What Exactly Is #3DRV?
ENTRY 1San Rafael, CAThursday, May 15, 2014
Well over a year ago, Autodesk’s Angela Simoes and I had a conversation about the maker community, entrepreneurship, trends in 3D printing and scanning, among a few other topics. I was asking the question for my Forbes blog and Angela wa…
Read blog postThe Road Home – Getting the RV Ready
ENTRY 2San Mateo, CAFriday, May 16, 2014
Helen Keller once said that “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”This upcoming adventure won’t be filled with adrenaline, most of the time, but it will be filled with people who make life worth living. The best part about an …
Read blog postMaker Faire Rejuvenates
ENTRY 3San Mateo, CAThursday, May 22, 2014
Nothing quite restores your soul like seeing kids in all their glory, running around full of wonder and excitement. Maker Faire brings that out in force -- filling people to the brim with laughter and joy. More practically, it opens up one’s …
Read blog postJayco RV - Driving in 3D
ENTRY 4Tualatin, ORMonday, May 26, 2014
Jayco is a family run business that makes recreational vehicles, RVs, as most people call them. As one of the oldest running RV companies, we feel pretty fortunate to have them supporting our #3DRV team. As I mentioned in my earlier post, Jay…
Read blog postPortland ADX – What A Thinker And Maker Space
ENTRY 5Portland, ORTuesday, May 27, 2014
Instructions serve a useful purpose – in the case of ADX Portland, it keeps you from burning down the shop. I love signs like these for their humor and memory jogs. If it wasn’t for years of marital coaching, our house likely would have one o…
Read blog postMoon Express Landing A Pickup Truck
ENTRY 6Mountain View, CAThursday, May 29, 2014
In one of the NASA Ames buildings is a large trampoline-like net – its sole purpose is to keep the Moon Express lunar lander from crashing onto a hard surface if something goes wrong during a test. While Andy Aldrin, president of Moon Express…
Read blog post3D Printers In Space
ENTRY 7Sunnyvale, CAThursday, June 5, 2014
In almost every company I have visited in the last few years, every one that has a 3D printer tells me that they find unexpected and
extraordinary uses for 3D printing. But they do not discover these “unexpected”
uses until they have a…
Read blog postMakerHaus Seattle Gathering – Scan Complete
ENTRY 8Seattle, WAFriday, June 6, 2014
Ninety seconds and we had a laser scan of the Makerhaus
meetup. Two minutes more and we added color photo-like quality to that scan (I’m
showing the non-color option below because of operator error in getting the
color portion to load). Th…
Read blog postBridge Building The Portland Way
ENTRY 9Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Moving a large object, for instance, a 40 foot wooden beam,
might involve some brainpower, but not too much. Sliding a 1,000-foot long
bridge requires a fair amount of genius. Not only did Sundt Construction
propose the novel idea of tempo…
Read blog postDirty Socks and Drones
ENTRY 10Yellowstone National Park, WYFriday, June 13, 2014
The first question is whether or not the wire at the top of the fence separating us from the 3D Robotics IRIS quadcopter is electric or not. I guess all the other questions do not matter after that, so I won’t bore you with them. We stil…
Read blog postThe Power of Clean Air in 3D
ENTRY 11Tualatin, ORMonday, June 16, 2014
When Louis Pasteur developed the germ theory of disease, he was building on the work of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis who introduced hand washing to the medical community in 1847. Such a practice seems incredibly basic, but it was overlooked as a way …
Read blog postScanning Our Way In North Dakota
ENTRY 12Medora, NDFriday, June 20, 2014
North Dakota is a bit off the beaten path and that's a good thing -- you can experience part of America that, for some, seems to have vanished. Thankfully, the little town of Medora has kept that from happening with at least two treasures tha…
Read blog postCutting, Grinding, And Welding For The Greater Good Of The World
ENTRY 14Emeryville, CAFriday, June 20, 2014
Fun. Dynamic. Masterful. Effusive. Lively. Brilliant.A few words that describe Jeff Tiedeken, owner and creator of a modern day machine shop called Monkey Likes Shiny. This is not a hobby shop, but a shop of a full-time tinkerer, a career mak…
Read blog post360 Degree View of South Dakota Grasslands
ENTRY 13Deadwood, SDFriday, June 20, 2014
We couldn't think of a way to capture the grandeur and immensity of the South Dakota Grasslands (not the Badlands, not yet), then it hit us! Faro 3D Laser Scan them. So we pulled off and here's a great panorama. 360 degrees. Of course, we had…
Read blog postAnything You Can Dream - We Can Build
ENTRY 15Port Coquitlam, BCThursday, June 26, 2014
