We’re Hiring for 3D Printing & TinkerCAD!

It is time for us to grow our ResFamily again! Do you love science and research? Are you the one all your friends/colleagues come to for their typesetting solutions? Can you explain technology eloquently and kindly to the grumpiest professor? If you answered YES to any/all of the above, then Research Platform Services invites you to apply for our Junior Research Community Co-ordinator position in 3D Printing and TinkerCAD! 

 The successful applicant will grow their respective communities through regular workshops and meetups. Maintaining an online presence is also an essential part of the job. You would also be expected and supported in organising events within your communities, as well as Research Platforms-wide events such as the famous Research Bazaar conference. You can find out more about the Research Bazaar community in the first pages of our new publication: The Digital Research Skills Cookbook. 

Please see the below links for a detailed position description for the role, including how to apply. Get in quick, applications close COB 16th July, 2018. 

3D Printing & TinkerCAD Position Description 

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Meet our ResLead in CAD and 3D printing!

by Emilie Walsh

The best part of working for Research Platform services as a CAD and 3D printing ResCom*, is that I get to meet researchers working with 3D in all disciplines. Reagan has been helping with my trainings for a few months now.


If you are interested in learning 3D modelling yourself, come to my next training:

https://fusion-360-july-2018.eventbrite.com.au

Reagan graduated from his Master in Engineering last year and is now working on an exciting project using his skills in 3D modelling and 3D printing!

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Reagan Kurniadwiputra Susanto

Tell us about your background and experience at the University of Melbourne ?

I did Bachelor of Science majoring in Bioengineering Systems and Master of Engineering majoring in Biomedical Engineering. During my undergraduate studies, I was quite active in Indonesian Student Association both in the University of Melbourne and in the state of Victoria. However, during my master’s degree, I was more focused on my academic skills and tried to do something more relevant to my field. I joined the Melbourne University Racing team as a Junior Engineer on the Low Voltage team and also participated in Student Ambassador Leadership Program from the School of Engineering.

Tell us about your interest in 3D printing?

It was all started from a subject called Biomaterials, where I have to design a spinal implant for people with specific lower back problem. I had to 3D print the implant and vertebrae with 1:1 scale to visualise the results. This has caught my interest on 3D printing since I can hold something that I designed myself and it was very quick and cheap. Straight after that subject concluded, I bought myself a 3D printer to kick-off my journey in learning and playing around a printer.

I have find that 3D printing is very well supported by the online community. I have teach myself with some very useful skills though some online resources:

- Make Anything - it’s a creative works channel, he posted a lot of fun and functional things, very very inspiring

- Makers Muse - 3d printing reviews, tutorials, etc., he’s Australian and quite popular amongst 3D printing community

- RCLifeOn - mixed of 3D printing, Remote Controls, drones etc. but his 3D printing works are very creative and functional

I am quite interested in utilising 3D printing for rapid prototyping. For example, creating a box for electronics, a rig to simulate breathing, a bracket to join mechanical structures, and a custom-made holder for a very specific purpose.

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Reagan breathing box! Gif of the first prototype

3D printing is definitely not the best tool, but knowing how to utilise the technology in combination with other techniques will definitely create something unique and interesting.

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Reagan’s Second prototype of the breathing machine.

What skills did you learn during your Master?

Basically general engineering skills like programming and project management as well as something more specialised like electronics, signal processing, 3D modelling/printing, and medical device commercialisation. Throughout the degree, I also learn organisational and leadership skills through student clubs.

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Reagan helping out during one of my Fusion 360 training.

So you graduated! Tell us about your current project?

I am working on a MedTech Startup developing a respiratory rate monitoring system for hospital patients. Currently, we are at a very initial stage where we still developing the product and the commercialisation plan. We hope to get the device to the market and helping clinicians to save their valuable time. This device could also potentially reduces hospitals costs related to adverse events.

How the skills learnt in research can be apply to industry?

The technical skills are definitely useful during device development. The skills will help to make a proof of concept and reduce significant cost in development. The most important skill is the problem solving skills that any researcher gained from its training, at least it helps me to be able to prioritise and make important decisions!

If like Reagan you are interested in 3D modelling and 3D printing come to one of my workshop and learn CAD with researchers from all disciplines. Check our calendar of training here:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/research-platforms-services-10600096884

*ResCom : Research Community Coordinator

How to get in TOUCH with your research?

by Emilie Walsh & Dr Christina Tuke Flanders


Indiana Jones’ granddaughter…

Imagine Indiana Jones getting his hands on a beautiful ancient artefact…

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Originally posted by t3chn0ir

How is he going to archive it and study it? It’s too fragile to be handled on an everyday basis, or to travel across the country to be examined by a fellow scholar… So, what would Indie do? Draw a beautiful board of detailed depiction of the artefact!

