That Elusive Tutorial

Using Hypervoxels in Lightwave 3D to Simulate a Candle Flame

I have been looking for a tutorial on how to do this for quite some time. After having no success finding what I was looking for, I decided to teach myself. Here is my first, very own tutorial. It's fairly self-explanatory; so, rather than add my own redundant narration, I set it to music by Sergey Rachmaninov. Enjoy.

You can also find more of my videos on YouTube.

3D Printing 101

What is 3D Printing?

3D Printing is a manufacturing process which builds real, solid objects from digital models found in computer files. 3D Printing has been around for decades in various forms, but wide-spread public accessibility has skyrocketed in recent years as prices have dropped dramatically, and the number of available technologies has blossomed.

The digital world is abuzz with news and commentary on 3D printing even as much of the world has never heard of it. There are hundreds if not thousands of sites on the Internet promoting the services and products of 3D printing and chronicling highly technical developments in the industry, but is the public at large being left out, buried in technobabble? As artists and designers are one of the fastest growing groups to benefit from 3D printing I feel it is more important than ever not to leave anyone out of this technological revolution. Fear no more. Here is a basic explanation for artists and lay persons.

A Commercial 3D Printer

As I stated above, in the simplest terms 3D printing is a manufacturing process, a way of making things from drawings made on a computer. More specifically, 3D printing builds sold forms by adding layer-upon-layer of thin, flat cross sections up to form sold 3-dimensional shapes. If it helps you can visualize an apple and imagine that you cut it into many increasingly thin slices. If you glued these many thin, flat layers back together you get a 3-dimensional apple-shaped object. There are many different 3D printing technologies but they all operate on this basic concept. What 3D printing machines do is automatically build these thin, flat layers individually from computer-aided-design (CAD) drawing files in an additive way similar in concept to the way you could layer up the slices of the apple to get a finished, apple-shaped object.

Why 3D Printing?

So, what’s so special about a machine that can 3D print an object from a drawing I made on my computer? There are several major benefits I’ll explain here:

It’s Automatic

Since the 3D printer automatically generates the object from a designer’s drawing, minimal engineering or manufacturing knowledge is necessary to get great, professional results. There isn’t the same need to know or calculate how a 3D printer will create an object or to systematically program a step-by-step procedure for the machine to follow as there is with other prototyping and manufacturing processes. 3D printing is almost as simple as sending your family photos to your desktop printer without any need to know how to develop photographic film.

The Impossible Is Possible

Because of the way 3D printing works it is possible to 3D print objects that would be impossible to mold and difficult or impossible to sculpt by any other process. Seamless, continuous interlocking pieces can be made in the same object with little difficulty. For example, it is possible to make interlocking rings like in the emblem of the Olympic Games.

It’s More Accessible

There are more and more companies springing up around the world offering affordable 3D printing without the need to purchase your own equipment and materials. Many of these services allow designers to upload their drawings via the Internet, right from their own homes and then receive the finished products at their doorstep just like if they had ordered an existing product from Amazon.com or any other online store. Because the equipment and labor costs of modern 3D printing are considerably less than those of other manufacturing process, like injection molding or custom sculpting by a professional sculptor, 3D printing can be cheaper making it even more accessible to a wider user base.

What Can Be 3D Printed?

In general, if you can draw it with CAD software you can print it, but there are some technical limitations.

Size Limitations

There are size limitations unique to each specific 3D printer machine. The maximum size and object can be depends on the maximum envelope and overall size of the specific 3D printer. The minimum practical size depends on the material being used to 3D print the object and the manufacturer’s ability to tell the difference between small 3D printed objects and excess scrap material.

Digital Limitations

The CAD drawing being printed must not have any digital errors in it. In general the 3D printer and the software that controls it must be able to clearly recognize the shape of the object you are trying to print. The 3D printer must be able to clearly recognize the difference between the inside and outside of the object in order to know which material to include in your product and which material is excess scrap to be disposed of. I’ll forgo the more technical explanation of this. As I said, this explanation is for lay people and artists.

