Attached Link: http://www.newscientisttech.com:80/article/dn10922?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=

 I've seen discussions here in the past, so I thought this might be of interest.  Article I found on the New Scientist Tech site.  Home 3D Prototyping machines can be made DIY for as little as $2400 from off-the-shelf components.

"Desktop fabricator may kick-start home revolution"

http://www.newscientisttech.com:80/article/dn10922?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=

Attached Link: http://www.splinescan.co.uk/

Wow!! It would be wonderful to have one's own RP machine....I've looked into self built 3d scanners - details at www.splinescan.co.uk, a friends phd project, in theory then the whole rp manufacturing process, from reverse engineering to manufacturing can be digitally knocked up at home?

It would be great to find a rapid prototyping forum here...........

Definately the future

www.paulspence.com

We have one in the building, $50,000; but I found out it works opposite of the others. Instead of carving out of plastic, it actually builds up objects from the bottom up. Neat to watch..;)

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)

Wonder why they don't give the website of the folks who are doing it?
Marque

Maybe they can fabricate me some coffee....lol

If they ever get it past theory stage, and actually get them up and run, at $500 each.I'll buy one :)

pak, all the low-end 3d printers build up the models in laters AFAIK. they use various sorts of UV-cured resins IIRC.

Miss Nancy :¬)  , how did you make your clown with rotating flower? Its v nice.

www.paulspence.com

Attached Link: http://www.shar3d.com/

bike, they have the cr2 file at chevy's site, page 6 of "stuff".

thanks Miss Nancy, how have you done the rotating flower animation? Flash? I've been struggling to find freeware to animate small images like this..........

www.paulspence.com

Practically, it might be a bit awkward to get from a Poser model to something a machine like this could use. It might need to used a single-piece clothed figure, for instance, and how would it handle overhangs? Also, I doubt the durability of the models. I don't think you're going to get the final product out of this. You could get something you could use to make a mould from. For instance, the cast-resin models that are sold to people who wargame with model soldiers. Or maybe garden gnomes? The comparisons with the early microcomputer kits are fair, I think. We're not yet even at the stage of the Commodore PET or the Tandy TRS-80.

..and if you think inkcarts are expensive now...

antoniaTiger :¬) , overhangs etc are no problem for rapid-prototyping. as the picture shows very complex interconnecting forms are possible. I used to work with a machine which produced such forms in very tough plastic and steel, steel via a polymer/phosphor-bronze powder.

www.paulspence.com

bike, I animated the spinning flower in poser (approx. $99 - $139 u.s.). saved as uncompressed movie file using QT (free). converted to gif-animation in gifbuilder (free).

Quote - Practically, it might be a bit awkward to get from a Poser model to something a machine like this could use. It might need to used a single-piece clothed figure, for instance, and how would it handle overhangs? Also, I doubt the durability of the models. I don't think you're going to get the final product out of this. You could get something you could use to make a mould from. For instance, the cast-resin models that are sold to people who wargame with model soldiers. Or maybe garden gnomes? The comparisons with the early microcomputer kits are fair, I think. We're not yet even at the stage of the Commodore PET or the Tandy TRS-80.

There is a Shade export filter for sale at Content Paradise that will export shade to the format read by the RP machines. So you can import a poser model using Shade's import features and then export for Rping.

There are a number of places that will take the file and produce it for you. It's a bit pricey for me though so I haven't looked into it too much.

Attached Link: Fab @ Home

@Marque - I've attached the link to the Fab @ Home site ... @leather-guy - Thanks for pointing out this article. I've followed 3D prototyping for years, wondering if it would ever take-off. Being able to build a 3D printer for $2500 should finally kick start this technology.