Coffee with your laser cutting sir?

So in Shibuya Japan there's a cafe when you can laser cut and make things while you sit and drink a brew! I think this is a pretty nice idea especially for etching graphics and cutting smaller items whilst meeting similar minded folk. I think there's a real future for Fablabs as a pay as you go service and wish one would open up near to me. I guess in the mean time I'll just have to start building my own.

 via spoon&tamago

40 year old CGI

I found this pretty impressive. I can't quite believe it was done in 1972. Imagine what another 40 years will bring!

WikiHouse CNC Home

WikiHouse sounds like a great idea to me. It's idea is open source house construction based on CNC routed 18mm plywood. This is a method of construction that I'm pretty familiar with from my day job. I'd be interested to see how some large structures are built using this method and what the costs are compared to traditional methods. I'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

via Ponoko

The Making of 'Aufschwung'

 

The other day I stumbled across the website of Heavy Industries who specialize in large scale installations. One of their recent projects was Inges Idee's 'Aufschwun', A spiraling extruded cherub sculpture. Having worked on a number of public art pieces it was great to see behind the scenes of just how this thing was made. Link

Photofly 2.0 3D Scanning

 

A bit of a dodgy video but an amazing tool for reverse engineering and 3D scanning. Link

via ponokoblog

Claus Mølgaard

It is often the technical aspects of making a design work that are the hardest things to get right. This is where Claus Mølgaard comes in. Take a look at some of the work he has done with top designers to help them make their ideas a reality. Link

ShapeOko CNC machine

 

The ShapeOko is a desktop CNC machine that is completely open source and designed to be build for $300. Although it is clearly intended for small parts this would be a great tool for model making with a Dremel attachment or a cutting blade for vinyl work. I'll be keeping a close eye on this!

Close, but no cigar

I was thrilled when I found out that my 'Knot Handle' had been shortlisted from over 6,000 entrants in Designbooms 'Hands on door handles' competition. My design received some mixed comments but was always intended to be a bit tongue-in-cheek! The winning designs were all very worthy and I particularly liked the cool minimalism of Alexander Hoffart's 'Grow' design.

BirdBot

Design and make your own BirdBot. Yes please! Link

The Shadow Cloud

 

This amazing looking rapid prototype is by Drzach & Suchy and has a bit of a hidden secret. Watch the video to the end and prepare to be amazed. Nice!

Augmented Reality For SketchUp

With advances in CAD technology and 3D displays I think it's only a matter time before we start to see this kind of technology being included in many CAD packages. It looks like a nice way to be able to properly visualise your designs in the real world. Link

Leonar3do

Amazing! Is this the future of sculpting? Maybe not yet but surely it's only a matter of time. More info on Leonar3do can be found here.

The 3D Revolution

Forget Avatar, the real 3D revolution is coming to your front room

A great article by Paul MacInnes. Read the full story here.

DIYLILCNC

The DIYLILCNC project is a set of plans for an inexpensive, fully functional 3-axis CNC mill that can be built by an individual with basic shop skills and tool access for about £500. Looks like a great project for the future. Link

The Next Industrial Revolution

Wired magazine has just published a fantastic article about what they are calling 'The Next Industrial Revolution'. It talks about in an age of open source, custom-fabricated, DIY product design, all you need to conquer the world is a brilliant idea. Well worth a read here.

Robotagger

Check it out.

Digital Wood Joints

I know these will only be of interest to a select few, but as a frequent user of a CNC machine, these are a really great insight into how CNC technology is changing the craft of carpentry. Flexible Stream, an online source for free design, currently has 50 examples of digital wood joints to download under a Creative Commons-License. Link

Comvert’s Bastard Bowl

Develop 3D have written a really interesting article about the design and construction of an indoor skate bowl above the design offices, warehousing, and flagship store for Comvert in Italy. Link

Papercraft Self Portrait

An amazing 'Big Head' made by Eric Testroete using 3ds Max, Mudbox, Photoshop & Pepakura. Link

Cut&Paste Digital Design Tournament

Link