The following timeline places various architectural design tools by date. The purpose for this record was to create a context in which to view 3D printing as a design tool. From this point of view, today (2016) it is clear that the use of 3D printing in architecture is still very new. Even though early adopters were employing SLS and SLA printing for architectural model making in the 1990s and plaster-based printing from the 2000s these are still few and far between.
Four buildings have been added to the timeline to act as a reference. These are somewhat arbitrary and do not necessarily represent precedents in use of technology.
Each of the buildings shown relate in some way to the story of computing in architecture, not least the Lloyds building, the design of which commenced before any of the CAD packages that we know today. The Lloyds building was designed and built in the period that saw the appearance of the first personal computers. This led to a change in the way buildings are used and serviced and consequently changed the form of the buildings themselves. The affect of computing on architecture is undeniable but not always obvious. New design tools change the way architects work but the affect of design tools on the design of the buildings produced is sometimes less easy to identify.
There have been a great many pioneers of architectural design tools. Many tools have been developed and for one reason or other they have been abandoned or superseded. It is worth making the observation that there is often little inclination to share detailed information on active design projects. Once buildings are complete and considerations of confidentiality have past these details fade from memory as focus switches to new challenges. Therefore much pioneering work is lost to public record. This timeline is admittedly only the bare bones of the story.
1928 Tintenkuli nibless drawing pen (precursor to Rotring Rapidograph)
1953 Rotring Rapidograph drawing pen
1953 IBM 650 series of computers
1956 First computer keyboard
1957 Jorn Utzon wins international competition to design Sydney Opera House. Ove Arup & Partners engaged as engineers.
1959 Letraset founded - manually applied lettering system
1959 Calcomp 565 pen plotter
1960 DEC release first Mini Computer, the PDP-1, priced between $125,000 and $250,000. This computer was used to play 'Spacewar', the first digital screen game.
1962 Douglas Englebart envisions BIM in 'Augmenting Human Intellect'. He anticipates object based design, parametric manipulation and a relational database
1963 Ivan Sutherland writes Sketchpad considered to be the ancestor of modern CAD programs
1963 First Pantone Matching System Printers Edition
1963 First computer mouse, invented by Douglas Englebert
1965 After 8 years work on Sydney Opera House Tim Rice and Tony Cramm write a program from scratch, they run it at night borrowing time on an Australian General Electric computer to calculate positions of pre-cast segments.
1975 DRAW2D, SOM Computer Group
1977 DRAW3D, SOM Computer Group
1977 Really Universal Computer Aided Production System (RUCAPS) sold through GMW Computers Ltd (from GMW Architects)
1978 Richard Rogers begins work on Lloyd's Building
1981 IBM launches first Personal Computer running Microsoft MS DOS 1.0
1982 AutoCAD 1.0
1982 Catia 1.0
1982 Romulus, the first 3D modelling kernel. Later becomes ACIS.
1984 MicroStation 1.0
1984 ArchiCAD 1.0 (named Radar CH for first version only)
1985 MiniCAD 1.0 (later renamed VectorWorks)
1986 Lloyds Building completed
1987 First commercial SLA 3D printer, SLA-1, made by 3D Systems
1988 STL file format
1989 First Commercial SLS 3D printer built by DTM (later acquired by 3D Systems)
1989 ACIS 3D modelling kernel
1989 Parasolid 3D modelling kernel
1990 Photoshop 1.0
1992 Magics 1.0 (an STL editor which became the industry standard software for 3D print bureaus.
1993 PDF 1.0
1997 First commercial Z Corporation 3D printer, Z402
1997 Foster + Partners begin work on 30 St Mary Axe
1998 Foster + Partners' Specialist Modelling Group formed, 30 St Mary Axe becomes one of their first projects
1998 Rhinoceros launched
2000 Morphosis buy a ZPrinter from Z Corporation. They are one of the first architectural practices to run a 3D printer in-house.
2000 Revit 1.0
2001 Microstation v8 (file format changes for first time)
2001 Smartgeometry Group formed
2002 Autodesk acquire Revit
2002 AutodDesk whitepaper 'Building Information Modelling'
2003 Bentley Systems' Generative Components in Alpha
2003 64-bit processors become available in personal computers
2004 Morphosis begin designing Cooper Union building using 3D printing as part of the design process
2004 Foster + Partners' 30 St Mary Axe completed
2005 Launch of Spectrum 510 colour 3D printer by ZCorporation. The increased resolution and build size meant reasonable quality architectural concept models could be printed overnight.
2008 - ZPrinter 650, replaced for the 510 with slightly larger build
2008 Great Recession begins
2009 Morphosis's Cooper Union building completed
2012 3D Systems acquires ZCorporation and rebrands the ZPrinter range as ProJet x60
2016 Digital Craft - 3D Printing for Architectural Design, written by Bryan Ratzlaff and published by Lee 3D. The first book to deal with 3D printing for architectural design as its sole subject.
