This new 3D printed glass looks just like pouring honey

#IWantOne

The first of its kind optically transparent 3D-printed glass!

Humans have been making glass in various forms for thousands of years, from glassblowing techniques developed by the Roman empire to the industrial methods of the 1950s, floating molten glass on huge baths of melted tin. One particularly ancient process though, in which molten glass is coiled around a solid core, has been revived with the help of modern technology. MIT's Mediated Matter Group has unveiled a new way to 3D print glass, removing the need for a solid core but coiling the material in molten strands just like our ancestors did thousands of years ago.

 

 

http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/21/9186269/3d-printed-glass-mit-mediated-matter

Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg

A while back, I mentioned the Sunday Morning interview with George Lucas and Spielberg regarding their Norman Rockwell Collection.  Since then I realized that this collection is on exhibition at Smithsonian Art museum  in Washington from July 2, 2010 – January 2, 2011.  I would love to go, but that is not happening these days and unfortunately it is not going on tour.  

http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2010/rockwell/

Well, I still can’t find the interview online, but I found a forty minute audio cast in conjunction with a slideshow covering the exhibition.  It might be a little long to show in class, but it is interesting to hear both Spielberg and Lucas’ perspective on Rockwell as an artist and a story teller.   And how it translate to the film industry.  

In the 3D world, rendering produces a final image or series of images and ultimately it is a way to communicate your ideas or tell a story.   Whether it is used for forensic litigation or commercial; it tells a story.  I think a lot can be learned from Rockwell’s planning process to the subtle details.  His work is just amazing.  People spend years trying to find the right word for a story or finishing that last edit on a film, Rockwell can tell it all with one painting.  


I just recently purchased “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera” and man it is a great book.  It really dives into the process behind his work.  The book features the photographs that he used in creating his artworks and you can see the story unfold with the series of images that were taken and then how he captures them in his paintings.  It is more than just seeing the images behind the work, it is the process that got them there.   It is worth adding to your classroom collection. – Cornell

Here is a quick overview . . .

Here is the full forty minute audio cast of the exhibition:

This short interview is with the senior curator of the show “Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg”. The interview covers a brief overview of the show and the Lucas /Spielberg interview. The audio is poor and has a bit of an echo, but is a brief overview – 9 mintutes.

 

Power of Story: Visions of Independence at 2015 Sundance Film Festival

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A cocktail of Lucas, Spielberg, and Henson feed my obsession for the cinema and today, I still feel that passion.  Recently at the Sundance Film Festival, critic Leonard Maltin had a conversation with George Lucas and Robert Redford about the ‘Power of Story,‘  Maltin commented that,  “one of the problems with the institutionalization of film schools is that you have now more than one generation of young people who all they know is film, they haven't had so called ‘life experience’ and  life experience is the basis for  telling stories and for inventing stories and imagining stories.”  I completely agree with Maltin.  I feel that today’s generation is so immersed in the digital world that they have become satellites to the media industry revolving around television, video games and the internet, with no down time or a chance to get bored. I laugh when I hear myself say this, I am also speaking of myself . . .  I got my first computer in 1982 and it has been at my side ever since.  I am getting old!

It is a very interesting Conversation and worth listening to.  ~Cornell

Kicking off Art of Film Weekend, a program celebrating the craft of filmmaking, join Robert Redford and George Lucas—two iconic filmmakers who epitomize the spirit of independence in American cinema—in conversation with critic Leonard Maltin.

The Sci-Fi Boys

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3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbThe Sci-Fi Boys is a great an awesome documentary to show your students who and what inspired the greats . . .  I have watched it, way too many times and I am watching again as I type this post  .  .  .  I am a bit geeky.  Here is my suggestion; buy the DVD!  You can get it on Amazon really cheap, for under $2.  Now if you do not believe me, you can also watch a super low resolution full version of the film on Youtube, see link below.  It is also free right now on Comcast right now, just search for ‘Sci Fi Boys’ and it will pop right up.  Either way, just watch it.    ~Cornell

 

Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Dennis Muren, Ray Bradbury, Rick Baker, Roger Corman, Ray Harryhausen, Forrest J Ackerman, Stephen Sommers, and other legendary all-stars of cinema bring to life the evolution of science-fiction and special effects films, from the wild and funny days of B-monster movies to the blockbusters of today, including KING KONG.

