View 3D Designs As They Print In Real Time With Augmented Reality

With the innovative technology available today, all you need is some time, some knowledge and a big imagination to become a mad scientist. These days, we’re seeing the most odd things combined. Sometimes they are a big hit like the UDOO, which is a combination of the Raspberry Pi and Arduino technologies. Other times they miss the mark, but they are still inspiring. The example today combines 3D printing with augmented reality so you can see your 3D designs in real time as they are being 3D printed.

3D printing and augmented reality are both powerful innovations in our world, but I never before thought about what would happen if someone fused them together for a practical purpose. That is what this invention called the Ultimarker is all about. Using augmented reality, it allows you to preview your 3D designs on your screen as they’re being created. It also displays some stats like how long the printer has been working and the estimated time when your designs will be completed.

This project is the brainchild of Sander Veenhof and Joris van Tubergen. You can read more about it and get detailed step-by-step instructions on Ultimarker. As we continue to move closer to a world where we basically print everything, we’ll be more DIY than ever before. This technology could become a powerful piece of the puzzle since 3D printing takes time (sometimes a lot of time). This could be just what we need until the whole process gets a lot faster.

It basically takes your 3D designs and makes a real time virtual image of them that you can watch as it progressively becomes a real, touchable, physical object. It turns out, 3D printing and augmented reality are a great combination.