New editing tools and creating... from the heart! :)

Cyant’s Lab™ editing tools menu, and your ability to create new unique 3D designs with the app, got expanded earlier this month! The menu was updated to include a scale tool and a rotate tool, which you can use on any individual element from your 3D drawings. As with our other 3D drawing editing tools, you can simply tap on the elements you wish to edit, and the editing tools menu will appear. You can then select the rotate or scale tools to change the orientation or size of the selected elements.

To see the new tools in action, let’s create… from the heart! Here is a quick tutorial video which will show how you can create, in a few steps, a unique 3D flower from a single heart you have 3D drawn.

Happy creating!

A New Compass Tool In Cyant's Lab™

We’re excited to have a new Compass tool available in Cyant’s Lab™ as of version 1.8.0! The tool will make it easy to 3D draw and have fun with circular shapes and arcs in jewelry and accessories, art, crafts / diy, STEAM projects and more. We’ve designed the tool to be intuitive to use, functioning much like a real-life compass and can’t wait for it to spark and fuel new creations. Versions 1.8.0 and above also include some updates, improvements and bug fixes to Cyant’s Lab™.

Happy creating and 3D printing!

New Ruler Tool In Cyant's Lab™!

A ruler is part of an engineer’s, a school kid’s, a designer‘s and an artist ‘s toolkit, even a 3D one! So we’ve added a new ruler tool to our iPad app Cyant’s Lab to make it easier for Cyantists of all ages to 3D draw straight lines in the app digitally.

Of course you can still use a physical ruler and an apple pencil too if you have one. :)

Digital or physical, you choose! What will you create? :)

Today's #CyantistWeLove: Pauline Eveno, Music Lover & Founder of Syos

Photo Courtesy of #CyantistWeLove: Pauline Eveno, Syos

Albert Einsten, a musician and a music lover, is quoted for having said: “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.”. 3D Printing now offers new ways for the two fields to intersect, and today’s #CyantistWeLove, Pauline Eveno, has been able to combine her love of music with her physics background. She has created 3D printed custom mouthpieces that can be tuned to a musician’s preferences, and founded the company Syos to serve the music community at large. We are excited to feature her and her team’s work, which will no doubt inspire all music loving Cyantists!

Cyant: Can you please tell us about Syos, Syos’s custom mouthpieces and why they are so unique?

Pauline: Syos, which means Shape Your Own Sound, is a French company founded in 2016 by two acoustic researchers from Ircam: myself, and Maxime Carron. Syos lets all saxophone players get their own sound more easily thanks to 3D printed custom mouthpieces. Syos makes mouthpieces that are more in tune, more homogeneous, easier to play and optimized to the sound each musician is looking for. We developed an algorithm that translates the needs of the musician, that he/she expresses by filling out a questionnaire, directly into the geometry of a mouthpiece that will give him/her the sound he/she wants.

Photo Courtesy of #CyantistWeLove: Pauline Eveno, Syos

Cyant: What led you to the idea and why use 3D printing? Did you have a background in music?

Pauline: Syos wouldn't exist without 3D printing. Indeed, it's the only way for us to make a unique mouthpiece for each musician. It makes the customization possible at a larger scale.

Yes I have a background in music. I have been playing flute for 20 years and more recently I started bass guitar and saxophone. But more importantly I have a PhD in acoustics. I did my PhD at Ircam on the acoustics of wind instruments.

Photo Courtesy of #CyantistWeLove: Pauline Eveno, Syos

Cyant: What type of expertise and team did it take to be able to first prototype the pieces and then produce them on a larger scale?

Pauline: First we needed to understand the acoustics of the mouthpieces and what was the influence of the geometry of the mouthpiece on the sound and playing characteristics of the saxophone. Then, we needed to translate the needs of musicians from the words to the geometry of the mouthpiece. So we did tests with thousands of musicians. Of course we also needed to design the mouthpieces using a 3D modeling software, Solidworks, and find the right technology to print the mouthpieces.

Photo Courtesy of #CyantistWeLove: Pauline Eveno, Syos

Cyant: How are musicians using and responding to your innovations? Is there a fear that the sound may not be the same? Are they able to create new sounds?