Find out more about Digital Craft at http://www.lee3d.co.uk/digitalcraft/
An overview of 3d printers. This could make things a bit less difficult to find the most ideal tool for the job. Or gather ideas to create a new, even better 3D printer. Hack star trek online cheat engine. Looking to design some 3D models for your 3D printer? Here are the best 3D modeling programs that are completely free to use. 1939 'upcycle design' 3D Models. Every Day new 3D Models from all over the World. Click to find the best Results for upcycle design Models for your 3D Printer. 3DModels.com aggregates 3D printing, 3D design & animation models from all around the web. We have tagged and sorted all models, making it easy for you to browse through.
Four buildings have been added to the timeline to act as a reference. These are somewhat arbitrary and do not necessarily represent precedents in use of technology.
Each of the buildings shown relate in some way to the story of computing in architecture, not least the Lloyds building, the design of which commenced before any of the CAD packages that we know today. The Lloyds building was designed and built in the period that saw the appearance of the first personal computers. This led to a change in the way buildings are used and serviced and consequently changed the form of the buildings themselves. The affect of computing on architecture is undeniable but not always obvious. New design tools change the way architects work but the affect of design tools on the design of the buildings produced is sometimes less easy to identify.
There have been a great many pioneers of architectural design tools. Many tools have been developed and for one reason or other they have been abandoned or superseded. It is worth making the observation that there is often little inclination to share detailed information on active design projects. Once buildings are complete and considerations of confidentiality have past these details fade from memory as focus switches to new challenges. Therefore much pioneering work is lost to public record. This timeline is admittedly only the bare bones of the story.
1928 Tintenkuli nibless drawing pen (precursor to Rotring Rapidograph)
1953 Rotring Rapidograph drawing pen
1953 IBM 650 series of computers
1956 First computer keyboard
1957 Jorn Utzon wins international competition to design Sydney Opera House. Ove Arup & Partners engaged as engineers.
Sydney Opera House detail Image by Leithcote / Antony Oliver (Flickr) via Wikimedia Commons |
1959 Letraset founded - manually applied lettering system
3d Printer Design Tools
1959 Calcomp 565 pen plotter
1960 DEC release first Mini Computer, the PDP-1, priced between $125,000 and $250,000. This computer was used to play 'Spacewar', the first digital screen game.
Spacewar running on PDP-1 Image Joi Ito via Wikimedia Commons |
1962 Douglas Englebart envisions BIM in 'Augmenting Human Intellect'. He anticipates object based design, parametric manipulation and a relational database
1963 Ivan Sutherland writes Sketchpad considered to be the ancestor of modern CAD programs
1963 First Pantone Matching System Printers Edition
1963 First computer mouse, invented by Douglas Englebert
1965 After 8 years work on Sydney Opera House Tim Rice and Tony Cramm write a program from scratch, they run it at night borrowing time on an Australian General Electric computer to calculate positions of pre-cast segments.
Sydney Opera House 1968 Image by PhillipC (Flickr) via Wikimedia Commons |
1968 Conference 'Computer Graphics in Architecture and Design' Yale University
1969Appalachian Conference, led by SOM at an IBM research facility. Out of this was formed the SOM, Computer Group
1973 Sydney Opera House opens
1974 Intergraph IGDS, precursor to MicroStation
1969Appalachian Conference, led by SOM at an IBM research facility. Out of this was formed the SOM, Computer Group
1973 Sydney Opera House opens
1974 Intergraph IGDS, precursor to MicroStation
1975 DRAW2D, SOM Computer Group
1977 DRAW3D, SOM Computer Group
1977 Really Universal Computer Aided Production System (RUCAPS) sold through GMW Computers Ltd (from GMW Architects)
1978 Richard Rogers begins work on Lloyd's Building
1981 IBM launches first Personal Computer running Microsoft MS DOS 1.0
1982 AutoCAD 1.0
1982 Catia 1.0
1982 Romulus, the first 3D modelling kernel. Later becomes ACIS.
1984 MicroStation 1.0
1984 ArchiCAD 1.0 (named Radar CH for first version only)
1984 First HP LaserJet printer, Apple's LaserWriter followed the following year
1985 MiniCAD 1.0 (later renamed VectorWorks)
1986 Lloyds Building completed
Richard Rogers Partnership, Lloyds Building detail Image from Oast House Archive via Wikimedia |
