Downtown Austin is very crowded during SXSW. It gets so bad that people take pedicabs to get around because traffic is so insane that pedicabs are actually faster. In general, SXSW Interactive occurs in a web that centers around the Austin Convention Center, with nearby hotels hosting the sessions on a variety of technology topics, generally open to “badge holders only.” The Long Center, however, houses the “SXSW Create” event, which is open to the public. This is much farther away from the Austin Convention Center. Events that occur very far away from the main hub are lovingly referred to as “sent to Siberia.” Whether in SXSW’s main hub or sent to Siberia, here is a list of 12 3D Printing sessions at SXSW that will help you plan your epic journey through the beast that is SXSW.
Moving from Graphic Design to 3D Object Design
Day: Friday, March 13
Time: 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Location: JW Marriott
Presented by Adobe’s Paul Trani, this event discusses Adobe Photoshop’s new 3D printing capabilities, which can help these Photoshop fans to move their art into a whole new dimension.
Helping Hands in the Global Village
Day: Friday, March 13
Time: 12:30PM – 2:00PM
Location: Long Center
e-NABLE is a community of people committed to using 3D printing technology to improve the world. They help people with 3d printers, or design expertise, connect with people in need of custom prosthetics. On Friday (3/13) Jon Schull, the founder of e-NABLE, will be discussing how the movement started and the use of 3D printed prosthetics. The event will be free to the general public as part of SXSW Create.
Ready to Wear? Body Informed 3D Printed Fashion
Day: Friday, March 13
Time: 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Location: JW Marriott
3D printing adds flexibility and the ability to tailor objects specifically to the individual’s body. This session focuses on a “body-centric” approach to 3D printed fashion, using a fusion of 3D printing, textiles, and craftsmanship to overcome the distance between the material, the maker, and the wearer of 3D printed fashion. This event occurs at the recently constructed JW Marriot and will be open to Interactive badge holder’s only.
Making the Future: 3D Printing Workshop
Day: Saturday, March 14
Time: 9:30AM – 1:30PM
Location: JW Marriott
This event is a four-hour long workshop that addresses the effect that mass-production through 3D printing technology may have on the current state of the arts. Participants examine, analyze, and redesign objects with 3D printing technology. This may, in turn, spur the intellectual examination of various physical and ethical issues that occur with the use of 3D printing in the design process.
Killing Trinkets: 3D Printing Interactive Devices
Day: Saturday, March 14
Time: 9:30AM – 10:30AM
Location: JW Marriott
Apparently, in some worlds 3D printing “has become synonymous with the creation of throw-away plastic ‘trinkets’.” This session is designed to counter that narrow perspective. 3D printing is about more than just the weird, random, objects that can be downloaded and printed to decorate the desks of cube-dwellers. Really, the technology opens up a whole world of printed devices that would not be possible with other available methods.
As a part of this session, Karl Willis, Co-Founder of Addimation Inc, and Michael Bell, Co-Founder of Voxel8, will discuss
“printed optical structures for display, sensing, and illumination; printed 3D tags read using see-through imaging; and finally the hardware, software, and material science enabling highly conductive 3D circuitry.” Hearing from Voxel8, in particular, will help illuminate just what is possible with the start-up’s electronics 3D printer, released earlier this year.
Digital Skins: A New Age of Fashion Manufacturing
Day: Saturday, March 14
Time: 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Location: JW Marriott
This session discusses the way that technology is changing that way fashion is designed. Responsive and adaptive technology allows designers to approach clothing from a more user-oriented direction, with fashion that can be adaptive to the individual. . With designer Francis Bitonti, who earned accolades for the 3D printed gown designed for icon Dita von Teese, attendees will learn more about just how 3D printing is a crucial part of this reorientation of thought.
Crowdsourcing the World’s First 3D Printed Vehicle
Day: Sunday, March 15
Time: 9:30AM – 10:30AM
Location: JW Marriott
This sessions addresses the trials and tribulations behind the 3D printed Strati car. Leading the session will be two of the important players behind this groundbreaking vehicle, Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, Inc and Jesse Smith,
Manger of Industrial Partnerships & Economic Development at the US Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Together, and using Cincinnati Inc.’s Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine, the Strati car when from a crowd-sourced design to a 3D printed reality.
3D Printing Becomes Additive Manufacturing
Day: Sunday, March 15
Time: 11:00AM – 12:00PM
Location: Radisson Town Lake
As the popularity of 3D printing soars, it is crucial to maintain awareness of some of the technoloy’s limitations. Not all 3D printing techniques are ideal in a product’s manufacturing life-cycle. This session addresses the issues in transitioning from 3D printing technology in prototype building to 3D printing on a manufacturing scale.
3D Print the Smithsonian
Day: Sunday, March 15
Time: 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Location: Long Center
Out of the many things collected in the Smithsonian museum complex, a mere 1% are on display. 3D printing can change that. The Digitization Program Office of the Smithsonian is investigating 3D printing technology and other methods to expose the secrets of the museum. This session will discuss what the Smithsonian is doing to share knowledge with the general public and the role that these technologies will play in the process. This session is part of SXSW Create and is free to the general public. As it should be.
3D Bioprinting: The Next Revolution in Healthcare
Day: Monday, March 16
Time: 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Location: JW Marriott
Tissue donation is a complicated issue and 3D printing technology might provide some alternatives that are even more effective than that of donated tissue. The CEO and CTO of TeVido Technologies will explore how their startup is bioprinting breast tissue as a part of making custom bioprinted tissues available on a large scale.
Evolving 3D Production Into Immersive Technologies
Day: Monday, March 16
Time: 5:00PM – 6:00PM
Location: Austin Convention Center
New methods of delivering 3D content (Oculus Rift, 3D printing, etc.) will change the way that users engage with the digital world, and this session will discuss exactly how this will come to pass.
3D Printing in the Movies
Day: Tuesday, March 17
Time: 9:30AM – 10:30AM
Location: Four Seasons
Studios and special effects experts are now able to utilize 3D printing to produce everything from concept models to scaled and full-size props, set-pieces, and costumes. These computer-generated designs are literally brought to life, bringing fantasy just that much closer to reality. Presented by Legacy Effects’ Jason Lopes and Director of Product Management for Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, Chuck Alexander, this session will discuss the many ways (concept models, props, set pieces, and costumes) that 3D printing is used to make movies happen. This Legacy-Stratasys partnership also brought us Bodock who visited the Jimmy Kimmel Show (which will also be at SXSW).
And this concludes the Ultimate Pregame Guide to 3D Printing at SXSW.
