Tag Archives: 3d

Scientists have designed ‘programmable’ pasta shapes that transform when they’re cooked

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What if your pasta could lie flat and occupy less shape when packaged, and morph into its desired shape when cooking? As odd as that design brief may sound, scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and Zhejiang University City College are trying to figure out how to make pasta more ‘efficient’. Sure, it may give a couple of traditional Italian cooks and nonnas a panic attack, but hey… science does what science does, right?

Working on principles that are quite similar to those found in soft robotics and origami, these new pasta shapes start out as flat sheets of dried dough that warp into their signature design when you boil them in water. The secret lies in those unique ridges pressed into the pasta shapes that cause it to warp in different directions when the dough absorbs water and expands. The uniquely calibrated ridge depth and spacing, along with the pasta’s overall shape, result in some wonderfully unusual designs. It’s safe to say that the scientists must have gained a few pounds during the prototyping and testing phases. After all, who wouldn’t want to eat bowl after bowl of pasta for the sake of science??

The new pasta shapes are a combination of familiar and absolutely out-of-the-box forms, all calibrated to do two jobs – holding the sauce and tasting fabulous. Some of them are loosely based on popular designs like garganelli, fusilli, and ziti, while other shapes completely redefine the cuisine with how they look… with one clear distinction, creating a pasta that starts off as a flat, scored sheet of dough that transforms into a 3D shape when cooked.

“This mechanism allows us to demonstrate approaches that could improve the efficiency of certain food manufacturing processes and facilitate the sustainable packaging of food, for instance, by creating morphing pasta that can be flat-packed to reduce the air space in the packaging”, say the researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Zhejiang University.

Designers: Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and Zhejiang University City College

Craft Your Own 3D Pixelated Papercraft Mario Figure: It’s-a Me, Mario!

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Mario: he could never commit a crime and get away with it because absolutely everybody would be able to pick him out of a police lineup. I mean unless he took his hat off and shaved his mustache, then nobody would have any clue who he was. Created by user DAZMAKER, this is an Instructable detailing how to construct your own 3D pixelated Mario papercraft sculpture. I can already feel the stinging paper cuts on my fingers.

Crafting your own pixelated Mario papercraft sculpture basically involves using a razor blade to cut out a ton of paper pieces, then folding those and carefully taping those pieces together. No glue is required for the project, which is a good thing because my wife is probably getting tired of driving me to the hospital with one body part glued to another.

Am I going to make one? Maybe, but I might just start with only crafting Mario’s head first and going from there. I’m very noncommittal. Like when I said “I’ll give it the old college try” instead of “I do” during my wedding vows. My wife still holds that over my head during an argument.

IKEA and more iconic brands store renders that draw inspiration from their products, soul and essence!

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Eslam Mohamed is a graphic designer whose collection of work has piqued my interest and quite honestly captivated me! He creates 3D renders of conceptual stores and booths of famous brands. But these aren’t ordinary store models, these little concepts draw major inspiration from the product range, soul and essence of the brand itself! For example, he modelled a Starbucks booth after the quintessential Starbucks cup! He even created a McDonald’s booth shaped after a soft-serve cone. Each of his designs is innovative, intriguing and exciting! If they ever manage to become a reality, I’m sure they would become a worldwide wonder! Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Designer: Eslam Mohamed

This IKEA logo is by far Eslam’s most popular work! The smartly created logo has been modelled to display what the brand sells or does in reality! Each of the letters have been modelled after a piece of home furniture or appliance. The I represents a bathroom counter or sink. The K is a combination of a kitchen stove, exhaust, shelving unit, and dinner table! The E is a bedroom wardrobe, whereas the A is a shelving unit for the living room with space for a TV, books, and other knick-knacks! This piece of work is my personal favourite.

This little Starbucks booth has been modelled after the Starbucks cup! You can spot the mini coffee machine and the coffee cups within the booth. Eslam designed the booth in two colour schemes – one in the quintessential green and white Starbucks theme, and the other one in a darker sultrier coffee shade!

