This week I wanted to do something a little different with the Ten 3D Printable Things column. Instead of finding amazing objects for you to 3D print I wanted to find amazing LEGO parts that you could 3D print and then build even more amazing things with them. I have found a ton of great LEGO pieces that can take your builds into entirely new directions and really change how you thought LEGO blocks work.Of course one of the things that you’re going to need to make sure of before you plan to 3D print a bunch of LEGO parts is that your printer can manage the level of detail needed on the parts. Because of the shape and size of the models, there isn’t a lot of room to do much post processing to the finished bricks so the final printed piece is going to be the best they are going to get. But if you have a 3D printer capable of high resolution parts, then go to town and build yourself some of the coolest LEGO constructs ever.Here are Ten 3D Printable LEGO Things:Found on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeAs far as I’m concerned this is a must have for any LEGO fan.
Not only can it be left empty just for decoration, but it works with LEGO pieces and can be decorated with any bricks or minifigures that you want. You could even change your LEGO light switch plate daily depending on your mood. And it should go without saying that this is perfect for kids.CURVED AND ROUNDED LEGO BRICKSFound on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeWhile there are thousands of LEGO shapes available, the one shape that they have never made is a curved brick. There are certainly some that give the illusion of being curved, but they are all based on the same square pattern. But these curved bricks offer a ton of new building opportunities that standard LEGO parts are simply incapable of. And you can even design your own curved bricks with the radius that you want using this .Found on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeThis ball and socket joint set is perfect for building highly posable LEGO action figures or models. This is one of those parts that seems so obvious I find it hard to believe that LEGO hasn’t already designed something like it.
According to the designer it works like a smooth revolving joint, so it should give any models that you build with it an extremely wide range of movement. Found on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeIf you want to make your LEGO minifigs fully representative, then here is a great 3D printable wheelchair for them. It fits all standard-sized figs and even has a little peace sign design in the center of the wheel. This is going to be a complicated print that requires a bit of support, but its small enough that any post processing should be quick. Found on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeIf you know how to use OpenSCAD then this is a great LEGO brick customizer that you can use to design bricks in virtually any shape that you can think of. The designer included a few STL files for bricks that he designed himself as well, just in case you’re not familiar with OpenSCAD. He also created an as well. Found on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeBuild LEGO constructs that aren’t limited to the standard X and Y axes with this cool hemisphere part that has four LEGO bases embedded on half of a sphere.
This is perfect for that while and crazy project idea that you have, or for displaying minifigs and other small constricts in a unique way.Found on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeAt first a melted LEGO brick may sound a little ridiculous, but they actually make great stands for minifigs. Because they are at an angle, and have a wide base they are stable and allow figs to be posed in great dynamic ways. There are two different melted bricks available and the designer did include some detailed 3D printing instructions to make sure that they print correctly. Found on: MyMiniFactory Cost: FreeThere are a ton of 3D printable bow ties around, but I think this LEGO version is one of the most fun. It is perfect for any LEGO nerd and can be worn as is, of you can build on top of it with actual LEGO parts. Just don’t go crazy with the LEGO parts, you don’t want to come off any weirder than you already will by wearing a LEGO bow tie. Found on: Thingiverse Cost: FreeHere is another entry on the ‘I can’t believe they haven’t made these pieces yet’ list.
These great triple LEGO pieces will work with standard blocks and let you build all sorts of unique constructs that would be a lot harder using only standard bricks. There are a ton of different shapes available, including flatter pieces, thicker pieces, short stubby pieces and longer pieces. Found on: MyMiniFactory Cost: FreeThe original toy that was used to get kids into engineering and other STEM fields were LEGO sets, so it seems appropriate that a LEGO compatible remote controlled robotic kit is used to get kids into modern STEM education. The is a simple RC base that has LEGO studs on the top of them, so once you assemble the robotic base, you can add any kinds of LEGO parts that you can think of. This is the toy of every kid’s dreams, no matter that kid’s age.That’s it for this week folks, I really hope that you if you all 3D print yourself some LEGO parts you show off what you build because I love looking at LEGO projects, the wilder the better. You can or give me a shoutout on Twitter .
If you're among the few who actually don 3D glasses to watch movies at home, you're not gonna like this. If you're everyone else, you probably couldn't care less. 3D, once hailed as a breakthrough new feature on TVs and propelled into mainstream consciousness by the blue aliens of "Avatar" and the efforts of ESPN and DirecTV, has been waning in popularity for years. Now it has absorbed that most telling of deathblows from the biggest gun in the TV hardware business. A source at Samsung, who asked to remain anonymous, has confirmed to CNET that none of its 2016 US TV models will support 3D. That means they won't be able to display 3D Blu-ray movies or other 3D content and won't work with 3D glasses. The only Samsung sets that will support 3D will be carryovers from 2015, like the UNJU7100 series. The reason, according to the source, is that Samsung wanted to concentrate more resources on its new smart TV functionality, including integration with its SmartThings home automation platform.
In other words, Samsung traded 3D for braaains. This confirmation for the US market comes on the heels of previous reports from Europe and Korea that 3D would play no part in Samsung's future TV plans. Samsung is the biggest TV maker in the world and has tremendous influence, marketing features like LED backlights for LCD TV panels and curved screens that other makers scramble to emulate. Until this year all of its best TVs, and many midrange models, supported 3D. Now even its most expensive 2016 sets will be 2D-only. According to data from the NPD Group, 3D TVs have accounted for a diminishing share of US flat-panel TV sales every year since 2012, and the same goes for 3D-compatible Blu-ray players compared with 2D-only models. 3D TVs fell from 23 percent to 16 percent in that period, and 3D players from 40 percent to 25 percent. "In terms of purchase motivators, I think 3D is pretty low on the list at this point," said NPD analyst Ben Arnold. "There was a lot of interest in the feature from consumers early on, but most reports were the experience was not worth the hassle of wearing 3D glasses or finding content."
LG, the No. 2 TV maker worldwide, is actually holding steady. Tim Alessi, director of new product development, told CNET that 3D "still remains a meaningful step-up feature for many" consumers. About a third of the 2016 series TVs it will sell in the US support the feature. On the other hand, all of them will be high-end 4K OLED and LED LCD models. Case in point: LG's main series of flat 4K OLED for 2016, the B6, won't support 3D. That's a shame for any remaining 3D fans because its 2015 predecessor, the EF9500 series, delivered the best 3D image quality we've ever tested. A major brand in the US but not worldwide, Vizio hasn't offered 3D on any of its TVs since 2013; even the exceedingly expensive Reference Series is 2D-only. And Sony's rep told CNET that only two of its US series, the X930D and X940D, will support 3D in 2016. The cheapest costs $3,200. 3D movies continue to be released in theaters, and 3D Blu-ray discs will likely be sold for a few more years, so owners of current 3D TVs still have some use for those glasses.