.22.39%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a>To get the right shape of the front which would hold the phone, I created a 3D Model of my phone - not to be printed, but to be used as a shape to SUBTRACT from the wedge block to leave behind a perfectly shaped area to hold my phone. I then subtracted a large chunk of the block from the angled front for the area where the phone screen would be seen, leaving about 5mm on each side, about 3mm thick, to hold the phone in place by the edges.<br />
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Now, as with any subtraction operation like this, the fit would be too tight if I just printed it as is - so I pushed out the insides of the phone holding area by 0.5mm on each side, and the back by 1mm.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7uZ4HO6y4cs/WHKEgccXz2I/AAAAAAACax0/2-HZpRBoFBEdYiSSQaqly63916QrJI9PQCLcB/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7uZ4HO6y4cs/WHKEgccXz2I/AAAAAAACax0/2-HZpRBoFBEdYiSSQaqly63916QrJI9PQCLcB/s200/DSC_0007.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape works too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To reduce the mass of the wedge, I wanted to cut out a large part of the back - so I made a copy of the whole wedge, and scaled it down to be a subtraction shape. I made it smaller by about 5-8 mm on each side and the part behind the phone, and then subtracted it from the back of the wedge - leaving the back of the wedge with no material at all.<br />
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The shape I got was pretty much what I imagined! I finished it up by softening all the edges with a "Filet" operation (in Autodesk 123D) and gave it a first print.<br />
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<h3>
Making it more useful</h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7eRzkPmBdyY/WHKEgZW5QnI/AAAAAAACax4/lwHHzAtVLjI16PGEm1NfaL5CShW982_mQCLcB/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7eRzkPmBdyY/WHKEgZW5QnI/AAAAAAACax4/lwHHzAtVLjI16PGEm1NfaL5CShW982_mQCLcB/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape is great for video watching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I measured the space for my phone with the case - so the space for the phone was actually bigger than the phone itself by a few mm on each side.<br />
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The first print actually worked well with the phone that had the case on it, as it was a tight enough fit to really hold the phone firmly. But when I removed the case from the phone, the fit was so loose, that the weight of the phone leaning against the back of the stand let the stand slide up the phone and pop off the top.<br />
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I needed to create some friction or pressure for phones without cases - I had no intention of making a new stand for every phone or for phones without cases.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zWc366OFTA/WHKFyJOpYXI/AAAAAAACayM/FqOneT69vIIKVx2Qa8AqmiYeLGw8ENRfACLcB/s1600/DSC00148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zWc366OFTA/WHKFyJOpYXI/AAAAAAACayM/FqOneT69vIIKVx2Qa8AqmiYeLGw8ENRfACLcB/s200/DSC00148.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2JR-tDxCGfM/WHKFyI4K2uI/AAAAAAACayI/WF8rpWM-VywORM_R5bnrBbn7ZwzVPEL0QCLcB/s1600/DSC00149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2JR-tDxCGfM/WHKFyI4K2uI/AAAAAAACayI/WF8rpWM-VywORM_R5bnrBbn7ZwzVPEL0QCLcB/s200/DSC00149.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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I decided to try a flexible "bow" in the back - just a very thin (1mm) printed flat strap, which would be stuck into two small holes into the inside of the phone holding area - creating pressure against the back of the phone and holding in in place when there was no case on it.<br />
This worked!</div>
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The <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2023940" target="_blank">Model is published HERE</a>.<br />
<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-48064693369758329562016-06-18T17:14:00.000-04:002016-06-18T17:14:11.913-04:00Make a 3D Printed Japanese Cord Loom (Kumihimo)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsT5bhP2Zoo/V2WvJvic1nI/AAAAAAACIYg/-avSkzYVFTUydnwOzgqvH9_GlbA96riPgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160508_225120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsT5bhP2Zoo/V2WvJvic1nI/AAAAAAACIYg/-avSkzYVFTUydnwOzgqvH9_GlbA96riPgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160508_225120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsT5bhP2Zoo/V2WvJvic1nI/AAAAAAACIYg/-avSkzYVFTUydnwOzgqvH9_GlbA96riPgCLcB/s320/IMG_20160508_225120.jpg" width="320" /></a>I get very excited when I see my kids doing any kind of creative project. Whether it's sewing, painting, Minecraft world building, sand castle building - even cooking. I get even more exciting if that creative activity somehow triggers a 3D printing idea. </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Project Idea </h3>
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When I spotted my daughter making a Japanese Cord bracelet using a hand-made cardboard loom, the idea of 3D Printing one was obvious.</div>
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Apparently, this is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumihimo" target="_blank">Kumihimo</a>, officially. There was something magical about using a cardboard Kumihimo loom to make a bracelet - but the cardboard clearly wasn't holding up too well, and I thought we could 3D Model and then print a more durable and colorful loom really easily. We set out to do just that - a basic one to start, and then perhaps we'd customize later.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85-yZrMZuMo/V2W24rz2CsI/AAAAAAACIY4/IcrK9dFksrE1ed18yVJM9Wsrt5sXZiITQCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-06-18%2Bat%2B4.40.04%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85-yZrMZuMo/V2W24rz2CsI/AAAAAAACIY4/IcrK9dFksrE1ed18yVJM9Wsrt5sXZiITQCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-06-18%2Bat%2B4.40.04%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all parts before subtraction <br />and construction</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Project Goals</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The model is mostly simple looking - but there were some objectives I had to influence the model. First, I didn't want it to just be a solid disk, that would take too long to print. Second, I wanted to make it rather thin, again to influence print speed, but also to make it easy to carry. Third, I wanted it to be rather small, so it could easily fit in a pocket. </div>
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The basic requirements are a hole in the middle, through which the threads form the finished cord, and many slots around the outer rim to hold the thread or yarn material securely.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jgBX0ZR6vXc/V2W3FDmu1yI/AAAAAAACIZA/6fynup0IkM4FUaATwjdBoI-yJX4qRsr0wCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-06-18%2Bat%2B4.40.55%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jgBX0ZR6vXc/V2W3FDmu1yI/AAAAAAACIZA/6fynup0IkM4FUaATwjdBoI-yJX4qRsr0wCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-06-18%2Bat%2B4.40.55%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a>Making The 3D Model</h3>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The ultimate shape I had in mind was like a wagon wheel. It wasn't perfectly obvious how I would achieve that at first. I realized that it would be easier to put two donut shapes together with spokes, than it would be to cut out the sort of holes I envisioned around the "wheel". </div>
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This would take 4 cylinders. First the outer cylinder which was only 2mm high and 35mm radius. That was the outer dimension - 70mm across (diameter). Second, a 6mm radius cyleinder, which I used to cut the hole in the center. Third, a 25mm radius cylinder to cut out most of the inner material in the large cylinder. and fourth, a 12mm radius cylinder to make the inner hub. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Isv0ayU4SgU/V2WuJMKLSOI/AAAAAAACIYQ/fvsGkRegtYEinpOHaOvYEZlfSqGM53yLwCKgB/s1600/IMG_20160507_201051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Isv0ayU4SgU/V2WuJMKLSOI/AAAAAAACIYQ/fvsGkRegtYEinpOHaOvYEZlfSqGM53yLwCKgB/s320/IMG_20160507_201051.jpg" width="320" /></a>I leave it to the reader (that's you) to figure out the series of subtractions which resulted in two basic donut shaped cylinders - one for the outer part and one for the inner part (hub). Then, using 8 simple 2mm high rectangles, I made the spokes to connect the two donut shaped cylinders. </div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
To make the slots in the outer rim of the model, I simply created a wedge which I could replicate 32 times around the center of the cylinders, which were now aligned at the center, and then subtract all those from the outer rim. The outer part of the wedge was 1.6mm wide to leave enough room for thicker yarn.</div>
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<h3>
Get The Model</h3>
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If you want to make these, you can try to replicate the process above (lots of challenge left to the reader) or <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1633697" target="_blank">simply download my model</a> and print away. It is not a very long print given that it is less than 2mm tall. The last resort is to buy one - lots of them on the web if you search for japanese cord loom or Kumihimo - but that takes the fun out ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5B3ZAg93vEM/V2WuJGtG9gI/AAAAAAACIYQ/4es8lB2HRl0QlAMyh777wCQAVL3u0CgFACKgB/s1600/IMG_20160427_203533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5B3ZAg93vEM/V2WuJGtG9gI/AAAAAAACIYQ/4es8lB2HRl0QlAMyh777wCQAVL3u0CgFACKgB/s320/IMG_20160427_203533.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mHP84wwdv8Q/V2WuJCVmNMI/AAAAAAACIYQ/MsQFWbNE7GcKmCBn41TuGMaW1oOUI0iLQCKgB/s1600/IMG_20160508_225041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mHP84wwdv8Q/V2WuJCVmNMI/AAAAAAACIYQ/MsQFWbNE7GcKmCBn41TuGMaW1oOUI0iLQCKgB/s320/IMG_20160508_225041.jpg" width="240" /></a>JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-89376871499386598442016-05-15T21:36:00.000-04:002016-05-15T21:40:26.499-04:003D Printed Event Hashtag for Google IO 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--_I_TqvcGOI/VzkjXvI9vaI/AAAAAAACE4Y/PjaPDAuetJIAucIyXla2Po5MNEyEA1K1gCLcB/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--_I_TqvcGOI/VzkjXvI9vaI/AAAAAAACE4Y/PjaPDAuetJIAucIyXla2Po5MNEyEA1K1gCLcB/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Back in 2008, I attended my first <a href="https://events.google.com/io2016" target="_blank">Google IO</a> event - a conference put on by Google to focus on tools and platforms for developers mostly (programmers).<br />
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Since those early days, the event has grown tremendously and is now the premiere forum for Google to introduce new, innovative products for everyone, with a deep focus on platforms like Android and Chrome and developers on those platforms.<br />
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But this isn't a post about Google IO. This is a post about a 3D Printed keychain I designed to celebrate <a href="https://events.google.com/io2016" target="_blank">Google IO 2016</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Model design</h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zixgxar8mQk/VzkjlvGtEbI/AAAAAAACE4c/4m90ZHqSyhwh6LE8EUroNI-rGAaRdk46ACLcB/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zixgxar8mQk/VzkjlvGtEbI/AAAAAAACE4c/4m90ZHqSyhwh6LE8EUroNI-rGAaRdk46ACLcB/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I admit - I didn't give much thought to this design. I simply wanted to have something to give out to my friends and others who show interest in 3D Printing (if you see me there, mention this post and I'll give you one if I have any left).<br />
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I just used the Google IO 2016 hashtag that I hope everyone decides to use - so not the long version #GoogleIO2016 - but rather the shortened <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23io16" target="_blank">#io16</a>. <br />
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To make this model, I simply created the text, using Gill Sans font (which seemed to match the font on the GoogleIO site the closest) and then made a frame to hold all the parts easily. I actually referred back to my old post about 3D Printing text to help choose the font and to consider positive and negative (cutout) designs.<br />
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<h3>
Making the model slightly more interesting</h3>
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This is a rather boring model, I know. To add just a bit of interest, I decided to try rotating each letter/number a bit on the y-axis.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YX-ZTPEKHXQ/VzkjrF8t-dI/AAAAAAACE4g/zIHc6ETRlAImroyMVmv8bGL8Qd81s6EgACLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-05-15%2Bat%2B9.23.51%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YX-ZTPEKHXQ/VzkjrF8t-dI/AAAAAAACE4g/zIHc6ETRlAImroyMVmv8bGL8Qd81s6EgACLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-05-15%2Bat%2B9.23.51%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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At about 15 degrees, this looked pretty good! I simply chopped off the bottom part (underside) of each letter/number after rotating to keep a flat base, and this became the preferred design for sure.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I7uh6UUYQkg/Vzkj7MPoZcI/AAAAAAACE4o/-CQt8OXwFgcp9INXBghVFHfWEHrUlFbgACLcB/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I7uh6UUYQkg/Vzkj7MPoZcI/AAAAAAACE4o/-CQt8OXwFgcp9INXBghVFHfWEHrUlFbgACLcB/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a>Got an event coming up? Got a Twitter hashtag you like? Make a 3D Printed keychain to show some love!<br />
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<h3>
The Model</h3>
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If you've really become a fan of GoogleIO, you might want to print some of these before the event on Wednesday this week (May 18-20, 2016).<br />
<a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1565812" target="_blank">Here is the model on Thingiverse</a> :)JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-14721633658517845872016-05-13T18:05:00.000-04:002016-05-13T18:09:48.018-04:003D Printed Logo for Google Keep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-onYCE2uRr-Q/Vy_uLZ06OzI/AAAAAAACEqs/YqbrtGxHmQUC8IbhQOSImF33MYialurpgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160508_202828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-onYCE2uRr-Q/Vy_uLZ06OzI/AAAAAAACEqs/YqbrtGxHmQUC8IbhQOSImF33MYialurpgCLcB/s400/IMG_20160508_202828.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
