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What kind of kids' toys can you make with the Ultimaker 3D printer?
Ultimaker is one of the best-known and best-selling 3D printers on the market. Many people use their Ultimakers to create toys for their young ones or friends. We want you to be creative and have fun creating your design! Basically toy around with your thoughts, put them into CAD form, and then submit.
We have lots of prizes! You can win your very own Ultimaker and limited supply of free PLA to CAD (or download) so you can create to your heart's content.
Model parts should fit, be scaled to or be cut into sections of no greater than 21 x 21 x 21 cm.
Your submission should be exported in STL and STEP format and preferably include the native file-formats of the CAD-software they were made in.
Assembly can be via snap fit, bolts, screws or glue. See www.ultimaker.com for more information.
The model has to be 3D printable.
Entries will be judged based on creativity, feasibility in 3D printing on Ultimaker, and overall coolness.
The challenge is open to everyone except GrabCAD and Ultimaker employees.
Team entries are welcome. In case of team win, prize will be transferred to team leader who is solely responsible for sharing it among team members.
You can submit several entries.
Only entries uploaded to GrabCAD library through this challenge page here will participate in the competition.
By entering this competition, you
1. Warrant that the work is your original work.
2. To the best of your knowledge, it is not, and has not been in production or otherwise previously published or exhibited.
3. Neither the work nor its use infringes the intellectual property rights (whether a patent, utility model, functional design right, aesthetic design right, trade mark, copyright or any other intellectual property right) of any other person.
Applicants are not entitled to any compensation or reimbursement for any costs. The applicant’s participation shall not constitute employment, assignment or offer of employment or assignment.
Tag your model with “ultimaker”. Only entries with valid tag will participate!
This Challenge starts on May 8, 2013 and ends on June 5, 2013, at 11:59pm UTC. Please note: This Challenge deadline was extended to June 13, 2013 at 11:59pm UTC.
Only 1 prize per person.
Winners will be announced latest July 5, 2013.
The contest sponsor has the right to promote the winning entries.
All entries must be submitted publicly and awarded entries become the intellectual property (IP) of the Challenge sponsor.
Private entries must be shared with a.baloche@ultimaker.com, kaspar@grabcad.com and sara@grabcad.com
Private entries will be made public after the end of competition
5 Ultimaker 3D printers
Fully assembled Ultimaker 3D printer (value $2,210) + 6 months of PLA (1 per month) *
Fully assembled Ultimaker 3D printer (value $2,210) + 3 Months of PLA (1 per month) *
Fully assembled Ultimaker 3D printer (value $2,210) + 3 Months of PLA (1 per month) *
Ultimaker kit with ulticontroller kit (value $1,550) + 3 Months of PLA (1 per month) *
* PLA colors to be specified with Ultimaker
The jury consists of experts from The Ultimaker, PC Magazine, TCT Magazine, 3D printing Industry blog, Ground3D, Protospace and GrabCAD.
Ultimaking LTD is the company that provides kits for personal fabrication. One of our kits is the Ultimaker, an easy-to-assemble and use, high-performance open source 3D printer. The machine allows you to easily create what didn't exist before, or to download, print and improve innovative designs. Ultimaking LTD is committed to deliver you the best making experience!
The Ultimaker is a DIY-3D printer, rated among the best in the world within it's price range. The Ultimaker is praised for it's high printing speed and layer resolution having 0.02 mm within reach. The Ultimaker supports printing with biodegradable filament (PLA) and therefore, from an environmental point of view, the Ultimaker is a great choice.
The fact that the Ultimaker is a DIY-kit makes it stand out among others. With a well thought-out design, Ultimaking aims to make building the Ultimaker a pleasant experience. Customers have a great advantage when they want to implement an upgrade or do maintenance because they have build the machine themselves. Ultimaking Ltd. is determined to make 3D printing a better, accessible and a greater experience for everyone.
Eetu Kuneinen
Dan Costa
Kaspar Kiis
Ground3D
Protospace
Ultimaker
James WoodcockHave an awesome idea for this competition? Want to win cool prizes? Sign-up now to upload your entries.
If you don't receive the email within an hour (and you've checked your Spam folder), email us as confirmation@grabcad.com.
159 comments
EDISON PHOENIX almost 11 years ago
Interesting challenge...!!!
Great to get a 3D printer from GC.
Tom Wood almost 11 years ago
9 days until I finish my Degree then I will finally have some time to enter all these competitions! Keep 'em coming GC!
Fahad Rafi Butt almost 11 years ago
awarded entries become the intellectual property (IP) of the Challenge sponsor. BRUTAL!
Matt Stinson almost 11 years ago
man i think this is going to be a very popular challenge, good luck everyone :)
Amine Mech almost 11 years ago
GREAT
Victor almost 11 years ago
This is AWESOME! Good luck everyone!!
Chester Lee Coloma almost 11 years ago
Guys! What is the best way to find if you are infringing intellectual property right of any other person? Just wanted to find before it's too late :D Great Challenge btw!!!
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
What file format should we use? I think I'll submit both .iam, .ipt and .stp
Chester Lee Coloma almost 11 years ago
@Bar Danino: Under requirements, it clearly said: "Your submission should be in STEP or IGES format. Other formats are not accepted."
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
@Chester Lee Coloma looked for it under "Rules"... thanks
Branko Stokuca almost 11 years ago
I think that you should specify the age of the kids that are being targeted in this challenge. There are different type of toys for different age of kids. What is the desire of the Ultimaker?
