Friday, October 16, 2015

Updated Cubify Site is Amazingly Beautiful and Useful!

Opening up the Cubify Site this morning, I was blown away by the latest update.  I remember the first time I opened the Cubify web site and it seems a world and an eternity away!  It is amazing and gratifying to experience the evolution of the site over the years to the point where it is extraordinarily inviting to browse and use.

Most of the time I only have regular contact with the people that deal with hardware and app development.  So, I don't know who to thank for the progressively better web site experience that has burst forth in the last few updates.  So, if you are part of the team, consider this my Thank You!  I LOVE it!

New Filament Presentation

As I went to bed last night I was fretting that PLA appeared to be unavailable.  Not fun.  But, fortunately, I awoke to a completely different reality.  I'm having FUN again!

What a difference a few hours makes!

Every now and then, someone accuses me of being a stealth employee of 3D Systems.  But, it's easy to put that thought to rest by pointing out how many times I have not only been completely surprised by a new product or development; but, way behind in discovering it.  Fabricate is one of the glaring examples and the PLA availability confusion is another.

One of the improvements that I woke to this morning was the new presentation of the filament colors.  After years of flat swatches, we are treated to sculptured objects for making our colored choices.  Shadows are important when it comes to choosing a filament color and the new presentation allows us to compare not only the basic colors; but, the nuances of the colors as printed.  This isn't just a cosmetic update.  For users I consider it an important usability update.

Designs for USERS

One of the side effects of being as busy as I am actually doing and teaching 3D printing is that it leaves less time to spend catching up on what is being presented on the Cubify web site for users.  So, I fail to alert users to the free designs and other perks being offered to users on Cubify.com.

I'll try to do better in this regard.  And, in the meantime, I'll point to the Cubify Halloween Page as the perfect example of 3D System's constant commitment to elevating the Cube experience for users.

The new Patterns Pages

 While not free, the new fabric patterns are reasonably priced and are a great way to become familiar with using 3D printing in fabric projects.  I was excited to see the patterns offering because it helps potential 3D Printer owners understand how to integrate 3D printed parts in fabric projects.  The fact that 3D Systems is constantly thinking about new and exciting applications for consumer 3D printing is very gratifying to me.  The patterns made it easier for me to visualize how to introduce Fabricate concepts to our cadets and I KNOW they are going to be VERY excited.

Way to go Cubify team!

4 comments:

  1. Am I the only one who have been experiencing lots of issues lately where the Cubify application fails to discover the printer? This is extremely frustrating. Usually the printer appears after I restart the computer, but at the moment it does not appear no matter what. Has anyone else got this and know how ti fix it? Seems like cubby.com is down at the moment as well, have no idea whether that is related.

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  2. I have two printers on the same network. One seems to have a harder time than the other being seen by the software. But, I think it's a location issue. It's farther away from the wireless router.

    I added an Amped Wireless high gain antenna to my router and it appears to have helped. http://www.microcenter.com/product/354509/High_Power_12dBi_Omni-Directional_Wi-Fi_Antenna

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  3. Maybe. But mine has been at the same location all the time and this issue has only appeared the last month or so. Which makes me believe it is a software thing.

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    Replies
    1. Wade reports that he has observed the same issues. So, let's hope they find the source of the problems.

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