Pauline: Musicians love the mouthpieces! But there are still some musicians who are suspicious about the material. There are a lot of myths in music and one of them is that the material the instrument is made of has a strong impact on the sound. It's actually the case for string instruments, because it's the vibrating body of the instrument that radiates the sound, but in wind instruments it's the air that is vibrating, so if you have a hard material, it doesn't matter if it's plastic or metal, what's important is the internal geometry. We actually have a blog where we explain the science of musical instruments: syos.co/blog

Moreover, since we are the first manufacturers to use the color a lot on our instruments, a lot of people see them as toys. It's kind of sad because I want to believe that color isn't only restricted to kids. But now that we have some of the best saxophonists in the world playing on our mouthpieces, minds are changing and more and more people believe in us and ask for colorful mouthpieces!

Photo Courtesy of #CyantistWeLove: Pauline Eveno, Syos

Cyant: What is next for the future of sound/music and 3D printing in your mind? Will there be more development to completely re-invent instruments, or create new ones? Or combining specific re-designed pieces with traditional parts?

Pauline: For me, 3D printing will really help getting more and more personalized instruments. So we expect to extend our model to other musical instruments. 3D printing can also completely change the way the instruments are distributed. Instead of producing all the instruments in one factory and them shipping them all over the world, we could have a 3D printer in every music shops and directly print the instrument there.

3D printing is also really useful for prototyping things faster, so a lot of musical instruments could be redesigned to be easier to play, more in tune, etc. During my PhD I developed a software that is helping craftsmen to predict the characteristics of their instruments before making them. Jerôme Wiss for example, used the software to design a trumpet that is completely in tune. He then used 3D printing to prototype and test the trumpet he had designed, and now he is making it by hand in metal and it works great! There is also a project at Ircam and LMA (two acoustic labs in Paris and Marseille) to make a new clarinet, more intuitive to play. So yes, I'm sure there are a lot of things that will be happening in the musical instruments.

Photo Courtesy of #CyantistWeLove: Pauline Eveno, Syos

Cyant: What is your advice for young cyantists who are interested in the intersection of music, sound and 3D printing?

Pauline: They should apply at Syos ;)

My advice is to always do things you are passionate about, with passion you can really reach the stars :)

Cyant: Finally, what is your favorite thing to draw? :)

Pauline: I’m really bad at drawing... I'm more into music.

Cyant: So that would be… sheets of music! ;)

Thanks Pauline for sharing about your innovative work and inspiring music loving Cyantists! If you want to learn more about Syos and their custom 3D printed pieces for musicians, make sure to visit HERE!

Bringing On Paper Sketches & Photo Inspo To 3D life With Cyant's Lab™ 1.6.0

“Pen and paper” never gets old, and neither does photography! We for one love to see creativity and drawing on all types of media from paper to digital. And to help bring “on paper” sketches, writings, kids drawings (anime and video games’ ones too! ;)),… to 3D life and 3D print them, a new version of our iPad app Cyant’s Lab™ is available on the App Store: cyantists of all ages can now use a photo from their library as a template and/or inspiration for their 3D drawing!

What will you create? :) ✍️

Today's #CyantistWeLove: Artur Dabrowski, Architect And Creator Of "Multiply Like Rabbits"

Source: Artur Dabrowski, Multiply Like Rabbits

“I was once told my my professor “if you don’t draw an idea, it doesn’t exist. And if you don’t build it, it doesn’t work””

Today, we are so excited to feature a #CyantistWeLove who exemplifies so well the ideas that design is a process that can be learned and used across disciplines, and that hand drawing is the start to making things, something at the root of our products and workshops since inception! Artur is an Architect trained at the City College of New York School Of Architecture and currently working for the NY-based Architecture firm Openshop. Importantly, he has created a jewelry line and store called "Multiply Like Rabbits", an enchanting collection of pieces featuring rabbits, beautiful details and elegant lines. He uses storytelling and hand drawing to inspire the design of the pieces, which are then all digitally modeled and 3D Printed.  By combining traditional design techniques with new technologies such as 3D Printing, he is able to create unique, and expressive jewelry. We also resonated with the use of storytelling as a starting point for design, so we are all the more glad he can share a few thoughts about his journey, his process and some advice for young Cyantists!

Source: Artur Dabrowski, Multiply Like Rabbits

Cyant: You went from architecture to designing and 3D printing your creations: how do you think your background as an architect might have shaped that journey?

Artur: Architecture school taught me how to design. But what I found surprising is that design is universal. The same process used to make a building can be used to make a piece of jewelry. In school I definitely refined my style and learned a great deal about myself as a designer — and really pushed myself. In general, architecture school was helpful because it not only teaches form and function, but also experience as well as how objects relate to the human body.