Tan Wei Kok almost 11 years ago
Nice. I always want a 3D printer ^_^ Think the greatest challenge for me is how to make it printable since I don't have any experience with a 3D printer before =)
Helio Zuazua almost 11 years ago
Nice Challenge.One little question.
¿what about material properties? ¿what kind of material will be used in the toys?Density , Compressive strength will be good to know for the given material.(to look up final weights , height limitations , etc).
Them , Even we can(the community) works in "playable" ones.
Kurt Meister almost 11 years ago
We are going to create and print a 3d boardgame in school with 4rd graders. But we won't be finished before July 7. Any chance to participate? Look also at (German) http://www.3dgeometrie.com/p/3d-boardgame.html
Fahad Rafi Butt almost 11 years ago
nice ideas coming, that angry bird looks good :)
Rabi3 thuglife almost 11 years ago
c'est vraiment génial !
Michael Wilson almost 11 years ago
Can you make a smaller 3D printer in a 3D printer?
Paul Tripon almost 11 years ago
in the near future, the humans will be able to print even organs
http://www.designboom.com/technology/3d-printed-organs-from-regenerative-living-cells
Ultimaker almost 11 years ago
@micheal: yes, but in model only (eg. not functional).
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
@Ultimaker so far...
James Brooks almost 11 years ago
I have a question about the rules. Are rubber bands allowed to be part of the toy?
Ioan Festeu almost 11 years ago
@james: good question. I am asking also if are ropes, water allowed for the toy? Without some rubber bands, ropes it's very tricky...
Ultimaker almost 11 years ago
@James: Yes!, because there exists rubber like PLA, that is works on the Ultimaker.
Ultimaker almost 11 years ago
@Bar Danino: True :)
Ultimaker almost 11 years ago
@Ioan Festeu: What is the function of the rope? if its Rope as in pull rope? you could combine flex PLA and regular PLA to make a similar set up.
Ioan Festeu almost 11 years ago
@Ultimaker: good news that rubber bands are alowed. Sorry, not really ropes I mean strings :)
Victor almost 11 years ago
@Ultimaker: guys I have a question. I have submitted a 3D Rubik's cube and I am a bit afraid about your rule number 3 (about the intellectual property). I did look at the patent of the original Rubik's cube and my mechanism is different. Also, I have designed completely from scratch with my own dimensions. I would really appreciate if you can let me know if my submission is ok for the competition. Thanks.
mari almost 11 years ago
what are the requisites for a model to be 3d printable?
Thierry almost 11 years ago
@Mari, @DrBeljan: The 3D printers work by layer (your model is sliced stacked). The 1st is in support on the tray of the machine; the 2nd in support on the 1st; the 3rd on the 2nd;....A layer don't can be to create if it not it in step of material down. Sorry my english isn't very goog, I makes you an image (or tutoriel) this evening if you don't understand.
Ultimaker almost 11 years ago
@victor: we saw your entry and where concerned about this as well. I need to check with Grabcad on this.
Tomas almost 11 years ago
I'm in this great challenge! :)
J. Shepherd almost 11 years ago
what is an appropriate overlap for each layer? and how thick are the layers printed by the printer? the design im working on has a small piston so im wondering how well the mechanism will work.
J. Shepherd almost 11 years ago
What is this rubber like PLA that was reffered to?
J. Shepherd almost 11 years ago
@Simonr - Thanks for the info, I'm not to concerned about the piston sealing properly, mainly just worried the piston will get hung up within the cylinder and impede function. Do you know if this washing process (with the acetone) you referred to will be considered for this competition? As for the Rubber like PLA, i'm simply looking for something a little more pliable than ABS
Thierry almost 11 years ago
http://grabcad.com/questions/what-are-rules-to-be-respected-for-a-printable-3d-modev
Thierry almost 11 years ago
Thank you Bar Danino for the assistant in the translation of the document.
joe pizzo almost 11 years ago
how do I download my submittal?
Paul Dutch almost 11 years ago
Once winners have been selected, can these winning entries be put on Thingiverse or any other 3D model repository (ShapeWays/ Imaterialise)?
The rules stipulate that the IP is owned by the sponsor (ultimaker?) after submittance..
Ultimaker almost 11 years ago
@Paul: we are going to put them on our Youmagine (our .stl repository)
Frederico Lopo almost 11 years ago
Is Blender allowed as a tool (mixed with FreeCAD), or just strictly CAD software?
My workflow has been to do the basic measurements and rought structures in FreeCAD, then export to Blender for refinement and mock-up assembly.
Thank you
Paul Dutch almost 11 years ago
@Ultimaker and @Eddwin, Obviously there are loads of websites to distribute your files onto, be it for a price or for free.
I was merely gauging whether or not Ultimaker (who will own the IP if the design is picked as a winner) would legally allow this kind of distribution and probably also would allow them to miss out on any earnings..
Just a consideration for myself whether or not I enter the competition.
Johs almost 11 years ago
Hi folks. Great challenge, there are a lot of cool toys already :)
I just noticed that the submissions should be exported as .STL files AND .STEP. I have no problems with making a .STL, but I have never heard of .STEP before. Is there an easy and good way to convert to .STEP from .stl (or OBJ or an other poly format)?
cheers
John Bez almost 11 years ago
Question to the staff. I use zbrush and 3dsmax to create detailed and complex toys with fully functional moving parts. Is entering just the STL with the native files valid as an entry in your competition because i dont work with STEP format in my pipeline. If i could get an answer to this that would be great. Thanks guys.
