It’s a terrible feeling to run out of filament when you’re in the middle of a 3D printing project. Of course, proper preparation can ensure that that doesn’t happen, but sometimes money is tight, and filament costs can add up. It would be great to have a bit of extra money that you could use specifically for 3D printing supplies – like a gift card. It’s hard to find gift cards that are specifically for 3D printing suppliers, but then there’s Amazon, which sells just about everything – including 3D printing supplies.

We want to help you keep your filament and other 3D printing supplies stocked, so in partnership with our sister site 3DPrintBoard.com, we’re offering $100 worth of Amazon gift cards to readers in a giveaway that ends this Friday, November 3rd. The first place winner will receive a $50 gift card, the second place winner will receive a $30 gift card, and the third place winner will receive a $20 gift card. There are 11 ways to enter:

Our 3D printing survey is also offering three Amazon gift cards in a drawing for anyone who fills it out, so if you take that option, you have double the chance to win!

It’s easy to enter and if you win, there’s plenty you can buy. You can restock your filament supply, try out some new experimental filament you haven’t been willing to put money down on yet, get some post-processing supplies, some print bed adhesive, even give yourself that extra little push you needed toward buying a new 3D printer. Of course, you can always go the non-3D printing route too, and buy some books, or clothes, or get an early jump on your holiday shopping. It’s up to you, but you only have until Friday, so enter now!

Have you entered our giveaway? Let us know at 3DPrintBoard.com or below.

[Image: IMDB]

From

and

to using 3D models for designing

and 3D scanners to create

, 3D printing technology has definitely

when it comes to

 (VFX). Binge-worthy Netflix original series 

, which celebrates all things spooky and nostalgic, has also made good use of the technology when bringing some its terrifying visions to life.

The world of Stranger Things, for those who don’t know (and if you don’t, then you should), is set in the early 1980s in Hawkins, Indiana, which has become home to some pretty gnarly monsters, like the Demogorgon from Season 1. Show creators the Duffer Brothers wanted to use more practical effects to bring the monster to life, and called on VFX and design studio Aaron Sims Creative (ASC).

In the current landscape of CGI effects, this is a fairly odd request, but ASC was up to the challenge, though the studio suggested that a hybrid VFX approach of both digital and practical effects would give the creators that authentic, ’80s sci-fi look they were going for.

When digital technology first arrived in Hollywood, but before innovative methods like 3D printing, augmented reality, and virtual reality were readily accessible, these types of practical effects seemed like they were falling by the wayside.

“I think if people 20 years ago were to see what we create right now, their minds would explode. Right now, we’re accustomed to it and, in some ways, bored by it,” said Aaron Sims, Founder and President of ASC. “It’s amazing how things grow and change because of innovation, but also because of people always wanting more.”

The Demogorgon costume ended up being built in such a way that CG enhancements, like digitally simulated slime, could be added later. By using 3D and digital technology, ASC was able to be involved in the entire ideation process.

“The Duffer Brothers originally came to us for the creature designs for the Demogorgon, but it turned into a lot more than that. We ended up helping them design the whole world, the Upside Down, all the different aspects of the show,” said ASC Creative Director Steffen Reichstadt. “But the Demogorgon specifically was really cool. They really wanted it to feel like that old-school, ’80s-mentality, guy-in-a-suit kind of thing.”

3D printed Demogorgon model

Back in the 1980s, when the show is set and before digital effects were an everyday occurrence, as soon as production started, VFX studios would work with film producers to create character models; while these models are now typically created by vendors later in the process, ASC prefers to keep things old school.

“We come on board early on, when they’re actually writing the script, to help shape the direction of the series, the tone, the look, the feel. That helps everybody get their head around it before they move forward and have a script,” explained Sims.

“We look at every project as bringing these characters to life. How do we look at the script, work with the director, figure out exactly what it is that this character has to evoke, and what can we do to help bring that to life? That’s exciting to me. It’s exciting for all of the artists, because it becomes something more personal. It’s not like you’re just doing this as a job and you’re just a manufacturing company, ‘here’s another creature.'”

Specifications for the Demogorgon were not very, for lack of a better word, specific – which Sims says is fairly normal in terms of the show writing process.

Sims said about the Demogorgon specs, “It’s a biped, it’s multi-limbed, it’s actually humanoid, very skinny, very thin, lanky, tall, and no face, but has to eat people.”

