Actual remodel images:    
Current processing time: 3 business days

- Our expertise in color, style, and furniture placement

- Your print ready booklet: (View Sample)
              Up to 3 color palletes of your space (with Behr references)
                         (1-std. +$5 for each add.)
              4 Views of each pallete (12- 8×10 images)

- Your interactive PDF (you control your view) (View Sample)

1 Color Pallete Room Design- $20

2 Color Pallete Room Design- $25

3 Color Pallete Room Design- $30

What I needed was a dock that allowed me use my existing USB power cord, lay my phone horizontal or vertical, and hey while I was at it personalize it with my name. I also threw in a sound port on the bottom that ports the sound down from the speaker out towards the user.

Enjoy!

STL: iPhone Dock (2.5MB)
Google Sketchup: iPhone Dock (580kb)
PDF: iPhone Dock  (998kb)

Our 3D printed price: $65

3D Ventures Utilizes Technology to Build Low Cost Physical Scale Models

Ordering a physical model along with a set of plans will soon become standard thanks to Michael and Beth White at 3D Ventures.

When you think of a scale model shop it usually consists of something like a toy factory with sounds of saws ripping and busy bodies painting. But, at 3D Ventures it’s everything but traditional. With a 3D printer dubbed “Merlin” which operates much like a standard ink-jet printer on one wall and a 3D workstation on the other they are at the forefront of changing traditions.

3D Venture’s process involves converting two dimensional data (napkin drawings to architect’s files) into three dimensional computer models which can then be rendered or produced into physical scale models. 3D Ventures combines 3D Printing, a technology from the rapid prototyping industry, with time tested hand modeling techniques to produce monochrome white or specific color models with a plethora of options. 3D Venture’s models are modular and also more durable than the classic “Do not touch!” models, enabling them to be taken on-site if necessary. The price for a 3D printed model is usually 1/3rd that of traditional modeling in less than 1/6th of the time. But, if the project is modeled using BIM software, which conveniently outputs 3D printable files, the cost and time can be cut in half! If BIM is used models can start as low $150.

BIM adoption is rapidly increasing driving demand for 3D printed scale models. In a recent study conducted by RSMeans Business Solutions, a division Reed Construction Data, 96 percent of offices sampled adopted the use of BIM within the last 12 months and nearly half of all the respondents estimated that all projects will use BIM within one or two years.

A 3D printed model is to scale models what Google SketchUp is to the 3D modeling world, it is a fast and effective low cost communication tool. The current models may not have the photo-realism of a Hollywood set but it doesn’t break the bank either. As BIM capabilities improve and 3D printing machines offer more features the realism will improve. Relaying designs and concepts in a format the client can connect with, at an affordable cost, has put 3D printing at the forefront of visual communication tools.

Google SketchUp to 3D print in a few days? 3D Ventures is doing just that. Google SketchUp has become an effective and cost efficient method for 3D communication and now that communication gets physical. “We use Google SketchUp because of it’s ease of use and rapid global adoption to creating our physical models and 3D renderings. Although designing for building scale models in SketchUp can more time intensive we have streamlined our workflow to a point where clients have also requested our low cost SketchUp 3D rendering service for basic visualizations,” says Michael . If you are planning on sending them your SketchUp files for 3D print, they will gladly accept them, but, there are a few design practices which can reduce your cost even further which are available on their website ,www.3DVentures.com, along with short videos explaining the process.

As the use of BIM is rapidly adopted, scale models are being seen at multiple stages of the collaboration process not to mention as a standard in the final stage. With BIM use on the rise and the current low-cost / on-demand 3D printing capabilities, seeing a 3D Venture’s model with your set of plans may be sooner than you think.

About 3D Ventures
3D Ventures is a pioneer in rapid 3D printing technology for architects, engineers, and end-clients providing quality visualizations as 3D renderings and physical scale models. Their models such as residential / commercial buildings, city / business development models, geospatial land models with image / map overlays, and Google Earth and Google SketchUp models are globally available.

Real Estate- Sales models, developer’s visualizations, 3D pdf floor plans of existing structures, Google Earth sales integration, visualization consultations
Architectural- 2D to 3D conversions, 3D design, Google Earth integration, visualization consultations
Home Builders- 2D to 3D conversions, 3D conceptualizations, Google Earth integrations, 3D pdf visualizations, visualization consultations
Building Product Manufacturers- 2D to 3D conversions, 3D design, visualization consultations
City / Urban Modeling- Full 3D modeling of urban lands, visualization consultations
Engineering- 2D to 3D conversions, 3D design, visualization consultations
Prototyping- Conception through mass production, “napkin drawings” to reality
Entertainment / Multimedia- 3D design for games, 2D to 3D conversions, visualization consultations

Fill out our quote form or call us today at 806-577-4074 and we’ll  gladly discuss your project’s needs and provide you with a competitive quote or follow us on Twitter for the latest on 3D printing.