1987 First commercial SLA 3D printer, SLA-1, made by 3D Systems
1988 STL file format
1989 First Commercial SLS 3D printer built by DTM (later acquired by 3D Systems)
3d Printing Design Tools
1989 ACIS 3D modelling kernel
1989 Parasolid 3D modelling kernel
1990 Photoshop 1.0
1992 Magics 1.0 (an STL editor which became the industry standard software for 3D print bureaus.
1993 PDF 1.0
1994 Gehry Technologies founded
1997 First commercial Z Corporation 3D printer, Z402
1997 Foster + Partners begin work on 30 St Mary Axe
Free 3d Printer Design
1998 Foster + Partners' Specialist Modelling Group formed, 30 St Mary Axe becomes one of their first projects
1998 Rhinoceros launched
2000 Morphosis buy a ZPrinter from Z Corporation. They are one of the first architectural practices to run a 3D printer in-house.
2000 Revit 1.0
2001 Microstation v8 (file format changes for first time)
2001 Smartgeometry Group formed
2002 Autodesk acquire Revit
2002 AutodDesk whitepaper 'Building Information Modelling'
2003 Bentley Systems' Generative Components in Alpha
2003 64-bit processors become available in personal computers
2004 Morphosis begin designing Cooper Union building using 3D printing as part of the design process
2004 Foster + Partners' 30 St Mary Axe completed
Foster + Partners, 30 St Mary Axe Image by Nevilley via Wikimedia |
2005 Launch of Spectrum 510 colour 3D printer by ZCorporation. The increased resolution and build size meant reasonable quality architectural concept models could be printed overnight.
2008 - ZPrinter 650, replaced for the 510 with slightly larger build
2008 Great Recession begins
2009 Morphosis's Cooper Union building completed
Morphosis, Cooper Union building Image by Short Dale via Wikimedia |
2012 3D Systems acquires ZCorporation and rebrands the ZPrinter range as ProJet x60
2016 Digital Craft - 3D Printing for Architectural Design, written by Bryan Ratzlaff and published by Lee 3D. The first book to deal with 3D printing for architectural design as its sole subject.
Find out more about Digital Craft at http://www.lee3d.co.uk/digitalcraft/
- Top 16 Free 3D Printer Software for Beginners in 2018
3D printing can help you create a three-dimensional object by computer and 3D printer. However, it may sound a little difficult for beginners to use 3D printers. This article will introduce 16 free 3D printer software to help beginners use their 3D printer much easily. Learn about: How to slice 3d STL file and 3d print Iron Man?
1. Ultimaker Cura - versatile 3D Printer Software
Ultimaker Cura 3D is a slicing software for 3D printers, it can create a 3D model and slice it into layers, as G-Code, which a 3D printer can understand. Cura 3D is easy to use and you just need 3 steps before printing. Create a model first and then export your 3D files as STL or OBJ formats, these files will be imported, sliced and outputted as G-Code so that the 3D printer can read and follow. You can also set quality, material, speed,cooling and infill in Cura by yourself. Cura 3D is a fully open source software and can be used with most 3D printers. It supports for Windows, Mac and Linux.
2. TinkerCAD - useful 3D Printer Software
Unlike Cura, TinkerCAD is an online computer-aided design software for 3D printing. You can directly access the browser-based app after creating an account on its website. TinkerCAD offers pre-defined shapes and geometric structures, so you can create your models just by dragging and dropping the box to the WorkPlane and adjusting the length, height and width. TinkerCAD is an easy tool for beginners to start up 3D printing.
3. 123D Catch - easy-to-use Free 3D Printer Software
The 123D Catch APP can be used in your smartphones (both iOS and Android operating system), which means that you take photos within your phone and the 123D Catch can turn your photography into a 3D model. This is much convenient and funny for beginners to learn 3D printing. What’s more, you can transfer your photos from digital camera to 123D Catch on your computer and print them out a high-quality product.
4. 3D Slash - 3D printer software for free
3D Slash is much different from other 3D printing softwares, it is also a logo and a 3D text maker. It means that you can turn your logo into a 3D model or import your text to export 3D text. 3D Slash is easy to use and suitable for people of all ages, you can design a 3D model by using a simple building-block concept, which just like a modern stone-cutter. As its user-friendly experience, 3D Slash is a wonderful software to get you started with 3D printing.
5. 3D Tin - Good-to-use 3d printer
3D Tin is an online 3D printing software like TinkerCAD, which is intuitive and easy-to -use. All you need is a Firefox or Chrome web browser enabled with WebGL. It’s a perfect 3D printing software for beginners. What you should do is choosing 3D templates on the Internet and adding them to your sketch, which will be stored in the cloud and freely accessible, and can be out-printed in STL and OBJ file formats.