The only other requirement given for the monster was that it needed to “elicit ’80s practical effect nostalgia,” and ASC got to work. Sims created the first sketch of the Demogorgon’s flowering, teeth-covered head, which was augmented by the design team and later approved by the directors.

“That initial sketch was really helpful because it allowed us to get tacit approval from the directors right off the bat,” Reichstadt said. “We kind of know what direction we’re moving in after that.”

ASC then created digital 3D assets for the monster, which, once they’ve been sent to the film studio, typically marks the end of a VFX studio’s part in the process. But Sims has a background in clay maquettes and other practical effects, and suggested using a 3D printed model to really get the feel for the Demogorgon.

“When you’re using your imagination on a project, somebody else is too. And your imaginations might not line up. It’s pretty hard to debate something that’s right in front of you in physical reality. You can point at something and say this isn’t right, or this is,” Reichstadt explained. “With a digital model, you can kind of debate that, and it can stay up in the air until the last minute. Whereas with practical effects, you know, concretely, what it is moving forward.”

ASC uses desktop stereolithography 3D printers from Formlabs to print its creations.

“The Demogorgon was one of the first prints that we did using our Formlabs 3D printers, and we were amazed. Before that, we had always outsourced printing. So to be able to grow it in-house, and see a design that we helped create from the very beginning printed right in front of us, was kind of an amazing thing. It was like going back to the days of when we used to sculpt with clay,” said Sims.

Check out a look into the creation process from Formlabs:

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below. 

[Source/Images:

]

One of the biggest annual events in additive manufacturing is formnext, which begins in Frankfurt, Germany in just two weeks. With all of the international attention the conference garners, many 3D printing companies around the world use the opportunity to debut their latest products and innovations. At last year’s formnext, Dutch digital light processing (DLP) specialist and 3D manufacturing leader atum3D unveiled its flexible DLP Station 4 3D printer, and now it’s getting ready to introduce three new products at this year’s event.

The DLP Station 5 is the first of these innovations. The 3D printer looks similar to its predecessor, but has increased accuracy, consistency, and speed thanks to a new, specially designed, industrial high-power light source.

“Thanks to this high-power unit, DLP Station 5 offers unprecedented build speeds and consistent accuracy,” said Guy Nyssen, Channel Manager at atum3D.

The new state-of-the-art 3D printer features an open resin platform, so users can select different resolutions and wavelengths, and it’s available in a standard 405 nm wavelength version, as well as a 365 nm wavelength option, depending on the necessary build material properties and application.

Nyssen explained,  “This unlocks the full potential of our open resin platform technology, as certain material properties are currently only available when using 365 nm curing resins.”

The company’s cost-efficient DLP Station printers are 192 x 250 x 120 mm, weigh 32kg, can print at speeds of up to 50 mm per hour, and have a resolution up to 6 µm after Tolerance Tuning. However, the DLP Station 5 has a more “optimized practical usability” than the Station 4.

atum3D will also be showcasing its new Operator Station software at formnext, which now includes its MAGS AI technology for a unique approach to 3D model preparation.

“This innovation takes an entirely new approach to object orientation and automatic support generation, optimizing and speeding up both preparation and post processing,” Nyssen said. “It’s added to the proprietary algorithms that allow Operator Station to optimize accuracy for build on DLP Station hardware which, for example, makes it possible to create truly round openings. It’s a unique combination of speed, accuracy and ease-of-use.”

atum3D has been paying close attention to its customer feedback, which leads us to the final new product to be unveiled at formnext – Industry Excellence Packs, which will be pretty valuable to potential customers.

“Introducing 3D manufacturing to an existing business to speed up and optimize trusted business processes can be overwhelming,” Nyssen said. “As we aim to be side by side with atum3D customers and make their life easy, we’ve created the Industry Excellence Packs.”

The packs are specific to four different industries – Dentistry, Jewelry, Manufacturing, and Product Design – and combine all of the software, hardware, resin, services, and post processing solutions necessary for those applications.

“We propose the best combinations based on our experience. For example, a dental laboratory chooses 3D manufacturing to create accurate dental parts in-house fast, increasing patient satisfaction and reducing cost-per-part. That’s why atum3D includes all must-haves to start benefiting from the get-go in the Dentistry Excellence Pack, such as hardware which largely automates post processing, a dental resin, all consumables as well as operator training and support,” said Nyssen.

