John Pennington Invited to Explore 3D Coat

As everyone that reads this blog knows, I love using Moment of Inspiration (MOI3D) for creating the 3D objects I print.   And, for simple organic sculpting, I use Sculpt.   But, the world of 3D design is much broader than these packages cover.  So, when John Pennington, a friend, contacted me about his exploration of a voxel based 3D package called 3D Coat I became intrigued about it.

Here is their promo video...  But, be warned!  You might want to turn down your sound before running it!  LOL!

I believe that the best time to teach others is when the struggles of tackling an application is fresh in our minds.  Ultimately, we need experts to fully master an application.  But, in the beginning these very experts can lose us FAR too easily.  So, the fact that John is just beginning his exploration of 3D Coat is something I see as a plus because I know, from experience, how he goes about learning a new 3D design application.  I met John when I was blogging about CBModelPro some years ago.  We both loved the product and John went from complete novice to pushing the envelope with what could be done in a remarkably short period of time.

Consider this to be an experiment in trying to find an organic 3D application that can be used to create sculptures and pieces of art that go beyond what MOI3D or Sculpt can deliver.  As with all such advanced 3D applications the learning curve could be steep.  But, we'll stand back and let John beat the bushes and report back to us what he has found.  If anyone can find the easiest way to get up and running it's John.

The beauty of this experiment is that John doesn't pretend to be a great and accomplished 3D artist.  But, in my experience in hearing about his CBModelPro creations is that what he comes up with is always fun and enjoyable.  He does it because he loves it.  He loves the challenge of learning new things and is great about passing on what he learns to others.

The other benefit of John doing our groundwork for us is that the 3D Coat developers, knowing about this experiment, will be available to help him over some of the hurdles he encounters.  3D Coat is a VERY comprehensive 3D application and I suspect most of their users are equally proficient.  If John can help create entry level articles with clarity, it may take some of the load off the the 3D Coat support effort.  So, it should be a win-win for everyone.

While John is exploring 3D Coat, I plan to upgrade my understanding of Sculpt by adding the new Touch 3D Stylus device which YouthQuest Foundation is adding to our 3D ThinkLink Lab. 

The one I can promise you.  We are in for some FUN!

Welcome aboard John and 3D Coat!

P.S.  If you are already familiar with 3D Coat, I'm sure John would welcome some collaboration.

Cubify Sculpt Tutorial #3: The Beauty of Emboss Area and Texture Maps

I mentioned Emboss Area and Text Maps in a previous post.  I expect to explore these two features in many more tutorials.  They are SO powerful and make adding ornamentation SO easy that it truly makes designing in Sculpt child's play!

When I first heard that the president of 3D Systems was committed to the democratization of 3D printing and design, it was difficult to know if it was a sales slogan or a fundamental core value.  With the introduction of Cubify Sculpt, I now know that it is definitely a fundamental core value and a true commitment.  Cubify Sculpt has the potential to bring 3D design to just about every age group and just about every level of technical competence.

As an educator that taught from 1st grade to high school students, I always hoped that someone would create a product that could be used at the elementary level as well as the higher grades.  While younger students might not be able to create great works of 3D art with Cubify Sculpt, I am convinced that the feature set WILL allow them to successful create nice objects to be printed on a 3D printer.

Cubify Sculpt has the potential to be a major tool for school projects in STEM, Art, Geography and other disciplines.  In this video we show how a simple 2D STENCIL and TOPOGRAPHIC MAP are easily turned into Texture Maps to create reasonably complex 3D features. 

As you can see, a simple paint program can be used to create a tool to be used with EMBOSS AREA to complement any shape.  The fact that Texture Maps WRAP make them particularly powerful.

Cubify Sculpt has exceeded my expectations in a HUGE way.

Cubify Sculpt Tutorial #2 - Setup and Potter's Wheel Simulation

I'm simply amazed that I have been able to actually complete some demonstration projects so quickly in Cubify Sculpt.  I can assure you that this would not have been possible in any of the other sculpting applications I've tried to learn in the past.

One of the first upgrade features that I asked for when I first opened Cubify Sculpt was the ability to manipulate the clay in the fashion of a Potter's Wheel.  Well, it turns out that we can do just that using some hot keys or, I hope, by using a Spaceball type of device.  I've been told that the SpaceNavigator device can be used to spin objects with one hand as the other is used to sculpt.  But, we don't have to wait until a SpaceNavigator arrives to test the concept.

It turns out that the ARROW KEYS can be used to spin the object a specified number of degrees and by holding down the ARROW KEY we can do so continuously.

Here is a video that shows the concept!

The image used for the video preview is the SpaceNavigator.  I have ordered one and should have it by next week.  I was under $100 and I am looking forward to seeing how well it works!

The combination of being able to start with an STL, like the chalice, which is VERY easy to create in a CAD program; but, slow to create in a sculpting application and the having the ability to quickly add features while spinning the piece is a VERY powerful capability.  The ARROWS and other Hot-Keys are good things to explore.

I love it!

Cubify Sculpt - Emboss/Texture Maps: A Power Tool Combination

One of the problems I've had with previous sculpting tools I've tried is just how long it takes to make something useful in an educational setting.  If all we had were Push/Pull style tools, that would be true of Cubify Sculpt.  But, it's worth taking a look at the EMBOSS AREA tool and particularly the CUSTOM (with TEXTURE MAPS) option.