Thickness Limitations

There are also minimum (and sometimes maximum) wall thickness limitations. If you imagine a coffee mug, the radial thickness of the wall of the coffee mug can be thought of as the wall thickness. If the mug has a handle, the thickness of the handle can also be thought of as a wall thickness. Different materials have different minimum wall thickness below which they lose structural integrity and will break during the 3D printing process. For some materials there may even be a maximum wall thickness above which surface cracking that can lead to breakage during the 3D printing process can occur.

Hole and Gap Limitations

In order to print hollow objects there must be at least one hole in the object in order for excess material to be removed after 3D printing. The minimum size of holes depends on a couple factors. The hole must be large enough for excess material to pass through without plugging the hole. The hole must also be large enough so that the material being 3D printed doesn’t unintentionally close up the hole during its softer or warmer state during the 3D printing process.

Color Limitations

Color and material options are still limited. Most 3D printing processes available only allow the printing of a single material at a time. That means that if you want to make metal scissors with plastic handles, you most likely have to print the metal part and the handles separately and then glue them together after they’re printed. It also means that, in most cases, you can only make individual parts that are of a single, solid color. There are some processes capable of printing multiple color objects of a single material, but the options for this are also limited.

How Does 3D Printing Work?

In general there are three steps to 3D printing with a third-party online manufacturer.

1. First you draw your model.
2. Then you upload your model to a manufacturer.
3. The model undergoes automatic testing to make sure it is printable. If there are no warnings you can order your finished product in a material offered by your particular manufacturer.

Drawing Your 3D Model

Any 3D CAD software that can create 3-dimensional shapes with triangular facets can be used to draw models for 3D printing. 3D Printers often only work with limited file types, but there are a variety of free software products available for converting your drawing files to the format needed for 3D printing.

Uploading Your 3D Model

Uploading a 3D model to a third party manufacture is the exact same process as uploading a photo to Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Just open the manufacturer’s website and follow their instructions for uploading.

3D Printing Your Model

Online 3D printing companies have sophisticated automated software that automatically checks your model against the manufacturing limitations described above. In most cases, if your model passes these automated tests, it gets scheduled to be 3D printed and then the finished product will be shipped to your office or home. In rare cases a human will find a design flaw with your model that will prevent it from being 3D printable after it has already passed the automatic testing. Whatever the case, most manufacturers will simply notify you of the specific problem and give you the opportunity to fix your design and try again.

Where Can I find 3D Printers?

There are a few ways to go about getting your own designs 3D printed.

Finding An Online 3D Printing Company

The easiest approach to 3D printing for beginners is to find an online 3D printing company that can make your product and ship it to you. There are dozens of companies world-wide that do this. One of the best known and most widely used of these companies is Shapeways, Inc. Here is a short list of some others. 3D Printer Hub  has a nice comparison of some of them.

• Shapeways
• Sculpteo
• Thingiverse
• Proparts
• Redeye
• InventApart
• Ponoko

Buying A Personal 3D Printer

A Desktop 3D Printer

Some hobbyists and serious designers may want to buy their own 3D printing equipment. Equipment at the time of this post costs anywhere from $500 US to more than $2,000 US. Many 3D printers require some assembly. Here is a brief list some of these 3D printer brands.

• Portabee 3D Printer
• Durbie Prusa Mende
• Rapidbot 3D Printer
• Leapfrog Creatr
• ShareBot 3D Printer
• Felix 3D Printer Kit
• ZPrinter
• Objet 3D Printers
• 3D Systems

It’s worth noting that simply buying the printer is not enough. You must also buy the materials used to print the object, similar to how you buy ink or toner for your desktop printer. Finding suppliers of the raw materials you need, which usually come in powder or micropellet form, is still somewhat spotty. There are a multitude of materials and suppliers available with more coming into the market all the time, but there is not a wide degree of standardization yet.

Finding a Walk-In 3D Printing Company

At the time of this post one office retailer, Staples, has announce that it will begin experimenting with in-store 3D printing in some of its stores in certain countries. If this venture proves lucrative, more companies may follow.

