3D printing is the process where a 3D design (created in Maya 3D, 3Ds MAX or other 3D software) is turned into a real object. Traditionally, 3D printing has been used for industrial design prototypes (electronics, car design, etc) but nowadays, 3D printing is also used in contemporary toy design.

How does 3D printing Works?

Where can I print my 3D designs?

The websites below will help you turn your 3D designs into reality:

1. Shapeways

Customize and create 3D printed products. http://www.shapeways.com/

2. i.Materialise

i.materialise is a 3D printing service for everybody with an eye for design and a head full of ideas. http://i.materialise.com/

3.  Sculpteo

Sculpteo offers a 3D printing service, rapid and accessible to all users. From your 3D design, we make a concrete object : interior decoration, figurines, robots, miniatures, models & toys. http://www.sculpteo.com/en/

3. My Robotnation

3D Printing is a revolution in creation and we want everyone to have access to it, not through complicated CAD programs, but through a simple easy and fun customization tool – right in your browser.

Imagine, play and make it real – its as simple as that – we’re putting creativity in the palm of your hand.  http://www.myrobotnation.com

4. Maqet

MAQET makes it possible to collaborate with your favorite artists. Every collectible MAQET can be customized using features designed specially for the character and your own imagination.  http://www.maqet.com

1. MARU by Norio Fujikawa

2. Rocket Boy by Norio Fujikawa

3. Packbot by Norio Fujikawa

4. Shellbot by Norio Fujikawa

5. Chokaku by Norio Fujikawa

6. Scorpion by Norio Fujikawa

7. Quadbot by Norio Fujikawa

8. 3D Mech Warior by David Espinoza

9. PD-BOT by Norio Fujikawa

10. Wa-13 by Gekko

11. AO-Maru by Leo Blanchette

12. Iguana 3D Robot

Letter Fountain by Joep Pohlen and published by Taschen, has everything you could ever want to know about printing letters and numbers. In addition to examining the form and anatomy of every letter in the alphabet (as well as punctuation marks and special characters), the book cross-references type designs with important works of art and art movements from Gutenberg’s times until today

Visit the student & teacher website at: www.letterfountain.com

1. Mia_material

Use this shader to simulate materials used in architectural and product design renderings. You can use this shader to create a physically accurate representation of hard-surface materials such as metal, wood and glass. This shader is optimally tuned for fast glossy reflections and refractions and high-quality glass.

If you click on the “Preset” button you can choose many ready to use materials like cooper, ceramics & Frosted Glass.

Cooper: 

Ceramic:

2. mi_car_paint_phen

Use this shader to fully achieve the look of car paint. This shader combines the functionality of the mi_metallic_paint, mib_glossy_reflection, and mi_bump_flakes shaders into one.

mi_car_paint_phen_x shader: This shader is similar to the mi_car_paint_phen shader, except that it returns multiple outputs in the form of a mental ray struct return.
A mi_car_paint_phen_x_passes: shader is also available for use the multi-render passes feature

mi_car_paint_phen:

3. dielectric_material

This shader is a physically based material shader that can be used to simulate dielectric media such as glass, water, and other liquids. However, this shader cannot be used as a shadow shader.

4. dgs_material

This shader can simulate mirrors, glossy paint or plastic, anisotropic glossy materials such as brushed metal, diffuse materials such as paper, translucent materials such as frosted glass, and any combination of these. However, this shader cannot be used as a shadow shader.

5.  mi_metallic_paint:

Use this shader to simulate a high-gloss, smooth paint finish like car paint.

mi_metallic_paint_x: This shade is similar to the mi_metallic_paint shader, except that it returns multiple outputs in the form of a mental ray struct return.

A mi_metallic_paint_x_passes: shader is also available for use the multi-render passes feature.

a. Load Mental Ray in Maya 3D 2012

Before start working with Mental Ray the plug in must be loaded. To load mental Ray go to Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager

When the Plug-in manager window opens, check the box Mayatomr.bundle.

Open the render settings window and and select Mental Ray as the renderer.

b. Mental Ray Quality

The quality of the final image depends on the Mental Ray settings, click on the Quality tab on the render settings window.

There are 2 important settings that will determine your images quality, Raytrace/Scanline Quality & Raytracing.

Raytrace/Scanline Quality:

1. Sampling Mode: Sampling is the number of times Mental Ray reads and compares the color values of adjavcent pixels in order to avoid jagged lines and display a smooth image. You can select Fixed Sampling, Adaptive Smapling Default), and Custom Sampling. Custom sampling is usually the best choice becuse the number will automatically adjust to the number of samples used per pixel depending on the contrast of your scene.

2. Max Sample Level: This is the absolute maximum number of samples per pixel used when processing an image. A higher the number results in a very high quality smooth image. Most images render well with a Max Sample Level of 2.

3. Anti-aliasing Contrast: This slider controls the contrast threshold. Lowering this value increases sampling which results in higher quality but longer processing time.