Anything you can dream . . . we can build. That is the tagline, motto, mantra for Dynamic Structures in British Columbia and I could not find a more appropriate title to give this post. Our timing was impeccable. Craig Breckenridge, who …
Read blog postRedEye: Factory of the Future
ENTRY 18Eden Prairie, MNThursday, July 3, 2014
As we enter the RedEye headquarters in Eden Prairie, we are greeted with warm Minnesota friendliness by the receptionist, Melissa. Since we are early for our appointment, she invites us to look around at the cool displays that were 3D printed…
Read blog postLessons From The Roadtrip: Update One
ENTRY 16Chicago, ILThursday, July 3, 2014
We’ve been on the road for about six weeks. We set out to get a pulse on all things 3D. A lofty goal, to be sure, and we are learning a lot. In a nutshell, we are getting a solid heartbeat.From consumers to business owners, people find 3D (sc…
Read blog postMaking On The Fourth Of July In Chicago
ENTRY 17Chicago, ILFriday, July 4, 2014
Spent some time at the famous Pumping Station: One last night (July 3rd) in Chicago. Thanks to Bart Dring for inviting me. Pretty cool spot for one of the biggest, if not the biggest, makerspace in the USA. They have a lot…
Read blog postA Motorcycle Built For Any Road: Carducci Dual Sport SC3 Adventure
ENTRY 19Sunnyvale, CASunday, July 6, 2014
Over 10 million motorcycles are on the road in America. A subset of those are known as dual sport bikes – motorcycles you can take pretty much anywhere you want off-road or pavement. Jim Carducci and Sherry Cordova are co-founders of a limite…
Read blog postIndustry – A Portland Design Firm Building A Bicycle
ENTRY 20Portland, ORSunday, July 6, 2014
Community comes first for INDUSTRY, a design firm in Portland, Oregon. Walking around their studio and workspace, you know you’re surrounded by creative people, but more so, people who are intimately tied to the local community. That’s what p…
Read blog postTest, Test, and Test Those Laptops And Workstations: HP Fort Collins
ENTRY 21Ft. Collins, COTuesday, July 8, 2014
Power and speed – that’s what I wanted in the machines that HP agreed to loan to us for 3DRV. Isn’t that what everyone wants from a computer? Have you ever heard anyone say they needed a slower machine?Well, I can honestly say that …
Read blog postPumping Station One: Take 2
ENTRY 22Chicago, ILTuesday, July 8, 2014
Last week, I made a quick visit to Pumping Station One in Chicago. But we had enough interest, thanks to Bart Dring from Inventables, to make a second trip. Wow! Well worth the drive and effort to hang out with this energetic group of makers,…
Read blog postLaser Scanning With Pete - Safer Than Flying Drones
ENTRY 23Yellowstone National Park, WYFriday, July 11, 2014
Pete Kelsey is becoming quite famous here at 3DRV. He makes regular appearances on the 3DRV journey now, well, because he’s willing, memorable, and has lots of good stories while he’s training us. I’m still catching up from our visit that res…
Read blog postU.S. Navy 3D Prints Its Way Into Future
ENTRY 24Keyport, WASunday, July 13, 2014
Maintaining ships and submarines is no easy task given the harsh ocean environment that our U.S. Navy operates in and under. In the tiny town of Keyport roughly 90 minutes from Seattle, and just north of the larger Bremerton Naval S…
Read blog postBertha, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Mario Kart Tunnel Under Seattle
ENTRY 26Seattle, WASunday, July 13, 2014
The biggest thing about the Seattle Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project is not that a large, two level, above-ground freeway will be completely removed. It is not that there will be a new, relatively quiet tunnel for cars, trucks and buse…
Read blog postEye Candy From Legacy Effects - Hollywood
ENTRY 25San Rafael, CASunday, July 13, 2014
I visited Legacy Effects before the trip officially started, but that didn't make it any less fascinating, any less exciting. Jason Lopes, Lead Systems Engineer, graciously shared some time with me despite an intense production schedule to ta…
Read blog postFree Apps Drive Chicago Artists To Create And Print In 3D
ENTRY 27Chicago, ILSunday, July 13, 2014
Chicago Artist, Adrian Stein, has this quote, author unknown, on his website and I found it provocative and representative of the passion and enthusiasm I’m finding across the USA.“Hearts are wild creatures; that’s why our ribs are cages.”Chi…
Read blog postStart Your Own Personal Industrial Revolution
ENTRY 28San Mateo, CASunday, July 13, 2014
What is it about Maker Faire that sets people’s minds and hearts ablaze? Mark Hatch from TechShop gives a very clear picture as to why: You can start your own “Personal Industrial Revolution” by taking classes at a makerspace or at a TechShop…
