Put Letchworth on the 3D Map!

The Pirton Knitters are exhibiting again!: calendar – article

Knit the Village Exhibition at the Methodist Church, High St, Pirton, Hertfordshire SG5 3PZ: 

• an exhibition of Pirton’s buildings…knitted! Old photos of houses. 45 houses with 20 new ones. Free entry.
• June 2013: Fri 28th – 3-7pm, Sat 29th – 2-5pm Sun 30th – 2-5pm.

Here is an example of professional usage of 3D laser imaging to record 3D models of cultural heritage sites: site.

Building Maker is no longer available to users. article

NOTE: “If you still wish to see your (or others’) SketchUp 3D models in Google Earth, you will need to disable 3D Imagery under Options.”

Before June 30th 2013:

“CGTrader.com, 3D model store, calls the 3D community to design 3D printable models and take part in the 3D printing competition. Two winners will receive an Ultimaker 3D printer and a dozen of other great prizes.

The next industrial revolution already has a name – 3D printing. 3D printing is affecting how products are created and consumed. In order to work, this technology needs professional-level 3D models, but there is a surprising gap between 3D printing industry and professional 3D designers.

CGTrader aims to bridge this gap and help the 3D designer community take a plunge and start modeling for the exciting 3D printing technology. Professional 3D designers have the skills and creativity needed to bring the next big thing in 3D printing, and we aim to encourage them to do that with this 3D printing competition.” – says Marius Kalytis, CEO and founder of CGTrader.com” details.

Trimble have just released a new version of free SketchUp called SketchUp Make and a corresponding version of the Pro version called SketchUp 2013: download – review of features.

There are no major functional changes but the installation process, performance and ease of use are all better. However if you are content with the version you’re on, you can keep using it.

By the way, you may recall us seeking a sponsor to offer a prize of a Raspberry Pi educational computer for £25 or so. Now a 3D competition has done so! here

Here is an article that debunks some misunderstandings about 3D printing:

• in BBC News: “Has 3D printing in the home been over-hyped?”

… the reality is not quite the same, says 3D printing expert Joris Peels. “The technology hasn’t necessarily been overhyped but there is an element of 3D printer makers over-claiming in order to sell their devices,” he said. “The press has mixed up the capabilities of an industrial machine with what a desktop can do.”

In Amsterdam a long research project is under way to work out how to make a huge 3D printer produce an entire building suitable for social housing. here

“… the architects are treating it as an experiment which provides a proof of concept and proof of the unbound limits of 3D printing.”

By the way, here’s an astonishing piece of research:

• Long-distance 3D laser camera unveiled by Edinburgh team here

At present it may be of no practical value, yet if developed it would surely find specialist applications…

SketchUp does not provide for reflections on surfaces other than from a defined light source. Technically that would be  complex.

Reflections in exterior windows cause problems, especially if they appear strongly in the source photographs.

• They may include reflected images of unwanted objects and scenes, e.g. adjoining buildings, trees and skylines.
• They do not vary as the viewing angle changes up, down and sideways.
• They may prevent you copying sections of glazing from one part of a building to others.

Here’s an article that addresses reflection in terms of the appearance of glass surfaces: Painting light: exterior glass.