RepRap Phone Host is a Windows Phone 8 application that allows you to process and then ultimately 3D print STL format 3D models on your "RepRap" type 3D printer running "Repetier" firmware and in possession of a Bluetooth serial bridge.
It includes a STL and GCode render as well as our in-house developed "Bananna Chopper" slicing engine. As far as we know this is the first app the allows a model to be sliced on a smartphone.
To get the app up and running all you need is to add a Bluetooth serial bridge to your 3D printer (there is a tutorial on the RepRap site), pair with it in the Bluetooth menu and then just select it from the drop down menu inside the app and connect to it.
NOTE: This app requires a "RepRap" type printer with "Repetier" firmware and a Bluetooth serial bridge. As long as you have a "RepRap" type 3D printer you should be able to find information on how to load "Repetier" firmware on it as well as how to add a Bluetooth serial bridge.
This app has the ability to open .stl and .gcode files from email etc. as well as the ability to upload all internal STL and GCode files to your SkyDrive folders.
PRINT3R for Android is built from the ground up with the help of several carefully chosen open-source projects. The Web UI (pictured above) is based on OctoPrint. The OpenGL viewer (pictured above) is based on Rajawali for Android. Other helper projects include NanoHTTPDPooled for web services and Amarino-Embed, projects we maintain separately. More information can be found in the PRINT3R for Android 'Credits' screen and upcoming documentation.
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Today the Computer Vision and Geometry Lab of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) announced on December 3, 2013 recent research results turning a normal smartphone into a mobile 3D scanner. 3D scanning aims to capture the geometry of the 3D world, however most existing solutions require a complicated setup, are often hard to use and might not always work outdoors. The technology was demonstrated publicly for the first time today at the International Conference on Computer Vision in Sydney, Australia.
Instead of taking a normal photograph, a user simply moves the phone around the object of interest and after a few motions, a 3D model appears on the screen. As the user keeps moving, additional images are recorded automatically and used to extend the 3D model. As all calculations are performed directly on the phone, the user gets immediate feedback and can select additional viewpoints to cover missing parts of the 3D model. This is an important advantage compared to solutions that batch process all the images in the cloud at a later time.
The app also makes it possible to visualize the state of the 3D scan from different viewing angles, allowing the user to cover all the areas of the object he is interested in. Having a solution on a mobile phone enables the acquisition of 3D scans on-the-fly anywhere. Our approach works in a wide variety of settings, including low-light conditions such as inside a museum. A user can capture a 3D model of a museum piece and interactively study it at home later. After reviewing the model, a user might decide to upload his 3D data to a cloud service to further refine the results.
By using the inertial sensors of the phone, the scanning process can be made simple, intuitive and robust. After the 3D capture is started, the system automatically determines the correct moments to extract camera images based on the user motion.
Contrary to image-only 3D capture solutions the app is able to determine the absolute size of the scanned 3D object, as well as the vertical direction. Because of the complexity of the calculations needed to reconstruct hundreds of thousands of points, the graphics co-processor (GPU) of the phone is used to enable a faster reconstruction and increase interactivity for the user.
The technology also allows the 3D capture of faces, giving a third dimension to portraits, profile pictures or images of loved ones.Source:
Having a convenient way of getting 3D models of everyday objects, users will now be able to copy real-world objects by scanning a full 360 degree model of an object. The resulting 3D model can be used for visualization or augmented reality applications, or even be used for 3D printing, potentially at a remote location, effectively enabling the user to replicate an object.
The patent pending technology was developed exclusively by ETH Zurich and can run on a wide range of current smartphones.
As part of this agreement, 3D Systems plans to substantially expand its multi-material printing capabilities including conductive and functional materials. The company also plans to combine additive and subtractive manufacturing methods, and deliver an integrated high-speed production platform. Pending successful completion of the development phase, 3D Systems is expected to manufacture 3D-printed Ara smartphone enclosures and modules as Motorola’s exclusive fulfillment partner.
Motorola and 3D Systems, the inventors of the cell phone and 3D printer, respectively, have previously partnered on the MAKEwithMOTO tour, a series of make-a-thons at the nation’s top engineering and design schools aimed at exploiting the power of open, hackable smartphone hardware and 3D printing to begin seeding an open hardware ecosystem.
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