6. SketchUp - 3d modeler
SketchUp is an ideal 3D printing software to design complex 3D print models for beginners with a user-friendly interface and relatively flat learning curve. 3D Warehouse of SketchUp is a huge library of 3D templates which is uploaded by users. You can choose one and add it on your SketchUp, which is the easiest way to print a 3D object. What&rsquo's more, SketchUp provides free tutorials which can help you develop into an intermediate or advanced engineer form a beginner.
7. FreeCAD - 3d slicer software
FreeCAD is a free and open-source general-purpose parametric 3D CAD modeler and a building information modeling software which is supported by FEM (finite-element-method). This program can be used interactively and its functionality can be accessed and extended using the Python programming language. FreeCAD is a great starting point for mechanical engineers who are new to the 3D modeling world.
8. CraftWare - 3d printing cad software
CraftWare is a 3D printer slicer software which is developed by CraftUnique to support its CraftBot 3D printer. And it can be used for many other 3D printers that accept G-Code. CraftWare is fast and easy-to-use, it allows users to see printing process layer by layer from any angle and modify or delete any places before printing. A clean and simple user interface, as well as big and colorful buttons on the left side, make CraftWare one of the most user-friendly 3D printing software.
9. Sculptris - 3d printer software
Sculptris is a virtual sculpting 3D printing software with a core emphasis on the concept of modeling clay. It comes to be free and easy-to-use, which provides excellent rudiments for people who want to start up the world of 3D sculpting. If you want to print statuettes such as comic characters, Sculptris is a fantastic choice for you. It&rsquo's often described as the most powerful, flexible 3D modeling software in the industrial or professional sector.
10. Blender - 3d modeler
Blender is an open source and free 3D printing computer-aided design (CAD) software. It&rsquo's an ideal software for skilled users who want to create more sophisticated 3D modeling such as contour modeling and polygon modeling. Blender is very popular among media workers and artists for creating animated films, visual effects, art, interactive 3D applications and video games. Blender gives its users enormous design freedom with nearly innumerable tools. But it isn’t a good choice for 3D printing beginners.
11. Meshmixer - free 3d printing software
Meshmixer is a free 3D editing, fixing, and sculpting tool. Its great points are viewing, checking, editing AND repairing STL files as well as spotting potential problems and automatically repairing them. Meshmixer allows users who want to create organic designs like people, animals and creatures to sculpt digitally and mash different 3D models together.
12. OpenSCAD - 3d printing cad software
OpenSCAD is a free software for creating solid 3D CAD models. Unlike Blender, it focuses on CAD aspects rather than artistic aspects in 3D modeling. It might be a good choice for you if you want to code your CAD models for it uses a programming language to create 3D objects. Therefore, it gives designer full control over the modeling process and enables designers to easily change any step in the modeling process. OpenCAD is available for Linux/UNIX, Windows and Mac OSX.
13. AutoCAD - 3d slicer software
AutoCAD, a software for 2D and 3D CAD, was developed by AutoDesk and first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers. Up to now, it has been used across a wide range of industries, by architects, project managers, engineers, graphic designers, and many other professionals. AutoCAD supports a large number of APIs for customization and automation such as AutoLISP, Visual LISP, VBA and ObjectARX.
14. ViewSTL - 3d slicer software
The view is an online and open source way to view Stereo Lithography Files as shaded on-screen images. It is the easiest way to preview STL files. What users need is just open the web page and drag their STL files onto the dotted field. The online STL viewer allows you to display a model in one of three views: flat shading (for quick viewing), smooth shading (to get a high-quality display), or wireframe. It is a perfect 3D printing software for beginners who want to view STL files.
15. Netfabb Basic - 3d printing software for free
Netfabb Basic is a 3D printer slicer software with some nice features, for example, you can analyze, repair and edit STL files before you get to the slicing stage. It is a good choice if you need something more than just slicer software and you want to repair STL files quickly without having to learn to use additional tools like Meshmixer or MeshLab. Netfabb Basic provides a 30-day trial version. When the trial expires, the software will continue to run with the same functionality.
16. SelfCAD - Online 3D Modeling and Slicing Software
SelfCAD offers an easy to use platform that allows one to sculpt, slice and print 3D models all in one program, hence you don't need to launch multiple programs in order to work on your models. It's easier to learn hence ideal for users who are inexperienced like students. In addition, this software has a built-in slicer, so you can prepare your model for 3D printing without needing any additional software which can be hard to handle if you are in a classroom or workshop. SelfCAD is free of for the educators and students and for the general users, they have a one month trial period and later pay $4.99/m.
Conclusion
All of the 16 3D printing software are free and friendly to beginners. But the big problem is that quite a lot of 3D printers are not compatible with them. It may take you a long time to select a 3D printing software to correspond with your 3D printer. Dobot Magician is an excellent 3D printer which supports all of the above software and saves you a lot of trouble.