This is the story of the Sci-Fi Boys, who started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine and grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and technology for filming anything the mind can dream. The DVD has the 80 minute feature, plus over one hour of bonus features of rare sci-fi treasures, described below.

 

 

On Comcast

Sci-fi_Boys

 

Amazon Sci-Fi Boys

The Industry: Color Grading vs Color Correction

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(Color Correction vs Color Grading, by Justin Troyer)

3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbI have worked in industry for a number of years, but I have spent most of my time teaching and experimenting with my own work.    I love playing and am always experimenting with new techniques.  Sometimes I used the wrong terminology, but is it terminology that important?  Well, it will not make you a better artist, but it is always good to know.   In the past, I haven’t always used the terms Color Correction & Color Grading correctly.   Here are a few examples and explanations.  ~Cornell

 

Color correction vs. grading | 30 Second Film School

 

Color Correction vs Color Grading

August 12, 2014 at 12:35pm by Justin Troyer

Working with color is an important aspect of video production that many people grow into, at least cursorily. As part of being a novice in post-production terminology frequently gets misused or interchanged. While color correction and color grading use some of the same tools and processes they serve different purposes and are done in different parts of the workflow.

Color correction is used to alter footage across a project so that its appearance is consistent, creating an accurate portrayal as it would be viewed by the human eye, making sure whites look white and blacks look black. Typically this is compensating for inaccurate camera settings, leveling color temperature, or adjusting contrast, brightness, and saturation. The human eye will view white under varying lighting as white. However, with cameras you have to tell the sensor what white is. If done improperly your image will have a red, blue, or yellow cast. In addition, if you are shooting outside over the course of an entire day the color of the light will change as we move from sunrise to mid-day to dusk. Even passing clouds will change the color.

Color grading (color timing in reference to film) is altering the image for aesthetic or communicative purposes to enhance the story, create a visual tone, convey a mood, express emotion, or carry a theme. Typically the alterations in color grading are more extreme than with color correction. Rarely color grading can even be used to salvage problematic footage that color correction is incapable of fixing. Usually at the end of editing the editor will begin color grading, give the project to a dedicated colorist, or when quicker turnaround is required the footage will be sent off to be graded while editing is being done.  (Color Correction vs Color Grading, by Justin Troyer)

 

The House on Pine Street Color Correction Reel Graded and Edited by Taylre Jones

Check out the dramatic work done on this film, the changes are completely amazing. The color work was done on DaVinci Resolve.

 

Also Check out this ‘tutorial’ . . .

Color Correction/Grading Tutorial

By Swageberg Productions

Michael Grab and his Gravity Glue

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3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbWhat is art? And when does obsession become art? . . . Check out this video of Michael Grab’s work “Gravity Glue”  . . . Very Cool!!! ~Cornell

 

 

http://www.gravityglue.com/

The Higher Purpose of Doodling

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3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbAs a kid I loved Sunday Morning on CBS; it was always interesting and still is.  Sunday is my running day, so I don’t get to watch it as much as I used to.  Either way, here is an episode that I missed . . . “The Higher Purpose of Doodling” and I can relate. 
I use doodling for a variety of reasons: I use it to get clarity around a concept, I use it to relax, I use it to communicate ideas with others and get their refinement of them, I use it to map complex systems for companies, I use it to run innovation games for business, I use it to get insight on something puzzling me. -Sunni Brown
I have always been that doodler in class, at work, or just waiting around, but I remember either getting dirty looks or even scolded by teachers.  Was I aware that it helped me?  Not at all, but I am now.  I doodle even more, but I am still aware of my audience who might not see it the same way.  
Under no circumstances should doodling be eradicated from a classroom or a boardroom or even the war room. On the contrary, doodling should be leveraged in precisely those situations where information density is very high and the need for processing that information is very high. -Sunni Brown
On a side note, I tell my students to draw / sketch everyday, it is a powerful tool to have no matter what industry you end up in.  Sometimes it is like pulling teeth, to get them to draw but I truly feel it is important.  Share this video with them, it might give them a little push . . .  GET DOODLING  ~Cornell  