Read blog postStep Inside A Virtual Ford Mustang
ENTRY 29Dearborn, MITuesday, July 15, 2014
Today I experienced a piece of the future, of manufacturing in particular, but of design, too. This collaborative virtual reality (VR) lab at Ford, led by Elizabeth Baron, is remarkable. They call it the FIVE lab -- Ford Immers…
Read blog postDetroit Meetup Teaches Fine Points Of Laser Scanning
ENTRY 30Troy, MIFriday, July 18, 2014
All of our stops and visits for 3DRV have something cool about them – this one in Detroit, in Troy actually, was filled with an abundance of enthusiasm and energy from the local community. That happened because of Chad Studer, who owns ADSK S…
Read blog postFull Of Awesome - Detroit Public Library HYPE Makerspace
ENTRY 31Troy, MIFriday, July 18, 2014
During our week in Detroit, we paid a visit to the Detroit Public Library which is home to a teen/young adult focused makerspace. Steve Teeri, the library’s technology specialist, used the phrase that they try only to create courses…
Read blog postDesign Better Portable Power – A Hybrid Generator
ENTRY 32Seattle, WASunday, July 20, 2014
As a startup, any prospective customer call is welcome. But when that call comes from NASA, asking if you can help them with a special project, well, that’s got to be a great day. Planetary Power, based in Redmond Washington, received that ca…
Read blog postRoadtrip Nation – Dare To Dream
ENTRY 33Detroit, MISunday, July 20, 2014
Define your own road in life is the Roadtrip Nation motto and it rattles around in my head and heart after meeting this passionate team, this collection of five people who didn’t know each other until a short time ago.I have seen cutting…
Read blog post3D Printing Playground At America Makes
ENTRY 34Youngstown , OHThursday, July 24, 2014
As you can see in one of the shirts -- America Makes, formerly the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), is a creative place. The t-shirt reads: America Makes: 3D Printing Playground. Each visit, each stop, h…
Read blog postPittsburgh Meetup -- 3D Hardware And More
ENTRY 35Pittsburgh, PAFriday, July 25, 2014
Pittsburgh is a town that has gone through tough times and emerged victorious. They made a decision to build out a startup culture with the power universities in their midst and it worked in a big way. Innovation Works and its AlphaLab Gear h…
Read blog postCharge Your Cell Phone By Walking Around
ENTRY 36Pittsburgh, PASunday, July 27, 2014
In developing nations, a mobile phone is the technology choice. People cannot afford to have a computer and the feature and smart phone is the path to freedom in many ways. But for most, the simple act of charging their phone is a chore, a ma…
Read blog postSlideshow: Reality Computing in Pittsburgh
ENTRY 37Pittsburgh, PAMonday, July 28, 2014
On July 24th, Autodesk, the 3DRV and Alpha Labs Gear came together to host a Reality Computing Meet Up to showcase some of the latest cutting edge technologies that enable anyone to capture the world around them, modify it to c…
Read blog postSlideshow: 3DRV Hits Toledo, OH!
ENTRY 38Toledo, OHMonday, July 28, 2014
One of Autodesk’s customers, SSOE in Toledo, OH, was eager to have the 3DRV stop by for a visit. So much so, they wanted to host an event! SSOE employees, local engineers and members of the local BIM User Group, came out to learn more …
Read blog postVideos: Monkey Likes Shiny
ENTRY 39Emeryville, CATuesday, July 29, 2014
On May 20th, the 3DRV visited Jeff Tiedeken, owner and creator of a modern day machine shop called Monkey Likes Shiny. Here are two clips where Jeff talks about his passion for vintage machines and creating unique metal trophies usi…
Read blog post10+ 3D Printing Resources
ENTRY 40Buffalo, NYWednesday, July 30, 2014
The 3D printing industry is developing at a cutting-edge rate. Hello. You knew that.If you rely on standard news sources for your information on 3D scanning, 3D design, and 3D printing, you will find yourself behind when it comes to knowing t…
Read blog postAmerica Makes Translates Into America Works
ENTRY 41Youngstown , OHFriday, August 1, 2014
Hanging out with “the interns” at America Makes in Youngstown a couple of weeks ago, I glimpsed a small view of the future. The leadership at the facility have a clear view of 3D technology and that’s part of their mission, for sure. But…
Read blog postWalking In Edison's Shoes
ENTRY 42Fairfield, CTFriday, August 1, 2014
Today we walked in Edison’s shoes, so to speak. We went to the GE Global Research Center in Schenectady, New York for a short visit to their 3D printing lab. As co-founder of GE, Edison's legacy and ideas permeate the atmosphere. The atm…
Read blog postScanning Vintage Motorcycles In Sturgis
ENTRY 43Deadwood, SDWednesday, August 6, 2014
