The Leap Motion Controller was just out of the price range for my family’s secret Santa this year, but if we could have kicked the limit up to $79.99, I would have totally asked for one because the company responsible for the most affordable gesture-based controller has just released a free 3D modelling app called Freeform. Freeform applies the gesture controller’s technology to modelling in such a way as to make you feel like you’re moulding clay.
The actual interface of Freeform doesn’t look all that different from Sculptris or Leopoly, in that you’re given a ball of virtual clay with which to mould whatever you like. The Leap Motion software, unlike Leopoly, allows users to change materials (clay, glass or plastic) and choose from more than one brush to work with. It also looks as though you have the option of continuously rotating the ball to shape it as you would on a pottery wheel. Freeform is partially set-up for 3D printing, giving users the option to export their designs as an .stl file. A strange thing to note about the software is that they’re diverging from the traditional 3D modeling experience by integrating some features you’d find in a video game. You can change the scene where you model to create a “a serene and Zen-like setting.”
So far, there have been a few complaints from users, suggesting that there are still a number of bugs to work out, but Leap Motion has taken a cue from Elon Musk, recognizing that, in order to bridge the gap between the virtual and physical worlds, they’ll have start incorporating 3D printing into the mix.
Source: Leap Motion
