I’ve mentioned the NextEngine before (reLink), but one of the issues with scan data is generating “watertight” models. If there’s a gap between a couple of surface patches you can either try to repair it, try to work around it, or toss it altogether. I’ve done all three. You might recall the problems I had trying to repair a bunch of unaligned and mismatched patches on a model I’d ripped from Second Life and ported into Pro/ENGINEER (reLink). Never got back to that. Anyway, Desktop Engineering is reporting news (Link) related to that NextEngine scanner. From the DE site: Continue reading →

Here’s something I hadn’t previously seen: a demo from GDC 2006 showing off Lucas Arts’ new game technologies. Shown in this video is a material properties system dubbed DMM (Digital Molecular Matter) that’s very impressive. Imagine being able to not just export a CAD mesh and load it into a videogame, but provide its mass properties as well.

Only reason I found that video was because people are talking about what I assume is a new Euphoria video showcasing more of the biomechanical AI shown above. If you want to watch it, head over to YouTube for the Star Wars: Force Unleashed video that showcases it – Link.

For anyone who remembers my exchange with Boing Boing ‘er Cory Doctorow (reLink), you might remember my point that instead of mindlessly hacking through DRM, consumers should simply walk away from the products that incorporate intrusive and unfair implementations of it (Note: I believe it’s possible to have a consumer-friendly form of DRM). Based on his comments, Doctorow didn’t seem to agree. From my perspective he wants to slap an over-reaching label on everything and pick popular fights. And in his fight against corporate “terrorism”, he apparently wants to play the role of president Bush: let’s not think too hard, let’s just go in guns blazing; collateral damage be damned.
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Sometimes it seems as if developments in the rapid-prototyping world speed along at the pace of a non-computerized milling machine. There’s doubtlessly an eager and ready market for the devices. And those of us in that potential market are savvy enough to know that it won’t be the fabbing device itself that empties our wallets but the material costs. For that reason I suspect a fair number of people have been wondering why a plethora of low-cost (sub-$10k) “desktop” devices hasn’t materialized. Well, maybe things are changing because here’s such an entry: the V-Flash desktop modeler (Link) from 3D Systems.
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There’s a new real money trade (RMT) service on the block called Sparter, and unlike traditional virtual currency exchange services this one allows direct gamer-to-gamer exchanges. From the Virtual Worlds, Real Profits article (Link):

Sparter is a new entry in the real money trading industry that uses an eBay-like “peer-to-peer” approach for the buying and selling of game gold… Sparter has a reputation system for buyers and sellers (similar to feedback on eBay) and uses an escrow system to protect buyers and sellers and manage the transfer of goods. There is no charge to list virtual currency, but the company charges a 10 percent commission fee to sellers for every transaction.

I find these kinds of developments interesting because as digital distribution moves beyond mp3 files and on to manufacturable 3D files, the groundwork laid by these sorts of systems becomes relevant to people like me. Besides, I’m not ready to put my eggs into trust systems like some well-paid Seattleites.

via Raph Koster’s blog