It is the quietest collection of motorcycles you will ever see, at least while they rest comfortably in the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum in Sturgis, South Dakota. In this tiny town of roughly 7,000 people, most would not put the words “motorcycl…
Read blog postExtreme 3D Machining: Shark Attack
ENTRY 44Waltham, MAFriday, August 8, 2014
Irritating a great white shark is a bad idea, but it can be survivable, if you have the right equipment. The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) known as the REMUS 100 lets you stay safe, while taking on the hazards of being in the water for …
Read blog postArtisans Asylum Bigger And Better Than Costco
ENTRY 45Somerville, MATuesday, August 12, 2014
If you will forget (and perhaps forgive) the bulk purchase, big consumer mindset of this comparison and just focus on the size of Costco, you will get my point. Makerspaces tend to be small. They tend to be concentrated, dense work areas. Art…
Read blog postRecovering the Past and Innovating the Future
ENTRY 46Boston, MAWednesday, August 13, 2014
Read blog postThe Mindset of the Future
ENTRY 47New York, NYFriday, August 22, 2014
New York City has many faces and it is home to some of the biggest names in maker companies – MakerBot Industries, Adafruit, and a company that I have wanted to visit for ages: Shapeways.As Blair Baumwell, Head of Communications at Shapeways,…
Read blog postStern Design Works Grows With 123D Creature
ENTRY 48New York, NYMonday, August 25, 2014
One of the things I’m finding as I wander the nation is that entrepreneurial ventures are almost always a mix of the old with the new. While some might argue that their new “gadget” or “creation” is brand new, disruptive, democratizing (meani…
Read blog postBending Metal In 3D
ENTRY 49Dearborn, MIThursday, August 28, 2014
The English Wheel is a tool, some call it a machine, that allows a sheet of metal to be formed. It requires a skilled craftsman to use it, and although it is a time-consuming process, it can create a variety of shapes and forms by stretching …
Read blog post3D Printing Lab At Ford
ENTRY 50Dearborn, MIFriday, August 29, 2014
For many people, 3D printing sounds like magic – pulling a part out of thin air. nd sometimes, it looks like it, too: Here's one of the team members, Eric Kouba, 3D Printing Supervisor, at the Ford 3D Printing Lab pulling a #3dprinted part ou…
Read blog postFounding Father: Thomas Jefferson – Photo Scanned
ENTRY 51Washington, DCSunday, August 31, 2014
Wandering around Washington, DC late one night, we found ourselves close to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Like the other monuments within the city, Jefferson sits within a hallowed hall. It is a very large hallowed hall. As the author of the…
Read blog postSmithsonian Institution - Seal Fossil
ENTRY 108Washington, DCWednesday, September 10, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postSmithsonian Institution - T.Rex
ENTRY 108Washington, DCWednesday, September 10, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postNot Your Average BIM User: NASA Langley Research Center
ENTRY 52Hampton, VAWednesday, September 10, 2014
When you hear the name NASA, you think space exploration, astronauts, and just about everything that exists beyond our atmosphere. It is easy to overlook the other areas of operations that support that mission, in a myriad of ways, especially…
Read blog postSmithsonian Creates Museum Of The Future
ENTRY 53Washington, DCThursday, September 11, 2014
It is fairly well known that the Smithsonian only has about one percent (1%) of its collection on display at any one point in time. That means the other 99 percent is resting peacefully in the archives, well protected and preserved, but unsee…
Read blog postBlitzing The Airwaves About 3D Design
ENTRY 54Washington, DCThursday, September 11, 2014
Pete Kelsey and I spent a busy morning in Washington, D.C. last week sharing the current state of 3D technology with the nation's media. We had 30 back-to-back interviews with television and radio stations around the USA. We had a great …
Read blog postThomas Jefferson's Monticello: Rich for 3D Reality Capture
ENTRY 55Charlottesville, VAThursday, September 11, 2014
While the 3D RV did not make an official visit to Monticello, a visit to Virginia is not complete without visiting one of our nation's Founding Fathers. Plus, we knew that the facility was undergoing some significant renovation…
Read blog postSSOE Visit: The Era Of The Design Technologist
ENTRY 56Toledo, OHThursday, September 11, 2014
Mark LaBell, Technical Leader for Design Technology Department for SSOE Group, in Toledo, Ohio and his team created a great meetup for us back in July where the community and the media joined in as well. We spent the day talking about the fut…