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
@Johs and @John The requirements ask for STL and a neutral format like STEP or IGS. I'm not sure what would be the easiest one for you. Any 3dsmax users out there that can help John? @Johs which native software are you using?
Johs almost 11 years ago
@Sara Sigel I'm using Modo 701. I thought .STL is sort of the neutral format CAD poly format, like .OBJ is the neutral poly format for VFX and animartion production 3D.
max almost 11 years ago
Hi guys a question for the Ultimaker team. What software will you be using to open the .Stl files? My files actually wont open in SW in a solidbody because it has too many surfaces,the .Stl files seem ok otherwise (no holes). I checked against a few other peoples and they are having similair problems. Is this going to be an issue?
Fahad Rafi Butt almost 11 years ago
dead line extended? it was 6 days a few mins ago, now 13?
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Hi everyone, we have extended the deadline an extra week to give you all more time to finish and submit your entries. I hope this helps!
Foxbat almost 11 years ago
Please ! What is a STEP file ? How can I convert my sldprt (solidworks) into this kind of file ?
Mark Holub almost 11 years ago
Go to save as and select the drop down box below the save name. Select step/.stp.
Luis Filipe Ferreira de Moraes almost 11 years ago
This is going to be a very though competition =) there are many intresting entries already! How are you gong to judge? will you print the best entries and see witch is the best?
Kevin Hart almost 11 years ago
Hey I was wondering if you guys could disclose what kind of software you are using to print out the entries. could be useful for those of us without access to a printer currently to try and import there to verify everything checks out.
Martijne almost 11 years ago
Cura is used to process the files. software.ultimaker.conm
Dylan Marey almost 11 years ago
If you want to send a private entree, than you just have to mail it to the emails that are listed in the rules section? or ?
Pit almost 11 years ago
sorry, I uploaded my Ultimaker Robot 20 minutes ago but I can't find it in the list of models in the challenge... even people are downloading it but it doesn't appears... is it usual?
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
It's up, just not on the first page of entries... It's in the last page or second to last, something like that.
Pit almost 11 years ago
true!! how is it possible?
Pit almost 11 years ago
it's in the 10th page by now... I thought the order was based on the input date...
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
I'm not sure... It happened a weekor two ago too though, the entries got mixed up.
Pit almost 11 years ago
thanks mate :) I'm better now... ;)
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Models are not appearing in order as submitted. If you do not see yours, be sure to check all pages of entries, it is most likely near the end. Sorry for the confusion, this is due to the large number of entries which is wonderful to see!
Email sara@grabcad.com if you have a question about uploads.
david almost 11 years ago
only a few hours to the end of the contest!!!!
Bryan Peele almost 11 years ago
The deadline for this contest is listed as "about 10 hours", but the rules say "Please note: This Challenge deadline was extended to June 13, 2013 at 11:59pm UTC." By my count that is closer to 34 hours. There seems to be a one day discrepancy. Can someone please confirm the actual deadline? I was planning on finishing my entry tonight after work. Thank you,
Pit almost 11 years ago
this challenge is amazing!! more than 380 entries!! welldone GC!!
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Thank you so much @Bryan.Peele! The time on the page is listed correctly, I have updated the time counter. Sorry for the confusion at the end of the wire.
Diego almost 11 years ago
again, more 1 day!!
Luis Filipe Ferreira de Moraes almost 11 years ago
So, i downloaded the Cure software to test my ingram's parts and they seem fine. at least, the 3 i tested. The reason i did not test any further is that all my files are in STEP format. Because the rules said the aplyances should contain the files in step format. But the Cure software doesn't seem to recognize STEP files. Only STL files. Is that right? i mean, i would not like to have my entries compromised because of my files formats. since i could choose I chose the STEP format because i'm more familiar with it. Is that a problem?
Kae Woei Lim almost 11 years ago
If your read the requirements carefully it requires BOTH STL and STEP files
Kae Woei Lim almost 11 years ago
as well as the bative format of the program you worked on
Johs almost 11 years ago
Whats up with the image upload? I just deleted all my images because I had made some new renders, and now the upload takes forever, finalizing never finishes!!!!
Pit almost 11 years ago
How is this possible?
Yesterday there were seven hours to complete the challenge and today still missing 17 hours ...
Is this a request to upload another model?
;v
Oli Sparrow almost 11 years ago
Really looking for ward to seeing the results here. Some really good entries submitted, shame I just didn't have enough time to get mine finished! Good luck to everyone!
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
@Pit the "new" deadline is the one they set a week and a half ago. It showed it was supposed to end yesterday by mistake.
david almost 11 years ago
Thanks @Kae Woei Lim, I forgot the STL files, I uploaded this files today...on last day...uff ;-)
Sean H Kim almost 11 years ago
This was fun challenge for me. Good luck everyone!
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Again, there's a problem in uploading large stl files...
Bart_1989 almost 11 years ago
I'm afraid, that deadline pased...
Diego almost 11 years ago
and now? where are the chosen ones?
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
@Diego it says that winners will be announced latest July 5th
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Thanks @Bar.Danino :)
Marcus almost 11 years ago
The competition have ended I like to see the private entrie.
John Bez almost 11 years ago
Their is 18 still private shouldn't we beable to see them now ?
Steve C almost 11 years ago
Are contests like this announced anywhere other than Grabcad? Wish I had known...
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
I will work on getting private submissions to the public soon, thanks!
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Any projects that are not public did not include the necessary collaborators - please do so now: a.baloche@ultimaker.com, kaspar@grabcad.com and sara@grabcad.com!
