When my wife and I attended CES, we had originally planned to meet the makers of Make VR. The Sixense team, which had developed the VR 3D modelling system, eagerly contacted me to show me a demo of the product in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, CES[1] was a much bigger monster to tackle than I previously imagined and I was left dreaming about what 3D modeling with an Occulus Rift, a motion sensor and a set of futuristic controllers would actually be like.
But tomorrow’s another day! And, luckily for me, Make VR will be with Shapeways at 3D Printer World Expo next weekend, just outside of LA. In preparation for the upcoming demo, I took some time to familiarize myself with Make VR a bit more. Sixense bills MakeVR as “the most accessible and intuitive content creation solution for the 3D printing industry.” I spent hours trying to figure out how to accurately model a gear to 3D print the other day. As someone who’s pretty lame with CAD software, I really hope that claim is true.
The Sixense team hopes to do away with elaborate menu systems for navigation. Instead of the mouse and keyboard, MakeVR relies on the use of their own hand-held, motion-enabled STEM controllers. The controllers are paired with a motion-capture device, which senses your movements. You reach towards the screen to grab a 3D object and the sensor registers this motion. In other words, as the system’s head of development, Paul Mylniec, puts it, “[MakeVR] gives you your hands back.” Throw on a 3D headset, like the Occulus Rift, and you’re immersed in a 3D, virtual world for even more intuitive design capability.
You can, then, draw new or modify existing shapes, connect them together and cut them apart to create new 3D models. And, while the experience is meant to be simpler, the design tools are not. With MakeVR, users are able to perform all of the basic functions they would in a CAD program, but within a game-like environment. You can even import complex models made using other CAD software into the MakeVR world.
The reason that Sixense will be displaying the technology alongside Shapeways is that the MakeVR software has built-in 3D printing compatibility though the service provider. Within MakeVR, users can make models hollow, airtight and then export them as .stl files for home 3D printing or they can send them directly to Shapeways for fulfillment.
Co-founder of Sixense, Amir Rubin, explained, “With MakeVR we’re enabling everyone to more easily and affordably create models in 3D. Coupled with the emergence of so many great new 3D printing solutions, this will catalyze the entire market. 3D Printer World Expo offers the perfect stage to showcase MakeVR, and we’re looking forward to feedback from the leaders in 3D printing industry at the show.”
The videos do give you the sense that the system is intuitive, but I’ll have to wait and see for myself at 3D Printer World Expo. If you won’t be able to see it for yourself in Burbank next weekend (31st Jan – 1st Feb), you can wait until their Kickstarter goes up on February 5 and purchase one yourself. You’ll probably want to do it quickly, though. My experience with these 3D modelling and 3D printing Kickstarters is that they move really fast.
[1] If CES is an abbreviation, it’s short for ‘cesspool’. If it’s an acronym, the ‘c’ stands for ‘clusterfart’.