My newest favorite Google app is <a href="http://keep.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Keep</a>.<br />
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It's a quick scratch pad, list keeper, note-taker, image-grabber, doodle-maker, even voice-note-taker app. It's fast and it works on every device where I need it - my phone, my kid's iPhones, and the web - and it lets you share notes with other people.<br />
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Google Keep is perfect for that shared grocery list or those quick meeting notes, or that inspirational idea keeper...<br />
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But wait - this is not an app review - this post is about the Google Keep LOGO.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-otnyjmom7r0/Vy_u52pCMjI/AAAAAAACErE/Ug1A9fbZh_8QXjazZM4b0QYy1Nj7owdTwCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-05-08%2Bat%2B9.57.53%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-otnyjmom7r0/Vy_u52pCMjI/AAAAAAACErE/Ug1A9fbZh_8QXjazZM4b0QYy1Nj7owdTwCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-05-08%2Bat%2B9.57.53%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a>
Design Goals</h3>
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I was simply looking to represent <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/p/mkrclubcom-models.html" target="_blank">yet another Google app logo</a> in a form which could be used as a key-chain or backpack charm. I've done this, as you probably know, with a few <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/p/mkrclubcom-models.html" target="_blank">other Google Apps</a>, so it seemed fitting to now do Google Keep, since I use the app more than once a day.<br />
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The Google Keep logo is a light bulb on a small note pad looking base with one corner turned up. One of the goals of all these logo models is to keep them simple so they print easily and quickly. In the case of the Keep logo, I had a couple of options.<br />
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The base was easy, but my options for the light bulb seemed to be either to make it just a cut out into the base, or to make it stick out vertically from the base.<br />
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Design Process</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyL2WmPVGc8/Vy_ucQt8dUI/AAAAAAACEq0/ZfsPGkH6zg0oB2xpKzG4W_9_jSq8qWYPgCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B9.58.17%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gyL2WmPVGc8/Vy_ucQt8dUI/AAAAAAACEq0/ZfsPGkH6zg0oB2xpKzG4W_9_jSq8qWYPgCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B9.58.17%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The individual parts which make the bulb and base</td></tr>
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I started with the easy part - the base. This was a variation on the Google Docs, Sheets and Slides base - that is, a rectangle (square in this case) with a turned up corner. I did the same thing as before, creating the square foundation at about 40mm square and 4mm high, then cut off one corner and rotated it about 135 degrees to appear to be turned up.<br />
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To make the bulb, I connected a round sphere to a cylinder. I then created a smaller cylinder at the bottom of the first to represent the bottom part of the electrical connection on a light bulb. I also cut a small gap about halfway down the larger cylinder to create the slight horizontal line that the logo has. I did this using a narrow, wide cylinder and then using the subtract tool to cut it out of the longer cylinder.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knz9jj0oScM/Vy_uxJw_zoI/AAAAAAACErA/FDjRRL4Ayjwr8dfGK1US9JMkLdyOX5O7gCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-05-08%2Bat%2B9.58.00%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knz9jj0oScM/Vy_uxJw_zoI/AAAAAAACErA/FDjRRL4Ayjwr8dfGK1US9JMkLdyOX5O7gCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-05-08%2Bat%2B9.58.00%2BPM.png" width="313" /></a>Now, I had to try two variations.<br />
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On the first, I simply subtracted the whole bulb shape from the base to leave a cut-out in the base in the shape of a light bulb.<br />
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On the second, I also cut out the light bulb shape from the base, but I made that cut-out slightly larger than the bulb and placed the original bulb centered in the middle of that cut-out. I then created a simple cylindrical connector to attach the bulb-base to the logo base - so the light bulb would be connected but still appear to be floating.<br />
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On that second variation - which looked quite good - I simply had to flatten the back side of the rounded bulb so that it would lay flat on the print bed along with the logo base. I only realized this after trying to print once and having a slightly artistic looking failed result ;) <br />
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The Model</h3>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wwu5JFZ9Cs/Vy_uLFVjMiI/AAAAAAACEqo/AXj-81ivjrAQdkM6X8rxAR4bb08cYcfwwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160508_202900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wwu5JFZ9Cs/Vy_uLFVjMiI/AAAAAAACEqo/AXj-81ivjrAQdkM6X8rxAR4bb08cYcfwwCLcB/s400/IMG_20160508_202900.jpg" width="400" /></a>This is the first time I created a logo model with two variations - but I like them both, so I'm posting both here.<br />
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The first is the cut-out light bulb.<br />
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The second is the floating light bulb.<br />
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Both <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1562118" target="_blank">models are HERE</a>.<br />
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Hope you print lots of these for the Google Keep app users you know!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X7MrUyziPp0/VzY_E08BtZI/AAAAAAACEys/z8EbttSDzzgbC4z82lBOyMbQbPoj3WE_gCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160513_151615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X7MrUyziPp0/VzY_E08BtZI/AAAAAAACEys/z8EbttSDzzgbC4z82lBOyMbQbPoj3WE_gCLcB/s320/IMG_20160513_151615.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-88621662141216754152016-05-04T11:39:00.000-04:002016-05-04T12:02:31.838-04:003D Printed Piggy Bank - a Journey in Problem Solving<span id="docs-internal-guid-8a0ef17d-7be3-2c55-5365-d17217fb8ed7"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-8a0ef17d-7be3-2c55-5365-d17217fb8ed7"><i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a guest post from </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bethany_jones4" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bethany Jones</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who currently teaches a 7th grade science elective called Engineering Design in Mason, Ohio. Bethany is the mother of two tiny humans and one very energetic dog. She is a tinkerer, lover of learning and recent 3D printing enthusiast.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“If at first you don’t succeed, call it version 1.0” </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">This has become my motto as I have leapt headfirst into the world of 3D printing with my 7th graders. One thing I have tried to share with my students is that it’s not all about the end product, but the journey you take along the way. There is often more learning that takes place through failing than if you get it right the first time around. </span></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/swPikrSrwQ29dn09iZegqsQ/image?w=502&h=276&rev=33&ac=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/swPikrSrwQ29dn09iZegqsQ/image?w=502&h=276&rev=33&ac=1" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ever since our 3D printer arrived a month ago, I have been adamant that it not just be a toy, but an avenue for creation. I am encouraging my students to try designing something on their own that has a purpose or that solves a problem. In an attempt to show them that I was in this crazy new adventure with them, (as well as wanting to test the print size limits of the printer) I decided to make a piggy bank.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I kid you not, about an hour into the print, a group of students are hovering over the printer watching in awe and one says, “how are you going to get the money out Mrs. Jones?” Face-palm. I had forgotten to put a hole in the bottom to get the money out! </span></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/sHd_yODAsip-SYN9ptyXgIw/image?w=225&h=245&rev=21&ac=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/sHd_yODAsip-SYN9ptyXgIw/image?w=225&h=245&rev=21&ac=1" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I told my kids that we’d just have to break it open. It ended up not mattering, as this version printed with a giant mystery hole in the back. But I quickly went back to the computer and edited my model to include a money-retrieval hole in the bottom. Great teachable moment about learning from your mistakes right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My students and I had fun analyzing the possible causes for the other print issues and we decided to try and make the walls thicker for more support and hopefully close the mysterious hole. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second time around, I think something went awry with the printer as everything went well until the very end. The slot on the top printed crooked and the ears were hanging on by a thread about halfway up. Since I couldn’t find any explanation for this, I printed the same model with no edits and it worked! Third time's the charm!</span></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/spmYoJDQ3jw2W_x9w8YHkDA/image?w=467&h=242&rev=32&ac=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/spmYoJDQ3jw2W_x9w8YHkDA/image?w=467&h=242&rev=32&ac=1" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="467" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am loving the iterative process of designing, printing, redesigning and reprinting until I get something right. It is a wonderful lesson that my students are learning as well. I am finding that in a world where they may have been afraid to fail before, they are energized by the possibility that they can analyze the problem and attempt to fix it! Beyond making something cool to look at, it is something to be proud of when you can create something on your computer screen and make it come to life as a tangible object to enjoy and share with others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Piggy Bank: </span><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1533937" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1533937</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/sU-ay0AW3WOzTYYR3_Otc2A/image?w=368&h=277&rev=28&ac=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/sU-ay0AW3WOzTYYR3_Otc2A/image?w=368&h=277&rev=28&ac=1" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="368" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Addendum</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Fast forward one day past writing this post and the poor perfect piggy version 3.0 took a flying leap off my desk and met his demise as a clean break ripped through his body, splitting him in twine. I almost cried real tears in front of my students. But looking on the bright side, as one must do to remain sane, we can now analyze broken piggy from the inside out.</span></div>
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</span>JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-72398982094179142542016-05-01T13:35:00.000-04:002016-05-01T13:35:07.652-04:004th Grader Science Fair Project: Stronger 3D Printing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bAmPC2l9zAc/VyY7Kx0LoiI/AAAAAAACEO0/X_x-rVRyz70Q7pvWupjhXxicZbIM5-IswCLcB/s1600/DSC_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bAmPC2l9zAc/VyY7Kx0LoiI/AAAAAAACEO0/X_x-rVRyz70Q7pvWupjhXxicZbIM5-IswCLcB/s320/DSC_0072.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
Every year, my kids participate in our school district's science fair. This past year (March, 2016), my 4th grade daughter - working on her 5th science fair since Kindergarten - decided to use 3D printing as her target.<br />
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After some discussion with her 3D printing-crazed dad (ahem), she decided to test the strength of 3D Printing using different print orientations.<br />
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The problem she was working on in her project was how to print stronger 3D printed objects.<br />
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She witnessed an issue I had with some <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2015/07/pegboard-makeover-with-custom-3d.html" target="_blank">hooks I printed for my pegboard</a> a while back, and she generally thought that was an area that could use some experimentation.<br />
Yes - I helped lead her in this direction - no doubt about it.<br />
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Her hypothesis was that the vertical layers (layered upwards along the z-axis) were not as strong as the horizontal layers printed along the x- and y-axis. She has seen many failed prints (of mine!) and has gotten familiar with the difference between the upward layers of a print and the horizontal layers.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xzpC192bYU/VyY7vHmybII/AAAAAAACEO8/FiDapnYR7tQc0hvLfqakqBibojnxeKAuACLcB/s1600/DSC_0058%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xzpC192bYU/VyY7vHmybII/AAAAAAACEO8/FiDapnYR7tQc0hvLfqakqBibojnxeKAuACLcB/s320/DSC_0058%2Bcopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two test links - one horizontal, one vertical</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'll leave all the details to the slide deck - embedded below - which she made and printed for her poster board for the 2016 Science Fair.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Iv01z1E-znjNj3goRM-4L43ysHHfkl3uW81M3OxOHiQ/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-55060186279037608942016-04-29T18:45:00.000-04:002016-04-29T18:48:15.075-04:00Replacing a Broken GoPro Drone part with 3D Printing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfoh-D5mhag/VyPf_l-i1hI/AAAAAAACEMM/jfFPfIoYzcw4OfUaprz2fBCkIOwJiYPeACLcB/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L1beH4ctFZ8/VyPg-EvmakI/AAAAAAACEMs/bGIWNu6YZD4DN2tLqJRXvVD38E_c78PSgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L1beH4ctFZ8/VyPg-EvmakI/AAAAAAACEMs/bGIWNu6YZD4DN2tLqJRXvVD38E_c78PSgCLcB/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
One of the most exciting things about 3D Printing is when you can use it to replace or fix something that breaks. Last time this happened, it was a <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2015/09/fixed-my-clock-in-no-time-with-3d.html" target="_blank">clock which fell off the wall</a> (no , I didn't knock it off the wall). This time, it was a small GoPro camera part.<br />
