User:Alexequals

2012/09/04:

1. Useful: Bag Holder

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:26767

When I explain to people what 3D printers are, one of the first questions I get asked is: what's the point? What kinds of stuff can you make out of extruded plastic that would actually be useful? Aside from shower curtain rings or extra knobs for your stovetop, I point them towards this thing. It's simple, but extremely useful - I printed out a modified version once so that I could carry my Makerbot around in its bag. It's an elegant example of what someone with a problem and a 3D printer can do with a little bit of time and effort.

2. Artistic/Beautiful: Ball of Stars

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:20069

I've long been a fan of art with a strong foundation in mathematics. This particular item on Thingaverse plays to that aesthetic: it reminds me a lot of something M. C. Escher would have drawn (and possibly has drawn - it wouldn't surprise me). It's simple enough to understand and visualize, but there's no way I would have been able to construct the model seen on Thingaverse myself, which to me is part of the beauty of it. Plus, I think it's one of those cool models where actually holding it in your hand would be as cool as seeing it. I love the tactility 3D printers bring to what began as conceptual designs; for me, the feel of a design can be just as important as the image of it.

3. Pointless/Useless: Carry Drinks Easily

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28656

I'm not sure what to say about this one. It's essentially a cup holder with three rings attached to it, so that you can tie string to them and carry them around that way. The idea is to prevent yourself from spilling liquid, but I can easily imagine this making the situation much worse.

4. Funny: Chinese Throwing Spork (hire-shuriken)

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28638

I love sporks. It's a funny, innovative, whimsical, and cool device - a fond device for any gadget nut who doesn't take themselves too seriously. Now, imagine taking that to the next level:

Bam.

Deadly spork shuriken. What's cooler than that?

5. Weird: Badass Stanford Armadillo

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:29018

This is another one of those, "what were you thinking?" kind of designs. It's an angry, bipedal, armadillo... from Stanford University. A story might help make this less weird, but still.

6. Just Plain Awesome: Screwless Cube Gears

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10483

This was one of the first things I ever saw on Thingiverse, and it was one of the things that got me really excited about 3D printing. It's a fascinating model: parametric, so that you can adjust the number of gears; reconfigurable, so that you can make whatever kind of object you want into a gear structure; and adaptable, so that you can change pieces of it to make it even better. I've seen Homer Simpson Head versions, motorized versions, heart-shaped versions, etc. It's a hallmark of the 3D maker community, something that would be nearly impossible to make on one's own, but something that has captured the attention of hundreds of makers across the world because of the new level of accessibility of these printers. Iconic.