YouMagine’s “Useful 3D Prints” contest essentially means that makers of tchotchkes and other “useless” items need not apply. The core ethos of engineering is emphasized here: How useful is the object? Does it add value to people’s lives?
The YouMagine team will judge the contest, and the winner will receive 16 rolls of ColorFabb filament. That’s about $600 worth of plastic.
The criteria are as follows:
1.) The photo has to illustrate the scale of the 3D printed object in an interesting way. This is important in order to get viewers to understand how large the objects on the site are
2.) The clarity and creativity by which the photo of the object illustrates the utility and purpose of the file or project to other YouMagine community members.
3.) Have you made the 3D printed thing look beautiful?
4.) Show how a person is using or uses the 3D printed object.
5.) Most importantly, how useful is the object?
6.) How does it add value to people’s lives?
7.) How well is it made, designed and printed?
The emphasis on the photography is an attempt to explore communal ideas and suggestions for optimizing the ways in which the Youmagine community shares visual information.
Joris Peels, the YouMagine community manager, wrote in his recent blog post, “So how can photos be used to convey more information and make the 3D printed designs on YouMagine look nice at the same time? We want to convey scale, utility & beauty in a simple way. We can’t as a team figure out how to do this. Is every model going to be a shot of someone holding it in her hand? Does there always have to be a Coke can in the picture? How to get a good photo of something using an Iphone? How to quickly take a great picture that gives the rest of the Community an instant idea of what this thing is?”
Recently, we’ve covered YouMagine’s improved site functionality, as well as the addition of an online customization tool called the Hand-O-Matic, which was.
created by e-NABLE R&D and generates a 3D printable hand based on the measurements of a given individual. The Hand-O-Matic tool was conceived, built and tested by the dedicated and talented team from e-NABLE.
3D printed prostheses are pretty much the benchmark for the inventor or designer looking to create a useful 3D printed object. I don’t think they are looking for people to be able to top that, but coming up with entirely new objects to create solutions that actually help people in a thoughtful and practical way is a noble endeavor, and though actualizing a previously unimagined object or thing is “the real reward”, getting 16 spools of ColorFabb filament for free just sets you up for a lot more worry-free experimentation.