I spent the majority of my childhood sipping on Tropicana’s mixed fruit juice! Those cute little juice boxes have been an integral part of our childhood. And Eslam created a Tropicana booth shaped after the tiny tetra packs we sipped our juices from. Don’t forget to notice the nutrition facts printed on the side of the mini store!

Nutella & Go! is probably one of my all-time favourite snacks! Malted breadsticks dipped in a yummy hazelnut spread? Sounds like heaven to me. And I guess Eslam had the same sentiments because he created a mini Nutella store shaped after a Nutella & Go! box. Imagine dashing off to the nearest Nutella store to grab a jar of your favourite spread? How convenient!

Eslam also designed two Coke stores modelled after two different types of crates used to store and carry Coke. The first one is more of a vending machine style booth, whereas the second one is a proper walk-in store. How excited are the Coca-Cola lovers after seeing these renders?!

Of course, McDonald’s had to be a part of Eslam’s collection! It is everyone’s favourite fast-food chain. He created two options for a McDonald’s booth. One is shaped after the box in which McDonald’s serves its burgers and the second is shaped after a soft-serve ice cream cone!

These book store designs are something I would love to see in reality! Modelled after piles of books placed horizontally and vertically, these stores are a dream come true for all book lovers. Peep the little pencil sofa lamps in the second model!

This conceptual camera store is so innovative and unique! The roof of the store has been shaped after a camera. The transparent floor-to-ceiling windows let you glimpse into the store. Did the little camera reels placed around the store catch your attention as well?

This Staedtler stationery shop has been modelled after the iconic Staedtler pencil! I love stationery, and wouldn’t mind visiting a stationery store like this from time to time. He’s even incorporated pencil shavings in the render by creating mini trees from them!

This Nestle coffee pump could be the future! Imagine driving up to one of these, and grabbing a cup of coffee, the same way you would drive to a petrol pump to fuel up your car.

3D Blowfish Sashimi Puzzle: Don’t Eat the Poisonous Pieces

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Want to learn how to properly clean poisonous fugu (pufferfish) without serving an internal organ that might kill someone? Why not begin with this 3D Fugu Japanese Blowfish Dissection Puzzle available from the Japan Trend Shop. The $36 puzzle comes with 34 pieces and a fugu chef certificate you can proudly display to let people know that you’re capable of properly dissecting the fish. Fingers crossed my wife is so proud of me she hangs it on the fridge.

The set includes a sushi knife for separating all of the pieces and placing them on the included sashimi platter. Nine of the internal organs are marked with a skull to let you know those are the poisonous bits, and should not be eaten. Of course in reality none of the pieces should be eaten because this is a plastic puzzle and not an actual fish.

So, have you tried fugu? And if not, would you? I’m not sure I could bring myself to do it. I mean why risk it? Is it really that good? I just feel like dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets are probably more my speed.

Sony’s innovative eye-tracking display lets you see 3D holograms like never before

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There’s always been this fundamental problem with 3D screens. If you’ve ever worn a pair of 3D glasses to the movies, you’ll notice something. No matter where you sit in the massive auditorium, the 3D view seems to be exactly the same. Let me explain. Imagine being in a car. What you see from the driver’s seat is slightly, but significantly different from what you see in the passenger’s seat… right? Things shift ever so slightly when you shift seats because of depth and parallax. That doesn’t happen with the 3D movie, however, because no matter where in the auditorium you’re seated, you’ll always see exactly how the 3D camera captured the film. Your location in the movie-hall plays no role on how you perceive objects… so as much as things seem 3D, they’re still artificial.

Sony, however, seems to have cracked this problem with its Spatial Reality display. For starters, the display uses a lenticular film so that you see 3D without needing glasses, but more importantly, the display knows what angle you’re looking at it from. A high-speed sensor tracks the position of your eyes, allowing the objects on the screen to rotate ever so slightly to ‘match your view’… so if you’ve loaded an image of a car, leaning towards the right will ACTUALLY show you the right-hand side of the 3D model. The display renders out the different views as you move around in real-time, creating a very realistic representation of 3D models on your screen.