<br />
Is it strange that I felt lucky when I had something break that gave me this opportunity again? Yes, it's strange. But at least I didn't break it intentionally ;)<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Problem (the broken thing)</h3>
<br />
I have an older model Drone (<a href="http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-2" target="_blank">DJI Phantom 2</a>) which has an older <a href="https://shop.gopro.com/cameras" target="_blank">GoPro</a> Hero 3+ connected to it using a <a href="http://www.dji.com/product/zenmuse-h4-3d" target="_blank">Zenmuse gimbal</a> on the underside of the aircraft. The GoPro is held to the gimbal with a hard plastic strap. That hard plastic strap broke.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t5SvTE5-tcM/VyPgHNV4YOI/AAAAAAACEMQ/LA5ILVs7SQsjkQdd4GxxBnVZ40uLdCDQgCLcB/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t5SvTE5-tcM/VyPgHNV4YOI/AAAAAAACEMQ/LA5ILVs7SQsjkQdd4GxxBnVZ40uLdCDQgCLcB/s200/DSC_0018.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
As you can see in the image, the break was right at the part where the screw receptacle fits. As soon as I saw this, I knew that I could likely re-use the screw receptacles and fit them into a new 3D Printed plastic strap.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Solution</h3>
<br />
I measured the inside spacing of the plastic strap and the thickness of the plastic in both dimensions. It was pretty simple to design a solution here.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePNLxZ3JJoM/VyPgrzqNznI/AAAAAAACEMg/-1VGnr8_ybQIgushoFgZFH-1KVdmZb0iwCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B10.05.06%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePNLxZ3JJoM/VyPgrzqNznI/AAAAAAACEMg/-1VGnr8_ybQIgushoFgZFH-1KVdmZb0iwCLcB/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B10.05.06%2BAM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
First I created a rectangle block to represent the outer measurement (which was the inner measurement plus times the plastic strap thickness (times two for the width measurement since there are two sides to account for on that dimension but only one on the height). Then I created a similar block for the inside measurement to be used to SUBTRACT from the first block. That gave me the basic shape of the strap.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekXT7EuaSz0/VyPghptSl1I/AAAAAAACEMY/wvSkm9Ct_js1UeiTxEfC0cm_4x2EhPDbgCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B10.12.04%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekXT7EuaSz0/VyPghptSl1I/AAAAAAACEMY/wvSkm9Ct_js1UeiTxEfC0cm_4x2EhPDbgCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B10.12.04%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For the ends where the screw receptacles would go, I created a small 7mm x 7mm x 7mm block and then tweaked one edge to make a slightly angled side as you can see in the image. This was an almost exact replica of the original strap design. I duplicated that block for the other side.<br />
I combined those parts so that I had one part for the whole strap.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwz31ztwgNU/VyPg0jMaNwI/AAAAAAACEMo/FNUQ0oHOV6Espxoe434RqxBs8Sd8mw7FQCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B10.17.46%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwz31ztwgNU/VyPg0jMaNwI/AAAAAAACEMo/FNUQ0oHOV6Espxoe434RqxBs8Sd8mw7FQCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-29%2Bat%2B10.17.46%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Then I subtracted holes into the ends of the blocks where the screw receptacles would go. This was the only area where the model needed some precision - so it took a couple of tests to get it right. These holes were 2.1mm radius (4.2mm diameter) and 5.5mm deep.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfoh-D5mhag/VyPf_l-i1hI/AAAAAAACEMM/jfFPfIoYzcw4OfUaprz2fBCkIOwJiYPeACLcB/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfoh-D5mhag/VyPf_l-i1hI/AAAAAAACEMM/jfFPfIoYzcw4OfUaprz2fBCkIOwJiYPeACLcB/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Model</h3>
<br />
Having the metal screw receptacles from the original part made this really easy. If I didn't have those, I might have just left a tiny hole in the plastic ends and hope the screws would hold on to the plastic, but I'm not confident that would work for very long.<br />
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If you plan on printing this part, be sure to get a hold of screw receptacles, or modify the model to have a different connection design.<br />
<br />
You can find the <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1530633" target="_blank">GoPro Hero 3+ Gimbal Strap on my Thingiverse page</a>.JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-30891595198553198802016-04-12T21:13:00.000-04:002016-04-12T21:15:46.126-04:005 reasons to have a 3D Printing Pen<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn1yIH_cXEA/Vw2ZSCO9S9I/AAAAAAACDC4/R5a7LMaRsHYesqpG_GT1bLbKqTUJIAvQwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20140921_172518995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn1yIH_cXEA/Vw2ZSCO9S9I/AAAAAAACDC4/R5a7LMaRsHYesqpG_GT1bLbKqTUJIAvQwCLcB/s320/IMG_20140921_172518995.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first 3D Pen - 3Doodler 1.0</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
More than a year ago, I saw my first 3D Pen - the 3Doodler - and I immediately bought it. It seemed like such a cool combination of creativity and modern technology. I had already gotten into "traditional 3D Printing" (did I really just say "traditional"?), and figured this was a natural extension of that. I didn't have any expectations of how or why I would use it, but bought it to help figure that out.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Why have a 3D Pen?</h3>
<br />
After using my 3D pen a few times, I really enjoyed creating things with it, but I also recognized that there are reasons to have them that differ a bit from the reasons for having a 3D Printer. That's what I'll outline here, a few reasons why a 3D Pen might be something you "need"...<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reason 1: Help you understand 3D Printing.</h4>
While 3D Printing is not rocket surgery, it's more fun to learn how it works by seeing it rather than reading about it or watching a video. A 3D Pen is a low cost, simple way to see 3D Printing mechanics in action. Yes, it's just plastic melting and being re-formed to harden again. But seeing it first hand - and being able to quickly create something without 3D Modeling skills or expensive machines - is cool.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reason 2: Be Artistic in a New Way</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RwgtJET960E/Vw2ZCpjO4fI/AAAAAAACDC0/C5Tw9Y_j01ElwGCqXO4zCoRz5AU0LqLEACLcB/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RwgtJET960E/Vw2ZCpjO4fI/AAAAAAACDC0/C5Tw9Y_j01ElwGCqXO4zCoRz5AU0LqLEACLcB/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 2nd one - the Scribbler 3D Pen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kids - and bigger people - often love making things. Crayons, markers, paint, yarn and fabric, even duct tape - it's all fun. But how often is there a NEW medium to create things? Not often. Melting plastic and reforming it into a new thing - now that's NEW - that's COOL.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reason 3: It's Easy.</h4>
Making 3D objects with wood is amazing, but very hard, requiring many tools, perhaps dangerous electrical tools, and very time consuming. Paper machè is great and simple - but it's messy! 3D Pens are easy to set up, take almost no time to get going, have minimal training with very small danger risks (watch the hot end!) and super easy to clean up. Learning how to do it is easy too! In a short session, kids can see results and even collaborate by building different parts of a larger model.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<h4>
Reason 4: It's Cheap(er).</h4>
A great 3D Pen costs about $100 (although I actually got my Scribbler 3D Pen for $69, even though they now seem to be no less than $99). The PLA filament is also very cheap - about $20 for a whole roll (and you can try to calculate how much a printed object costs). A good 3D Printer costs about $500-$1000, and a better one costs more like $2000.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-diWFCY8H_HA/Vw2bw6pjILI/AAAAAAACDDM/wlpAeBHojTILZvHi0pu2i_UObg6_oL0QgCLcB/s1600/IMG_0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-diWFCY8H_HA/Vw2bw6pjILI/AAAAAAACDDM/wlpAeBHojTILZvHi0pu2i_UObg6_oL0QgCLcB/s320/IMG_0229.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some experimental creations ("art")</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
Reason 5: Practice Experimenting and Failure</h4>
If you think creating something with a pen or crayon that you would call "Art" is difficult, well, just imagine trying that in three dimensions ;)<br />
<br />
One thing I love about all arts and crafts is the practice it gives us - as kids and adults - in trying new things, in experimenting, in failing and trying again! Experimenting is such an important step in innovating, and that's why I love all kinds of art for EVERYONE. The 3D Pen is a great tool for this sort of practice - and is a fun alternative that spurs people's interest in something they may have never tried before. That's a good thing!<br />
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<h3>
One reason to NOT get a 3D Pen.</h3>
<br />
Do not get a 3D Pen as an alternative to a 3D Printer.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qs-3-JzXBgc/Vw2ccZieMnI/AAAAAAACDDg/ZHy10nGQyQAIt-SEYoL7VZ0PXcIl84e1ACLcB/s1600/IMG_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qs-3-JzXBgc/Vw2ccZieMnI/AAAAAAACDDg/ZHy10nGQyQAIt-SEYoL7VZ0PXcIl84e1ACLcB/s200/IMG_0233.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not so precise mini-building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is not at all the same thing. A 3D Printer is basically a robot which melts plastic and forms it into an object that has been modeled with 3D Modeling software. While that type of 3D PRINTING is not artistic - the 3D Modeling part can be VERY artistic. It's just that the actual printing process is not the artistic part when using a 3D Printer.<br />
<br />
Conversely, the 3D Pen is NOT a good way to precisely create a 3D object for functional use. It is very hard to create an object of precise measurements or with straight edges or smooth, measured curves.<br />
<br />
The comparison of 3D Pens to 3D Printers is analogous to comparing drawing by hand to printing with an inkjet printer - the first being artistic, the second being functional. Bat, as in 3D Printing, an inkjet printer required perhaps some artistic process first, before the actual printing step.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rybipgO2baE/Vw2cI2SeEUI/AAAAAAACDDU/Fih-JwRcFRsmCj2nOyTjzB90G1gP2sN1QCLcB/s1600/IMG_0234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rybipgO2baE/Vw2cI2SeEUI/AAAAAAACDDU/Fih-JwRcFRsmCj2nOyTjzB90G1gP2sN1QCLcB/s200/IMG_0234.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what you'll have a lot of...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One other important point: Because using the 3D Pen means having it closer to your face while you use it, you should ONLY use PLA - NOT ABS. It has been found that ABS Plastic often has harmful fumes, while most PLA does not.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2016/02/01/study-shows-some-3d-printing-fumes-can-be-harmful/" target="_blank">Engadget wrote a post on this</a> recently, which I try to share with everyone I know who does 3D Printing under any conditions - but I think it is even more important for 3D Pen use because of the likelihood of breathing in fumes.<br />
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<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-53174895488248301692016-04-10T20:49:00.004-04:002016-04-10T20:49:41.158-04:00Expanding Creativity With A 3D Printing Pen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLf3qufTb34/VwrtWG_ch3I/AAAAAAACC74/Q4jG63XP4OAxH4x45K93AbnUZtwxSkDsw/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLf3qufTb34/VwrtWG_ch3I/AAAAAAACC74/Q4jG63XP4OAxH4x45K93AbnUZtwxSkDsw/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
3D Pens have popped up everywhere. Ok, not everywhere - like there are none in my sock drawer - but certainly in stores and online where, just a year ago, you would not have seen them.<br />
<br />
If you have already tried a 3D Pen or bought one or generally know about them, you can stop reading now. If you wanted to understand the basics of what they are, this short post should help you.<br />
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<h3>
What is a 3D Pen?</h3>
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVOIXmTJ-Fk/Vwrtmm12cmI/AAAAAAACC78/e9D3wY72S3sl375EyBHZp92lur23w2DrA/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVOIXmTJ-Fk/Vwrtmm12cmI/AAAAAAACC78/e9D3wY72S3sl375EyBHZp92lur23w2DrA/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" width="320" /></a>A 3D Pen is an electric tool which lets you create things out of plastic. It's a creative tool - perhaps it could even be called a toy. It is what I would call a modern version of play-dough.<br />
<br />
Most 3D Pens take a strip of plastic "filament" into one side, heats it up to around 175 degrees Celsius (347 Fahrenheit!) and forces it out of the other side (tip) of the "pen" in a narrow stream allowing you to "draw" with it.<br />
<br />
As the plastic dries, it hardens back into firm plastic, remaining in whatever form you created. If you've ever decorated a cake with one of those pastry bags, you pretty much know how to use a 3D Pen.<br />
<br />
The plastic used is typically the same as that used by 3D Printers. PLA is the best option, as it has less harmful (or worrisome) fumes and melts at a slightly lower temperature (although, 345F is still pretty darn hot!). Some 3D Pens expect you to use their own "plastic sticks" - like the 3Doodler - but I prefer pens which are friendly to the same filament I'm using with my 3D Printer, so I don't have to buy separate material.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JLJiCxOZ478/VwrtwWaGRbI/AAAAAAACC8A/fjap0TQ2Nt00HWuG7dCfb_sM2_JQpQ2oQ/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JLJiCxOZ478/VwrtwWaGRbI/AAAAAAACC8A/fjap0TQ2Nt00HWuG7dCfb_sM2_JQpQ2oQ/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scribber 3D Pen has a clear screen to show the settings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Controlling the 3D Pen</h3>
<br />
There are some basic controls on most 3D pens.<br />
<br />
Temperature is the most important, as different plastic requires different temperatures.<br />
<br />
Speed is another option on some pens, so you can control the rate at which the melted plastic comes out of the tip.<br />
<br />
Then there's the motion - all pens which use plastic filament have both a forward (for drawing) and reverse (for removing un-used filament) - which allows you to "draw" or stop as you want to. That's pretty much it. Simple.<br />