How does 3d modeling work? In order to build a model we have to first create the file in a 3d program in order to create length, width, and height.  Then we are able to build the 3d model from a solid 3d file.  The build process consists of powder material bonded together in layers to form a complete 3d model.  After the build cycle, we then have to clean off excess powder from the model and all crevasses and apply a hardener to give it greater strength.  The models are then finished out according to your specifications.  In a nut shell, you are able to see your ideas come to life. (back to top)

Why should I purchase a 3d model? For a number of reasons!  3d models surpass 3d renderings because a rendering is still viewed in 2 dimensions (on a monitor).  Also, you or your client can better visualize a 3d physical model by being able to hold it and view every aspect of your vision without the limitations of navigating through the model using a mouse and keyboard. Just imagine physically holding your house in your own hands or taking off the roof and seeing the actual floor plan come to life.

Imagine yourself at a meeting and looking down and around a skyscraper that is your future project.  By viewing the 3d model you are able to see many critical mistakes that may need to be addressed before the structure is built.   It is refreshing to know a single 3d model can help save a potential headache and more importantly pay for itself by avoiding costly mistakes.(back to top)

Is there a size limit on a 3d build? The limit is endless.  Our individual build size is 8” x 10” x 8”, but, large scale models are constructed with many parts and pieces, so we can do just about anything.  If you can dream it we really can build it!  (back to top)

What type of quality should I expect? We are able to build down to 1/16” to maintain great detail.  Anything below 1/16” may not be built.  Keep in mind, you will be notified before we begin the build if we find objects that may be less than 1/16”.  If you have specific questions concerning your model, feel free to contact us at sales@3dventures.com or toll free at 1-866-770-4912. (back to top)

Does your company accept Sketch Up files? Yes, we will gladly accept your Google SketchUp files.  (please view our preparation page to view how to export them) (back to top)

Can I pay with a Credit Card? We do accept all major credit cards thru Google Checkout.  Once you click on “Buy Now” it takes you step-by-step thru the Upload and Payment process.  Custom orders are invoiced and also paid through the Google Checkout system. (back to top)

How do you purchase a model? If you are not purchasing a custom order you may chose the model that best fits your needs and click the “Buy Now” button on the product page.  From there you will be directed through the Upload and Payment process.  Fill out all the information required.    If we have any questions we will notify you, otherwise you will receive a proof and a representative will finalize the build.  We are always willing to help you thru this process if need be. (back to top)

Do you have a Satisfaction Guarantee? We are so confident that you will enjoy your model we offer a money-back satisfaction guarantee.  If you are unsatisfied with your model you must contact us and return your model within seven (7) business days.  Let us know how our model did not meet your expectations as we strive to maintain high levels of quality workmanship on each model we build to accurately represent your vision.

Each model takes time and uses precious materials which cost us money, so all we require is that you pay for the return shipping back to our facility.

We’ll process your refund within 14 business days of receiving your model.

Our “Satisfaction Guarantee” is only applicable to models.  Charges for labor hours are non-refundable.

Can you ship outside the United States? Yes, we gladly accept orders from all over the world.  Submit a quote or call us at 866-770-4912 and notify us of your location and we will put together a quote to include international shipping. (back to top) ]]> http://www.3dventures.com/have-questions-we-have-answers/feed/ http://www.3dventures.com/implants-orthopedics-maxillo-facial-3d-printing/ http://www.3dventures.com/implants-orthopedics-maxillo-facial-3d-printing/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 13:19:17 +0000 admin http://www.3dventures.com/?p=25 Send us an MRI / CT scan and we’ll rapidly send you a 3D print, or medical model, that you hold in your hand!

3D Printing medical models is rapidly taking hold.  Take a jawbone reconstruction surgery for example.  A patient’s MRI is taken and 3D printed into a 3D medical model, a plate is created with a perfect fit before O.R. reducing time in O.R. by 45 minutes!

The medical uses are growing, but, right now we are seeing it used in orthopedics, maxillo-facial, plastic surgery, implants, and pediatrics to name a few.

Medical Uses:

Pre-surgery planning- implant pre-contouring, screw trajectories and locations, and technique rehearsal
Physician communication- 3D prints to collaborate with physicians
Patient presentation tool- describe the procedures at hand with an actual model of the patient
Medical student education- medical models of actual cases the students can interact with
Custom prosthesis- combined with detailed 3D scanning techniques custom prosthesis design and production is at your fingertips

3D Printed Implants?
Most of our medical models are used before the surgery.  This has all changed with EBM, Electron Beam Melting, that build solid parts fusing metal powder layer by layer.  Arcam is the leading manufacturer of EBM.  Custom parts are made from medical grade materials and have the added ability to fix itself to the hosting bone by integrating engineering porous “lattice” work into the parts.  All parts are medical grade materials such as Ti6Al4V ELI, Ti Grade 2 and Cobalt-Chrome.

