Just to make it clear, I don't want to make a gun! Ok so it looks like you couldn't anyway. But the future for real 3d output is amazing even if this stuff is in its infancy. Architecturally I think this could revive model making,

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(forums.reprap.org)

Above is a link to an interesting, if a little long, forum discussion on the pros, cons and practicalities of building your own 3D printer and some views on the ramifications of mass roll out of these devices.
There is a great quote; "put your feet up Santa, the christmas machine is coming!"
Also they propose the idea of Napster style piracy issues to do with downloading and printing, for instance, toys.
My immediate concern is that criminals could download blueprints for a handgun or other weapon and print out the parts? But a crime spree shouldn't stand in the way of innovation! I want one.

I'd be very interested to know if anybody has home built a 3d printer capable of architectural model making.

9 - 5, if I'm not getting paid enough to make a living, I can't spend too long on a job regardless if they are friends (family is different). I work for myself, my friends bosses would not ask them to work a day unpaid.

I have found that if I've done free work for friends, people assume that what I do has little professional value. If I send out the message that my time and service is worthless, friends will think nothing of taking more of it in revisions and tweaks.

I planned a shop for a friend for no charge, because at the time he was short of cash, but he still had to pay his contractors (all friends) who needed my plans to work off. At the end of the day I had made a loss on printing plans etc. But if somebody walked into his shop, they wouldn't get free groceries however well they knew him.

I think you answer your own question in the title of your thread. If you love your job, you have to make money, or you can't afford to do it.

Hi Susan

I hope that your lawyer is correct, but the law must be very different in the states because in the UK a trademark only copyrights a business name for the nature of that business, i.e: a firm called Bloggs that makes furniture could trademark "Bloggs", this would stop another furniture manufacturer seting up with the same name. However a firm dealing with a different product could trade as Bloggs. I imagine that this is similar to registering a domain name, it does not legally link to any trademark in particular.

Susan do you have a link to this domain registry central agency? Internationally it is hard to see how one body can have stringent overall legal control. In the past unscrupulous people have made a lot of money registering domain names before companys have got round to it.

Jon

Why can't the world be full of decent people! As I understand it there is no international law governing what you can call a website even if it includes a trademarked name. Google obviously have the manpower to sue anyway. I am very suspicious of domain name checker websites, as often when I have entered a title to check for availability, it will be available then but gone within the hour. They have often been registered by the same UK company. I suspect that the domain checker sites have software that automatically registers the name to try to force you to buy it off them.

Bad luck Susan

Has this guy modelled Falling Water for anything in particular, or is it just a portfolio piece; I'm suspecting it's the latter. I'm thinking perhaps he is angling his services more at reconstruction for heritage reasons, maybe a museum display or the History Channel.

Does he actually have architectural or design based clients? I would love his skills, but are there any significant commercial benefit for an architectural client (unless we are talking something on the scale of a new Olympic arena) to spend that much money on presentation? Where I live, developers are very tight with there money. The money goes on the development. Visualisation is kept to a minimum.

60K!!!

Surely thats totally unrealistic! It reinforces my view, we are designers - not animators. If he can get 60K for that then leave him to it because he's not competing with us.

Amazing Animation!

I understand what your saying Kannonball but I'm with Baz on this, I am in the same position as you, small business trying to deliver what the client expects. I think perhaps my clients are less media savvy than some. I am a perfectionist but I can't afford to let that stop me bashing out cad plans and a model and showing it to the client. I've tried 3DS Max, Vue, Kerkythea, Podium. I'm not great at rendering but my clients want me to design and model, they are not paying for rendering and wouldn't understand the concept. I'm never happy with the renders I've tried, it's too hit and miss for me. There is no way I will leave my computer idly rendering when I could be starting another job. The way I look at it, you introduce your clients to photorealism, you give them the idea that you might be able to achieve Pixar like results, you have raised the bar and you'll have to keep raising it. That's great but at the moment I can't factor in that time.

You have to ask the question, is rendering intrinsic to good design?

and they designed it in sketchup

http://www.instructables.com/id/E16Y5T8F22U9YWA/

This is ingenious! But seriously bizarre

Have a look at http://www.d-earle.com.
It is an architects practice base in Benalmadena on the Costa del sol in Spain. I found out about them last week while on holiday in Spain. They publish a free magazine that I think is one of the best design magazines I've ever seen. It is so well produced, unbelievable that they can afford to freely distribute it. Their website is also really good, lots of good links and a few SU visuals here and there.

Here in Yorkshire there are plenty of free music and gig guide magazines but no free architecture or design magazines. Design is the new rock and roll so I think there could be scope to make one work.

Ok what are you having? Actually though once I'd paid off my ten year old university debts and those intermittent loans from my dad I'm only marginally more solvent than I was before.

Interesting Post!

England is not like the states unfortunately, plots, construction products and builders are very expensive. Eco products aren't necessarily a good selling point as they inflate the sale price exponentially to the value they add through savings. Also timber frame builds in the UK are harder to sell as mortgage companies won't usually finance them due to our damp weather.
I have just done ok on a development property here in Yorkshire that I hardly did anything to because house prices are on the up in the area.

Obviously you are talking about a new build, the only way to get that right is to speak to

Thanks for this Eric. I've not heard of Cameron Sinclair before but a quick Google found this. His work is fantastic.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/54?gclid=CK32gt6Jto8CFRMXQgod2Bajdg

Hi Brad, I've got questions for you already!

This is great that Sketchucation attracts SU staff, it is a credit to Coen and the others that have built this up.

@unknownuser said:

if you could use water for fuel. would you?

There is a well documented case that suggests the Saudi oil industry may have had a hand in the murder of Stan Meyer, a man who claimed he could do this and trial drove a dune buggy powered on water. There is loads of stuff about this if you Google it and video evidence of the buggy's engine and trials.

http://waterpoweredcar.com/stanmeyer.html
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/07/08/hydroman.ART_ART_07-08-07_A1_4V77MOK.html

http://www.savetheorangutan.co.uk/?m=200704

My girlfriend and I "adopt" an Orungutan through the WWF, not sure if this directly relates to Ethanol but the demand for alternative fuel crops is apparently leading to more slash and burn clearance of the rainforests.