CES News: Clone Yourself in 3D, Powered by 3D Systems and Geomagic

If you're among those attending the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada (CES, Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 10-13, 2012), you can try cloning yourself, first digitally, then in polymer as a miniature 3D-printed object.

The 3D conversion technology, dubbed Kinect-to-3D, is on display at 3D Systems' booth (#13345). The company combined Microsoft Kinect game console, Geomagic software, and a 3D printer from its own lineup to allow visitors to: (1) scan themselves using Kinect's built-in camera, (2) turn the scan data into mesh models, and (3) obtain a 3D-printed model of themselves.

Widely used in reverse engineering, Geomagic software lets designers and engineers turn point-cloud data captured from digital scanners into CAD-editable meshes and surfaces. The combination of Microsoft Kinect's ability to scan and recognize 3D shapes and Geomagic's ability to automatically process such data gives Kinect-to-3D an easy way to digitize visitors' shapes into digital 3D data, ready for output in a 3D printer.

3D Systems is also launching a site, Cubify.com, to promote an app-driven, consumer-friendly 3D printing process. At present, the site exists merely as a shell and a placeholder. ("We're cooking up something special. Check back on January 10. Do visit us then," it declares.) In a YouTube video released, the company describes Cubify as a "platform," suggesting a collection of apps, a marketing portal, and on-demand 3D printing services will function as the basis for do-it-yourself commerce and creativity.

Announcing the beta version of Cubify.com, 3D Systems wrote, "To get engaged, 3D Systems will be demonstrating a new Kinect-To- Print app powered by Geomagic and a variety of Tablet-To-Print content creation and manipulation apps powered by its 6000+ strong developer community."

A similar initiative is underway from Autodesk, via its 123D portal and 123D family of free software. As professional hardware and software makers like 3D Systems and Autodesk expand their market share, they may be turning their eyes towards the outskirt of the consumer market, populated with hobbyists, self-taught artists, craft makers, and home-based inventors.

For more, visit Geomagic's blog and watch the video below from Geomagic.