Read blog postLaser Scanning Madness In Washington DC
ENTRY 57Washington, DCThursday, September 11, 2014
Recently, there was an internal Autodesk campaign and Jessica Brill won the contest. That earned Jess a free trip to Washington DC and a few days to hang out with the 3DRV. Jess is a social media manager on the AEC team, so building…
Read blog postDesign Within Reach
ENTRY 58Greensboro, NCMonday, September 15, 2014
The 3DRV National Tour has a tagline: Driven by Design. We liked the play on words and the potential that this short phrase evokes – we can be passionate about design, driven to quality and greater efforts by it, or simply inspired. The doubl…
Read blog postMore Than Disney - Magic In The Orlando Maker Scene
ENTRY 59Orlando, FLFriday, September 26, 2014
At every 3DRV stop, people ask me "what's your favorite visit so far?" I cannot answer. Literally. I just smile and look at them, then I explain that in every city, in every town, in every makerspace or big global company, the…
Read blog postThe Future Of Building With Gilbane Building Company
ENTRY 60Cambridge, MAFriday, September 26, 2014
Gilbane Inc. is a real estate development and construction company that knows how to see into the future. Lots of companies want to know their secret and I’m happy to reveal it, although I know it is always easy to achieve: They hire wicked s…
Read blog postMakers To Be At Electa Lee Middle School
ENTRY 61Bradenton, FLThursday, October 2, 2014
We were in Orlando planning our visit to the University of South Florida in Tampa when we received an email from teacher Bekka Stasny about her school in Bradenton, Florida, an hour south. Since we had to do the long drive up to&nbs…
Read blog postCapturing Kid's Hearts At Atlanta Mini Maker Faire
ENTRY 62Atlanta, GASunday, October 5, 2014
Many people have heard of Maker Faire – there is the original one in the San Francisco Bay area and the one in New York City, World Maker Faire, but people do not always hear about the mini Maker Faires that happen in smaller cities all acros…
Read blog postReinventing Edison – Build Your Own Lightbulb
ENTRY 63Atlanta, GASunday, October 5, 2014
After visiting GE earlier in the 3DRV roadtrip, we have spent some time pondering Thomas Edison’s legacy. His boundless energy and enthusiasm for creating, inventing, and making are legendary and many children read about him and are inspired.…
Read blog postInventing A Better Battery For Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
ENTRY 64Somerville, MAMonday, October 6, 2014
In September 2013, a torpedo-shaped unmanned underwater vehicle set an important record: The longest trip for a battery-powered undersea craft. OpenWater Power sent this vehicle from Boston Harbor over 300 miles and more than four days i…
Read blog post3D Printed Earbuds From Normal
ENTRY 65New York, NYFriday, October 10, 2014
Normal, a startup, and the brainchild of Nikki Kaufman (a founding member of the crowd sourced product firm Quirky), is currently producing custom earphones. Normal is using the Stratasys Fortus 250mc printers and its own smartphone app to ma…
Read blog postNBA’s Brooklyn Nets Call On 3D Experts At Gilbane
ENTRY 66New York, NYFriday, October 10, 2014
Here’s a challenge: Create a new basketball training facility from a pre-WWII building where you have little information about the structure. Oh, and do it in about a year. That’s the challenge that Gilbane Inc faces in a cool project for the…
Read blog post3D In DC: A Conversation With Congress
ENTRY 67Washington, DCFriday, October 17, 2014
The public hears a lot about the future of manufacturing from the Oval Office and has seen President Obama highlight some key 3D printing and 3D design businesses helping the economy. As a Washington State resident, I wondered if I could…
Read blog postElecta Lee Middle School with Bay News 9 Interview of #3DRV
ENTRY 108Bradenton, FLFriday, October 17, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog post3D Scanning and 3D Printing with Autodesk and Geek Beat
ENTRY 68Dallas , TXFriday, October 17, 2014
Next week, the 3DRV will roll into Dallas to hang out with the Geek Beat TV team. Over two days, a team from the Autodesk Reality Computing department will head out to Dallas to laser scan (using Faro laser scanners, of course) the Geek House…
Read blog postSoft Shoulders In Mississippi: Attitude Of Gratitude
ENTRY 69New Orleans, LAFriday, October 17, 2014
All across America, you see signs about shoulders. Enroute to Louisiana from Alabama, after visiting Rural Studio, we crossed through Mississippi. It was late, dark, and there were no highway shoulders. It was a hair-raising drive, I can tell…
Read blog postDefining The New Age Of Eyewear With Adam Mugavero