Marcus almost 11 years ago
I dont really like that there is possible to go private by challenges like this. And why ?
If you cant see the competito entrie, you are not really driven to by better and come with more ideas.
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Unfortunately we cannot restrict private uploads, right now. I agree that public entries create for a more engaging and creative experience!
Marcus almost 11 years ago
Hi GC team, can you see the private projects or you cant see them too. Like a creator of this web page you should by able to make them public with one click, or not ? Have the 11 peoples get a email about this problem ?
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Sorry for the delay! All private entries are now public. I deleted any empty entries with no title. It looks like there were some duplicate creations. Everything should be set now.
@Marcus For security reasons with private projects, admins do not have the same visibility of models they do in the public Library.
Kevin Hart almost 11 years ago
not sure where you guys are in the process but it could be kind of cool to have a top 15 or 20 update :)
Matthew Stonebraker almost 11 years ago
It's hard to know exactly how they're running this. If I were them, from Contest Day 1, I would have been printing models that I thought would be contenders for Top 10-20, just to keep up with the entries and eliminate the ones that look cool but are not printable (there are a lot of them). But maybe Ultimaker is throwing the full force of their spare printers at HQ behind this effort, and there are dozens of things popping off the printers every hour, and then they'll evaluate them. Dunno. Definitely looking forward to seeing their results, I hope they have someone invest a few hours into doing a really nice write-up. When Makerbot ran a similar challenge, their write-up was seriously disappointing.
Manuel Bayonas almost 11 years ago
Are you going to wait until the last day to announce the winners?????
Bar Danino almost 11 years ago
@Manuel They had about 3 weeks to go over more than 400 entrie, I wouldn't be surprised
Manuel Bayonas almost 11 years ago
@Bar It must be a really tough work!
After this they should have a well-deserved vacation! ;)
Dragan Beljan almost 11 years ago
And, who is a winner???
Marcus almost 11 years ago
Just give them time , there was 410 entries and lot of them have multiple parts. ( thats crazy amount of models to check ) In real i will by not surprised if they extend the announcement dat. But if so a top 20 will be good to see.
Dragan Beljan almost 11 years ago
Congratulations to all winners
Simonr almost 11 years ago
Likewise! Well done everyone!
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
Congratulations everybody!!!
Branko Stokuca almost 11 years ago
Congrats to winners, these are great toys but these are all toys for kids age from 3 to lets say 10. What about the toys for younger kids? I've also noticed that some toys are pretty much of the same concept. First, second and sixth.
I previously asked what is the desired age for the kids for the toys and I received no answer.
John Bez almost 11 years ago
Thank you so much for holding the competition. Ive never owned a 3d printer, so to have an ultimaker for my first is just amazing. So greatful to everyone involved. Massive Thanks.
Congrats to everyone else too
Luis Cordoba almost 11 years ago
Congrats to all the winners!!!
Fahad Rafi Butt almost 11 years ago
i agree with above!
David Pinter almost 11 years ago
Congrats all those engineers who competed in this challenge! All works are nice and should win at least a handshake :)
Chris Mewies almost 11 years ago
That's very diplomatic Dave but IMO #1 is a blatant copy of Lego that doesn’t even join together, #2 an exact copy of ON-U-MIND GT-0909, #3 is one of the few original ideas, very skilfully done, well done #4 nice unusual idea and organic shape, but can this sort of thing be printed on ultimaker? #5 very clever design, really awesome, but for a laser cutting contest, as are 6 & 7.
The three honourable mentions were among the best '3D printerble cool toys' out of the winners and should have been up the top really.
I think it’s insulting to all the people who put in a lot of effort to this contest – it seems to be the same old thing on GC, they define the requirements, then they go out the window at judging time!
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
//handshake and a challenge to the group!
I know you all put a lot of hard work and inspiration into your entries - try browsing through and imagining playing with all these fabulous toys! We admire your creativity and wish we could award prizes to everyone - only a few can win. Ultimaker selected their picks for the best combination of creative, feasible to 3D print on the Ultimaker, and their overall coolness.
Let us know who you liked THE BEST (challenge to name just one) and why - I'm sure those not recognized in our list of winners would love to hear that others enjoyed their work, too!
mark trageser almost 11 years ago
Confused and dissapointed by winners. Not because I didn't win but because many winners are copies or others designs (Theo Jansen mech- #6 the dragon can be purchased at any hobby supply store in wood, #& chips are for sale now). Why would you honor IP rip offs- it is dark side of 3d printing. #1-#2 blocks really. Go to Toy Fair and see 100's of block building sets (sorry designers- but yes just like these- just because it's not at Toys R Us, doesn't mean its not out there (judges please do research next time) . It would have helped to have a professional toy designer on the panel. I respect and applaud all the effort and energy people put into this, and some may have copied without knowing it, so I assume lack of knowledge rather than bad morals- but boo to the judges.
Dragan Beljan almost 11 years ago
in my humble opinion, this toy deserves first place
The Haunted House
Wonderful artwork, original idea and ideal for all agev
The second and third place my choose is
Puzzle Cube
Ulti-maker 3D View
Kae Woei Lim almost 11 years ago
I don't feel too bad loosing to "another world". The 3rd place winner should have been first I reckon. Really Awesome toy john.bez-1 . But to loose to Lego and some laser cut toys, cuts me so so deep.
The dragon is a rip off from "sickmonkey" from thingiverse
http://www.thingiverse.com/make:22237
Hmm coin clips not too sure how this shows the versatility of 3d printing.
