Art & Design or Art vs. Design - mix in technology like 3D Printing and lines blur into an even more controversial definition. Do the lines between art and design blur to the point that 3D Printed Art actually becomes 3D Print Design? If Andy Warhol is not considered less of an artist because he used the technology of Silkscreen Printing, then why should today's artist be considered less because she uses 3D Printing? Perhaps, 3D Printed Art is Art in the eyes of the artist herself. Since … [Read more...]
3D Printing Design Education Today = Jobs of the Future
With graduation season comes scary thoughts of career paths and jobs. It has become very apparent that 3D Printing is going to be the next job boom and filling those skilled jobs will be a big challenge. Where are all these potential employees going to get their 3D Printing Design Education? As if the US education system didn't have enough problems falling behind other countries in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) education, China is about to make the education gap … [Read more...]
3D Print Gifts for Moms – Any Good Designs?
See our picks for the best last minute 3D Print Gifts to download and print for Mom! Stumped for a Mother's Day gift this year? We've taken care some of the hunting required to find good 3D Print Gifts for you. Keep in mind that all of our recommendations are download-to-print 3D Print Gifts because face it, you waited until the last minute, but there are also sites like Shapeways and i.Materialise where there might still be time to rush delivery on a print for some of their 3D Print … [Read more...]
Pricing 3D Print Design Services to Stay in Business
Afraid of burdening the consumer by charging for your actual hours or costs when pricing 3D Print design services? We come across this all the time from designers, consultants and freelancers in all areas, not just in 3D Print design. Design value is already hard enough to quantify but mixed with new technology and a technical skill learning curve, pricing 3D Print design services seems overwhelming. It is especially difficult as you go to assess selling your designs on file services like … [Read more...]
Undervaluing Design Time & Fabrication Hours
Giving a little girl a new 3D Printed pink and purple prosthetic arm has to be one of the most admirable uses of a 3D Printer. However, undervaluing design time by charging $50 raises a lot of questions about design, engineering, and printing time. Except for such worthwhile charitable ventures, can you really charge enough to cover the design and fabrication time? Joining Tom and Tracy Hazzard to answer this question is Mark Lengsfeld, the owner of Build It Workspace. Mark introduces … [Read more...]
3D Printing Skills – Are You Ready to Print?
3D Printing Skills - Are You Ready to Print? Maybe not yet, but there is always time for building 3D Printing Skills 3D Printing has become accessible to home hobbyists, pro-sumers and design professionals like us, but is it really ready to go mainstream? The design learning curve is very steep so you need to have a lot of time on your hands and be prepared to experiment. We have been 3D modeling and designing for over 25 years and had to relearn how to design just to begin the technical … [Read more...]