ENTRY 70New York, NYSaturday, October 18, 2014
3D design software has made it easier to create products, to bring your idea to life, but Adam Mugavero works first as a craftsman – taking exotic and common woods and making one-of-a-kind works of art. Couture pieces, if you will, that indiv…
Read blog postRural Studio: Design Build From The Heart
ENTRY 71Newbern, ALSunday, October 19, 2014
A person’s character is revealed when you drop in on them unexpectedly. The character you want to experience is a gracious one, as both Gayle Etheridge and Brenda Wilkerson demonstrated, when you stop by unannounced as we did when visiting Ru…
Read blog postCome Try The DotProduct DPI-7 Scanner In Houston
ENTRY 72Houston, TXSunday, October 19, 2014
Engineers are often focused on one goal: Change. That goal has two objectives - to know what is possible, and to draft the ways to make it possible. This is true for engineers across multiple industries and engineers are often out in the fiel…
Read blog postWhy Pie Is So Important To 3D
ENTRY 73Newbern, ALMonday, October 20, 2014
Pie. It brings people together. It makes travel much more enjoyable. It is the basis of an entrepreneurial and design-way of thinking. I bet you didn’t know that last part.When we decided to go to Rural Studio in New Bern Alabama, we did a fa…
Read blog postGilbane Construction Talks Navisworks
ENTRY 108Cambridge, MATuesday, October 21, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postOpenWater Power demonstrates how company tackles underwater search
ENTRY 108Somerville, MATuesday, October 21, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postOpenWater Power Talks Chemical Reactions
ENTRY 108Somerville, MATuesday, October 21, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postOpenWater Power uses Autodesk CFD software to model flow and mine data
ENTRY 108Somerville, MATuesday, October 21, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postWhat is Photogrammetry? Reality Computing Made Simple
ENTRY 74Dallas , TXFriday, October 24, 2014
The 3DRV journey is all about capturing the stories of people using 3D technologies. But a big part of the trip is also exploring the process of “reality capture” that lets me turn images of objects and people into 3D models. This process is …
Read blog postNo Limits: Observations From Ellis Island
ENTRY 75New York, NYFriday, October 24, 2014
The first photo in this post is a close-up of the ceiling within the Ellis Island immigration station. Maybe you have looked up to see it on your own trip there. Perhaps you have only heard about the place famous in American history for …
Read blog postFARO Laser Scanning Meetup In Orlando Area
ENTRY 76Lake Mary, FLFriday, October 24, 2014
What happens when you fill a meetup with college students? You can power a small city, that’s what. Tons of energy in the house tonight. FARO organized a large event during our Orlando stop and they packed the event with students an…
Read blog postJames Alday: Fusion 360 Modeler
ENTRY 77Lake Mary, FLFriday, October 24, 2014
Orlando is loaded with creative people. Maybe we can thank Walt Disney for putting creativity in the Orlando air. Nearly everywhere we visited in Florida, we came in contact with people for whom 3D is comfortable, familiar, not the future but…
Read blog postSeminole State College STEM Efforts Powered By UAV Drones
ENTRY 78Lake Mary, FLFriday, October 24, 2014
Another gem discovered in Florida, thanks to the FARO event in Lake Mary. I met and admired the work of Seminole State College and its program with more than 100 Seminole County high school students. Jason M Gaschel, Director, Academic Innova…
Read blog postBeautiful Ocean Creatures In Detailed 3D
ENTRY 79Atlanta, GAFriday, October 24, 2014
You would not think that an inland city like Atlanta would be home to one of the greatest aquariums in the world, but it is and it is wonderful. The Georgia Aquarium is amazing for a number of reasons, including one of the largest saltwater t…
Read blog post3D Printing Dinosaur Bones- You Won't Believe This Man's Crazy Journey
ENTRY 108Washington, DCWednesday, November 5, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postSavvy On 3D - Motley Fool Interview Conversation
ENTRY 80Washington, DCWednesday, November 5, 2014
One of the leading publications to cover 3D (and all financial stocks) is the Motley Fool. I have long been a fan and was excited that they wanted to visit with the 3DRV. Rex Moore is a writer and analyst for the Fool and he spent a bunc…
Read blog postS-Scale Model Railroad Creations In 3D With CatzPaw Innovations
ENTRY 81Atlanta, GAWednesday, November 5, 2014
If you want to see a serious 3D printing expert in action, you have to study what Sherri Johnson is doing with CatzPaw Innovations. She and her partner, Yolanda Hayes, are making tiny, miniscule creations for an oft-forgotten part of the mode…