<br />
<h3>
World's First, and My First - 3Doodler</h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73E0K77PX0Q/Vwrt8fQr9fI/AAAAAAACC8I/VwH4cR3X1-4scTlET84c9tx45bEJ8Efmg/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73E0K77PX0Q/Vwrt8fQr9fI/AAAAAAACC8I/VwH4cR3X1-4scTlET84c9tx45bEJ8Efmg/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3Doodler 1.0 - the original</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first 3D Pen I ever saw - in September 2014 at the MakerFaire in NYC - and apparently the first one ever invented, was the 3Doodler.<br />
<br />
That first version of the 3Doodler, which I bought pretty much at first sight, was good - but not excellent - which is pretty expected given it was the "world's first". It was loud (it even has a fan in it) and bulky and had inconsistent reliability in my experience and clogged a couple of times too.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-30EQ0k52ghs/VwrzPm_dnvI/AAAAAAACC8s/EndbY4fluKkPXTCnsxz9X_QSLXpVqGXjQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-10%2Bat%2B8.43.13%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-30EQ0k52ghs/VwrzPm_dnvI/AAAAAAACC8s/EndbY4fluKkPXTCnsxz9X_QSLXpVqGXjQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-04-10%2Bat%2B8.43.13%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3Doodler 2.0 - from 3Doodler's site</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That said, the first early 3Doodler helped me understand the concept well and frankly, amazed me.<br />
<br />
Since then, the 3Doodler company greatly improved on their original design and now sells their <a href="http://the3doodler.com/store/" target="_blank">second version</a> which I don't own yet. IT has been considered by others to be a huge improvement over the first - Less bulky, quieter, more reliable.<br />
<br />
I'll definitely try the <a href="http://the3doodler.com/store/" target="_blank">version 2.0 3Doodler</a> eventually, and I have the utmost respect for this company's founders, as they really innovated and broke new ground, defining this whole product category. You can now buy the <a href="http://the3doodler.com/store/" target="_blank">3Doodler</a> in almost every innovative electronic-friendly toy or game shop and even in Brookstone and other high-end retailers.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3D Pens Galore</h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21Hi8MFn43A/Vwruf69zfwI/AAAAAAACC8Q/6aBv2UvoUJEL5gajF8GXw77TIaqek8orA/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21Hi8MFn43A/Vwruf69zfwI/AAAAAAACC8Q/6aBv2UvoUJEL5gajF8GXw77TIaqek8orA/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scribbler 3D Pen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With 3Doodler's success in this new product category, it was inevitable that others would follow to create similar products. I've seen all sorts of variations on this theme now, but most are just basic knock-offs.<br />
<br />
I decided to try one called the "<a href="http://www.scribbler3dpen.com/shop/scribbler-v3" target="_blank">Scribbler 3D Pen" (3rd generation)</a>. It was highly rated on Amazon and - at the time - was on sale for $69. (As of this writing, it is $99 in all the listings I could find).<br />
<br />
I saw one completely new 3D Pen design at the NYC Toy Fair this past February called <a href="http://www.creopop.com/" target="_blank">CreoPop</a> - which uses liquid "ink" without heat - rather it uses LED lights to dry the ink as it emits from the pen's tip. This also seemed to allow more option in material with glow-in-the-dark, neon and more colors. This looked cool, but I haven't had a chance to try it first hand.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<h3>
New 3D Pen version for kids coming</h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XA6hJsbzfnA/VwrvF2bu-JI/AAAAAAACC8c/SqX9W6J2VfkEQERXBDtsbtlGVcWhKYD7g/s1600/IMG_20160215_111645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XA6hJsbzfnA/VwrvF2bu-JI/AAAAAAACC8c/SqX9W6J2VfkEQERXBDtsbtlGVcWhKYD7g/s320/IMG_20160215_111645.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3Doodler Start and some creations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://the3doodler.com/" target="_blank">3Doodler</a> is also showing and taking pre-orders for a completely new product called the <a href="http://3doodlerstart.com/" target="_blank">3Doodler Start.</a><br />
<br />
This version operates at a much lower temperature with completely new filament which is non-toxic, making the whole kit much safer for younger kids!<br />
<br />
I saw this product at the NYC Toy Fair in February 2016, and was VERY impressed. I expect this product to be a huge success for kids and schools if it proves to be reliable with reasonably priced filament. Nice to see 3Doodler continuing to innovate in 3D Pen Printing.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
<br />
If you love crafts and Maker projects, and often have the opportunity to work with kids to encourage them to experiment and try new things - get a 3D Pen. Make no mistake - this tool is not for creating precision objects as you might do with a 3D Printer. This tool is mainly for creativity and art.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bOzUMj-p8io/VwrznI5V_dI/AAAAAAACC8w/sfQ6HXEBo1EwM-zDi08-zx2TgkmjK03zQ/s1600/IMG_0227%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bOzUMj-p8io/VwrznI5V_dI/AAAAAAACC8w/sfQ6HXEBo1EwM-zDi08-zx2TgkmjK03zQ/s320/IMG_0227%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I haven't worked with enough different models to absolutely pick which is best and recommend a "winner" - but I will say that I've had great luck so far with the <a href="http://www.scribbler3dpen.com/shop/scribbler-v3" target="_blank">Scribbler 3D Pen</a> myself and have heard good things about <a href="http://the3doodler.com/store/" target="_blank">3Doodlers 2.0 version</a>.<br />
<br />
Check ratings on Amazon and Google Shopping to get a broader opinion before buying.<br />
<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-58171919203751227062016-03-26T23:12:00.000-04:002017-03-15T15:51:05.332-04:00BlocksCAD 103: Making the fitted Box Top<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--meDkQi8_V4/VvdOoxCBOnI/AAAAAAACBaI/mv5evXkP_IshR_eOKsQhYA3if5Nx9SEqA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B11.07.54%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--meDkQi8_V4/VvdOoxCBOnI/AAAAAAACBaI/mv5evXkP_IshR_eOKsQhYA3if5Nx9SEqA/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B11.07.54%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
This is the third in a 3-part series introducing BlocksCAD - a 3D modeling tool which uses block coding to create objects. If you haven't yet read the first two, check them out first.<br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html" target="_blank">Part 1 - BlocksCAD 101</a> - Making 3D Models with Code Blocks<br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-102-coding-3d-box-that-grows.html" target="_blank">Part 2 - BlocksCAD 102</a> - Coding a #3D Box that Grows<br />
<br />
In this part 3, you'll see how using parameters to make a box, makes it simple to make a fitted box top. With this method, a simple change in ONE value in your code will change the dimensions of the box AND the top!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Design Goals</h3>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
No matter how you create your 3D Models, you should always think first about your design goals. For this box plus matching box top project, we want the box top to be flush with the outside of the box, and we want it to have a protrusion on the inside to let it sit perfectly in place over the opening of the hollow box. In essence, we want a rectangle top, with a smaller rectangle protruding from the bottom which matches the inner dimensions of the hollow top of the box.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Using Values To Create Objects</h3>
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YgIEqtUplRE/VvdOMKHsMrI/AAAAAAACBaE/CDLnXm7fB-I-6HgbF1ozM5XU4ZyqXAvpw/s1600/BlocksCad%2Bbox%2Btop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YgIEqtUplRE/VvdOMKHsMrI/AAAAAAACBaE/CDLnXm7fB-I-6HgbF1ozM5XU4ZyqXAvpw/s320/BlocksCad%2Bbox%2Btop.jpg" width="320" /></a>In Part 2, we created a box of a specific size using a variable we called "block-size". We also declared that we wanted the thickness of the walls of that hollow box to be determined using the variable we called "wall-thick". Now that we're looking to make a fitted top for that box, those dimensions will come in handy.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Start With Basic Shapes</h3>
<br />
Let's think about our box top as two rectangles - one which is the same width and length as outside of the box itself, one one smaller rectangle sitting on top of the first, centered, which matches the smaller dimensions of the hollow part of the box. We're printing this box top upside down, which is why the smaller rectangle is on top.<br />
<br />
The thickness of the box top (the height when printing - also known as the z-axis value) can match the thickness of the walls of the box - so that will use the "wall-thick" variable value. The thickness (depth) of the protruding, smaller rectangle can also use that thickness value. Simple! So the first rectangle is created using the following CUBE block.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSB-dKoE7J4/VvcdPYHXgBI/AAAAAAACBZE/PdLf0WPDBD4XGZfMY2mKldYosJQKG7KGQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.36.19%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="48" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSB-dKoE7J4/VvcdPYHXgBI/AAAAAAACBZE/PdLf0WPDBD4XGZfMY2mKldYosJQKG7KGQ/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.36.19%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The smaller rectangle is slightly trickier. It's size is basically meant to be the same size as the INNER dimensions of the hollow box, so that would be calculated as the outer dimension, minus the thickness of the walls. Since there is a wall on each side of the x dimension and y dimension, that means we have to subtract TWO TIMES the wall thickness from the block size to get the inner dimension of the smaller rectangle. Let's create a new variable to calculate that size and call it "sm-block". That variable, and the subsequent creation of the smaller block is shown below:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q92EAtu4f5E/VvcfmMq5CzI/AAAAAAACBZY/sS6GvjyFsiQ_YOtT1audriX37WXvsGA2A/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.46.42%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q92EAtu4f5E/VvcfmMq5CzI/AAAAAAACBZY/sS6GvjyFsiQ_YOtT1audriX37WXvsGA2A/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.46.42%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
Making The Top Fit Better</h3>
<br />
If you've ever printed 3D objects that are meant to fit together, you know that a 10mm part will NOT fit into a 10mm hole. There is always the need for additional gap between parts to make them fit. The value of this "coding objects" method is that we can code that gap - and adjust it for different materials or different printers. On my Polar3D printer, I know that I usually need about 0.35mm gap on either side for a loose fit - which is about 0.7mm total on each dimension (I made it 0.75mm).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v5yvxofb6pk/Vvcdp_mo2eI/AAAAAAACBZI/YTfxFK6fvJkM8n4cO6KiZrPpaxKDJEqqQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.38.34%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v5yvxofb6pk/Vvcdp_mo2eI/AAAAAAACBZI/YTfxFK6fvJkM8n4cO6KiZrPpaxKDJEqqQ/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.38.34%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a>Now in the X and Y dimensions of that smaller rectangle, I subtract the value of "gap-mm" to allow for the proper fit. If I find the fit to be too tight, I simply increase that value to give a bigger gap.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Put The Shapes Together</h3>
Now that we have the two basic shapes, we can put them together to construct the box top.<br />
The most powerful code blocks in BlocksCAD are in the "SET OPS" group (Set Operations). For this object, we need to combine the two distinct rectangles using the "UNION" block. This is a pretty common operation, which combines two shapes into one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A4Dz5ulAFOE/VvchWEVW-qI/AAAAAAACBZk/0f-VW9DlQHQk4IEIgMzgS65fY5QzMviJA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.08.15%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A4Dz5ulAFOE/VvchWEVW-qI/AAAAAAACBZk/0f-VW9DlQHQk4IEIgMzgS65fY5QzMviJA/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.08.15%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
Notice that before combining the second shape (the smaller rectangle) with the first, we need to shift it up a bit so that it sits on top of the first shape. That's where the "TRANSLATE" code block comes in. We shift the position on the Z-Axis by the thickness of the first rectangle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZtXOzr282M/VvdMxl4LRiI/AAAAAAACBZ4/b3ysqeZDW0ktsGNklhF3kfAT1r52EKimw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.28.46%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CZtXOzr282M/VvdMxl4LRiI/AAAAAAACBZ4/b3ysqeZDW0ktsGNklhF3kfAT1r52EKimw/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-26%2Bat%2B7.28.46%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The code shown above s the complete code block which makes the Box Top - but notice that it relies on the variables from the prior examples where we made the box itself. Specifically, the block-size and wall-thick variables.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojl1R9I4x6k/VuYWY4i4WjI/AAAAAAACA2Y/v_Ou5ve4_A0mVRPiGS5Qg-YzV3UNNsIlw/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojl1R9I4x6k/VuYWY4i4WjI/AAAAAAACA2Y/v_Ou5ve4_A0mVRPiGS5Qg-YzV3UNNsIlw/s400/DSC_0025.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product in two sizes - 10mm and 30mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hopefully this three-part series gave you a sense not only of how to use BlocksCAD, but the value of using it. It's super fun to play around with BlcoksCAD, but more importantly, it's useful.<br />
<br />
NOTE: this is the third in a 3-part series on making models with BlocksCAD code.<br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html">Part-1 - Making 3D Models with Code Blocks</a> (aka Intro to BlocksCAD)<br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-102-coding-3d-box-that-grows.html">Part 2 - BlocksCAD 102 - Coding a #3D Box that Grows</a><br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-103-making-fitted-box-top.html" target="_blank">Part 3 - BlocksCAD 103 - Making the Fitted Box Top</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2017/03/blockscad-104-3d-modeling-multi.html" target="_blank">Part 4 - BlocksCAD 104 - 3D Modeling a Multi-Compartment Box with Code</a></div>
JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-39971660057417464032016-03-20T22:55:00.000-04:002016-03-20T22:55:24.132-04:003D Printed Easter Bookmarks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U77e79EVyi8/Vu9iDFmQ4uI/AAAAAAACBCI/5cjj81FeCpo790shRC9uXUJsfccrAjiQQ/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U77e79EVyi8/Vu9iDFmQ4uI/AAAAAAACBCI/5cjj81FeCpo790shRC9uXUJsfccrAjiQQ/s200/DSC_0032.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
This coming Sunday, many will celebrate Easter - and it just wouldn't be fair to let them celebrate without an Easter-themed 3D Printed bookmark to spread the joy!<br />
<br />
This whole trend started on <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/make-football-paper-clip-fast-useful-3d.html" target="_blank">Superbowl (tm) Sunday</a>, then <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/for-valentines-day-3d-printed-heart.html" target="_blank">Valentine's Day</a>, then <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/we-hate-paper-paper-clips-are-ironic.html" target="_blank">We Hate Paper </a>day (which is actually every day), and a bunch more.<br />
<br />
Given that I've described so much about how I've created those projects in prior posts, I won't bore you with the details on this one. I'll just share the model (at the bottom of the post).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uzdXX92q2l0/Vu9h5psdEtI/AAAAAAACBCE/YyW7old6_CQHwkktg8_W7I5M90kg4YLYg/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uzdXX92q2l0/Vu9h5psdEtI/AAAAAAACBCE/YyW7old6_CQHwkktg8_W7I5M90kg4YLYg/s400/DSC_0027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Imagine the looks on the kids faces, when they look in their easter baskets, and instead of delicious chocolate goodies, they find a pile of 3D Printed plastic bookmarks in the image of decorated Easter eggs! Oh Joy!<br />
<br />
"Thanks mom and dad! Now seriously, where is the chocolate?"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EFpk0pIe5jk/Vu9iOuWpjbI/AAAAAAACBCM/ikc3RKfNWa4ZQm3HPQLEv8Q4XaWNFBqZA/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EFpk0pIe5jk/Vu9iOuWpjbI/AAAAAAACBCM/ikc3RKfNWa4ZQm3HPQLEv8Q4XaWNFBqZA/s320/DSC_0030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
The Model</h3>
<br />
You can find <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1430924" target="_blank">this model on Thingiverse</a> - along with the many other bookmark <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/jrochelle/designs" target="_blank">designs I've created</a>. Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jbN2amQshEE/Vu9iW0TNGtI/AAAAAAACBCQ/0AUZWZaM21QTPhY0E0MlqH02JOrNmXodw/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jbN2amQshEE/Vu9iW0TNGtI/AAAAAAACBCQ/0AUZWZaM21QTPhY0E0MlqH02JOrNmXodw/s400/DSC_0029.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-2418275406776527612016-03-16T22:28:00.000-04:002017-03-15T15:51:22.772-04:00BlocksCAD 102: Coding a 3D Box That Grows<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7TxlPMRWgs/VuYWZL4jXXI/AAAAAAACA2Y/2A6rnvhDRwoAXYQrR8tNtuO07hgQ7tnqg/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7TxlPMRWgs/VuYWZL4jXXI/AAAAAAACA2Y/2A6rnvhDRwoAXYQrR8tNtuO07hgQ7tnqg/s200/DSC_0024.JPG" width="200" /></a>Using code to create 3D Models give you the benefit of customization - the ability to take a set of parameters (values) which influence how the model looks. In the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html" target="_blank">introductory BlocksCAD lesson</a>, we learned how to define a variable and then use the value stored in that variable to change some aspect of the 3D Model. In that case we changed a single dimension of a basic rectangle model. [note: this is the 2nd in a 3 part lesson - if you missed it, <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html" target="_blank">go back to the prior lesson</a> first]<br />
<br />
In this lesson, we'll use that same technique to do something more useful. We'll write a program which creates a hollow box in any size, and later we'll give it a fitted top to match.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Some Programming basics - Inputs and Outputs</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pohnzddmaqs/Vun7Y0hgRbI/AAAAAAACA64/q8Fjk8xBe8gcpUn9uK8is5ABsLyhsFu5A/s1600/BlocksCAD%2Blesson.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pohnzddmaqs/Vun7Y0hgRbI/AAAAAAACA64/q8Fjk8xBe8gcpUn9uK8is5ABsLyhsFu5A/s400/BlocksCAD%2Blesson.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Almost all programs take some sort of "inputs" - also known as "parameters" - and then use those inputs to influence the results of the program - the "outputs".<br />
<br />
For example - when you use Google Search, the inputs are the search terms you enter. The outputs are the search results.<br />
<br />
When you write your own program, you get to decide what the inputs and outputs are. In BlocksCAD, the output is a 3D Model - so you decide what inputs should be accepted to influence that 3D Model that is created.<br />
<br />
When creating a 3D model of a hollow box with a fitted top, what aspects of that box might you want to influence, and make those your inputs? Think about it a bit... I'll wait.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Box Which Adjusts To Fit Anything</h3>
<br />
The aspects of the box I would like to control with my program are the <u>size of the box</u> and the <u>thickness of the walls of the box</u>. This way, whether I want a box to hold a guitar pick, or a box to hold a furry bunny - I can use the same program to generate the model - by just giving it different inputs to control the size! (and no, I would not recommend storing a furry bunny in a 3D printed box).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Tnn3xPsbqY/VuoLP2Zt5UI/AAAAAAACA7Q/h_qnuyhIVskaDh3HXj7odboAsduavg1MQ/s1600/BlocksCAD%2Blesson%2B-%2Bhollow%2Bbox.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Tnn3xPsbqY/VuoLP2Zt5UI/AAAAAAACA7Q/h_qnuyhIVskaDh3HXj7odboAsduavg1MQ/s320/BlocksCAD%2Blesson%2B-%2Bhollow%2Bbox.png" width="320" /></a>To achieve this, we will build a program using the coding blocks which use variables that can easily be changed to adjust all the aspects of the model which are dependent on them.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Writing the Code to Make The Box</h3>
First - let's plan out how to make a hollow box. The way this is often done in 3D Modeling is to create a cube which is the size of the outer dimensions of the box you want - and then create a smaller cube which can be "subtracted" from the inside of that first cube to hollow it out.<br />
Great - and EASY!<br />
<br />
We first decide what our Variables are. We pretty much already actually did that above - so let's just call them: <b><u>box-size</u></b> and <u style="font-weight: bold;">thickness</u>. Then we'll use those in modeling the cubes we need.<br />
<br />
<div>
> From the "VARIABLEs" category, drag over a "SET ITEM TO" block and create a "new variable" (in the drop down next to "Item") - and call the first one "block-size" - then do another variable called "thickness".<br />
<br />
> From the MATH category, drag over a "0" number block and drop it into the "SET block-size TO" block - and change the value to 30 (we're starting with a 30mm box). Do the same with "thickness", but change that value to "2" (we're starting with 2mm wall thickness).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
> Drag a "CUBE" block over.<br />
<br />
> From the VARIABLES area, drag over the "block-size" block - which gives the VALUE of that block-size variable - and put it in the "X" component of the CUBE block. Then do the same again for "Y" and "Z". All of the 3 dimensions will be the same - 30mm.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bwo5RA-xv8I/VuoM6sF2gdI/AAAAAAACA7c/1oFQJixkqhooKcB1_HYqcfOs5MN_mU6Dw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B9.47.37%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bwo5RA-xv8I/VuoM6sF2gdI/AAAAAAACA7c/1oFQJixkqhooKcB1_HYqcfOs5MN_mU6Dw/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B9.47.37%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
At this point, you can test this program by just clicking the RENDER button. You should see a 30mm x 30mm x 30mm block appear in the rendered model window!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Making the Box Hollow</h3>
<br />
There are a set of very important coding blocks in a category called "SET OPS" (Set Operations) which let you do things like merge two shapes, or take the difference between two shapes. The "DIFFERENCE" block is the one we'll need here to hollow out the box - taking the difference between our original box and a slightly smaller box. If you're familiar with TinkerCAD, you know this as the "Hole" method. In Autodesk 123D Design, it is the "Combine" / "Subtract" feature.<br />
<br />
First - let's make the smaller box. The measurement of this smaller box will basically be the size of the larger box (block-size) minus two times the thickness of the walls (once for each side). So the 30mm original box, needs a smaller box which is 30 - (2 x 2) or 26mm on the X and Y dimension - and 30 - 2 on the Z (height) dimension, so that the top of the box actually is open (we don't after all want a hollow box with no openings - we want the top to be open!)<br />
<br />
Let's do the coding blocks now - using a new variable, some math and some transformations...<br />
<br />
> from the VARIABLES category, create a new variable called sm-block.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H_F70H7BbFg/VuoT_WCQC0I/AAAAAAACA74/tQoOK9mqYbU4IB6MC2K-lwb6ZraSZoi5A/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B10.12.15%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H_F70H7BbFg/VuoT_WCQC0I/AAAAAAACA74/tQoOK9mqYbU4IB6MC2K-lwb6ZraSZoi5A/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B10.12.15%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the finished correct code for the Hollow Box.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
> from the MATH catogory, take a math block which does ADDITION - then use the dropdown arrow to change that to SUBTRACTION. Take another of those same blocks again and make the second one MULTIPLICATION.<br />
<br />
> Put the values in the blocks as shown to become the equation we described above (block-size - (2 x thickness)) and put that into the SET sm-block TO block.<br />
<br />
> From the 3D Shapes category, take a CUBE block and set all the dimensions to the value of the "sm-block" variable.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qT9WW86sCM8/VuoTX2VGE1I/AAAAAAACA7s/2JEqMsq9nsAMpvvIsBn1w05mpyKwnDk3g/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B10.08.32%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qT9WW86sCM8/VuoTX2VGE1I/AAAAAAACA7s/2JEqMsq9nsAMpvvIsBn1w05mpyKwnDk3g/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B10.08.32%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OOPS! the smaller box was not centered</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
> From the SET OPS category, take a DIFFERENCE block and drag your original CUBE into the top slot, and the smaller cube into the bottom slot.<br />
<br />
Now hit RENDER to test! OOPS! The two boxes clearly were not aligned! So the result of the subtraction did not turn out as planned. To fix that, we'll move the smaller box to center it on the larger box - moving it by one wall thickness measurement on the x, y and z axis.<br />
<br />
> from the TRANSFORM category, grab a TRANSLATE (move) block and set all the paarmeters to the value of the "thickness" variable.<br />
> Put the smaller CUBE block inside that TRANSLATE block.<br />
> Move the TRANSLATE block into the second slot of the DIFFERENCE block.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YN1OlkQLDWQ/VuoTiSHfkII/AAAAAAACA7w/uz-bmyews_80HDeDZfibv9Asbb2Xr_2Rw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B10.12.23%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YN1OlkQLDWQ/VuoTiSHfkII/AAAAAAACA7w/uz-bmyews_80HDeDZfibv9Asbb2Xr_2Rw/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-16%2Bat%2B10.12.23%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>NOW test again... and BAM! You should see your hollow box.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
This is Where The Magic Happens</h3>
<br />
Now - let's change the size of the box - while keeping the thickness of the walls at 2mm.<br />
Pay attention or you'll miss it....<br />
> Change the value in the "Set block-size to" block to 50mm<br />
> Click the RENDER button.<br />
<br />
You should now see a larger box! Play around - this helps to test your code and, assuming it works, gives you some satisfaction! Change the value of "thickness" (to 4 or 6) and click render. Those are some thick walls! Good thing you aren't stuck with that :)<br />
<br />
In the next lesson, we'll make the Box Top - something that uses mostly the dimensions of the box but with a slight adjustment to allow for a perfect fitting top.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B-8lGbczv2s/VuoUsrGV_TI/AAAAAAACA8A/dcORN826YPAsBV6q66sLqTDbb8V3aVAyA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-13%2Bat%2B6.18.49%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B-8lGbczv2s/VuoUsrGV_TI/AAAAAAACA8A/dcORN826YPAsBV6q66sLqTDbb8V3aVAyA/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-13%2Bat%2B6.18.49%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
NOTE: this is the second in a 3-part series on making models with BlocksCAD code.<br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html">Part-1 - Making 3D Models with Code Blocks</a> (aka Intro to BlocksCAD)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-102-coding-3d-box-that-grows.html">Part 2 - BlocksCAD 102 - Coding a #3D Box that Grows</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-103-making-fitted-box-top.html" target="_blank">Part 3 - BlocksCAD 103 - Making the Fitted Box Top</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2017/03/blockscad-104-3d-modeling-multi.html" target="_blank">Part 4 - BlocksCAD 104 - 3D Modeling a Multi-Compartment Box with Code</a></div>
<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-91495065809059809312016-03-15T14:02:00.002-04:002017-03-15T15:50:35.582-04:00BlocksCAD 101 - Making 3D Models with Code Blocks<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D6TUu5ym87c/VuYa14oNtyI/AAAAAAACA2s/0AACcmyLGuUc_Dc3fyuDsIZuV4Cw-hovA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-13%2Bat%2B6.18.49%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D6TUu5ym87c/VuYa14oNtyI/AAAAAAACA2s/0AACcmyLGuUc_Dc3fyuDsIZuV4Cw-hovA/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-13%2Bat%2B6.18.49%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a>Most people say there are two ways to create digital 3D Models - 1) manually, using CAD (Computer Aided Design) and 3D Modeling software/apps - and 2) by scanning real-world objects with a camera or other scanning equipment to automatically interpret them into 3D Models.<br />
<br />
But there's a third way to create 3D Models - you can CODE them.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Coding to create 3D Models</h3>
<br />