The Future of 3D Printing

Because of the widespread applications of 3D printing available and the dramatic drop in price in recent years, there is great optimism amongst proponents of 3D printing. Some predict that everyone will have a personal 3D printer in their home in the very near future and will simply download and print new products instead of going to a store to buy them. At the risk of disappointing my colleagues and fellow 3D printing enthusiasts, I have to disagree. I don’t believe everyone out there wants a mini-factory in their living room. There is a select portion of the population that enjoys the do-it-yourself lifestyle, but it’s not for everyone. I also don’t believe the average person is willing to learn about and deal with the various safety and environmental concerns that go with manufacturing with various materials and chemicals. Plus, not everyone has the raw real-estate to deal with 3D printing. Don’t forget, it’s not just the actual machine; it’s the drums of materials that are needed to print objects too. If you don’t have room for all the laser toner cartridges you need now, how are you going to fit stacks of drums in your home?

But don’t get too depressed. I believe 3D printing will absolutely be available to anyone who wants it via third-party in-store printing and online printing – just not in-living room printing. In fact 3D printing is available right now for anyone interested, and its loads of fun!

*Each of the 3D printed products shown in this post can be purchased on my page at Shapeways.com or viewed at deviantART.

My Very Own 3D Printed Product

Five Cool Nerds

These are five of the coolest nerds you've probably never heard of. They are among my personal favorites.

Brian Greene

Theoretical physicist Brian Greene has been instrumental in popularizing elements of string theory and cutting edge physics. A rising celebrity in his own right, he has even appeared as himself on pop-culture television including The Big Bang Theory, in addition to hosting his own educational documentaries on NOVA based on his top-selling books Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Hidden Reality. Professor Greene is a Harvard graduate with a doctorate from Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He now teaches at Columbia University. All this is in addition to real contributions to understanding mirror symmetry and topology in string theory. You can read more about him on BrianGreene.org.

Cara Santa Maria

Senior science correspondent for The Huffington Post, Cara Louise Santa Maria, is one of most broadly talented journalists around. Former cheerleader, jazz vocalist, model and tattoo enthusiast, Cara has performed advanced research in neuropsychology, has taught biology and psychology and now reports on a wide range of science topics where she has interviewed and been interviewed by scores of celebrities. She has appeared on episodes of Larry King Live, The Young Turks, The Point and StarTalk Radio. This highly intelligent and highly attractive journalist is responsible for introducing the phrase "talk nerdy to me" far and wide across the Internet.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and rising celebrity popularizing astrophysics and science in general to a broad audience. He has also appeared as himself on The Big Bang Theory as well as making appearances on dozens of television and Internet talk shows and multiple NOVA science documentaries. Dr. Tyson graduated from Harvard and got his doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University. He is widely credited (or blamed depending on whom you ask) for suggesting the redefining of Pluto as a dwarf planet. The coolest thing about Dr. Tyson is that he is one of few physicists to know Superman personally, having appeared as himself in a recent issue of DC Comics’ Action Comics.

Michio Kaku

Science popularizer, Michio Kaku, has authored New York Times best sellers on physics as well as hosting several science documentaries for BBC-TV, the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. Dr. Kaku graduated from Harvard and received his doctorate from UC Berkley. Born in California, Michio Kaku served state-side in the U.S. Army where he completed basic training and advanced individual training.

Bathsheba Grossman

Bathsheba Grossman is an artist promoting the marriage of advanced mathematics, sculpture and technology. Her geometric sculptures are among the best selling on Shapeways.com and are often cited not only as promotion of the idea that math is beautiful but also as prime examples of the viability and success of 3D printing technologies which she uses to generate sculptural works from computer-aided-design (CAD) drawings. Artwork created by Bathseba is viewable and available for purchase at Bathsheba.com.

The Gyroid sculpture by Bathsheba Grossman

Unfinished Symphony

Zee WIP on deviantART

One not so unknown secret most artists have is a seemingly endless list of unfinished and planned but never started projects. What better day is there to recount unfinished projects than Saturday, the beginning of the weekend, the time traditionally set aside for unfinished projects?

Wonder Woman WIP on deviantART

While browsing my deviantART page recently I noticed that I had crossed the 750 mark for total number of posted art pieces. In addition to being surprised, I found that to be an impressive volume of work. Then I thought about all the art that never makes it to posting. I wondered how many hundreds of unfinished and abandoned artistic misfit creations there are not even counting the seemingly infinite list of ideas on my to-do list. I wondered what to even do with that idea.

