3D

Staples to offer in-store 3D printing on demand

Need a custom architectural or medical model in short order? How about a 3D map or, um... a handgun? Soon, Staples could be the place for all of the above -- OK, maybe not the gun -- through a new in-store 3D printing service just announced this week.

The office supply chain's apparent partner in the venture, MCOR Technologies, makes a commercial-class color 3D printer called the Iris that will be deployed first to Staples locations in the Netherlands and Belgium in early 2013. MCOR announced the printing service, dubbed Staples Easy 3D, in a press release, and at … Read more

3D printer on moon or Mars could make tools from local rocks

NASA is already experimenting with 3D-printing components for rockets to Mars, but the fun doesn't have to stop at liftoff.

Researchers at Washington State University and NASA are suggesting that rocks on the moon or Mars could be used to print useful objects like tools or replacement parts.… Read more

Zoom around the vast Milky Way in a browser

In the grand scheme of things, it's fair to say our solar system is very tiny.

You might especially agree with that statement after viewing 100,000 Stars, a Google Chrome Experiment Web page that gives anyone the chance surf around the our slice of the universe from the comfort of their Internet browser. Spacesuit and oxygen supply optional. … Read more

3D printing: The hype, the hopes, the hurdles

MARANA, Ariz. - Three-dimensional printing: hype, or hope?

That's the question industry leaders sought to answer at the Techonomy conference here in the sunny greater Tucson area. A panel of experts -- Geomagic's Ping Fu, Shapeways' Peter Weijmarshausen and PARC's Stephen Hoover, with CNET's own Paul Sloan moderating -- discussed the promises, pitfalls and potential of a technology that allows almost anyone to turn a digital file into a perfect copy of a physical object, from puzzle pieces to airplane wings, in materials such as plastic, metal and rubberlike polymers.

Can 3D printing change the world? … Read more

James Bond stunt Aston Martin made in giant 3D printer

Sean Connery first rocked the iconic James Bond Aston Martin DB5 in 1964's "Goldfinger." That vehicle made a reappearance in this year's blockbuster "Skyfall" with Daniel Craig at the wheel.

Spoiler alert: Craig's DB5 meets an untimely end involving flames. You can't just take a priceless real DB5 and blow it up on film, so the filmmakers turned to a high-tech prop solution: 3D printing.… Read more

3D photo booth prints your whole body pose

Flat photos are so last year. What may be the world's first 3D photo booth is about to open in Japan. The Omote 3D photo booth creates action-figure-size versions of posing people.

Unlike an old-fashioned photo booth, you will only get one "photo." This might not be the best way to capture a proposal, for example. You and your soon-to-be-fiance would just be standing there as you wait the 15 minutes it takes for the 3D scanner to capture your image.… Read more

NASA 3D-printing parts for its next rocket headed for Mars

3D printing has captured the imaginations of just about anyone who knows what it is -- even NASA, apparently.

The space agency is using a similar technology to create precise metal parts for its next heavy-lift rocket, which it hopes will eventually help take humans to Mars.

The method is called selective laser melting, or SLM, but it's not quite the same as printing up a sweet "Star Wars" chess set out of extruded plastic. It's more of a cross between 3D printing and some high-end, defense-grade awesome tech.… Read more

Fresh poster and trailer tease 'Jurassic Park 3D'

The blockbuster "Jurassic Park" gets another chance to shine -- this time in the third dimension -- as it makes a big 20th anniversary comeback to 3D and IMAX 3D movie screens on April 5, 2013.

To mark the occasion, Universal Pictures whipped up a fresh trailer and captivating poster for the movie. We heartily recommend that you share these with any "Jurassic Park" fans so they can perfect their Velociraptor impersonations and get the movie's premiere on their calendars in advance. Jurassic Park" might be 65 million years in the making, but we think the 3D release is a guaranteed sick day months in the making. … Read more

Mobius bacon strip cooked up through magic of 3D printing

We may have to wait awhile for true 3D-printed meat, but in the meantime, we can take solace in a 3D-printed Mobius bacon strip. This bacon strip simultaneously evokes deep feelings of bacon-past and challenges our perception of what bacon is.

If M.C. Escher were to design breakfast products, this is the bacon he would come up with. It's a never-ending circle of pork that owes its existence to advances in 3D printing.… Read more

3D modeling and printing with a clean interface

SketchUp for Mac is a 3D design app that allows you to create 3D models and, using an online service, get those models built. SketchUp for Mac installs easily but was not available from the App Store when we tested the software, instead requiring a download from the publisher. SketchUp for Mac is a free app, but there's a Pro version for additional cost with more features and capabilities.

SketchUp for Mac lets you create surprisingly complex and detailed 3D models, but there's a learning curve to doing so. The interface is surprisingly clean and easy to work … Read more