Print Magazine wrote up a really cool interview with Karsten Schmidt a while back about the way that they created an amazing 3D printed magazine cover. You should definitely check it out! Here’s just one question from the interview that I think MakerBot Operators and Digital Designers will get into!
What are some examples of software in addition to Processing that helped in the creation of this sculpture?
KS: Sticking with the example of this cover project, apart from Processing I’ve also been using the following tools/languages, notably all Open Source projects:
Eclipse: the (meta)tool which has unspeakably improved and transformed my way of writing and working with code MeshLab: a 3D file viewer/cleaner tool that was invaluable for analyzing and visualizing the generated structure (since Processing was unable to do that due to the sheer complexity of the sculpture) Sunflow: a global illumination renderer used to better visualize the model before printing it in 3D Scala: a relatively new programming language more suitable and elegant for complex projects than Processing (although it can make direct use of Processing as library). My plan is to fully adopt this language for most of my future projects.
Wow, Clothbot is rocking it with a new dremel attachment that he made for his MakerBot with his MakerBot. Awesome!
Dremel Flex-Shaft + MakerBot + MakerBeam + OpenSCAD = Micro CNC Mill/Drill Press. Expect future refinements, but this is the first version that works on my Batch 1 MakerBot.
Dominic Muren is an occassional contributor to the Thingiverse blog and he gave a great presentation on personal manufacturing at the Seattle Dorkbot! This is very much worth the watch! Check it!
The latest version of ReplicatorG, 0013, is now available for download. This release adds a bit of functionality to the firmware uploader:
The uploader now contacts our servers to see if new firmware releases are available at startup. If they are, it will download them and give you a reminder that a new firmware version is available for your board.
The uploader now autoresets your extruder board, so you’ll no longer have to hit the reset button manually when you update your extruder controller’s firmware. (It can also autoreset your motherboard, too, but you’ll need to make a simple modification. See our wiki page on enabling auto-reset on the motherboard for details.
If you’re new to the firmware updater, don’t worry; we’ve written all-new documentation describing how to get firmware on to your boards from ReplicatorG.
Hopefully this functionality allow us to get firmware fixes to you as quickly as possible, and make it easier than ever for you to get the latest firmware on your bots. Happy hacking!