Doodling

Shea Hembrey: How I became 100 artists

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3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbI am currently attending a FLIBS Visual Arts training course.  The instructor shared a very cool TED talk about Shea Hembrey an artist who became 100 artists over a two year period.  Get Inspired!!!  ~Cornell

"Unbox Yourself" with Zihua Creative

Unbox 

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3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbA while back I showed you a cool 3d printed stop motion bear walking, now check out “Unbox”.   A Chinese animation  took it much farther and created a full stop-motion short film.  ~Cornell

"Unbox Yourself" with Zihua Creative

This fully 3D printed commercial for Zihua Creative (zihua.com.cn), China’s first online learning platform focused on the creative industries, illustrates how creatives must break out of their boxes to innovate as well as how technology is driving change in the creative industries.

Zihua Creative worked with their creative agency Goodstein on the conceptualization and production of the film, which fuses traditional stop motion animation with cutting-edge 3D printing technology. Although the film is under one minute long, the team dedicated several months and 3D printed more than 600 “Boxman” figurines in order to complete the project – the first of its kind in the world.

This animated short highlights a number of the courses that will be offered on the Zihua platform, including character design, CG animation, stop motion animation, illustration, film scoring, sound design and 3D printing.

Behind the Scenes of "Unbox Yourself"

This video gives an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at what exactly went into the making of "Unbox Yourself", a 3D printed commercial for Zihua Creative (zihua.com.cn), with insight from some of the key people spearheading this project. Take a peak to learn more about character design, 3D printing, stop motion animation, sound design, and what "Unbox Yourself" is all about.

I've fallen, and I can't get up! Mairmy Express–Free!

Miarmy

3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbI  came across this short little Mairmy simulation the other day and thought it was awesome.  It was created with Mairmy a crowd simulation based Maya plugin from Basefront.  One of the cool things I found out was that they offer Mairmy Express which is a full functioning version of the plugin.  It has a some limitations, mainly the number of agents you can work with and export. I have not tried it yet, but I will as soon as I have a chance and with let you know what I think.  If any of you guys get to play with it first post your creations. ~Cornell

 

Check out this fun simulation, it is pretty funny.

 

 


Here is an example from World War Z which another software – Alice.  Alice is an in-house software used at MPC.   



 

Learning Mairmy (Here)

Here we're listing some useful steps which are able to guide you from scratch start to learn Miarmy and get through all of the contents. Usually, 2~3 weeks, you can master most of stuffs of Miarmy and put it into your projects!

1. Quick Start (1 day) Quick Start Pipeline

Quick start materials contain the main concept and workflow of Miarmy, which cover from modeling to rendering the entire pipeline.

2. Detailed Video Tutorials (2 weeks) Video Tutorials

We provided very comprehensive online tutorials and videos for your learning. After you understanding the general pipeline from step 1, you can dive into this part and learn more details from our tutorials.  There are more than 120 video tutorials online for FREE learning, and each of them contain SAMPLE files.

And also some DEMO files originated from our Demo 1~8 (Watch DEMOs)

3. Ready to Run Useful Tutorials

Autodesk Meshmixer 101

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3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbI have been playing with Autodesk’s Meshmixer lately and it is a pretty cool tool for both 3d printing prep work and it is also  just a fun  introduction tool to the 3d world.  I tried out earlier versions, but I wasn’t impressed at the time.  The current version 2.6 (Fall 2014) is worth playing with so check it out.  ~Cornell

What is Meshmixer?

From Autodesk: Meshmixer is a prototype design tool based on high-resolution dynamic triangle meshes. We are exploring the new capabilities of this surface representation for interactive design and fabrication, in the context of a practical system we release to the public.

 

Why I use Meshmixer?

IT IS FREE!  It is an awesome quality FREE application for use on both Mac and Windows.

Complex Boolean Operations.  When ever I do complex Boolean Operations in Maya, it either crashes or just doesn’t work.  For example, if I were to boolean text on a ring, Maya will just explode.  So anytime you want to boolean open up Meshmixer.

Make Solid feature. THIS IS  AWESOME!!!! If you are making parts for 3d print in Maya, you do not have to combine all the object and redo you geometry, just bring them into Meshmixer and MAKE SOLID.