I'd like to give my own honourable mention to Guangnan Wei
3D Printable Model Car with movable doors, hoods, wheel and sterring wheel
I really think your print really pushed the boundary for the Ultimaker, and you have the photos to prove it. Was blown away how intricate and fine your design was.
And also honourable mention to Sean H Kim's Haunted house. NIcely designed mate.
Lars Lange almost 11 years ago
And Sarah - If GC is really interested in the community opinion - why not implement a poll in which every grabcad user could choose their 3 favourites and make it a part of the judgment process? That`s quiet usual - would be easy to control and give feedback from the real target group.
TJP almost 11 years ago
I would have to agree with the other posts regarding the selected winners. Choosing models that were rudimentary and regurgitated is a big slap in the face to those who strived for something innovative. It doesn’t help that little to no explanation for the selected winners was givenv
Young Buck almost 11 years ago
I am so glad I didn't enter my work into this so-called contest. Imagine giving up any chance at IP to lose to some Lego knock-offs! Poor show, Ultimaker. Next time why not just draw out of a hat?
Johs almost 11 years ago
Cheers to the lucky winners, well done.
What happened to the rule: "Tag your model with “ultimaker”. Only entries with valid tag will participate!" ??
This is no hate on the folks who won, but I'm really disappointed that there isn't more original designs between the winners.
There is a lot of great ideas and creative designs for some really fun toys that I'm surprised not to see among the results: Desk Digger (and Haunted House by the same guy), Build-Your-Dream and RoboClaw, just to mention a few.
I know it's impossible to please everybody, but it really disappoints me that at least 3 of the results is very close variants/copies to toys that already exists.
Anyway I will also give a big cheer to everybody that did not win but put in the effort and tried hard. Cheers !
Manuel Bayonas almost 11 years ago
"Entries will be judged based on creativity, feasibility in 3D printing on Ultimaker, and overall coolness."
It seems to me that the first criterion of selection has been overlooked.
There is no creativity at all on block construction games. Just perform a simple search and you can see several games quite similar:
http://chickenrecipes.biz/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/9.jp
http://theoradesign.com/assets/images/Uploaded/TDTreasureChestPage_photo8B.jpg
http://www.puccimanuli.com/upload/images/super/CLA-Rhino-Puzzle-1A.jpg
http://image.dhgate.com/albu_279055115_00-1.0x0/snow-flower-toy-block-plastic-building-block.jpg
There are lots of people who have made superior creative work, and have been left aside perhaps by a hurried decision. That's not fair at all.
Anyway, Congrats to all winners and hope you enjoy your new toy.
Manuel Bayonas almost 11 years ago
The selected toys are obviously the winners but Ultimaker and GrabCad... you are the losers.
Johs almost 11 years ago
Simonr, There is more to your Kreepy Krawly than just some stuff that could be lasercut, and you have worked a lot on making a unique design. Everybody is inspired and "lending" ideas from stuff we have seen, so as long as we make it into somthing new that is totally coovc
Bob Spikman almost 11 years ago
What is good to see is that the jury mainly selected concepts which are showing the endless possibilities of 3D printing by creating building blocks. I think that is really te added value, so good job jury. I must say, too bad they missed the movie of the air blowing toy: The power of air
natalia almost 11 years ago
Grabcad and Ultimaker should reevaluate best entries, most of them are copies.
Tom24 almost 11 years ago
Well done to all the winners.
It's a real shame that some of you are turning a positve thing into a negative thing. It's funny how any contest that gives away big prizes always ends in a similar way. To be fair it's Ultimakers and grabcads contest so everyone should respect the Juries decision. If this would of been run by a Like system it would of leaded to nothing more than who has got the most friends to vote wins the competition.
"Now that wouldn't be fair".
I Predict all this bad sportsmanship will lead to nothing more than stopping Grabcad from giving away generous prizes in future competitions.
Next contest 1st place cup and tshirt.
Marcus almost 11 years ago
Just a little correction there was only one member from Grabcad in the jury, but in results is not a single time written his name. I would say this was only Ultimaker decision. And Gramcad team should not be calumniat here. Just my opinio.
Branko Stokuca almost 11 years ago
The problem in this challenge was the lack of rules. Ultimaker didn't specify what exactly are they looking for, what kind of toys. If people here knew that LEGO type of toys are the most wanted they would concentrate on that and all the entries would look a like. The same goes for flat toys (laser cut).
I hope Ultimaker has this in mind on the next challenge.
And to Sara and GC staff: What is the point in having one week for asking questions if you don't answer them???????
At least be civil enough, if you don't have the answer, to say we can't answer this.
GC (Sara) should be the one requiring the answers from the companies if they don't provide the answer.
Chris Mewies almost 11 years ago
Perhaps some have been a bit harsh including myself, I know it must have been difficult to choose the winners with so many great entries. At a glance my top 5 would be:
1. AnothR world 3D printable Vehicle set 1
2. http://grabcad.com/library/mechanical-digger-1
3. 3D PRINTABLE RUBBER BAND TOY GLIDER
4. The Haunted House
5. Kreepy-Krawly 2
Althouhg if I were the jury I would have put in place a simple scoring system, for example; each judge would rate the designs from 1-10 in each of the specified areas, creativity, feasibility to print and overall coolness. Highest scores win, but I would do a thorough Google search for copyright infringement – any entries found to be copies would be excluded. I would make this system apparent at the start of the contest, so all the designers know what to aim for
.