Raytracing

Raytracing can produce the most physically accurate reflections, refractions, shadows, global illumination, caustics and final gather.

1. Reflections: The maximum number of times a ray can be reflected off reflective surfaces.

2. Refractions: The maximum number of times a ray can be refracted through non-opaque surfaces.

c. Quality Presets

When you select a Preset Maya automatically set the values for the rendering. Below you can find some preset examples:

1. Draft: Gives you a relatively good indication as to what scene will look like while taking the least amount of processing time.

2. Preview: Slightly better than Draft, takes a little more processing time, but achieves a good balance between quality and time

3. Production: Use this when testing the final rendering or rendering the final image(s) that do not contain motion blur.

4. Custom:  Lets you specify the mental ray for Maya quality settings independently. If on the production preset your image has pixelated sections, you can reduce the Anti-Aliasing Quality to smooth out edges.

If reducing the Anti-Aliasing Quality is not enough, you can increase the Max Sample level. However a number  will take longer to render.

To view a scene without the default lighting in a viewport menu  go to Lighting > Use all lights.

• The shortcut / hotkey to view a scene using the default lighting is 5.
• The shortcut / hotkey to view a scene using all lights is 7.

Studio or Three Point Lighting in Maya 3D 2012

The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, & photography. The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light.

a. Key Light

The Key Light is the main light of your scene. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow. However, you must enable shadows of the key light on the attribute window (see settings below).

b. Fill Light

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key (see settings below).

c. Back Light

The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject’s outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look (see settings below).

To use the Insert Edge Loop Tool command go to Edit Mesh > Insert Edge Loop Tool

The Offset Edge Loop Tool lets you insert two edge loops on either side of any edge(s) you select.
To use the Insert Edge Loop Tool command go to Edit Mesh > Offset Edge Loop Tool

Maya 3D Video Tutorial: The video below is intended for beginner students that are attending my 3D Modeling Class and need a quick reminder on how to use the Insert Edge Loop Tool & Offset Edge Loop Tool in Maya 3D 2012.

• Union: Combines the volume of the meshes.
• Difference: Subtracts the first mesh from the second.
• Intersection: Leaves only the shared volume of the meshes.

To use Polygon Booleans go to Mesh > Booleans

Maya 3D Video Tutorial: The video below is intended for beginner students that are attending my 3D Modeling Class and need a quick reminder on how to use Polygon Booleans in Maya 3D 2012.

To use the Bevel command go to Edit Mesh > Bevel

Maya 3D Video Tutorial: The video below is intended for beginner students that are attending my 3D Modeling Class and need a quick reminder on how to use the Bevel command in Maya 3D 2012.

• Polygons are straight-sided shapes (3 or more sides), defined by three-dimensional points (vertices) and the straight lines that connect them (edges).
• When a polygon mesh is rendered, its edges can be set to appear hard or smooth. As a result, polygons can easily represent both flat as well as curved 3D forms.
• Polygonal surfaces are preferred in interactive games and web development applications because they have the smallest amount of data of all the 3D surface types, and therefore, can be rendered quickly.

• The interior region of the polygon is called the face.
• Vertices, edges, and faces are the basic components of polygons.
• When many faces are connected together they create a network of faces called a polygon mesh.

2. Polygon components & marking menus

a) To display the polygon components menu right click + hold on the polygon.

b) When you shift + right click in the scene view when nothing is selected the marking menu shows possible polygon creation options.

3. Polygon normals

A normal is a theoretical line that is perpendicular to the surface of a polygon. In Maya, normals are used to determine the orientation of a polygon face (face normals), or how the edges of faces will visually appear in relation to each other when shaded (vertex normals).

4. Subdivision Surfaces

• With a subdivision surface you can build a smooth organic object from a single primitive
• Subdivision surfaces are a hybrid surface type that possess characteristics of both NURBS and polygonal surfaces
• Like NURBS, subdivision surfaces are capable of producing smooth organic forms and can be shaped using relatively few control vertices.
• Like polygonal surfaces, subdivision surfaces let you extrude specific areas and create additional detail in your surfaces.

5. Smoothing polygon meshes

a. Smooth mesh preview:

Smooth mesh preview quickly shows you how a polygon mesh will appear when smoothed, without actually smoothing the mesh. This mode is ideal for tweaking your mesh prior to an actual smooth mesh operation, to ensure the end result looks as close to your desired result as possible.

b. Subdiv Proxy:

A subdiv proxy actually creates a smoothed mesh and places it inside the original mesh. These two meshes are linked via their construction history. Any edits you make to the original mesh are reflected on the smoothed version underneath.

c. Subdivision Surface:

A subdivision surface allows you to subdivide specific regions of a mesh. This gives you the ability finely tune or smooth certain areas without changing the entire mesh. Subdivision surfaces help you keep a lower geometry count since they only insert control points where you need them (instead of uniformly across the mesh).