Procraftination on deviantART

There is actually a name for these projects that is commonly used by artists. We often call them works-in-progress (WIPs), though I sometimes wonder about the in-progress part of that expression when many WIPs never become finished works of art. Artists usually don’t like to show people their work until it is finished, but the Internet seems to be changing that. As more and more artists meet other artists and form communities to share and discuss their work online, there is a greater sharing of unfinished works than I remember from my time before the Internet. I suspect that as artists figure out that there is much to be learned from each other, they realize that there is something to be gained by getting in-progress critiques and constructive advice. I’m sure it also doesn’t hurt that it lets artists know that there are other people out there that are like them, with similar interests as theirs, with similar experiences and something to offer.

Unfinished Lego on deviantART

There are many reasons that works of art go unfinished. Sometimes artists are just too busy to get back to a particular piece. Sometimes an artist doesn’t like how a piece is turning out and starts over or abandons the attempt. Occasionally something is more time consuming, less feasible or more ambitious than initially expected; so the piece gets abandoned. I’ve even had the experience of designing something for myself because I couldn’t find a thing I wanted to buy, only to get half-way through the project and then come across what something suitable that someone else had already made.

Unfinished Figure on deviantART

Just because a work of art was never completed doesn’t mean the work is completely without value. I never view abandoned works of art-in-progress as a waste of time. At the very least every attempt is a learning experience, part of the ongoing practice every artist must do. Many times incomplete works of art can repurposed to be used as parts of other projects. Sometimes there’s even an audience for the unfinished work itself. A lot of people like to see behind the curtain, so to speak, to glean something of an artist’s process. Sometimes people even celebrate an unfinished work of art as masterpiece. Orchestral composer, Schubert’s Symphony Number 8 is hailed as a classic.

Unrendered Basket on deviantART

As artists, as people in general, we all should realize that every project, every task completed, failed or abandoned is a learning experience, another chord in the unfinished symphony that is us.

*The original art shown here along with many more works can be viewed on my deviantART page.

Unfinished Torso on deviantART

Dim Sum Friday

Various Dim Sum Dishes

Today I had dim sum with my brother. For those who don’t know what dim sum is, you’re missing out on a real culinary delight. Dim sum is the Chinese breakfast delicacy of small bit-sized dumplings and fried or baked pastries served with traditional teas like jasmine or green tea. In addition to being delicious, it’s a fun way to eat as different items are usually brought around from table to table ready-made and customers simply select the individual dishes they want as they see them. At the end the bill is often tallied up based on the number and type of small dishes and steamer trays left on the table.

A Brief History

Various Dim Sum Dishes With Tea

I’ll spare you the Cantonese as I don’t speak it anyway. I’m of European descent, born in Detroit. Dim sum originated in the tea houses of southern China, but has in recent decades spread around the world in popularity. (Wiki) I was first introduced to dim sum as a child when my parents took me across the border to Windsor, Ontario to a Cantonese restaurant a coworker had recommended. I’ve been a fan ever since.

Dim sum as a culinary art form is centuries old but has evolved over time. While it is traditionally a light breakfast staple, dim sum is often served at various times of the day, such as dinner time and late night, as it is at the restaurant my brother and I visited today. Some modern and western restaurants even serve traditional dim sum dishes as appetizers and buffet items as part of full meals.

On The Menu

An excellent summary of some of the most popular dim sum dishes is listed on Wikipedia. Here is an abbreviated version of that list along with some comments of my own for your convenience:

Har Gow

Gao is a category of dumpling usually made of a translucent rice flour or wheat starch dumpling stuffed with various meats or vegetables.

• Har gow is a delicious steamed shrimp dumpling. These are my favorite. I could live on these. Generally each dumpling contains one small to medium-sized shrimp. They’re excellent plain or with a small amount of soy sauce.
• Chi-chao is a steamed dumpling containing peanuts, garlic, chives, pork and shrimp.
• Jiaozi is a steamed dumpling that contains meat and cabbage. It is a northern Chinese dumpling not considered to be part of traditional Cantonese dim sum.
• Shaomai is a steamed dumpling containing shrimp, pork or both with mushrooms. These are a close second for me. I find them to be slightly saltier than har gow.
• Haam Sui Gaau are deep fried dumplings filled with pork and vegetables.