Anyway it’s all over now; it’s been a great competition and an excellent opportunity. Well done to everyone and hopefully GC & Ultimaker will learn to make their competition more fair in future.
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Hahaha! The links from commenters here showed me some existing toys already mass-produced and then published in the internet had found their inspiring way to this contest--and not to the judges obviously ;) for they seemed oblivious :D
"Hand me all heads of your plastic sunflowers & we'll have a cozy yellow castle for your barbie and ken, my little sweetie."
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
We are amending the results in the next few days. Entries found to be based on exisiting copyrighted material will be disqualified. We removed them from the results tab. My sincerest apologies for the error on our part. It states clearly in the rules (#5) that no copyrighted materials should be entered or awarded. It was wrong for us to let copied ideas slip through the cracks.
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This will not be the case in the future and, again, we are very sorry. You deserve more from us.
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Thank you to everyone who responded to my challenge to name your favorites. Your input will be considered when we name the new winners, shortly.
Dragan Beljan almost 11 years ago
That is a great news
TJP almost 11 years ago
Sarah: Thank you so much for listening to the community, admitting mistakes were made, and taking action. All of us here really only want what's best for our fellow engineers. Communication between all levels of engineers and positions is what makes GrabCAD a great place to be. We look forward to your revised winners.
Ian M almost 11 years ago
I have to say I am new to grabcad, having never uploaded any designs, but I have been following the last 2 challenges (Ultimaker and Nokia) closely prior to participating in the next challenge. My opinion is that the perceived lack of judging criteria on what the winning entries will be judged on, as well as the sometimes dubious choice of winners does not really inspire you to enter these challenges. I would hope that on future challenges it is made perfectly clear what the judges are looking for then you can avoid the many (negative) comments that people have posted. Just looking at this challenge, 2 entries which stand out for me are the Mechanical Digger and the 3D viewer, both seem ideal for the 3D printing process and both involve assembling a kit of parts to make the finished product, part of the fun for young ones would be the challenge of building the toy as well as playing with the finished item. Lets hope the winners of the next challenge are more carefully considered, and then we can get back to seeing some good inspirational designs.
Stephen Nyberg almost 11 years ago
I like your puzzles Aleksandr and in my opinon, it does not look like you coppied from that image you have shown. Well done and sorry if you do not get the printer. Your work looks great.
Tan Wei Kok almost 11 years ago
I didn't realize that Ultramaker results are out..hahaha Congratz to all winners and would-be winners.
Like http://grabcad.com/library/mechanical-digger-1 alot. It is better and educational than mine, so I withdraw. Mine is a tank with a hatch for my nephew's Ironman. "Customer" request...hahaha
And we have the usual protests as usual @@ Please endure my nagging below.
What you should DO:
1) If you think a winning entry break a rule like copyright, post the link of the entry and image here; AND stay neutral in comment. Be more diplomatic.
2) Ask for the rules/limits BEFORE the contest ends; and NOT after.
3) Study the requirements before you start design. ASK if not sure. This is not school, don't expect spoon feed.
What you SHOULDN'T DO:
1) Tell the judges who are the winners
2) Protest that your design are better
3) Get too emotional. If your boss/client decide to pick someone else design, are you going to beat him up?
If you can't fulfill the above 6 pointers, my advice is stay out of the next challenge or design line because that's what every designer/engineer faces every day on every project.
Finally, give some time for Ultramaker & GrabCAD to sort things out. Don't turn things too ugly. We are trained professional, so behave like one =)
What if they don't listen? You can always walk away from future challenge if you have no confident in the judging process. But as far as I know, GrabCAD had been a good listener and open to feedback. I know because I blasted them every couple of days. We also need to know that there are only a handful o fGrabCAD staffwhile there are >250k of us :p
Thank you for your time =)
jamie almost 11 years ago
well done grab cad and the community. Although im still a little confused at why the entry placed first is still being awarded first place? anyway well done grabcad - now pick the decent entries to receive the prizes
Brett almost 11 years ago
Congratulations to the winners, I would have liked a more detailed brief as I wanted to create something that would eventually win but on second thought I think with the opened nature of this compitition has allowed for such a big variety of toy ideas that had if there had been a detailed breif would not have been created at all and the.
The competitions here are great content creators, and get all these like minded people to share there interesting ideas.
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Hmmm, it seems Tan has missed the revision made and Simonr and jamie don't give an inch to admit their shortcomings. Please be reminded: the winners who were scratched out have their entries and poor judgment to blame, right Simonr? We ought to better ourselves than to get inspiration from others and risked to be called not creative enough to face tough competitors--and worst: to be called a copycat innovator.
Johs almost 11 years ago
I'm glad to see that some of the winners will be reevaluated. Hopefully we will now see some new winners that better shows the possibilities and perspectives of 3D printing in a more ambitious way, instead of just building blocks and flat disks that might as well be cut from plywood.
