Futuristic Spacecraft Wins 3D Print Challenge, Rendered in KeyShot.

It may seem a bit odd, but 3D rendering and 3D printing go very well together. You take the 3D data from the 3D software, bring it into KeyShot to render and into the 3D Printer software to print. KeyShot gives you the beautiful image, the 3D printer gives you the physical object. It’s exactly what GrabCADr Omega did for the Makerbot Replicator 3D printer challenge. He modeled up his version of a futuristic spacecraft, the Alpha, rendered it in KeyShot and the parts for the spacecraft were printed, both using the original SolidWorks data. His entry is incredibly cool and it’s no surprise he won first prize.

From 3D Render to 3D Printer

There’s nothing quite so cool as a futuristic spacecraft with an interesting back story. Omega’s ship is a “2040 prototype utilizing a 1MWh/dm^3 capacitor and a highly advanced circular magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (cMPD) that gave way to new consumer transportation and eventually massive autonomous cargo missions leaving Earth for large-scale terraformation on Mars.” …yeah, great story. Great renderings. Here are a few shots of the ship and a quick animation that gives you the full 360 degree view.

ALPHA from omegacad on Vimeo.

The IDSA “CAD” (Color Aided Design) Rendering Challenge is going on over at GrabCAD, now through March 25th. Enter for an opportunity to win a license of KeyShot. Details here.