You can write a program which gives the computer commands which creates 3D objects. If you're a programmer, you can try something called OpenSCAD - which is basically a programming language which defines 3D objects. If you're not yet a programmer, and want to (or are willing to) learn some programming basics that pretty much anyone can learn, you can try BlocksCAD.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Overview of BlocksCAD</h3>
<br />
<a href="https://blockscad.einsteinsworkshop.com/" target="_blank">BlocksCAD</a> is a block programming tool - similar to those used to<a href="https://scratch.mit.edu/" target="_blank"> teach coding to kids</a> - which has commands and tools to create 3D Objects and is super easy to learn for kids or adults. It is available on the web, through your browser, so no programs to download and it is very friendly for Chromebooks.<br />
<br />
BlocksCAD was developed by the Massachusetts-based <a href="https://www.einsteinsworkshop.com/outreach/blockscad" target="_blank">Einsteins Workshop</a> - a learning organization for kids. It combines aspects of doing simple programming (aka coding) with aspects of simple 3D Modeling. The results of BlocksCAD code are 3D Models which can be downloaded in .STL format for 3D Printing or for use in other programs which import .STL files (almost all do).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isouGs23jks/VuauTsVTyiI/AAAAAAACA3U/6GVRmnzDEWALI9JGVK5Nu6-iiG-exwNvg/s1600/BlocksCAD%2Bscreen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-isouGs23jks/VuauTsVTyiI/AAAAAAACA3U/6GVRmnzDEWALI9JGVK5Nu6-iiG-exwNvg/s400/BlocksCAD%2Bscreen.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BlocksCAD interface - 3 main parts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Get Started in BlocksCAD</h3>
<br />
The BlocksCAD interface consists of 3 main parts:<br />
1 - Library of available blocks<br />
2 - YOUR blocks (that's your code)<br />
3 - 3D Model Viewer<br />
<br />
The process of creation is quite simple:<br />
<br />
> Find the blocks you need from the Library of available blocks. Each category on the left side expands out to reveal all the blocks available in that category.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4lwqLWQhmZc/VudwVG4VgSI/AAAAAAACA3s/gFkgx1FgU9sQTQUfsRYPGZ4naC6UKPN-w/s1600/blockscad1a.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4lwqLWQhmZc/VudwVG4VgSI/AAAAAAACA3s/gFkgx1FgU9sQTQUfsRYPGZ4naC6UKPN-w/s400/blockscad1a.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample flow - choosing the SPHERE block, and rendering it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
> Drag the block you need into your code area. Later you'll see how they snap together to form groups of commands - for now start simple.<br />
<br />
> Adjust the values used in the blocks as needed. Each block has it's own options relevant to that command - for example - the Sphere block asks for the radius of the sphere.<br />
<br />
> Click "Render" in the 3D Model Viewer to see the results!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Creating your first Coded 3D Model</h3>
<br />
Let's keep this really simple to start. Let's create a rectangle. Pay attention - this is so quick you might miss it....<br />
> Click on the "3D Shapes" category on the left side.<br />
<br />
> Grab the "CUBE" block and drag it to the main screen area (in the center).<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j2dRXUXPnD4/VudzVn2WrSI/AAAAAAACA34/Qc2hARncp0wkBWyBCwKI6Z1CrdrpxlNGw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-14%2Bat%2B10.25.48%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="36" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j2dRXUXPnD4/VudzVn2WrSI/AAAAAAACA34/Qc2hARncp0wkBWyBCwKI6Z1CrdrpxlNGw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-14%2Bat%2B10.25.48%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
> Click "RENDER" on the viewer window.<br />
<br />
> DONE. You just coded your first 3D Model!<br />
<br />
Notice that the CUBE block has 3 values and one option. The X, Y and Z values define the size of each of those dimensions. You can click on those and change them. Click RENDER after each change to see what they do. The "Not Centered" option could have been changed to "Centered" to put the model in the middle of all axis.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Using a Variable to Modify Your Shape</h3>
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7OxHSQgkhu4/Vugjg1dCYzI/AAAAAAACA4M/ZyZm17-q3lIe05vuuoCHLClOX1AbWpmJg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-15%2Bat%2B10.55.57%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7OxHSQgkhu4/Vugjg1dCYzI/AAAAAAACA4M/ZyZm17-q3lIe05vuuoCHLClOX1AbWpmJg/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-15%2Bat%2B10.55.57%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a>Now let's use a "variable" - a placeholder which has a value - to help define the dimensions of your shape. In this case, we'll define the X-Dimension of your cube (actually, rectangle).<br />
<br />
> Go to the "VARIABLE" category<br />
> Drag the "Set Item To" block into your blocks space and connect it to the top of the CUBE block. It should snap into place.<br />
> Let's name the variable better to make it something more relevant. Use the dropdown on "Item" in the block to select "New Variable" and name it "xSize". This will represent the value in millimeters of the X-dimension of the cube.<br />
> Go to the "MATH" category and drag the "0" value block (the tiny blue one on the top) into the empty space in that "Set xSize To" block.<br />
> Change the value in the "0" block to "5" for now.<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v04w9Wm5u2M/Vugjg3HbFyI/AAAAAAACA4Q/tQhAdafiu80X-FZbkjr4TKi8qJtly6Qbg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-15%2Bat%2B10.56.19%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v04w9Wm5u2M/Vugjg3HbFyI/AAAAAAACA4Q/tQhAdafiu80X-FZbkjr4TKi8qJtly6Qbg/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-15%2Bat%2B10.56.19%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a>> In the VARIABLE category again, drag out the "xSize" block - which represents now the value stored in the variable you named "xSize".<br />
> Drop that "xSize" value block into the cube block where the "X" value is shown (there's a "10" there now). Dropping this block will push the other block out of there. you can click that "10" block once and then hit the "delete" key on your keyboard to delete it.<br />
<br />
You now have a simple way to model a cube with any X dimension simply by changing the value of the xSize variable. Not super useful yet - but later you will see why using variable gives you power to easily make adjustable models for customization without re-drawing models.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Advantages of Coding 3D Models</h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7TxlPMRWgs/VuYWZL4jXXI/AAAAAAACA2U/ACmYY53NdcEpfU2n233fGzbnWWqLgYTEQ/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7TxlPMRWgs/VuYWZL4jXXI/AAAAAAACA2U/ACmYY53NdcEpfU2n233fGzbnWWqLgYTEQ/s400/DSC_0024.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hollow box example you will learn in the next post</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The idea behind coding 3D Models is to give an automated way to create custom objects. While plenty of 3D Models are actually artistic and benefit from human creativity, some models are simply functional and can be more quickly created using rules and precise measurements. That's where coding helps.<br />
<br />
Let's take scaling for example (making a model larger or smaller)...<br />
Most 3D Modeling apps and even Slicer apps make it easy to scale a 3D model to get larger or smaller sizes. But, sometimes, simple scaling can not achieve the desired outcome. For example, if you have a simple, square, hollow, open-top box which is 20mm square with walls which are 2mm thick. If you want a 40mm box, you can easily scale the model to 200% before printing. But then the walls of the new box will be twice as thick - 4mm instead of 2mm. That is not likely what you wanted. Most modeling apps even let you constrain the scaling to X, Y or Z axis - but in this example, there is no way to avoid the change to the wall thickness.<br />
<br />
With Coding, I could easily separate the thickness of the walls of this box to be it's own setting (it's own VARIABLE!). This, in fact is the exact example which we will review in the next post - so stick around! In the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-102-coding-3d-box-that-grows.html" target="_blank">next lesson, we'll learn how to make a 3D Hollow Box that Grows</a>!<br />
<br />
NOTE: this is the first in a 4-part series on making models with BlocksCAD code.<br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-101-making-3d-models-with.html">Part-1 - Making 3D Models with Code Blocks</a> (aka Intro to BlocksCAD)<br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-102-coding-3d-box-that-grows.html">Part 2 - BlocksCAD 102 - Coding a #3D Box that Grows</a><br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/blockscad-103-making-fitted-box-top.html" target="_blank">Part 3 - BlocksCAD 103 - Making the Fitted Box Top</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2017/03/blockscad-104-3d-modeling-multi.html" target="_blank">Part 4 - BlocksCAD 104 - 3D Modeling a Multi-Compartment Box with Code</a></div>
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JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-40355848641716743602016-03-12T22:20:00.000-05:002016-03-12T22:20:54.774-05:00An Improved 3D Printed CodeBug Case<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fYMP262B5sM/VuTarJh71kI/AAAAAAACA0s/506WFz67CukbjdQuleyUbe_OgjG-5zxQg/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fYMP262B5sM/VuTarJh71kI/AAAAAAACA0s/506WFz67CukbjdQuleyUbe_OgjG-5zxQg/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
My <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/codebug-gets-3d-printed-box-with.html" target="_blank">first attempt at the CodeBug case</a> was mostly meant to look good - but it clearly had one significant drawback; it blocked direct access to the conductive "Legs" on the sides.<br />
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For more permanent project installations, the first version would allow soldered wire access just fine, but many of the learning projects on the <a href="http://codebug.co.uk/" target="_blank">CodeBug site</a> use alligator clips - so I wanted to make room for that in this adjusted design.<br />
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<h3>
Design adjustments</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4WGwzWhmJA/VuTbWjhGeqI/AAAAAAACA00/EWo-yrS289QHlyE0Nsc1VpKx-NBU_eA-A/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4WGwzWhmJA/VuTbWjhGeqI/AAAAAAACA00/EWo-yrS289QHlyE0Nsc1VpKx-NBU_eA-A/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fully stripped down starting point. Look ma, no feet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In some ways, this new version should have been the first version - since it is actually simpler. I started by stripping it down to the basics - simply removing the side panels on the case and trimming the cover to match. I also removed the goofy feet and the robot arm connectors.<br />
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Without the sides, all the legs stick out with enough room for an alligator clip on each - but I now wanted to add back a little personality.<br />
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Since those side panels is where I had the robot-connector arms - purely for custom looking designs - I just moved those to the bottom and - since I had removed the goofy feet-shaped feet - now I can design custom feet or arms or other appendages to make the CodeBug gain some personality.<br />
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I also added a robot arm connector to the top middle, under the wire port, to allow for more aesthetic adjustments later.<br />
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<h3>
The Model</h3>
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Look for this one soon online - still have some adjustments to make...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D9AOPMOVBcY/VuTbq30tE5I/AAAAAAACA1I/V6QR5gwx5v40pcC3F9PhZAvGr6tPuJbOA/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D9AOPMOVBcY/VuTbq30tE5I/AAAAAAACA1I/V6QR5gwx5v40pcC3F9PhZAvGr6tPuJbOA/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LxoWPQCA11k/VuTbq4x-h_I/AAAAAAACA1E/-P8ZlDncjIg4w1uyG8dakK3EuqdnOuQgg/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LxoWPQCA11k/VuTbq4x-h_I/AAAAAAACA1E/-P8ZlDncjIg4w1uyG8dakK3EuqdnOuQgg/s320/DSC_0017.JPG" width="276" /></a><br /><br />
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<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-10132185308039994702016-03-04T16:30:00.001-05:002016-03-04T16:30:48.475-05:003D Printed 4-Leaf Clover Bookmark for St. Patricks day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fceUZhdgzzU/Vtn75Q7TFII/AAAAAAACAVE/a_MKujJ5UP4/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fceUZhdgzzU/Vtn75Q7TFII/AAAAAAACAVE/a_MKujJ5UP4/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
After the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/for-valentines-day-3d-printed-heart.html" target="_blank">Valentines Day Heart paperclip</a>, the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/make-football-paper-clip-fast-useful-3d.html" target="_blank">Football paperclip</a>, the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/we-hate-paper-paper-clips-are-ironic.html" target="_blank">"We Hate Paper" paperclip</a> and the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/creeper-paper-clips-3d-printed.html" target="_blank">Creeper Clip</a> - I was sure the paperclip... errr... BOOKMARK phenomenon was over. But then. This.</div>
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So, first of all - they're not 3D Printed paperclips. They're 3D Printed bookmarks. <div>
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That is so much less offensive, since everyone knows <a href="http://www.wehatepaper.com/" target="_blank">We Hate Paper</a>. Second, Saint Patrick's Day had to be celebrated with something 3D Printed - so what better, easier way to do that than with a Bookmark? (you thought I was going to say paperclip)<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLQ9Dp37-6k/Vtn8IlsSZ9I/AAAAAAACAVI/yv6FX5NgRp4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-04%2Bat%2B3.59.17%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLQ9Dp37-6k/Vtn8IlsSZ9I/AAAAAAACAVI/yv6FX5NgRp4/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-04%2Bat%2B3.59.17%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
Design Goals</h3>
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Let's face it. I had one goal here. Simple, Fast and Cute. Oh - I mean I had 3 goals here.</div>
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<h3>
Design Summary</h3>
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<div>
Saint Patrick's Day has a few iconic symbols, but I think the 4-leaf clover is the only non-controversial one (I mean, I don't really even know what a Leprechaun is, and I refuse to drink green beer). So - starting with the Heart-shaped paperclip (Bookmark!), I simply transformed it using very similar dimensions.</div>