Analysis Features.  This menu offers a number of powerful analysis tools.  Note, I have not really taken advantage of them yet,  and was frustrated with the support feature in the previous version.  I will explore the tools and follow up. 

  • Inspector – Cleanup features with auto repair
  • Thickness
  • Strength
  • Stability
  • Orientation
  • Overhangs
  • Slicing

Converting File Types: Meshmixer can import the following  file types(.OBJ, .STL, .PLY,& .AMF) and export in the following formats (.OBJ, .STL, .DAE,  .PLY, .AMF, & .WRL)

*It is also good at cutting models apart and hollowing models out.

Download Here: http://www.meshmixer.com/download.html

 


Make Solid Feature – THIS IS MY FAVORITE FEATURE!

In this video, see how to use the Make Solid tool to combine 2 objects into one water tight object for 3D printing.

Why Design Matters More Now Than Ever Before

WIREDbyDESIGN

3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbMy coordinator just sent me a recent article from WIRED magazine, “Why Design Matters More Now Than Ever Before”.  Does it matter?  I have been saying for years, and now it seems as if everyone is starting to catch on.  DESIGN IS LIFE!!!!   ~Cornell

  In fact, there's never been a better time to be a designer. Every day, powerful new tools and technologies put new opportunities at our fingertips. The designer's toolkit is ever-expanding, and contemporary advances in manufacturing, prototyping, and production have enabled nothing less than a modern renaissance in all forms of design, from industrial to graphic. ~Scott Dadich WIRED

The article also mention the recent conference, which I should have gone to, “WIRED by Design”  I will be there next year!  Looking at the list of speakers  . . .  they represent everything I teach aside from the foods.  Very Cool!!!  I will post video footage when it . . . 

WxD: Design Is Life from Wired By Design on Vimeo.

SCI-FI Air Show

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3DTeacher-Icon2_thumb_thumbI grew-up watching the effects created by Bill George.  He is known for his visual effects work on Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006). He was a model maker through out the 80’s and physical models were slowly was replaced by CG work, he took the role of visual effects supervisor and art director where he continues to work today.

I just recently came across this WIRED interview about Georges’ Sci-Fi Airshow.  Check it out! ~CornellSCI-FI_AIRSHOW

The SCI-FI AIR SHOW

The SCI-FI AIR SHOW’s purpose is to preserve and promote the rich and varied history of Sci-Fi/fantasy vehicles. Through display and education we seek to celebrate the classic design and beauty of these ships and the rich imaginations that created them. When the cameras stopped rolling, many of these proud old ships were lost and forgotten. Please join us in working to keep these rare and beautiful birds soaring!

Here is Bill Georges WIRED interview for the Sci-Fi Airshow. 

World's First 3D-Printed Car?

Techly-3d-printed-car-strati-990x500[1]

Hmmm, the worlds first 3d printed car?  The first thing I think is, the 3d printer has revolutionized prototyping, it is true.  It puts prototyping in the hands of the ‘garage designers / inventors’ a total Game changer.  And now, large-scale printing houses and cars?  So Cool!!!  Now will we ever get to the point where this is practical for actual product production – meaning economical option?  I have seen 3d printed bikes and they were very delicate and not great for actual use.  For prototyping, we are there, but for production we have a ways to go.  Either way, new uses for 3d printers are reveled everyday and the direction we are going is just awesome!!! ~Cornell

Watch this CNN Video.

3D_Printed_Car

http://us.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/09/14/dnt-illinois-3d-printed-car.wgn.html

 

The 3D Printed Car (a.k.a. Direct Digital Manufacturing) – Project Brief


Futuristic drive: Step inside a 3D printed car

By Teo Kermeliotis, for CNN

updated 9:42 AM EDT, Thu June 26, 2014 |

(CNN) -- It seats two people, has a sleek retractable roof and runs on electric power. And its body can be 3D printed in a single piece.

Meet the Strati, the concept vehicle that was selected from more than 200 entries as the winner of the 3D Printed Car Design Challenge -- back in mid-April, US-based company Local Motors invited designers from around the world to submit their concepts for a car that can be manufactured using 3D printing.