Steamed Char Siu Baau

Bau is a category of baked or steamed fluffy buns with meat, vegetable or sweet bean filling.

• Char siu baau is a steamed or baked and glazed bun with a slightly sweet barbecue pork filling. These are delicious and another favorite of mine. I prefer the steamed variety, but both are great.
• Shanghai steamed buns are dumplings filled with meat or seafood. As these are Shanghainese, they’re also often not considered to be part of traditional Cantonese dim sum.

Jin Deui (Sesame Balls)

Steamed meatballs are often made from pork or finely ground beef seasoned with green vegetables like scallions or broccoli.

Steamed vegetables are often offered with dim sum.

Jin deui (sesame balls) are sweet fried balls of dough filled with red bean paste and then coated in sesame seeds. These are excellent to finish off on as a desert, though today we skipped this part. Better for the waste-line I suppose.

I’ll skip the other dishes mentioned on Wikipedia as I am not very familiar with them and some of them are not as popular in western nations.

Don’t Forget The Tea

Dim Sum Tea

Tea is considered by Chinese to be as important to dim sum as the food even if many people in western nations often eat dim sum without tea or even with other beverages. There are various teas common in Chinese dim sum, though in western nations the choice of tea is often simply a question of ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Common teas served with dim sum are chrysanthemum tea, green tee, oolong tea, pu-erh and a variety of scented teas.

Some Of The Best In Detroit

These from Yelp

• Midtown Shangri-La of Detroit, Michigan
• Shangri-La of West Bloomfield, Michigan *My personal favorite
• Golden Harvest of Warren, Michigan
• Chao Zhou of Madison Heights, Michigan
• Shun King of Windsor, Ontario

Dim Sum Steamed Vegetables

The Best of The Rest

These other North American restaurants from Lonely Planet

• Bright Pearl of Toronto, Ontario
• Ton Kiang of San Francisco, California
• Goldon Palace Seafood of Honolulu and Waikiki, Hawaii
• San Tung of San Francisco, California
• Dol Ho of San Francisco, California

More Information

Baked & Glazed Char Siu Baau

Check out these sites for more information on the history, cuisine and etiquette of dim sum.

• About.com: Dim Sum
• Asian Dumpling Tips: Dim Sum Recipes
• Serious Eats: Guide To Dim Sum
• Trip Adviser: Detroit Area Chinese Restaurants
• Yelp: Detroit Area Listings
• Wikipedia: Dim Sum

Golden Artifacts of the Aphasic Record

Vintage on deviantArt

No, the title is not a typographical error. If you’ll indulge, I’ll explain.

This Thanksgiving my family and I reminisced about the early video games of the 1980s as we watched the children play games on smart phones and tablets.

Legoland Castle on deviantArt

As I, my friends and, it seems, much of the world enter middle-age nostalgia can be a powerful force driving our passions, our endeavors and much of our social media. The phenomenon is certainly nothing new. Anyone old enough certainly remembers the Hollywood obsession with 1950s and ‘60s retro culture in the 1980s. What child of the ‘70s or ‘80s didn’t love Back To The Future or grow up watching Happy Days and Leave It To Beaver re-runs? Now, with the advent of the global Internet and social media it’s easier than ever to remember the wonder years of our youth as we easily locate beloved, nostalgic relics from our youth that have been found locked away in basements and attics around the world.

Actor Wil Wheaton on Twitter

Just this week residents of the Twitterverse were treated to actor Wil Wheaton’s virtual online garage sale and real-life purge of his own collection of nostalgic memorabilia that had until now been locked away in customary cardboard prisons found in his garage. And of course let’s not forget that Mr. Wheaton himself is a nostalgic reminder of a favorite television series of our youth for many of us. Many people still remember him as “Wesley Crusher”, not “Dr. Isaac Parish” of Eureka, or even “Wil Wheaton” from the Big Bang Theory.