Read blog postGeekBeat TV Visit – 3D Technology On Steroids
ENTRY 82Dallas , TXFriday, November 7, 2014
You can’t walk into the GeekHouse without an immediate surge in energy, in enthusiasm, and in bandwidth. It may be possible that John Pozadzides (aka “John P”), Cali Lewis and the extraordinary team exude internet bandwidth, for one. As the r…
Read blog post3DRV Visit: USAFA Reality Capture Showcase: Lt. Col. Patrick Suermann
ENTRY 108Colorado Springs, COWednesday, November 12, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog post3DRV Visit: USAFA Reality Capture Showcase: Travis Evans, Autodesk
ENTRY 108Colorado Springs, COWednesday, November 12, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog post3DRV Visit: USAFA Reality Capture Showcase: Pete Kelsey, Autodesk
ENTRY 108Colorado Springs, COWednesday, November 12, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog post3DRV driving, some Smithsonian photos and USS Arizona
ENTRY 108Washington, DCThursday, November 13, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
Read blog postNashville Electric – Laser Scanning And More
ENTRY 105Nashville, TNTuesday, November 18, 2014
Electricity does not bring to mind 3D design or 3D scanning, at least not to me, but I was amazed during and after my visit to Nashville Electric in Tennessee to see the various ways this organization is using 3D technology. Sure, I’m bullish…
Read blog postPreserving Autograph Rock On The Santa Fe Trail
ENTRY 83Boise City, OKWednesday, November 19, 2014
While driving in Texas, we heard about a little-known historical spot a bit further north (in Oklahoma), known as Autograph Rock. It is on the Sante Fe Trail, which went from Franklin, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We did some resea…
Read blog postArcher Animated TV Program – Floyd County Productions
ENTRY 85Atlanta, GAWednesday, November 19, 2014
Here’s a way to build a business – do not build a website. I am not being sarcastic. Do amazing work online that everyone will watch and want to share and customers will find you. Floyd County Productions does exactly that. It is the work of …
Read blog postHow To Use Sketchbook Pro With Super-User Kevin Mellon
ENTRY 84Atlanta, GAWednesday, November 19, 2014
While in Atlanta, I had the cool opportunity to meet with SketchBook Pro artist, Kevin Mellon, comic book artist, and storyboarder for the hit animated TV show Archer on FX Networks.Since I visited Kevin at the Floyd County Productions office…
Read blog postFacts About Manufacturing: Reasons To Be A Bull
ENTRY 86Oak Ridge, TNThursday, November 20, 2014
As we have been traveling around the USA, we get asked often about how manufacturing is doing and how it will do in the future. Will 3D printing take away jobs? That’s a valid concern and one that we share, but we see more opportunity than do…
Read blog postOak Ridge National Lab Creates Veterans 3D Training Program
ENTRY 87Oak Ridge, TNThursday, November 20, 2014
In my last post, I was perhaps a bit over-the-top about why I see manufacturing, and the 3D technologies behind its growth, as a big opportunity. We spent the better part of a day at Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL) and one thing stood out for …
Read blog post3D Printed Car In 47 Hours - History In The Making
ENTRY 88Oak Ridge, TNThursday, November 20, 2014
Local Motors is a new kind of automotive manufacturer. Their site states that they bring hardware innovations to market at an unprecedented speed by combining co-creation and micro-manufacturing. They also partnered with Oak Ridge National La…
Read blog postHaving Fun With Modio And A Stratasys Mojo
ENTRY 89Orlando, FLThursday, November 20, 2014
With a Stratasys Mojo in the 3DRV, we sometimes have the chance to print fun stuff from our experiments with 3D models. A few weeks ago, while in Orlando, my son and I played around with the web-based Modio app. With Modio anybody c…
Read blog postSparking A Passion For Electronics And Open Source
ENTRY 90Niwot, COThursday, November 20, 2014
One of the perks of traveling around the USA is the chance to meet people in person that you have only known by email, phone, or social media. As a researcher and journalist, I talk to a lot of companies. That’s part of how the 3DRV roadtrip …
Read blog postA Conversation With xyHt Magazine Publisher Neil Sandler
ENTRY 91Washington, DCThursday, November 20, 2014
While we were in Washington, DC, we had a chance to sit down with Neil Sandler, owner of Flatdog Media Group, which publishes xyHt magazine.It could be that Neil has to explain the seemingly obscure name of his publication to everyone he meet…
Read blog postWhat Kind Of Maker Are You?