Source: Artur Dabrowski, Multiply Like Rabbits

Cyant: Why/how do you blend storytelling and drawing with design (love this concept for a number of reasons!) and how do you design your creations?

Artur: Everything I do starts with drawing. I was once told by my professor "if you don't draw an idea, it doesn't exist. And if you don't build it, it doesn't work". Sometimes I start the design process with a particular project in mind (like a tie bar or bracelet). Other times, ideas pop into my head and I explore it. I keep a notebook for jewelry sketches and also a notebook with personal sketches. Some of those drawings and motifs carry themselves into physical pieces.

Source: Artur Dabrowski, Multiply Like Rabbits

Cyant: Rabbits are such lovable characters! Why did you choose to focus on them? And did using this character as a center of your designs present any challenge?

Artur: Back in high-school, I would draw in the margins of my notebooks and they became filled with drawings and stories of rabbits that expressed thoughts or feelings! Rabbits are cute and perhaps appear a little naive, and they are good to personify by giving them different expressions. I made my first 3D printed jewelry as a gift to my friend. I enjoyed the process so much, I wanted to create a second piece. One day in my notebook, I sketched a series of rings with rabbits. This became the initial inspiration for the project and things grew from there. I think one of the biggest challenges I faced was turning my rabbits from a sketch into a three dimensional character. Once I was able to do that, drawing and design blurred seamlessly into one. I also had to learn what was physically possible and how to balance this knowledge with attention to details.

Source: Artur Dabrowski, Multiply Like Rabbits

Cyant: Which 3D Printing technologies do you use? Do you use other technologies or did you have to develop something new to obtain your creations?

Artur: To create my products, I send my digital files to the Shapeways facility in New York City. The shop uses an industrial sized machine to 3D print my design in high resolution wax. The machine is quite amazing because it features two nozzles which simultaneously print the wax cast as well as the support structure (this support structure is chemically dissolved away). Afterwards, the shop creates a plaster mold and injects liquid metal into the cast. Even though the process is initially made with machines and computers, the rest of the process is traditional lost wax casting used by jewelry makers for generations. I also have a personal 3D printer, a Mod-T by Newmatter, that I use to print prototypes and quickly test ideas. To design rings for all sizes possible, I needed to use a parametric design approach, and I developed Grasshopper scripts that would rebuild my models automatically for different sizes.

Source: Artur Dabrowski, Multiply Like Rabbits

Cyant: What would you like to create next?!

Artur: I plan to work more on architectural pieces. I have found that people have a natural curiosity to this type of creations. I'd like to represent tiny details, in ways perhaps only possible with 3D Printing, but always with a focus on the story, whatever that story maybe.

Source: Artur Dabrowski, Multiply Like Rabbits

Cyant: What advice for young Cyantists might you have?

Artur: When it comes to design and 3D printing, you'll realize you may spend hours on the computer trying to make the perfect piece... but until you print it... until you make it real, you won't know if it actually works. The best advice I can give to a young Cyantist is always test your ideas and never stop experimenting. Some ideas work great the first try, while other ideas is trial after trial. It may be disappointing to realize some ideas may not be a success, but remember it is a learning process. You'll realize the perfect piece is the result of countless prototypes you made in the past. So never stop making things.

We are grateful to Artur for sharing all these amazing thoughts and insights, as well as all these beautiful pictures which will no doubt delight and inspire Cyantists of all ages! And you can visit Multiply Like Rabbits to see more of his creations!

#TechTuesday Round Up - September 27th

Photo: DUS Architects via 3ders.org in Top 27 3D printed housing and construction projects

3D Printed Bridges And Great #3DPrinting Architecture Projects: these are the news that caught our attention this week!

3D Printing has been making such a mark and strides in architecture , a field that naturally intersects art, design, engineering, maths and tech! And we are seeing a range of materials being used, from bioplastic to mud and concrete! So on this Tech Tuesday we are loving this post by 3Ders.org 3D Printing News which rounds up some great and inspiring 3Dprinted housing and construction projects. Not only are these projects beautiful and cool, some of them integrate recycled waste, continuing the increased move towards sustainability. Will young cyantists be designing and 3D Printing their sustainable homes in the future, here on Earth, or even Mars?