Intellivision Gaming Console on eBay

Why, do you ask, would hundreds or even thousands of people around the world watch as a man thousands of miles away empties his garage? – An original Atari gaming console. Need I say more? It’s the music of our youth on actual tape cassettes, the movies and television series on video cassettes, even the worn, painted T-shirts we used to wear that give us all those familiar, nostalgic pangs we all crave and give us that cathartic release we’re looking for as we remember the favorite items of our own youth – the Matchbox cars, the G.I. Joes, the comic books, the Cabbage Patch Kids, the Barbies, the Fisher Price slides, the Slinkies – that let us revert back to the boys and girls we used to be, that helps us remember that we too were young, that it was not so long ago and it was good.

Solution on deviantArt

That’s how we remember it. So we unpack those boxes and play with that old Rubic’s Cube a little. We hook up our old Intellivisions and Nintendos and play the old games for a few days. We wonder how such treasures ever got locked away in storage in the first place. How did we ever part with these things? Then, not so long after we return to our youth we remember how to solve the cube and suddenly it’s not quite as fun. We get annoyed by gaming controls tethered to bulky consoles with twisty, tangled chords. And with a sigh and a final insistence that, boy, were these things great, we pack them up again and return them to storage or go on eBay to hunt for others seeking to relive their youth.

Hot Rid on deviantArt

Are we wrong to remember our youth with rose-colored glasses? Do we all have some sort of brain damage, aphasia that only lets our mouths form good words about the golden artifacts of our past? I don’t think so. Our past is an important part of who we are. It informs our present and our future. Even if we have a tendency to build up the good and overlook the bad, at least we remember. Remembering is good. It helps us learn. It helps us grow. Possibly, remembering a positively skewed version of our youth helps to paint a picture of the innocence of our youth, real or imagined, to remind us of the adults we want to be.

Not So Random on deviantArt

I wonder in this holiday shopping season, even with its rampant commercialism, what unsuspected, even unintended, positive memories we’ll create for the children in our lives through the gifts we give. We never really know how some silly toy or cheesy movie will have a positive impact on a child’s future.

All of my original 3D digital renders shown here can be viewed full-size and downloaded at deviantArt.

Math Is Beautiful

Primary Shapes by ~JeremyMallin on deviantArt

It has long been a tradition in art to celebrate the beauty, elegance, intricacies and simplicities of mathematics. My art is no different. I love abstract geometric art. I love viewing it and I love creating it. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate and many different forms of art; but the geometric and the symmetric hold a special place in my heart.

Ingress Modified on deviantArt

I have always been one of those odd-ball artists with equal parts analytical and creative thinking. It’s been both amusing and frustrating to constantly confound professors trying to teach (and compartmentalize) students silly rubrics like the Myers-Briggs(Wiki) chart. To this day people still give me confused looks when I tell them I have a fine arts degree and an engineering degree. They always seem to be wondering if I’m an artist with an engineering degree or an engineer with an art degree. Why can’t it be both? Why does it have to be either?

Misfits on deviantArt

I’ve always believed that designing form and structure is both inherently artistic and inherently analytical by nature. Endeavors like furniture design and product design certainly prove that. To me there’s nothing more creative than the construction of form, volume and shape out of the space around us; and yet it can be a highly analytical endeavor too – sometimes even at the same time.

Bricks on deviantArt

A perfect illustration of this duality is my favorite children’s toy, Lego®. Each brick is based on a simple mathematical ratio that is repeated over-and-over not just from brick to brick, but within each brick itself. This intricate symmetry is beautiful and mathematical solution to an everyday design problem – and it’s wonderful. It’s worth drawing. It’s worth rendering. It’s worth celebrating.

Muse on deviantArt

Even in less obvious works of art artists have for centuries celebrated the mathematics of beauty. Classical Greek and Roman artists even viewed the beauty of the human form through the prism of mathematics, defining proportions in terms of Golden Means and ideal ratios that were connected throughout the body in a web of symmetric elegance. An excellent book, Geometry And The Visual Arts(Amazon), is one of many to explore the wonderful relationship of art and mathematics throughout art history.

P-Ball on deviantArt

So, the next time you hear someone suggest that math is boring or you feel yourself about to say it yourself, remember that both math and art are all around us and know that math is beautiful.

All of my original artwork shown here is posted for viewing and downloading at JeremyMallin.deviantArt.com