Come to our October 2014 3D Printing Meet-up in Belgium!
Want to learn about 3D printing and connect with other designers? Then come join our upcoming meet-up at our Belgium headquarters! The meeting is in Leuven, Belgium office on October 10, 2014 at 14.00-18.00 GMT +1 (Belgian time).
Sign up for this free event here.
Read on for directions and more info!
(more…)
7 Essential Tricks to Prepare Your 3D Model for 3D Printing
There are many 3D modeling programs out there for creating stunning 3D designs. But what looks great on a screen isn’t necessarily ready to be 3D printed. Typically 3D models need some preparation to be 3D printable. Luckily, fixing your own design can be surprisingly simple. In this overview we will show you the 7 most important tips and tricks to prepare your 3D design for 3D printing. This ‘Printable 3D Design Checklist’ features information about the most common 3D printed design flaws and how to fix them.
(more…)
Reduced Lead Times for Silver: Get Your Silver Faster than Ever!
Good news for fans of sterling silver, the lustrous metal with the moon-like white glow: our fastest silver lead time is now only 6 business days!*
That means you can place an order for our Silver (Gloss) material on Monday, you could get the tracking number as early as next Monday.* To see an estimated arrival date, start by uploading your design here for free.
This special 6-10 business day lead time is for our Silver (Gloss) material only. But our Silver (High Gloss) also has a faster lead time, by two whole days! Compared to industry averages of 10-14 days, our premium grade sterling silver is among the fastest 3D printed metals to ship. Read on for more information…
(more…)
6 Best 3D Printed Fantasy Designs
The world of 3D printed fantasy design is unlike any other: it not only imagines another world, it makes it real! If you’ve ever struggled with symmetry, shaky hands, or poor eyesight, then designing and 3D printing your designs could give you abilities you never knew you had. Zooming can make up for blurry vision, symmetry options and “undo” buttons make up for unsteady hands, and you can create or render nearly any lighting condition (including ones that cannot exist in the real world.)
Feeling inspired? There’s free software here, if you scroll down. Now go check out the 6 most beautiful 3D print designs created by some of our favorite fantasy artists, along with tips about joint design, color 3D printing, and hand-painting your design!
(more…)
3D Printing With SketchUp: An Easy Introduction
SketchUp is a free beginner-friendly Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software that can create highly detailed, 3D printable architecture (i.e. houses), furniture (i.e. cabinets), and mechanical parts (i.e. drone propeller blades). Formerly owned by Google, SketchUp can cause some troubles when it comes to 3D printing, however. That’s why we put together with 3D printing manual featuring beginner-friendly tips on how to use SketchUp for preparing printable 3D models.
(more…)
How to Design and 3D Print Metal Jewelry
From a career in computer science to one of London’s foremost experts on 3D printed jewelry, it can be said that Jack Meyer’s true passion found him. As the Senior CAD (computer-aided design) and technology instructor for Holts Academy in London, and owner of CAD Jewellery Skills, Jack’s whirlwind discovery of 3D printed art and jewelry lead to launching his own manufacturing company, and then to teaching a new generation of award-winning fine jewelers.
Jack’s students increasingly use “made to order” services such as i.materialise’s online 3D printing service to create their jewelry collections, and Jack’s agreed to share some tips for creating timeless, old-fashioned 3D printed jewelry.
(more…)
10 MUST SEE Speakers and Exhibits at the 2014 London 3D Printshow
The 2014 London 3D Printshow is approaching, fast! Starting on September 4th, it promises to be one of the biggest 3D Printing events of the year.
i.materialise will join exhibitors that include Adobe, Autodesk, and 3Doodler directly in the heart of London, deep inside the vaulted, Victorian halls of the historic Old Billingsgate building (click here for directions.) We hope to connect with you there! Our outreach team will be on hand to answer your 3D printing questions.
We are also giving two of our very own presentations on:
- Friday 05, 2014 at the Open Stage
- Saturday 06, 2014 at the Open Stage
(click here for information.)
Read on for other worthwhile events and speakers!
(more…)
Open a Free i.materialise Shop and Get $10 Off
Did you just print something?
Want to sell it in your free i.materialise shop?
Then you can get a free $10 voucher!
Read on for how to get it.
Designs featured in our header are by (left to right): Nataliya Yakimova, Albert Ringer, Sven Wiebus , MCODE by Maaike van der Horn, Dizingof, Eugene and Emrys, VAIA GKERLIOTOU, and Manuel Breit. Not all items are currently sold.
(more…)
How to Share And Embed Your 3D Design Using Sketchfab
There is now a free, interactive, and comparatively safe way to share your 3D design with friends: Sketchfab. What YouTube is to video, Sketchfab is to 3D files. Alban Denoyel launched Sketchfab after noting that many of us share 3D designs via grainy screenshots, large rendered images, or by unsafely sending out our file. Sketchfab provides a neat alternative: it allows you to share an interactive, fast-loading rendered view of your 3D model – without allowing viewers to download or illegally distribute your file.
(more…)
How to Create Custom Pendants and Necklaces With JWEEL
Want to design your own 3D printed custom necklace or pendant in under an hour? We did – and so can you! Designing your own necklace gets easy with accessible and user-friendly programs like JWEEL, a free browser-based design app for creating customized jewelry. It has a built-in feature that lets you 3D print your own necklaces, pendants, charms, and rings in gold, silver, brass, and other materials— without even owning a 3D printer. It’s a great and easy way to quickly create custom jewelry designs – let’s lake a look at this app and design our own custom necklace!
(more…)