The Spatial Reality display however isn’t made for watching 3D movies. It works on 3D files instead of stereoscopic images, creating multiple views in 360°. The lenticular layer on the display, however, creates two slightly different views for your left and right eye, creating a sense of depth too, ticking both crucial boxes required to make 3D actually feel like 3D. The display is currently more of an experimental device that’s made for a niche group. Priced at $4999, it obviously isn’t for everybody, although I could see automotive designers, architects, game designers, and industrial designers working on large projects using a display of this nature to be able to visualize their designs and models in virtual 3D without needing to print or fabricate them for better understanding.

Designer: Sony

Apple is using Subaru Imprezas with old garbage-can Mac Pros to map the US

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Early this year, Apple officially finished rebuilding Apple Maps in the US. Still, it’s constantly improving its map data and map-based features. Today, 9to5Mac shared some exclusive details about how Apple operates its mapping vehicles and how it ma...

3D Architectural Renders so beautiful, you want them in your travel bucket list for real!

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Imagine sitting on a beach, crystal clear blue waters, no traffic, smog, or dirt for miles – this is the ideal getaway that Paul Milinski at Vaulter brings to life with his 3D architectural renders. Let’s admit it, in these times, we all are secretly hoping the world goes back to normal in a week (whether our previous normal is good for the environment is a different question altogether) so we can go out and roam the streets fearlessly, go get that beach vacation we always wanted and put the entire COVID chapter behind us! The current world stats present a grim reality, so while we stay cooped up at our home to save the planet, let’s have Paul’s work transport us into this alternate dimension – full of serene water bodies, realistic tropical landscape and where pastel colors add a pop of freshness to that space. Paul’s talent in creating these detailed renders is evident from the fact that the first reaction of readers on seeing this image is to ask – where is this place?! So, let’s sit back, relax, and imagine ourselves living it up at these locations.

Life on the Pier at the edge of the water, where the sand means water is full of soothing pastels as imagined by Paul Milinski. The scene rendered out by Paul shows serene waters, almost like an escape in Bali or a scenic island, free of crowds and COVID of course!

Date night gets a whole new twist with this render titled ‘Table for Two’. Quiet, secluded, and chatting over the moonlit and candlelit dinner tables, that place is zen come to life, with water lapping at your feet. The table for two is the way to connect yourself with your partner, your surroundings and enjoy being in the present.

Titled the Peninsula, this cable car/ ropeway seats your group and provides panoramic views of your surroundings, allowing you to hang out in style. Continuing the theme of pastels to execute his design, Paul’s design once again provides that fantastic escapism we all crave right now!

An architectural render created in collaboration with Charlotte Taylor, this Palm Springs Villa design is the vacation home you didn’t know you wanted!

This design titled the ‘Beach House’ is perfect for every water-baby! With a private pool and a beach at your disposal, this home is designed to heal you with water and sounds of water surrounding you, making the environment just right!

People love a day at the beach, but I personally love the beach on a moonlit night. Firstly the place is quieter, and there is a serenity in the inky blue waters reflecting the silver moonlight, allowing you to speak to yourself and hear what your mind has to say. For such deep reflections, the Moonlight Bay is the house I need.

Forget new year resolutions, we are all out making post-COVID resolutions. One such resolution is to treat myself with a guilt-free spa day! Now, none of the spa’s I know match up to this Spa Mountain design, but it sure promises to heal and rejuvenate you for life!

The Occulus House, named for the circular windows I presume, challenges the traditional window design and adds plenty of sunlight and spotlight in the house by using these circular cutouts. The result, a modern home creating a modern look without any of the old-school window-frames!

Brutalist architecture has long been a favorite of mine, and Paul’s design merges modern architecture with the brutalist style to create my ideal home. The raw-ness of the design is contrasted with the clarity of the blue waters to create a balanced and relaxing environment.

The Towel Chair showcased here is the result of Paul’s exceptional rendering skills and his design skills – creating a product that makes you want to sit on it while the ‘towel’ texture of the design keeps you dry and the furniture safe!