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<h3>
Design Challenge</h3>
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There was one very tricky part to this design. While each leaf of the clover leaf looks like a simple heart, it definitely has a distinct inward curve down the center of each leaf. It was quite hard to achieve that in a clover shape. When I used the basic heart from the Valentines Heart model, it just didn't look like a clover leaf. So I tried something else...</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGElVBW8uWs/Vtn8PCTPWwI/AAAAAAACAVQ/eaiOrp115OQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-04%2Bat%2B3.58.17%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGElVBW8uWs/Vtn8PCTPWwI/AAAAAAACAVQ/eaiOrp115OQ/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-04%2Bat%2B3.58.17%2BPM.png" width="142" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZvhTQJeAU0/Vtn8PGEpzNI/AAAAAAACAVM/gewjFxazqak/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-04%2Bat%2B3.58.39%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZvhTQJeAU0/Vtn8PGEpzNI/AAAAAAACAVM/gewjFxazqak/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-04%2Bat%2B3.58.39%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<div>
I basically took an elongated and flattened oval-shaped sphere (is there a name for an oval-shaped sphere?) and then cookie-cut a half heart shape out of it to make each half of each leaf of the clover. Then put those pairs together for each leaf. Then duplicated that to make four leaves. The stem was simply a curved spline extruded and rounded - and the outer clip part is a cylinder with the middle cut out.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwt4oCbQtns/Vtn8pEv3c2I/AAAAAAACAVY/aIvTeEK2k7g/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwt4oCbQtns/Vtn8pEv3c2I/AAAAAAACAVY/aIvTeEK2k7g/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
The Model</h3>
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You can <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1391538" target="_blank">get the Clover Bookmark here</a> (don't you dare use it as a paperclip!)... and I strongly recommend printing a few hundred of these and giving them to your friends before they celebrate Saint Patrick's day!</div>
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If your friends don't like Bookmarks, you can always give them <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/03/the-real-payoff-of-3d-printing-free.html" target="_blank">Free Donuts</a>.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4oTkiMvBngg/Vtn81KLGfCI/AAAAAAACAVc/6rRfp0xlQAk/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4oTkiMvBngg/Vtn81KLGfCI/AAAAAAACAVc/6rRfp0xlQAk/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-69548037544266109272016-03-01T21:23:00.000-05:002016-03-01T21:41:26.044-05:00The real payoff of 3D Printing: Free Donuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wpnokJyLyKw/VtZKiwDe9hI/AAAAAAACALk/gZR_j8mXMWE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.27.19%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wpnokJyLyKw/VtZKiwDe9hI/AAAAAAACALk/gZR_j8mXMWE/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.27.19%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I've got a new side project - one that's not really in full motion yet - in fact it is hardly started - but it still needed a mascot, an icon, a persona. Isn't that the most fun part of any project, naming it and giving it personality? Yes, of course it is.<br />
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Well, for this one, we decided the personality would be a Donut - yes, with a capital D. And please accept this simpler spelling rather than the annoying and all-too-accurate Doughnut spelling.<br />
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As with any good product, it's a loser without a 3D Printed product logo - so - the quest to 3D Model and 3D Print a frosted, sprinkled, delicious Donut began.</div>
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<h3>
Design Goals</h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RYpv3q0Cp_c/VtZMcXWp7gI/AAAAAAACAMQ/9HCKWF1WAvk/s1600/IMG_20160301_210014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RYpv3q0Cp_c/VtZMcXWp7gI/AAAAAAACAMQ/9HCKWF1WAvk/s320/IMG_20160301_210014.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
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What I wanted most out of this model was for the final product to actually look like a donut - unmistakably. </div>
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For man made objects which have structure - like buildings or cars or, uh, <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/01/a-fancy-3d-printed-raspberry-pi.html" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi cases</a>, it is pretty easy to represent the object in 3D modeling. </div>
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But for things which occur naturally in our environment - like a Donut - it's a bit harder. I wanted to capture the Donut in it's natural state - soft, sugary, harmful, yet delicious. </div>
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Are you hungry yet?</div>
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The type of Donut I selected to model was also critical. I choose a broadly accepted favorite - the Chocolate Frosted Sprinkled Donut - knowing that done right, it would be impossible to deny.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ban28__g_TQ/VtZLiYuwPMI/AAAAAAACAL8/r6DTdJYWU0M/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.54.02%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ban28__g_TQ/VtZLiYuwPMI/AAAAAAACAL8/r6DTdJYWU0M/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.54.02%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<h3>
Design Start</h3>
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<div>
Let's face it - without the frosting, the Donut project would be a simple Torus - the rounded and circular shape often called a... Donut. The hard part was the frosting. I literally stared at a picture of donut for 7 hours straight (well... maybe it was 7 minutes, but you get the idea) before figuring out a strategy to achieve frosting which had both a rounded top to match the contour of the Donut and drippy sides to represent that perfectly desirable, about-to-melt look. </div>
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<div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kkgfX1gDtDI/VtZLB4biY8I/AAAAAAACALw/DzYeiFLVEY0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.54.33%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kkgfX1gDtDI/VtZLB4biY8I/AAAAAAACALw/DzYeiFLVEY0/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.54.33%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a>First, I drew a splatter shape with the Spline tool (just random curves connected at the end into a circle. Then I drew another similar shape - smaller and inside the first - for the inside part that would fit against the Donut hole. I extruded the space between the two shapes into a donut-like splatter shape - 4mm high.</div>
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The main issue now was to give it a curve to match and sit atop the donut.</div>
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Now, I duplicated the donut and sat the splatter shape on top of it - sinking it almost all the way down into the top of the donut. I then sized the splatter so that the ends barely touched the outer part of the donut.</div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cY3QSAWoA7k/VtZLK0-tWJI/AAAAAAACAL0/s4xv9TmAPaE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.55.08%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cY3QSAWoA7k/VtZLK0-tWJI/AAAAAAACAL0/s4xv9TmAPaE/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B8.55.08%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a>Donut Design Magic</h3>
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The magic was about to happen. </div>
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I used the "Combine" / "Intersect" tool - with a copy of the Donut as the source - and the splatter as the target - to get a perfectly contoured splatter shape which could be fit on top of the donut! I simply enlarged it slightly and raised it to sit on top of the Donut.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g5g00Huija0/VtZLuXHGgsI/AAAAAAACAMA/efKBZZHyKxs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B9.09.40%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g5g00Huija0/VtZLuXHGgsI/AAAAAAACAMA/efKBZZHyKxs/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-03-01%2Bat%2B9.09.40%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
The sprinkles were easy-ish - they are each just small cylinders (approx 2-3mm long and 1mm diameter) with rounded ends. I placed each individually atop, and slightly sunken into, the chocolate frosting. I also gave each a slightly random tilt and turn - giving that "dropped onto the frosting in a carefree manner" look. (I've lost you, haven't I)</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
Additional Details</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y8uuXMAECos/VtZMWXOrO2I/AAAAAAACAMM/F6Dy52ZBvJY/s1600/IMG_20160301_205907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y8uuXMAECos/VtZMWXOrO2I/AAAAAAACAMM/F6Dy52ZBvJY/s320/IMG_20160301_205907.jpg" width="202" /></a>To make the Donut lay better on the printer bed, I added a 3mm wide flat cylinder to the bottom aligned perfectly to the tangent points that were touching the bed. Of course, I also added a key ring loop so the Donut could be conveniently displayed to make all around you jealous.<br />
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Some resizing steps were taken - harder that I had hoped - to make the Donut small enough to print fast, but big enough to notice the detail. And - <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2015/05/multi-color-3dprinting-using-sharpies-tm.html" target="_blank">as I have done before</a> - I used Sharpies (tm) to color the donut quickly.</div>
<div>
<br />
<h3>
The model</h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1383635" target="_blank">MkrClub Delicious Donut model can be found here</a> - where it will attract the most hungry, sweet-toothed 3D Print enthusiasts.</div>
</div>
JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-40361328813592633542016-02-28T21:43:00.000-05:002016-02-28T21:43:44.220-05:00Google Calendar 3D Printed Logo<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oYX35Ynel5A/VtOt2dafQGI/AAAAAAACABY/94lyagWpYNk/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oYX35Ynel5A/VtOt2dafQGI/AAAAAAACABY/94lyagWpYNk/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
It has been quite a while since I've modeled a Google product icon (<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2015/10/another-2-color-3dprinted-logo-with.html" target="_blank">Expeditions</a>), and much longer since I did my first (<a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2015/01/google-docs-icon-3d-modeled-and-printed.html" target="_blank">Google Docs!</a>) - so I thought it was time to catch up with some others that are deserving. <b>Google Calendar</b> is one of my most used products, so here it is.<br />
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<h3>
Design Goals</h3>
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The Google Calendar icon is unique in that it attempts to represent a perspective look - that is a 3Dimensional look - in a 2D design. So with this one, I wanted to try to achieve the look of the icon with an actual 3D model. You can see the result of the 3D Model - viewed at the right perspective - looks pretty well like the 2D version.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OPWOHpM9Duw/VtOHVLioqFI/AAAAAAACAA0/9txZ6nTW7w0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-28%2Bat%2B6.11.43%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OPWOHpM9Duw/VtOHVLioqFI/AAAAAAACAA0/9txZ6nTW7w0/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-28%2Bat%2B6.11.43%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnGzECF1YXU/VtOHSFk1FxI/AAAAAAACAAw/GLMm9PnZMlc/s1600/Google%2BCalendar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnGzECF1YXU/VtOHSFk1FxI/AAAAAAACAAw/GLMm9PnZMlc/s200/Google%2BCalendar.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Design Process</h3>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7aAgMnWqj_I/VtOI2f4wEdI/AAAAAAACAA8/_-PK6TBSXh0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-28%2Bat%2B6.54.33%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7aAgMnWqj_I/VtOI2f4wEdI/AAAAAAACAA8/_-PK6TBSXh0/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-28%2Bat%2B6.54.33%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Revolve tool created perspective</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To get the dimensions right, I used the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2015/02/use-google-drawings-to-start-3d-model.html" target="_blank">Google Drawings trick</a> - where I trace the image. I could have easily just measured the dimensions - since the foundation of this design is just a few rectangles.<br />
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In the end, I had three rectangles - One for the base (which has the two holes at the top), one for the top part of the calendar numbers and one for the lower part. Both of those calendar parts sit on top of the base.<br />
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To get the perspective angles on the top and bottom of the rectangles, I used the "revolve" extrusion tool in Autodesk 123D Design. The bottom part, I revolved 15 degrees, and the top part, 30 degrees. Then I used the "Filet" tool to round the corners.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JNp6SzKpR5g/VtOJBOyIyJI/AAAAAAACABA/Rqq2iS9twkY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-27%2Bat%2B10.37.27%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JNp6SzKpR5g/VtOJBOyIyJI/AAAAAAACABA/Rqq2iS9twkY/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-27%2Bat%2B10.37.27%2BPM.png" width="195" /></a></div>
To get the numbers embossed into the two halves, I actually created the numbers using the "Text" tool, and then cut the numbers in half. Then I aligned each half to be flush with the top surface of each of the respective calendar halves and pushed them into the surface by 2mm. Then, of course, I "Subtract"ed them from each half - and voila! I had the look of a real paper flipping calendar!<br />
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<h3>
The Model</h3>
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Since this is one of the Google Product icons, I've added it to my <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/p/mkrclubcom-models.html" target="_blank">Product Icons page</a>, which you can find right here on my blog (the tab at the top takes you there) along with many other product icons.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oaZsgKpmA0E/VtOtpZa2lCI/AAAAAAACABU/6Eq4Q8M4vnQ/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oaZsgKpmA0E/VtOtpZa2lCI/AAAAAAACABU/6Eq4Q8M4vnQ/s400/DSC_0008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-12993518788064497382016-02-14T10:33:00.000-05:002016-02-14T10:37:35.897-05:00Twisted Heart Box - Last Minute 3D Print for Valentines Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JdG6K7aKnW4/VsCc8X0gItI/AAAAAAAB_QU/FI1h-4glgbc/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JdG6K7aKnW4/VsCc8X0gItI/AAAAAAAB_QU/FI1h-4glgbc/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>