In fact, a good number are included with the Cubify Sculpt install, in the PATTERNS directory under the directory where Cubify Sculpt is installed.

Any black & white bitmap image having various levels of gray can be used with the Emboss Area tool.  The lighter the area, the higher the embossing action.  White areas will emboss the highest and black will not be raised at all.  The shades in between will be raised higher as the color moves to white and lower as the color moves toward black.

EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS

My main reason for exploring this feature so early is that a number of people have asked me about using the Cube / 3D Printing in an elementary school setting where the time allotted to teaching a 3D creation is limited.  At first, I was skeptical that Cubify Sculpt would meet that requirement,

But, the more I have explored the concepts of "TEMPLATES" (pre-designed basic shapes to be modified) and "Texture Maps" (pre-designed embossing stamps), the more I'm convinced that Sculpt would allow teachers to integrate 3D printing in just about any classroom.

SCIENCE EXAMPLE

From my high school days, one of my most consistent hobbies has been protozoology.  Some people watch birds, I watch protozoa.  In the late 1970's I taught Junior High Science and so it was natural for me to begin the exploration into how EMBOSS AREA could be used to provide a jumpstart for a student to design their own protozoa models.  For a future article, I will create a tutorial showing how the Texture Map was created and used.  But, for now here are images that show the Texture Map on the left and the final model on the right.

Amoeba Texture Map (Bitmap)

The above image was created in a 3D paint program.  Any, paint program can be used.  The important thing is that lighter areas will result in higher embossing and the black areas will not emboss at all.

Here is the above picture side-by-side with the resulting 3D object.

3D Amoeba Created From Texture Map

Here is another view that demonstrates the embossing a bit better. 

Amoeba Model at an Angle

The bumps in the surface were added after the emboss created the basic shape.  The embossing was done on the surface of a cube and then the cube was cut away using the REMOVE CLAY WITH BOX tool.  While the Texture Map was used like a stamp on the surface of the cube, there was still plenty of design modifications, such as lumps, bumps and indentations to the surface that the student could add.  Older students could have even created the Texture Map itself.  In fact, the Texture Map could even be created using a microscope image of a real creature!  Just convert the color image to black & white.

Finished Amoeba

The beauty in the fact that we can use gray scale images to create 3D features is that the images can be created in a variety of ways, including mathematically   Again, this isn't great art.  But, it DOES demonstrate the usefulness of Cubify Sculpt in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) program. 

The NOT AN ARTIST Cubify Sculpt Tutorial!

It's a good thing that I don't embarrass easily.  Because, when people see what I'm able to achieve in Cubify Sculpt some are going to fall on the floor and laugh their heads off.   Yikes!

But, let's put things in perspective.

A LOT of us that are interested in 3D printing are not great artists.  We simply want to be able to have some fun and create some objects that we can print on our 3D printers.  My gift, if I have one when it comes to most 3D applications, is that I am tireless when it comes to trying to figure out how they work so that I can help others, with more artistic talent, become more productive faster.  I get the technical aspects if not the artistic aspects.  :)

As you may already know, the whole reason that I became interested in 3D printing was because my oldest daughter IS a very talented clay sculptor and it was frustrating to watch some of her best work crack in the kiln after weeks and months of work.  So, it was natural for me to explore 3D printing and 3D early sculpting applications... beginning with MudBox.

Now, there was nothing wrong with Mudbox.  But, it simply was not easy enough for either of us to be comfortable with it.   While we abandoned Mudbox, we clung to hope that we WOULD eventually find a virtual clay program that we COULD grasp.

I think we have found it.  And, that is Cubify Sculpt.  So, Cubify Sculpt is very important to me on a personal level.  I may not make great art with it.  But, I know some people who just might.

Admittedly my first samples are going to be crude.  But, they are nonetheless important in demonstrating to me just how important it is to pursue Cubify Sculpt as far as possible.  I've only had it a few days and am happy with where I am in the process of scoping it out.  Of course, I'm aiming a bit lower than I hope many of you are aiming.  And, I am looking forward to what YOU will be able to achieve in Sculpt.  But, here is my first attempts at creating with a goal in mind.

Potato Man

I knew that my best bet was to aim at creating something with big features.  Having consulted to Hasbro, I knew the perfect subject.  I love Mr. Potato Head!

Potato Man Created with Cubify Sculpt

Green Monster

I spend about a year working with a wonderful program for children called Cosmic Blobs.  While not a true Virtual Clay Sculpting program, it was wonderful at creating mythical beasts and funny monsters.  So, it was natural for me to see what I could do with Sculpt when it came to weird monsters!  Green ones, in fact.

Green Monster Created with Cubify Sculpt

Perhaps the reason I liked Cosmic Blobs and Cubify Sculpt is that I THINK like a seven year old!

Again, these don't put me up there with the best 3D artists in the world.  But, they do tell me that I can have a LOT of fun with Cubify Sculpt and, perhaps, eventually do some very nice things.

In the meantime, I will be exploring the tools in Cubify Sculpt and inviting any and all to come along for the ride.  So, here is Tutorial #1, Introduction.

P.S. I was very flattered to see that someone already gave this video FIVE STARS between the time it was uploaded a little while ago and just now as I selected it for this blog.  I hope that means that everyone interested in Sculpt will find it helpful!

I urge you to give Sculpt a try.  Be sure to look for the FREE STL files link on the Sculpt Download page.