“We’ll probably add additional Industry Excellence Packs in the near future. These comprehensive products allow us to convey our experience and advice to potential customers. Of course, we’re always ready to further customize the proposed Packs to the customer’s specific wishes.”

For now, users can get the Product Design Excellence Pack, the Dentistry Excellence Pack, the Jewelry Excellence Pack, and the Manufacturing Excellence Pack, all of which were created by atum3D in an effort to make the user’s life as easy as can be.

Nyssen said, “We can’t wait to showcase the results of our team’s hard work in Frankfurt. It’s fitting that all three pillars on which atum3D is built, being our in-house expertise in the fields of hardware engineering, software development and resin chemicals, all contributed to the innovations on show at formnext. We strive to offer exceptional accuracy, speed and cost effectiveness and make our customer’s life easy through training, services and support. The new DLP Station, Operator Station software and Industry Excellence Packs do just that!”

According to Nyssen, there is a Dutch saying that, when translated, means ‘all good things come in three,’ which he believes is “spot on” in terms of atum3D’s newest innovations.

“atum3D invites everyone to visit our booth 3.1-C78 and experience these innovations firsthand at the Messe Frankfurt from November 14 through 17. We’re looking forward to presenting our products and services to potential customers and professional distribution partners alike,” said Nyssen.

Don’t forget, 3DPrint.com will also be at formnext, working to bring you all of the latest product news right from the show floor.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

So tell us what you want, what you really, really want. [Spice Girls image via BBC]

Whether we’re travelling the world to bring you first-hand news or keeping everyone at their computers with the latest educational webinars and white papers directly from the source, every day at 3DPrint.com we strive to be a resource to meet your needs for everything 3D printing. The editorial team work around the clock — and our freelancers work around the globe — to keep up to date with the busy world of news in additive manufacturing, while our behind-the-scenes business teams work directly with sponsors and industry leaders to provide unique resources including on-demand presentations and 3D design courses. As additive manufacturing continues to advance as an industry in its own right, we’re seeing an ever-greater need for a variety of resources to keep industry participants and watchers involved and informed.

The 3D printing industry is expanding by the day, and in an increasingly noisy business space we want to be sure that what we’re providing is what you’re looking for — so please let us know what you want to see! We recently launched our 2017 survey, which takes just a minute of your time to provide feedback to help us guide our course.

If the quick response time and helpfulness of your input aren’t enticement enough, we’re also offering the chance for three respondents to take home Amazon.com gift cards with our gratitude. Three winners will each snag a $50 gift card; if you’d like to enter for the chance to be one of them, just be sure to leave your name and email address for a chance to win. The survey runs through late November; gift card winners will be randomly selected once it closes.

We want to know which of our current resources you use most. Are you big on daily news? Live for the latest white papers? Looking for quick shopping links? Hoping to hone your design skills? Let us know!

As we close out our fourth year of operation (an anniversary our sister site, forum 3DPrintBoard.com, hit last month), we’re looking to keep with the times in this fast-changing digital world. Do you want more services and resources? Let us know what you’d like to see! Podcasts? Jobs listings? Files to 3D print? Product reviews?

A quick tick lets us know what you’re using of our current offerings

We love to keep in touch with our readership, and as these numbers grow globally, we’re hoping to keep up with you and understand what will be of most benefit to you. More industrial additive manufacturing focus? More desktop 3D printing you can do at home?

2017 has seen our team attending events around the world and interviewing industry leaders, as well as running our Design for 3D Printing online courses (the next session, 3D Printing for Prototyping and Production, starts today!). To start off 2018, we’re hosting the business-minded Additive Manufacturing Strategies summit with SmarTech Markets Publishing to gather brilliant minds in healthcare and investment. (Want more interviews, more events, more contact with the leading companies and innovators? Let us know!)

As always, it’s a privilege for us to be part of your digital world, and we take that responsibility seriously. We’ll keep working the best we can to provide you with the best.

Please check out our latest 3DPrint.com Survey and help us to be the resource you’re looking for! And of course, we’re always open to non-survey feedback; reach out any time to us with your thoughts via email, on Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn, at 3DPrintBoard.com, or in the Facebook comments below each article.

We hope to hear from you soon! So please, tell us what you want. What you really, really want.