Learning:
3D printing for medicine is a new concept that many don’t even know exists.  Take a look at the following resources that we have compiled that include actual cases.

An overview of 3D printing for medicine with some case examples. (PDF- 1.33MB)

Rapid Prototyping for Baghdad- a great resource of actual case files using 3D printing

Custom medical grade implants using EBM technology

• Case 1- Fixa Ti-Por Acetabular Cup
• Case 2- Maastricht Implant
• Case 3- Prototal

What do we need for a 3D print?
We will need your DICOM images from either an MRI or CT scan in order compile them together in one complete 3D model.  Feel free to upload them here….

If you have any questions on how we may be able to help integrate 3D printing into your project or if you have a project call or email us and we’d be glad to help, or you can follow us on Twitter for the latest on 3D printing.

Developing a great design is only the beginning of what it takes to see a production product come to life.  We take your designs and put them in your hand!

How are we different?
We produce quality prototypes at competitive prices because we are a small company and we utilize the latest equipment for low cost 3D models.

ZCorp Print

Material Choices?
ZCorp 3D Prints- ZCorp 3D prints are constructed out of a plaster or starch based material to create detailed models capable of 300dpi on the x and y axis and .0035″ vertical resolution on the z axis.  These models are seen in about 70% of all prototypes we construct because of its low price, full color option, and rapid build times.
Tolerance-+/- .005″

Poly-Jet, 42 Micron

ABS / Poly-jet-3D printers using ABS or poly-jet plastic produces tough models at a higher price per cubic inch in a few color options.  Natural, blue, black, red, green, or gray are usually the standard colors. Depending on the application we can 3D print down to 42 microns of detail.  This 3D printing method definitely has it place.  If you want semi-flexible models that are tough enough to be used as a replacement part then 3D printing with ABS or poly-jet may be what you’ll want.
Tolerance- .0016″ to .003″ depending on requirement

EBM Implant

Metal-I know what you’re thinking, “How can you 3D print metal?”.  Through advanced processes the capability of printing metal parts or even medical grade implants is now possible.  Let us know if this is something you are interested in we would be glad to discuss your material options for your application.

Finish Options:

1. Standard Light Sand (220 grit)
2. Gloss- (sand to 220 grit with clear coat)
3. Primed- (sand to 220 grit with lines removed and multiple coats)
4. Painted (sand to 220 grit, lines removed, prime, paint)
5. Plating (sand to 320 grit, lines removed, paint with conductive paint, electroplate of choice, adding about 3mm to final thickness)
6. Powder coated (sand to 320 grit, lines removed, paint with conductive paint, smooth powder coat to finish adding about 3mm to final thickness)

Accepted file formats:
(from SolidWorks, Inventor, Rhino, AutoCAD, I-DEAS, IronCAD, Mechanical Desktop, ProE, SolidDesigner, SolidEdge, Think3, Unigraphics, and more..)

1. STL (most supported format, call us with the design software you are using and we can walk you through how to export as a STL)
2. .3ds, .vrml, .wrl, .obj, .dxf

Feel free to call us or send us any project you have and we’ll be glad to quote it, or follow us on Twitter for the latest on 3D printing.

Google SketchUp is being used for all facets of design, from inventors designing their next big hit, to furniture designers designing where you’ll sit!

We are now offering SketchUp 3D prints from almost any SketchUp design.

3D Warehouse
Have you found something you like on Google’s 3D Warehouse and want to place it in your hand?  Send us its link or send us the SketchUp file and we’ll be glad to 3D print it for you.

Inventors / Product Developers
Have you come up a great invention in SketchUp and want to get your first prototype so you can get on your way to making millions?  Send us your SketchUp model and we’ll 3D print it.  We don’t just leave you hanging either.  Since we work with many different manufactures we’ll put you in contact with someone who can help take your prototype into full production.

And if you’re worried we’ll steal your idea, we’d be glad to sign your ND (non-disclosure agreement) or you can download one Legalzoom.com which is a standard practice in any type of confidential environment.

Buildings
Whether you’re an architect, marketing firm, engineer, builder, home-owner, or just darn curious and you have a building or group of buildings you’ve designed in SketchUp send it our way and we’ll 3D print it.  And who said Christmas doesn’t come early!

Monuments
Why not put the Statue of Liberty in the palm of your hand?  Take any 3D model from 3D Warehouse or your own design of any monument, send it to us and we’ll 3D print it.

Dream Big…..
It really doesn’t matter what your 3D world is, chances are we can 3D print it.  So, go ahead and dream big because your only limit is your imagination.