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Here we go again, another sore comments from winners trying to defend their winning entries. Look at your entries first before poisoning and disillusioning my worthy competitors over here. I rather lose the likes of you rather than losing superior challengers in this beloved GrabCAD community. For those great contributors here, be not disheartened by these individuals who advise us to opted out from future competitions. It is our worthy creations that invite competition sponsors. We are the force to be reckoned with! Let our creativity flow! Let us be brave to face setbacks such as these, for we are in competition among ourselves regardless of the decision made. Inequities abound but we arise to the occasion to be the salt of the earth. Of all these foul environments, only our creations can make a difference. Let us not sulk in the dark for the lamp of creativity we have is enough to dispel the darkness these individuals have imposed upon our community. We ought to do everything right as calculative as the greatest mathematician who ever lived, for a little misstep could lead to irreparable damages. We should press hard to continually invite worthy opponents to come to this community by continually showcasing our lovely creations. Sometimes, life is not about winning prizes but proving your worth. As modern Spartans who are eager to face their match of the lifetime, let us express gratitude to all of these events, good and bad, and extend our sincerest gratitude to GrabCAD staff for this challenging arena to showcase our skills, enhanced our perception to take our rightful standing and inviting competitors who can motivate and elevate our sense of self-development. I believe each of us in this community have silently taught our fellow members by our creations we presented here. So, let our creations not fail us--they should serve as inspirations no matter what this dying world can throw at it. Utopia will just come when we have least calculated ;)
Johann almost 11 years ago
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR9MpJy0E6g
I see many of you like the mechanical digger, here's a video of an existing one in actionv
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Haha, you beat me into it, Johann. I've found that link after googling the other day some images and found this link: http://lionhug.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/japanese-wooden-excavator/ They knew the designer was Japanese. (I hope Jedrzej is that same person)
Anyway, I was pondering to urge GrabCAD staff to reinstate one entry from Aleksandr : Rhinoceros seeing that entries of simonr and Jedrzej had wooden equivalents. That Kreepy-Krawly 2 from simonr have numerous equivalents already. Not only that, the original Strandbeest design of Theo Jansen has even made out among the top 10 popular 3D printed design of 2012 by Shapeways, one of the leading 3D Printing marketplace and community. http://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/1853-The-10-Most-Favorited-3D-Printed-Products-of-2012-on-Shapeways.html
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Now, considering that simonr has his own aesthetic design incorporated into his entry, so was that of Voibor. One big difference between them is that the Kreepy-Krawly make a lively video animation. But the judging should be fair between these three entries. Voibor's entry has surpassed its wooden equivalent, but the other two hadn't. Even Japanese toy manufacturers have made numerous plastic derivatives of Strandbeest that they even managed to make bipedal Jansen mechanism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JnTThZMJAg
If "Entries will be judged based on creativity, feasibility in 3D printing on Ultimaker, and overall coolness" the Japanese had already beaten these two entries to it.
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Also, regarding that first-place entry, I recon there were already numerous plastic equivalents of it made cheaply by the Chinese. I already have seen such. It will be a matter of time one will post pictures pointing one with most peculiar similarities, may it be of plastic, cardboard, plywood or rubber equivalents. Now, where are the creativity and coolness of it?
Simonr almost 11 years ago
Is using a Theo Jansen linkage any different to using any other multi-bar linkage - for example a Watts Linkage commonly used in car suspension invented by James Watt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watt%27s_linkagv or a screw thread, invented by Archimedes. To say something is a copy because it uses the same linkage is rediculous - even more so when Theo has never claimed copyright on the relative lengths of the linkages. If my design was a copy of StrandBeest http://www.strandbeest.com/index.phv for example - that would be a different matter.
How far do you take it? Any part, linkage or mechanism which has ever been used before?
I give up!
Branko Stokuca almost 11 years ago
:( well, the way things are right now, judges might reevaluate all the entries again and start thinking about other designs on this challenge. It seams that almost all the top 10 designs are a bit copied.
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Don't be haphazard with your researches, Simonr. Most engineers are born calculative enough so not to run into obvious blunders. The way you read documents are not as thorough as mine ;) Read the entry of your posted patent link again for your further reference. No one can patent spinning top on the basis of cord-recieving groove alone. No, no. it has been done before. Here is another link for your perusal: http://www.google.com/patents/US3269053 Reminder: read the exact filing and issue dates.
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Patent number: 3269053
Filing date: Feb 10, 1964
Issue date: Aug 30, 1966
Our forefathers are the originators of yo-yo such that any wooden string-driven toys were in our past-time before. We already have wood craftsmen to cut helical grooves for top-notch tops for wood splitting spinning-top competitions back in my childhood days. Again, do your homework before you engage in competitions. Here is a Mexican derivative for a nostalgic glimpse of what some of our wooden tops looked like: http://www.sanyorkfairtrade.com/mexican-wooden-spinning-top-toy-3-5-with-string/
Case closed.
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Simonr, instead of helping Voibor's entry out from being disqualified, you make a spectacle with your emotional outburst. Again, show me a patent that I violated. (It seems you don't know patent terms anymore.) I never cared if Shapeways has some form of copyright in Theo Jansen designs (it's your effort required for that matter). The mere fact that you provided aesthetics to a regular Jansen mechanism is enough reason why the Rhinoceros should be spared too. Also, the mere fact that there are magazines for hobbyists that exclusively feature Jansen mechanism (and you can find lots of exquisite lasercut designs there) should have been a reason that you should not nonchalantly design my mere aesthetics alone, then feel you have a privilege above other fallen entries. Now, that you tasted a dose of your own medicine, be sensitive enough to the feelings of deserving losers here instead of nonchalantly posted comments favoring insensitive perspectives aside from yours, such as that of Tan Wei Kok. Be grateful enough that the community gave you a chance to be among the winning entries and better keep your insensitivity shut up. Good luck, everyone.
Julius Siador almost 11 years ago
Stephen, better read my previous post if there was such frustrations, rant, or bore the brains out of other members. Thank you for your concern. Others erased their previous posts. I haven't done it yet.
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
I think things have progressed from constructive criticism to something less helpful. For that reason I will remove any comments that do not ask a specific question, support an entry or raising a concern. I apologize if you think this takes away any value from the discussion.