ENTRY 92Los Angeles, CAThursday, November 20, 2014
This poster from the Atlanta Maker Faire does not capture everything in the maker movement, but it sure captures quite a bit. What kind of maker are you?Are you an Artisan?Are you a Hacker?Are you a Craftsman?Are you a Tinkerer?Or, perhaps yo…
Read blog postStrong Robot Muscle and Smarter 3D Printing With Rise Robotics
ENTRY 93Somerville, MAThursday, November 20, 2014
One of the things that blows my mind about this new age of invention, this new industrial revolution that many call it – is how people change and adapt. It could be that technology has removed the barriers, or it could be that we are facing a…
Read blog postBekka Stasny Awarded 3D Printer Grant For Electa Lee Students
ENTRY 94Bradenton, FLThursday, November 20, 2014
I have long believed that we could solve our energy crisis if we simply found a way to tap into the latent energy found in educators. If you are feeling down or tired, just hang out with a teacher and by osmosis, you will feel more upbeat and…
Read blog postShaan Hurley Presents Gift Of 3D Print To Arches NP
ENTRY 95Moab, UTThursday, November 20, 2014
Shaan Hurley has been working for almost two years to create the perfect gift for one of his favorite National Parks – a 3D Print of the Delicate Arch, found at Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. This iconic arch is well known and you see it…
Read blog post3D Print A Holiday Ornament With Tinkercad At Shapeways
ENTRY 96Los Angeles, CAFriday, November 21, 2014
Savannah Peterson over at Shapeways just created a crafty, fun maker-type template in Tinkercad that makes creating a custom holiday ornament easy! Give it a try, and if you model one, upload it to Shapeways by December 5 you will get in time…
Read blog postRestoring Vintage Vehicles With ReCap
ENTRY 97Yellowstone National Park, WYFriday, November 21, 2014
When we were at Arches National Park with Shaan Hurley a few weeks ago, presenting the 3D Prints that he made of Delicate Arch, Shaan reminded me of the value of Autodesk ReCap for restoration. We had been talking a lot about preser…
Read blog postVisiting Laser Scanner Country In Florida
ENTRY 98Tampa, FLFriday, November 21, 2014
Thanks to a web request from Dr. Lori Collins, Co-Director of the Alliance for Integrated Spatial Technologies (AIST), we got to spend a wonderful day at the School of Geosciences at the University of South Florida. AIST sort of sounds like a…
Read blog postWhy “REAL 2015” Is An Event You Don’t Want To Miss
ENTRY 99Los Angeles, CAFriday, November 21, 2014
Reality computing is a big new term. It reflects a lot of the work you hear about with the Google Tango phone, Amazon’s 3D phone, or a host of other smartphones that let us capture the world around us, in real time. I’m pretty excited to lear…
Read blog post3D Printing Hitting Mainstream: UPS, Staples, Microsoft, Home Depot
ENTRY 100Los Angeles, CAFriday, November 21, 2014
Dremel makes one of the coolest tools on the planet (the company name is synonymous with the rotary tool itself) and when they decided to introduce their own 3D printer – they launched where you might expect: Home Depot. Microsoft Stores sell…
Read blog postStudying Bats And Batcaves With 3D Laser Scanners
ENTRY 101Oak Ridge, TNFriday, November 21, 2014
All across the USA, we have found museums and national parks, to name just a couple, that are quietly pushing the edge of what’s possible with 3D technology. They are doing it not for the technology’s sake, although it is cool, but for school…
Read blog postConversation w AR/VR/3D Expert Patrick Eleazar
ENTRY 102Los Angeles, CAFriday, November 21, 2014
I have been talking with Patrick Eleazar, founder of Realidyne, about 3D, augmented reality, virtual reality, and the content that supports those technologies for well over a year. He has become my go-to resource when I’m wondering about what…
Read blog postYour Brain Has Been 3D Printed
ENTRY 103Philadelphia, PAFriday, November 21, 2014
Well, maybe not your brain, but a brain. In all its glorious intricacy, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia created an exhibit with a 3D printed brain. When the family visited the Institute during a 3DRV stop, it was a must-see museum. It …
Read blog postJoe Evans Techno-Archaelogist
ENTRY 104Tampa, FLFriday, November 21, 2014
Great job title. Indiana Jones would be quite happy with it, I think.Joe Evans and I follow each other on Twitter. I didn’t realize he was a University of South Florida research associate, working with Lori Collins, when we first connected. I…
Read blog postHP Workstations And Research Lab In Fort Collins
ENTRY 106Ft. Collins, COMonday, December 1, 2014
In early May, the 3DRV made its first official stop – at HP Labs in Fort Collins, Colorado to visit with Sean Young in the Workstations division. As one of our premier sponsors, HP loaned us some seriously powerful gear – a Z1 workstation and…
Read blog post3DRV Arrives Autodesk University
ENTRY 107Las Vegas, NVTuesday, December 2, 2014
One writer (me). Eight months (almost). More than 122 scheduled stops (+unscheduled ones too). A million stories (truth).The 3DRV tour began with a simple vision: navigate the country gathering stories from the makers, big and small, who are …
Read blog post3DRV: An Epic Road Tour to Discover All Things 3D
ENTRY 108Las Vegas, NVWednesday, December 10, 2014
This is a great new blog post by TJ McCue.
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