There's no saying when inspiration will hit - but somehow it always seems to be too late or just in time.<br />
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This time it was late on the night before Valentines Day and I suddenly realized it would be cool to create a not-so-ordinary heart-shaped box to hold chocolates or paperclips (the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/for-valentines-day-3d-printed-heart.html" target="_blank">heart-shaped kind</a>, of course) - which had a twist - literally.<br />
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<h3>
Design Goal</h3>
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I wanted something heart-shaped, but more unique and somewhat artistic looking. It occurred to me that I could take a heart shape and twist it while lofting it. I figured if I made the box big enough, it could even be practical to hold things - and so I also figured I would create a top for it.<br />
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<h3>
Design Method</h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YBnbUVDWxRI/VsCdRRQnalI/AAAAAAAB_QY/QIbrhgVMF50/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YBnbUVDWxRI/VsCdRRQnalI/AAAAAAAB_QY/QIbrhgVMF50/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I tried a couple of different methods in Autodesk 123D Design - experimenting first with extrusion tools. I finally settled on the Loft tool - using the heart sketch on the bottom and the top at 90 degree twist from each other. The loft worked quite well.<br />
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Then I used the "Shell" tool to make it hollow, with a 2.1mm shell thickness. This seemed perfect, but had some sharp edges on the inside and the part where the two bulbs of the heart came together had a bit too much material.<br />
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I fixed this by using the "Filet" tool on the edge along that inside seam where the bulbs came together (shown in the picture).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5b9fZMsZuKE/VsCcz27bxTI/AAAAAAAB_QQ/VPwBEViT-gE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-14%2Bat%2B10.19.27%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5b9fZMsZuKE/VsCcz27bxTI/AAAAAAAB_QQ/VPwBEViT-gE/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-14%2Bat%2B10.19.27%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The top was much easier - I basically created two hearts on top of each other, and reduced the perimeter of the upper heart by 2-3mm so that it would fit inside the top of the box. This presented a problem given the extreme slope of the top of the box - since that inset of the top would not fit in straight against the sloped sides of the inside of the box.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBgu99jC7mM/VsCeCG9QE_I/AAAAAAAB_Qg/hLh2Gvxgk9g/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBgu99jC7mM/VsCeCG9QE_I/AAAAAAAB_Qg/hLh2Gvxgk9g/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
To fix this, I fixed the box itself, not the box top. I added a 3mm high STRAIGHT top to the box, to give it a perfect place for the box top to fit.<br />
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There's a small trick to doing this, as simply pulling the face on the top of the box would continue it's slope. I used the shell tool on another same-sized heart and removed the bottom face, making it an outline only. That's what I pasted to the top of the box.<br />
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<h3>
The Model</h3>
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You can find the <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1341836" target="_blank">Twisted Heart Box model here</a> - and hurry up if you want to print it before the end of Valentines Day!JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-32687577729414675042016-02-12T21:11:00.000-05:002016-02-13T08:40:30.037-05:00CodeBug Gets a 3D Printed Box with Personality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgzLNCmSp50/Vr6P83GGslI/AAAAAAAB_MM/lSX6kY1BkA8/s1600/DSC_0006%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgzLNCmSp50/Vr6P83GGslI/AAAAAAAB_MM/lSX6kY1BkA8/s320/DSC_0006%2B2.JPG" width="257" /></a></div>
If you've never seen <a href="http://www.codebug.org.uk/" target="_blank">CodeBug</a> - let me introduce you.<br />
<a href="http://www.codebug.org.uk/whatiscodebug/" target="_blank">CodeBug is </a>"<i>a cute, programmable and wearable device designed to introduce simple programming and electronic concepts to anyone</i>". I first saw it at the BETT Educational Technology conference in London, where I met one of the founders, <a href="https://twitter.com/T_Mac_P" target="_blank">Tom Macpherson-Pope</a>. As soon as I saw CodeBug, I new I must create a 3D Printed enclosure for it.<br />
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<h3>
Design Goals</h3>
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When I met CodeBug, I had just finished making my <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/01/a-fancy-3d-printed-raspberry-pi.html" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi box</a>, and brought some to the conference to show the Pi people. Now I had a similar target in the CodegBug - but what really excited me was the small size! I knew I could experiment and make variations without waiting 6 hours for the thing to print, as was the case with the Pi box.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sINaDa0VT4M/Vr6Qd8TqXVI/AAAAAAAB_MU/-4Lbc75XTzg/s1600/DSC_0003%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sINaDa0VT4M/Vr6Qd8TqXVI/AAAAAAAB_MU/-4Lbc75XTzg/s320/DSC_0003%2Bcopy.jpg" width="273" /></a>What I really wanted in this first attempt, was just something that maintained some of the "cute" character of the CodeBug microprocessor board, but also made it easy to access the connectors (plugs and conductive "legs").<br />
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I also wanted the 5 x 5 led array to be exposed in a way which made it more fun to program - something like the mouth of a creature or a face of a robot or something similar.<br />
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Of course, I also wanted to have it stand up so it could be proudly displayed once it had a program loaded up.<br />
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<h3>
Design Details</h3>
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I decided that keeping with the original design meant that the buttons would be modeled to look like eyes and the 5 x 5 LED array to look like a mouth. While the CodeBug is called a bug, I saw more of a frog, so I called this first design the "CodeFrog".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uy87k7K1hwU/Vr6M_yXrPnI/AAAAAAAB_Ls/VSUXdLrnwOs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-12%2Bat%2B8.54.14%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uy87k7K1hwU/Vr6M_yXrPnI/AAAAAAAB_Ls/VSUXdLrnwOs/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-12%2Bat%2B8.54.14%2BPM.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJNICnKnaDo/Vr6M_zQ5sxI/AAAAAAAB_Lw/7QCogwPs3MI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-12%2Bat%2B8.54.37%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJNICnKnaDo/Vr6M_zQ5sxI/AAAAAAAB_Lw/7QCogwPs3MI/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-12%2Bat%2B8.54.37%2BPM.png" width="172" /></a></div>
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I used a two-part design and gave it a clear shape to match the original board, but without every detail on each conductive leg. I also gave it clear eye-shaped sockets and gave it feet which both added to it's ability to stand up and helped to hold the two-part design together with the CodeBug board sandwiched in-between.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8iqPbtbLA8/Vr6Pay9usEI/AAAAAAAB_L8/MvVlRv90ZD0/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8iqPbtbLA8/Vr6Pay9usEI/AAAAAAAB_L8/MvVlRv90ZD0/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
For design effect, I used parts of my prior <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2015/12/creative-building-with-3d-bot-bits.html" target="_blank">3D BitBot robot design</a> to add a flexible arm - using the sockets attached to the body and then just using previously printed arms and hands to make it look cool.<br />
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<h3>
Design Process</h3>
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The most important thing was to make sure the face plate fit over the 5 x 5 LED array and the protruding buttons really well so that there was little movement and a strong connection. I measured and experimented with probably 5 or 6 prints before getting that right.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3oE0t6tjJQA/Vr6Pl0SNTbI/AAAAAAAB_MA/6UxS2emxlGY/s1600/DSC_0005%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3oE0t6tjJQA/Vr6Pl0SNTbI/AAAAAAAB_MA/6UxS2emxlGY/s320/DSC_0005%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The base was also important to have a strong fit, and while the CodeBug board doesn't have screw holes to match, there is a battery protrusion on the back that was critical to fit into the base. I again played with that design until getting it just right, starting with a simple square base, and eventually shaping the base to match the face plate once I had the general position of the battery receptacle right.<br />
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I added a slit in the top of the feet to accept the bottom of the face plate and added small nubs inside the eye sockets to allow the face plate to click in and lock into the base. I only needed slight adjustments to make the face plate, CodeBug board and base work as a snap-together set.<br />
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<h3>
Design Results</h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1xegueOn5k/Vr6PyOt5i2I/AAAAAAAB_MI/kV_aqfoandU/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1xegueOn5k/Vr6PyOt5i2I/AAAAAAAB_MI/kV_aqfoandU/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
While this is really just a first attempt, I'm overall very satisfied with the result! My measure, of course, is whether this design inspires kids to want to code things on CodeBug which make this 3D Printed CodeFrog come to life. So far, I've gotten great reactions from my own kids, and I'll post follow ups once we have some programs to show beyond my own "mouth which opens and closes" program ;)<br />
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<h3>
The Model</h3>
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Look back here soon for the model - as I'll post it as soon as I do a bit of clean up on it.<br />
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<br />JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-762109919201041773.post-431284681228345062016-02-11T09:18:00.000-05:002016-03-04T21:17:50.123-05:00Creeper Paper Clips (3D Printed)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9twBPEAZ0ks/VryU06KK3SI/AAAAAAAB_IE/oMTnKi3AUBE/s1600/IMG_20160211_085810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9twBPEAZ0ks/VryU06KK3SI/AAAAAAAB_IE/oMTnKi3AUBE/s320/IMG_20160211_085810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After my daughter decided that the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/for-valentines-day-3d-printed-heart.html" target="_blank">Heart-Shaped paperclips</a> were a great gift for her friends for Valentines day, she realized that maybe the boys in the class should have a non-heart option.<br />
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We 3D printed a few of the <a href="http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/make-football-paper-clip-fast-useful-3d.html" target="_blank">Superbowl football paperclips</a> as an option, but then came up with another idea -<b> Creeper Clips</b>! These have the face of the popular Minecraft (tm) creature called the Creeper. It's a simple pixelated creepy face with a paperclip base.<br />
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<h3>
Design Approach</h3>
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There was one interesting thing about this model that's worth sharing (besides the paperclip part which I've already over-used). To get the multi-color pixelated look, I created different thickness areas on the face of the model.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1u2eooawmM/VryTscgMCJI/AAAAAAAB_Ho/Q3oC6qjr5pk/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1u2eooawmM/VryTscgMCJI/AAAAAAAB_Ho/Q3oC6qjr5pk/s200/DSC_0021.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">original with tiny 2.5mm pixel size</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To do this, I simply made 2.5mm by 2.5mm square tiles that were 0.4mm thick, and randomly (but evenly) pasted them on the base model in depths of one or two tiles. That resulted in a model which had 3 depths, each of which lets through a different amount of light and therefore gives the appearance of multiple shades of green - giving the Creeper quite an authentic look!<br />
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<h3>
Adjusting the Model</h3>
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Turns out the tiny 2.5mm blocks don't print that well at speed or when printing many copies at the same time. I adjusted by doubling the size of the "pixels" to 5mm squares, and got a much better result without sacrificing the look of the final print.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UhW7lfnoXRU/VryVKI35VRI/AAAAAAAB_II/o4OF9uPLrSI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-11%2Bat%2B8.39.46%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UhW7lfnoXRU/VryVKI35VRI/AAAAAAAB_II/o4OF9uPLrSI/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-02-11%2Bat%2B8.39.46%2BAM.png" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">different height pixels colored for visibility</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I also created a larger size by simply scaling up, which also increased the size of the original pixels to 3.25mm, which also worked pretty well.<br />
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The final adjustment was to give more space between the inner shape and the clip. I started with 1.5mm, which tended to crease or cut the paper that it was clipped onto - so I increased it to 2.6mm for a much better result.<br />
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<h3>
The Model</h3>
<br />
Here is the <a href="https://pinshape.com/items/17345-3d-printed-mkrclubcom-creeper-clip-paperclips" target="_blank">Creeper Clip paperclip model</a>. Print a few dozen to give away to your Minecraft fan friends!JRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03007138367944227896noreply@blogger.com1