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For this class we write weekly blogs on a variety of topics that have to do with 3D printing.

Blog 1: Thingiverse

For this blog entry, we were to browse the printable objects that people have actually printed on thingiverseand find designs that are amazing/beautiful, funny or strange, useless, useful, and surprising.

Something Amazing/Beautiful
When searching on thingiverse I found this stereographic projection to be really amazing. What really amazed me about this was how much time it must have taken to design. It's also really cool that when the light is shone at the north pole of the sphere it creates a grid pattern on whatever surface it is resting on.

Something Funny or Strange
I thought this desktop mini golf course was pretty funny. The uploader added a new hole every day for 18 days until the set was complete. It's funny how much detail was put into the holes even though it would be very difficult to play. I also found it ironic that it's a desktop mini golf course but there's 18 holes (must be a big desk).

Something Useless
This ketchup packet holder was one of the most useless things I found. I've never used a ketchup packet and thought to myself "I wish there was something to hold this." The design is very simple and doesn't seem like something that would need to be 3-D printed. If you wanted to hold your ketchup packet up while using it you could just lean it against something and it would have the same affect as using this ketchup packet holder.

Something Useful
This light switch cover is something that I find to be very useful. Many times I've come across light switches that control outlets that quite frankly don't need to be controlled by a switch. In my room there is one of these switches and my currently solution is to duct tape the switch in the on position, but having a 3-D printed cover to go over the switch is a great idea. It's easily screwed on using the screws on the switch plate and could be customized to fit different styles of light switches.

Something Which Surprised Me
When scrolling through the various printable objects on thingiverse this one really caught my eye. Most people have seen the painting by M.C. Escher titled "Ascending and Descending" and this 3-D printed object is a take on the same concept. At first glance it looks as if the stairs are continuous, which was surprising because it is obviously not possible. I was intrigued with how they were able to print an object that showed this illusion in 3-D. After looking at some of the other pictures on the page it's clear that the illusion was achieved by printing a staircase with three 90 degree turns and photographing it from a specific angle. source