iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Each year, the art teacher and I collaborate on a 3D design and 3D printing project to accompany her art standards in 1st grade. Blokify has been a trusty 3D design tool that has served this project well due to its simplicity on the iPad. However, this year we hit a road block. Blokify is no longer available in the app store, and this was the year that our iPads finally quit supporting its functionality.

3D printing has been used to build houses, cabins, offices, bridges, pavilions, large-scale structures, and much more. Even though they only existed for a handful of years, there are a vast number of completed projects, ongoing construction jobs, and unique concepts that are driving the industry today. Before we get started with the greatest 3D printed houses and structures in the world, take a glance at the top five advantages that 3D printing can offer the construction industry.

This 3D scanner guide is broken into four parts. In the first section, you’ll find a detailed list of the best 3D scanners and 3D scanner software that will help you to get the job done. If you’d like an introduction to 3D scanning technologies and need help to decide whether to buy a 3D scanner and which type, then skip ahead to the second section.

Free 3D printer files can transform your kids’ 3D printing projects. Rather than having to design their own objects, kids can get to grips with 3D printing by downloading files made by others. There is a great range of different websites with free STL files. These can offer not only free 3D printer files, but also can help kids get involved in the 3D printing community. Kids can enter contests, redesign existing files, post up their creations, or even sell their objects. Keep in mind that most of the websites require a quick sign up in order to download the files.

Take a look at the most popular 3D printing websites to download free STL files.

I’m serving as a “Minecraft Consultant” to our 6th grade Social Studies teacher (Sara Zedlitz) and middle school librarian (Michaela Freeland) who are collaborating for a second year on an awesome 3D design and 3D printing project that is part of a study on ancient Rome and Roman structures. Yesterday I helped students who had designed their 3D structures in Tinkercad export their files as “schematics” for Minecraft. Today I used MCEdit to import those objects into a flat Minecraft world and add some modifications to them, including lighting and water in the aqueduct. In this post I’ll highlight the key steps of this process and share both a Google Doc how-to document as well as a 5 minute screencast I recorded of my initial import efforts.

Think you know what to expect from an X-ray? Think again. MARS Bioimaging just developed the world’s first 3D full-color X-ray — they’re pretty incredible (and a little uncanny). The MARS system is a medical scanner using technology from CERN, and it captures the human body in startling detail. It took over a decade to develop, and it could offer not only more visually stimulating bone-scans, but more accurate results for doctors and patients.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers are everywhere – from the home to the office, from the classroom to the workshop!

The most commonly used materials in 3D printing are the thermoplastics PLA and ABS, but the list goes on (and on). Other materials that are sold as 3D printer filament include nylon, polycarbonate, carbon fiber, polypropylene, and many more! There are even special blends which can conduct electricity or glow in the dark!

With so much variety on offer, it’s easier than ever to create functional, beautiful, and high performing prints in a variety of exciting materials. Read our 3D printer filament guide to find out which 3D printer filament – standard, exotic, or professional – is right for you.

3D printing and virtual reality have both emerged as vital technologies in the future of industrial innovation. If you need any proof of this, just take a look at what Lockheed Martin is doing with the both of them.

Earlier this week, the pioneering aerospace and defense company invited the press to their Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL) in Colorado. The visitors were treated to a remarkable surprise, a first-hand look at the 3D holographic platform used to design new engine systems.

Using a pair of 3D virtual reality glasses with integrated motion tracking, Lockheed Martin has created an immersive platform. The hologram is enclosed within an area referred to as The Cave, a part of the breakthrough technology that employees have developed within the CHIL.

Below are three good iPad apps students can use to create and share 3D models and animations. Some of these apps support 3D printing. Students can use the apps to engage in a wide variety of creative tasks from creating simple designs to constructing complex objects. They can create figures, build modules, design  pixel arts and bring them to life through 3D technology. Check out the featured apps below and if you have other suggestions to add to the list, share with us in our Facebook page. Enjoy

The printer uses a variety of gels, pastes, powders, and even liquid ingredients.