I’ve previously announced in [this thread](http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=165309) that we are going to start a 3D printing contest for blenderartists forum exclusively, well, here it is :).
We’ve been in 3d printing business for over 20 years and specialize primarily in industrial projects. This is the first time we are doing something like this and thus we decided that our first contest will be somewhat related to what we’ve been doing before.
How would you like to print out something functional like a custom lamp? Doesn’t sound like fun? If you need inspiration check out our .MGX collection of custom lamps located on our BETA website and truly embrace the awesomeness of this opportunity.
you’ll have to post 3 screenshots here via reply option (top, side and plain view of your model)
...and that’s it ;)
The deadline for your design submissions for this contest is <b>Wednesday, September 16th, 23:59 (GMT +1)</b>. So, hopefully, once we get couple of design in, we will setup a poll (with screenshots of your designs) where you guys will vote for the best lamp, and ultimately the 3 best lamps will be printed and delivered completely free of charge to the lucky winners.
I know that most of you never designed a functional lamp, so we’ve put together a detailed explanation about fittings for the lamps on <b>[our website](http://i.materialise.com/blender)</b> under download section. The Blender files for fittings are also available there.
At the moment we’re in a very early BETA stage, and a whole lot of things are not yet functional (for example our price algorithm is set to half price) on our website, but we thought it would be kinda fun to set up couple of contests for everyone to enjoy. We are very interested in your feedback, please tell us what you think about the service, and the contest. Leave a comment about the website: what would you like to see, what’s not working.
update 01:
To give you guys an idea on dimensions of the lamp shade please see the attached file. These are not strict, but we would prefer to keep them around that size. Anything smaller or bigger might not look as good
All u have to do is design a lamp shade. We have everything else available, including light bulbs. Go to our website and click on downloads. There is a pdf file explaining everything about lamp fittings and base.
Whoa, is this world-wide? Can really EVERY blenderartists user enter? That sounds great, especially in brass and steel, all I researched before only did plastic and foil printing. Is it possible to incorporate LEDs and the according circuitry? Could just leave room for that and build that stuff in SOMEHOW under life-threatening conditions Great idea, I hope inspiration and TIME won’t let me down! And I’ll have to study luxrender or so so I don’t suck on it Must get my pencil out… Now…
Everyone is welcome to participate, no question about it.
About the technology for this particular contest: the idea is, once we get the winners, they will send us the files, and our production team will check the file, make sure it is printable, and provide the most suitable technology for a particular model. So, while designing, make sure not to leave things floating in the air
Aside from that, if you have a good idea about the next contest, post it here as well
so then do I have to build the lamp shade so that it is attached to the base thingy? Also, what size should the lamp be? Or will you resize accordingly?
Awesome!! If any of the following questions can be found on your website, just point of there, I’m just having a hard time with it on Opera Mini
Can we mix materials? I guess so, but better ask.
The material list is quite abstract to me, how can we imagine them to look like?
Are there glass-like materials, and if so, can they be transparent and coloured at the same time?
Are there flexible materials so we can construct snap-on elements or inlays?
How high is the precision? Regarding the temperature changes occuring within a lamp, excluding LEDs, so it doesn’t crack because one part expands too much against another.
I guess the size depends on the number and size of parts used, the maximum size, I believe, is specified on the website. Right?
Can you do solid gold and diamonds in case I win?
Very cool! Thank you
It’s best if you build the lamp shading attached to the fitting :D. The dimensions for the lamp shade may vary, but you should consider the lamp base size, and the fitting, so the design looks good. Here are some screens of our technical documentation, so you will have a good idea about the dimensions.
We also have coloring options, but they depend on the design. For example we can print in solid color or spray paint the model, but if the design is thin, painting it might not be the best option. So, I would recommend to suggest a preferred color. The production team will be able to provide all the necessary feedback once the actual design is in.
@Corniger
Unfortunately, it is not possible to mix materials, unless you build different parts of your model with different tech. But for this contest we would like to keep everything in one material.
Due to the specific requirements of the lamp building process, things like heating of the shade should be taken into consideration, and not all materials support that sort of thing. Don’t worry about the materials at this point, if you win the contest, our production team will come up with the best option for you ;)… But it is best to have design in one part, and have a wall thickness of at least 1 mm.
yes, i know, but that’s my second question, i mean, the first is about more than 1 entry, the second is about your entry, i think you designed all the lamp, not only the shade, maybe I’m wrong, sorry if that’s the case.:o
I dunno, alot of this seems very unspecific (to me at least). I plan on throwing my hat into this one way or another, but I still have quite a few questions about this.
First off, do the top three entries receive a printed version of their design that can be hung on a wall, or a real physical version that can be used as an actual light fixture. Secondly, I noticed that you are selling some models on your site, so what (if any) rights do the original designers maintain to their designs? Also, I DLed the US .blend and I noticed that at least half of the faces are backwards… very low quality IMHO, but I’m wondering, should the shade connect to the upper or lower end of the US connector (If all else fails, I will base the design off of the lamp I have on my desk)
Great idea, I hope inspiration and TIME won’t let me down! And I’ll have to study luxrender or so so I don’t suck on it 
Must get my pencil out… Now…