Developed by Italian designer Michele Anoe, the Strati will now  < < MORE > >

What are Your Students Working on this Summer? Check out Emka’s Work (15 Years old)

t-Rex_3D

Inspire your students . . .  Check out Emka Klučovska’s latest work.  She is a 15 year old artist from Slovakia and is self taught.  Some say she is a prodigy, I don’t think that term really applies here.  Well it all depends on how you define prodigy, I guess.  Emka works really hard and she is very talented!  She has be drawing since she was 2 years old, that is over 13 years.  How many hours a day do you draw?  How bad do you want it?   She wants it and all those years sketching  paid off.   I talk with my students all the time and tell them that being able to draw is not something you are born with; it is a skill AND YOU CAN LEARN IT!   So if you want it, get to work! ~Cornell

 

https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/artist-spotlight-drawing-prodigy-emka-klucovska#

 

And now she is becoming a digital sculptor working with zBrush . . .  it will be great to see where her hard work takes her . . .

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""5.80 Metros" . . . Very Cool!!!

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"5.80 Metros" is an animated short film by Nicolas Deveaux, produced by Cube Creative et Orange. An imaginative video in which a team of giraffes practice professional dive from platforms high, demonstrating the grace of these animals.  http://www.cube-creative.fr/

Honda : Super Ultra Daydreams & 3D Printing

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3DTeacher-Icon2Check out Honda: Super Ultra Daydreams, it is a short video which explores the history of their concept designs from the 90’s to present as well as a website that allows you interactively navigate the 3d designs online.  Honda also made these designs available in a downloadable 3d format, where you can either print them out on your 3D printer or ‘reimagine’ your own design.  It is a cool idea and it is interesting to see their concepts over the years.   Check out the site and try printing few out, I plan on printing the set for a classroom demonstration.  ~Cornell   

“If your basic idea is strong, developing a new technology isn’t that hard. Technology is simply the end product. The idea from which it springs is what really matters.” ~Soichiro  Honda

FROM HONDA: At Honda, product development is driven from the bottom up, instead of from the top down. Why? Because we believe great inventions can spring from seemingly crazy ideas. That's why we actively encourage our engineers to come up with the most radically innovative Concept Cars they can imagine.

Over the years, we've showcased many of these vehicles at motor shows around the world. Now, to share the fun with everyone, we're making 3D design data for some of them available on the web. So you can download the designs, reimagine them according to your own personal vision, and share them with the world. Who knows? You may discover that you have what it takes to become the go-to car designer or engineer of tomorrow!

Ryan Trowbridge - 3D Math for Artists

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Autodesk University puts on some great workshops!  As we are always looking for cross-curricular projects, watch “3D Math for Artists” by Ryan Trowbridge, it may give you a few ideas.  It also my be a way to push your higher end students.  It also will help them get a basic understanding on programming with Maya.   ~Cornell 

http://area.autodesk.com/masterclasses/masterclass/class3_q1_2012

Ryan Trowbridge - 3D Math for Artists
The focus of this class is to teach artists what vectors are, how to manipulate them, and utilize 3d math within their python scripts. This class will cover the following:

- how simple it is to add, subtract and use multiplication to manipulate vectors
- describe how vectors are the basis for a matrix and how a matrix is less complex than it first appears.
- How Python can access the Maya API math classes MVector and MMatrix
- how these included classes make doing matrix multiplication easier and how it closely relates to doing vector math.

Hopefully with a handful of knowledge building blocks and several example Maya files, after taking this Master Class, artists will find it easier to dig into 3D Math.

3D Printing: The Hype vs. the Reality

Autodesks-Spark-3D-printer

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Autodesk jumps into the 3D Printing industry . . . It is about time!  What does it mean?   Autodesk just introduced a new open source 3D printing platform, Spark.  They want to make it easier  for the end user to design and then print without all the in-between hassles.  Since historically they are a 3d software development company, they want to streamline the 3d printing processing by offering an open source platform with hope to push 3d printing to the next level.  The Spark platform will be open and freely licensable including their 3d printer design which will be made publicly available to allow for further development and experimentation.  I think it is a super smart move on their part because with the increased ease of 3d printing, there will be an increased demand for new designs, designers and more demand for their software.  Either way, Very Cool Autodesk!   ~Cornell

*Here is an recent Bloomberg TV interview with Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, 3D Printing: The Hype vs. the Reality.