News Stories

$350 3D printer may come to your desk sooner than you think

2.29.2012

[Digital Trends]

In just one month from today, you can own your own portable and affordable 3D printer at a fraction of the cost of the famous MakerBot printer.

Since its premiere, 3D printers have been make huge progress in a variety of industries, from printing tiny plastic models to prosthetic jaws for medical reconstructive surgeries. Culinary institutions have even tried to 3D print food like cake icing and ramen noodles. But the reason 3D printers have only been in experimentation is because most machines cost upward of $1000. MakiBox wants to change that by affording you the opportunity to own a portable 3D printer for as low as $350.

The MakiBox is currently hosted on Makible, a site similar to Kickstarter but aimed specifically toward craft makers who need funding for their projects.

See the original post here: http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/350-3d-printer-may-come-to-your-desk-sooner-than-you-think/

We're Dreaming of a 3D iPad

2.29.2012

[The Atlantic Wire]

… Regardless of what happens next week, Apple’s been working on 3D screens for years. While the company likely started thinking about how to do 3D way back in the 80s, when Apple emerged as the leading computers for image-manipulation. But the patent applications for 3D technology have only really started flowing in the past three years.

The most recent 3D-related patent that Apple was awarded basically turns your computer screen into a room that you can play around in. However, in an separate application filed on February 9, the company described new technology as a “three dimensional user interface effects on a display by using properties of motion.” In other words, it’s a screen that produces 3D images without glasses. How, you might ask? It tracks your eyeball movement. “Once this continuous frame of reference is known, the position of a user’s eyes may either be inferred or calculated directly by using a device’s front-facing camera,” the patent application reads. “With the position of the user’s eyes and a continuous 3D frame-of-reference for the display, more realistic virtual 3D depictions of the objects on the device’s display may be created and interacted with by the user.” (See Figure 8 to the right or check out the full application in PDF format here.) An iPhone is used in the patent application, but an iPad is just one big iPhone. We wrote about some more Apple 3D patents last year, if you’re interested in reading more.

This month’s application comes in addition to 14 other patents Apple was awarded a couple of weeks before Steve Jobs’s death in November. Among them are a couple of mobile 3D screen-related inventions, one of which Patently Apple described as “a patent for Motion Plane Correction for MEMs-Based Input Devices — which utilizes a form of nanotechnology.” In plain English, the blog says that “the invention could equally be used in context with a remote or game pad.”  …

See the full post here: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/02/were-dreaming-3d-ipad/49290/

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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