Our 3D printing software is very resilient on the completeness of SketchUp models, but, there are a few things that may help reduce the price of a 3D print from SketchUp and we are working diligently on putting together a Google SketchUp to 3D print design guide. In the meantime, when you’re modeling for 3D print, remember it is very similar to building anything by hand.

Here are a few pointers you may want to follow.

-Try to make all your surfaces come together. Ie. If you’re designing a box make sure all the sides touch
- Items without thickness will not 3D print. Ie. If you design a wall and the wall is made up of only one surface it won’t print, instead push the wall in or out to give it about the thickness of a real wall.

Feel free to send us an SketchUp file and we’ll gladly send you a quote or follow us on Twitter for the latest on 3D printing!

Traditionally scale models have been created by hand.  Painstakingly cutting bass wood and a multitude of different materials over hours and hours to create a wonderful masterpiece.  The downside to all this long hard work…. Time…. and you know how it goes “time = money”.

Don’t get me wrong these days are far from gone.  But, at least we’re bringing a scale model a leap closer to your front door.

Yes a 3D printed model will become a standard design “document” that will be required for some projects.

Some of the benefits of a 3D scale model?

1)     You control your perspective- They have these great drawings these days called 3D renderings.  I’m sure many of you have seen them, just do a quick search on Google for “3d model” and there you have it.  They are photorealistic renderings from different angles and many times a rendered sequence.  The problem with renderings are you still rely on the perspective you’re presented with.  With a 3D model…… you move around the model or better yet, pick it up give it a whirl, all the while bug eyed as you may be.

2)     Tactile connection- Think about any product you’ve purchased that possibly had a 3D view of the product.  Some computer companies like Dell or Apple have this.  They’ve realized that the closer a potential client can come to ownership of the product the sooner they have a sell!  Then when you get the product in and see it for the first time it’s never the same as on the screen.  You can actually touch and feel it seeing and feeling every detail that was put into designing it.  A 3D model truly captures its audience and immediately gives you a sense of ownership.

3)     Accuracy- When a traditional model is built by hand, a skilled artisan references blueprints to build the final model.  It’s a little like trying to copy a Van Gogh painting by hand.  The artist’s interpretation is imparted on the model leaving room for error.  3D printed models are constructed with exactness to the file used during design.  Just like printing a document!  Today’s desktop printers have certain limitations and as long as you work within their limits it’s as exact as exact can get.  Today’s 3D printers are no different.

4)     Duplicity- There is no possible way to create exact duplicates; one for the architect, client, engineer, and builder for example; of a 3d model with traditional modeling techniques let alone be cost efficient.  With 3D printing its just a matter of how many times you want to click “3D Print”.

5)     Cost Efficiency-  Right now a 3D printed model usually runs about 30% less than a traditional hand constructed model.  (this includes the conversion from 2D to 3D which I’ll discuss in the next section) Even this is changing rapidly.  As new lower cost materials are being engineered and lower cost 3D printers are coming out every year it won’t be long before we’ll see that closer to ½ the price of a traditional 3D model.

How does all this work?  simple is better
Of course it’s easy, send us your files and we’ll do the rest.  I’d probably consider a few things though which may save you a little money and us a little time.

What kind of file do you have?  2D or 3D?
The sooner we can get a file into 3D the lower the cost!

Most designers today are still designing in 2D.  AutoCAD is a great example of standard 2D software many of you are familiar with.  If you can’t spin you model around and view all the elevations as one complete model then you probably have a 2D file.  We’ll need to convert the 2D elevation views to a complete 3D model.

Now, if you can spin your model around and view it as a complete model……congratulations….. you’ve made the move into the 21^st century!  And, those of you who are still 2D, you’ll get there soon.  You’ll just export your file (usually as a .stl, .3ds, .wrl, or a .dxf) and you’ll be on your way to 3D printing!

2D to 3D Conversion

If we do have a 2D file we’ll need to make it 3D.  Once you send us the .dwg or .dxf working files we’ll convert the files into a 3D format in programs like Google SketchUp or Rhino.  This conversion process does take some time and is currently the largest price driving factor.  However, we have streamlined our workflow in this process and have become very cost efficient which we will pass on to you.

3D design is changing rapidly!  With more users running with programs like Google SketchUp and as more design packages like Revit and ArchiCad harness the power of BIM (Building Information Modeling), the 2D to 3D conversion process is eliminated.  Projects that are designed in these programs are at least ½ the price of a traditional 3D model.  For example a model that is 3D printed to maximize an 8″ x 10″ build area is around $400 and duplicates come in around $300.  At this price who wouldn’t automatically include a model with all those great benefits?

Feel free contact us for a rapid quote or follow us on Twitter for the latest on 3D printing!