And another cool architecture/building 3D Printing project for this TechTuesday : 3D printed bridges! Bridges have been a classic structure dating back millennia, and this advance represents another significant evolution in their construction. And with this, we are all the more excited to be crossing over (pun intended :)) to Blink-LAB architecture geometric dome structure project during the WorldWideWomen Girl's Festival on October 15th! If you have not gotten your tickets yet, make sure to get some quickly, this will be a great collaborative building project!

Happy Tech Tuesday!

Today's #CyantistWeLove: Lisa Federici And The Scansite Team

“Every chisel mark, crack, dent, texture, stitch and fingerprint gives a deeper understanding.”

A few weeks ago, we shared about how 3D Printing had been used to bring one of the Seven Wonders of The World back to life via our Facebook page, a great example of work at the intersection of art, history and tech. So we are thrilled to be featuring Lisa, founder and CEO of Scansite, and her team as Cyantists we love. Lisa is a pioneer in the 3D scanning industry. Over the years, she has assembled a multidisciplinary team of engineers, artists, historians, architects, archeologists and technologists who specialize in capturing meticulous details on real world objects. Using 3D scanners, they have created 3D models of historic artifacts, from dinosaur bones to statues from Michelangelo, real people including the singer Tony Bennet, industrial tools and entertainment models (think Star Wars!), to name a few. 3D Scanners can be thought of 3D cameras, and are themselves the result of multi-disciplinary engineering, including mathematics, computer vision, optics etc.

They work by projecting geometric light patterns onto object surfaces. The pattern is distorted by the surface, and these distortions are recorded by the scanner to compute information about the shape, or structure, of the object in 3D, using 3D reconstruction algorithms. The scans can then be processed with a modeling software to create 3D Printing files or be examined and edited in greater depth. So 3D scans can provide precise 3D information on small or larger objects, and this information can be used in many applications, one of them being in manufacturing where the scans help the quality assurance process by showing where defects might have crept up.

However, and quite importantly, it is not just technical work Lisa and her team do. Working with museums and other institutions such as the NY Metropolitan among many, she and her team are an intrinsic part of preserving art and enabling history to be better understood. For example, they produced the largest ever 3D printed triceratops, enabling biomechanical studies to be conducted at the Smithsonian's. And her scans of statues from Renaissance Italian sculptors is enabling the restoration of statues and provides information to art historians too. Works like hers also help make some of the value of history and art very tangible.

We hope this will inspire many young Cyantists to make links between tech, science, history, art now and in the future!

Today's #CyantistWeLove: Mathematician Dr. Henry Segerman

Stereographic projection from Dr. Henry Segerman's website: http://www.3dprintmath.com

“That is the big advantage of 3D printing. There is an awful lot of data in there, but the real world has excellent bandwidth. Give someone a thing, and they see it immediately, with all its complexity. There is no wait time.”

— Excerpt from interview with the Smithsonian Magazine Online (www.smithsonian.com, 03/15/2013)

Some mathematical ideas can be hard to intuitively grasp. However, adding a physical and tactile dimension, and linking abstract concepts to the physical world, two notions we feel strongly about, can make it easier to visualize and understand the nature of such concepts. At the same time, a physical dimension can show, in a very tangible way, the inherent beauty of such concepts and allows them to become part of new art forms.

This is what Dr Henry Segerman has elegantly demonstrated through some of his work on 3D Printed Mathematical Art. Dr Segerman, who focuses his research at Oklahoma State University on topology and 3-dimensional geometry, has assembled an impressive collection of 3D prints with accompanying videos that highlight properties of mathematical ideas and concepts, such as symmetry and polyhedra, and provide approachable explanations for them. 

"More fun than a 120-cell of monkeys" - collaboration with Will Segerman (via www.3dprintmath.com)

He has an upcoming book "Visualizing Mathematics With 3D Printing" coming out in the Fall, which should be a great inspiration for maths and arts inclined minds alike. We cannot wait to read it! And we look forward to more intersections between maths, art, tech and education. :)

A Great Time Preparing For Mother's Day At Our Pop Up Workshop At Viv&Ingrid

Last week-end, we held a Mother's Day Special Flower Themed Workshop at Berkeley-based Viv&Ingrid

Children used our platform to create and 3D print flower drawings and use them in art works they could offer to their Mom. As always we saw so much creativity and colors! And we had a lot of fun discussing 3D printing with the kids, who were wide eyed about the possibilities this technology is opening.

We even saw some Golden State Warriors art. :) Not flowers, but we were right along with the children in supporting and showing love to this incredible team.

Flowers, art, 3D printing and basketball in one workshop? Sounds like a great combination to us! :)