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As an update: we will be posting new results by tomorrow, end of day EDT. Thank you for your feedback and patience. And, I will explain more in-depth about why some entries were disqualified, while others were not. It only seems fair to make that really clear. Generally, there is a line between a copy and something that resembles an existing idea. You guys always help us take things to a new level and this Challenge is no exception - we have many new improvements in store based on your ideas in this thread.
Manuel Bayonas almost 11 years ago
Thanks Sara for stopping this senseless personal discussion! The atmosphere was heating up too much unnecessarily!
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
I spoke too soon and apologize for getting ahead of myself - winners and results with explanations will come out Monday. I can offer our thoughts on the IP reports and concerns, today. The four entries we removed were found to be replicas or near replicas (knowingly or not) of existing products. Those that we kept as winners may resemble other products or be built off similar ideas, but this does not mean that they violated any copyrights. We now know that our Community is our best resource in finding copyright issues and we hope you will continue to help us identify issues in future Challenges. It would be best to find them before we have winners so we are considering a finalist phase which gives the Community time to cast their votes for their favorite entries or voice concerns.
We want you to understand our choices and to get you more involved in the decision process. Thank you all again for reporting issues and a special thanks to those who nominated existing entries for recognition!
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
The new results are posted! We tried to provide more explanations for the jury's picks, took some insights from your votes in the Community, and thought it was only fair to bump up the previous Honorable Mentions to prize positions.
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We have learned a lot from this experience and will be adding improvements to future Challenges based on your feedback. Allowing a finalist round for all Challenges gives the Community a chance to vote for their favorites, make pleas for any entries that were left out of the mix, and bring up any copyright issues. I will also moderate the comments more closely to make sure they agree with our blog.grabcad.com/community-code-of-conduct. No one should ever feel personally attacked or criticized and we should make it our goal to stay professional and constructive with all feedback. And, I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience as we grow and improve the Challenges product. We respect the hard work you put in to contribute entries!
Kae Woei Lim almost 11 years ago
I appreciate that my design got 6th Place, Thank you Grab Cad, But i still don't understand why the mechanical digger has not been disqualified for copying an existing design bolt for bolt? Can the judges please explain this? It is a fantastic copy of someone else's design but it is still a copy.
someone already pointed out earlier that the mechanical digger is an exact replica of a japanese toy manufacturer koubou kinohaguruma http://lionhug.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/japanese-wooden-excavator/
http://www.geocities.jp/ki_no_haguruma/sub_004_Sousa/sub_004_Sousa.htm
Sean H Kim almost 11 years ago
Hi Sara,
Thank you for posting the result! Great to see mine got 7th. I couldn’t believe Grab Cad and Ultimaker re-evaluate the winners! You guys are great!!!
However I agree with Kae. I can’t understand why Mechanical Digger has not been disqualified for copying. I’m in product design industry for 14 years, but this entry is so close to original Japanese wooden Excavator (gear shapes, numbers of gears etc), unless this was done by same guy who developed Japanese wooden Excavator. Wait, then this entry disqualifies based on #2 competition rule – ‘#2. To the best of your knowledge, it is not, and has not been in production or otherwise previously published or exhibited.’
I don’t mean to criticize someone else’s entry but I just want to share my thoughts.
Luis Cordoba almost 11 years ago
Again Congrats to all the winners, also to the whole community and of course to @Sara and the GrabCAD team and Ultimaker to hear our voice and reevaluate the projects :D
Carlos Pérez almost 11 years ago
Congratulations to all and especially to the winners.
Lars Lange almost 11 years ago
Sara - did you oversee the communitys comments to the mechanical digger? When you say they are "the best resource in finding copyright issues " you should have a word to that!? I appreciate your effort and the changes!
jamie almost 11 years ago
it is disapointing to see the mechanical digger get through. Atleast the community picked it up. well done
natalia almost 11 years ago
It is dissapointing to see again people complaining about the results. Grabcad and Ultimaker had one week to reevaluate entries, if mechanical digger and other entries are in the results it means that their not violate copyrights. I'm pretty sure that if the price for this content wouldn't be so "cool" there would be no copyrights issues.
Congrats to all winners and sorry for my bad english.
Matthew Stonebraker almost 11 years ago
"We have no idea if this is really printable or not" haha, I think this alone says that we as a community are far more serious about these challenges than the organizers and judges are. "We have no idea if this entry even meets our requirements, but hey, winner winner!"
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
I would like to comment on why Mechanical Digger made it through to the new round of results despite copyright concerns. If you compare it to the Japanese toy posted earlier in the comment thread, you can see that there are major differences - the design for the tracks and the controls. While one shows gears and wheels inside the track, the other is one-piece and a cleaner design for 3D printing. While one shows an enclosed set of handles and components to operate the digger, the other is again more simple, and is also open to view. The idea is the same and the scoop itself is similar, but we saw this entry overall as unique and different. I apologize if it looked like we did not look into or take your concerns seriously. We did and thank you again for bringing it to our attention. Out of respect for the winner, let's continue with any further concerns or comments on this privately at sara@grabcad.com. It is important to us to keep this thread constructive so I'll moderate posts, as necessary.
Sara Sigel almost 11 years ago
@Matthew.Stonebreaker You're right that sounds misleading out of context from the full conversation. I edited it to reflect the meaning the jury expressed :) Speaking of serious GrabCADrs... Did anyone from the Community print out any of the winners? We would love to have you add any printed versions to the original entries to show the real-life results!
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