3D Systems employee, Dan Sample, understands the power of 3D printing through his work with the company’s Medical Modeling group. However, when the 4-wheel drive on his Toyota Tacoma truck failed early in 2015, he didn’t think it would apply here.
“To have creative talent is awesome,” says Malcolm DeMille, master sculptor and designer.
“But if you don’t know how to actually build it and can’t make it accessible, then it’s all in vain.”It’s the conundrum of the starving artist: how to make money and keep doing what you love. How to meld raw aesthetics with boxy business. How to efficiently create quality, marketable artistic pieces.
(Image above: Credit, John Deere Classic. Jorden Speith lifts this one-of-a-kind trophy designed by Demille)
In 2015, NASA opened the Hybrid Reality Lab, to allow NASA engineers to train in simulated environments that are as realistic as possible. The lab provides an immersive experience by combining consumer virtual reality technology with tracked 3D objects for both realistic visuals and tactile feedback. The lab uses off-the-shelf virtual reality headsets, Unreal Engine 4 and NASA-specific content to build the virtual training environments.