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http://anthropology.si.edu/naa/exhibits/strong/strong4.htm

Next generation Indiana Jones Junior would probably just get his digital camera and take a snap of it!

But what would Indie’s granddaughter would do today? 3D scan it and built a beautiful digital 3D model of it, to share with researchers around the globe!

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Data Storytelling

This year at Data Storytelling, we ran workshops for researchers working with Object-based data sets.

What is an object-based data set? It is any collection of three-dimensional objects you are working with for your research. This applies to a wide range of disciplines, from zoologists working with bones or taxidermy, to archaeologists researching ancient ceramic, but also medical or dentistry research, art history and conservation, and so on.

During our two-day workshop, our participant learnt to 3D scan objects, and generate a 3D model than they can then 3D print to have a replica or just visualise online and create beautiful online exhibition with 3D models, to share with other researchers.



Grainger museum at Data StoryTelling

For this event, we partnered with the Grainger museum, who kindly lent some objects from their collection.

@GraingerMuseum collection! Come to #datstory to learn #3Dscanning and online exhibition https://t.co/bGtOVl7Fqb pic.twitter.com/z3VdqrUw5x

— Emilie Walsh (@emilouwalsh) 22 June 2017

We were lucky to dig out some treasure and touch (with gloves!) and play with some of the personal belongings of Percy Grainger!

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The participants were thrilled to get that opportunity and soon started to ask all kinds of questions about this particular denture cast, or an enigmatic lady’s shoe from the 19th century!

#3Dscanning with the @GraingerMuseum collection at #datstory pic.twitter.com/k88hZJktnw

— Annelies Van de Ven (@archaeoa1) 3 July 2017

Instead of looking at photos in a book of Percy Grainger’s artefacts, people were given the chance to directly interact with the real objects. This immediately engaged people because they can get a real life sense of  what these objects feel, weigh and even smell like. It’s a very visceral experience. It triggers the curiosity and get people working together very quickly!

What is object based learning?

Object-based learning has been a way to learn about cultural collections in the museum world for years, but it’s only recently that universities started to show an interest.

I asked our Training Consultant, Dr Christina Tuke Flanders, what are the benefits to bring Object Based Learning into the classroom.

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She explained: “Introducing object based learning to your curriculum can make for a visceral experience for your students by lighting up their five senses. Touching objects that have a direct link to the past can enhance students imagination and therefore an understanding of a topic/concept.

This technique also promotes transferable skills such as teamwork and communication via the discussions that naturally stem from using objects in this way. And lastly, the brain loves novelty in learning, it is helpful to combine traditional learning experiences (lectures/tutorials/workshops) with an Object Based Learning experience.”


Object-based learning at the University of Melbourne

At the University of Melbourne, the new Arts West building has been designed to engage students with object-based learning. the cultural collections of the University are in display in windows across the building, and Arts West is equipped with a Gallery space for exhibitions and several Objects-Lab to engage directly with Artwork and artefact in the classroom

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http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/articulation/editions/2016-editions/december-2016/object-based-learning-a-new-mode-in-arts-west

Case Study: Archaeology

3D printing can also be a fantastic tool for object-based learning. Annelies is a PhD candidate in Archaeology at the University of Melbourne and she has 3D scan some of the materials she works with, such as a Cyrus Cylinder, or some Egyptian statuette at Data Storytelling (Read more about it here).

She 3D printed a fac-simile of her Cyrus cylinder for conservation and pedagogy purposes. How great is it for students to actually get to touch a replica of a 3D artefact! To feel the embossing and engraving in it, to have a precise idea of its size and shape, is the best way to remember it and connect with it through experience.

Think of the potential of 3D printing for communication and teaching: how cool would it be to bring a 3D model at your talk for your audience to have a direct experience of what you are demonstrating!

If you want to organise a workshop on 3D modelling, 3D scanning and 3D printing, be in touch us at research bazaar!

Don’t be afraid and get in TOUCH with your research with Object Based Learning!

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Originally posted by introverts-hideaway

Data Storytelling – Communication & Visualisation Skills for Researchers

by Emilie Walsh

For the second year in a row, Research Platform services is running Data Storytelling event for researchers across disciples. This will be an interactive team-based event, where you will learn with other researchers a range of skills to turn your research and your data into good storytelling material! How often do you need to turn a bunch of data into something coherent that you can communicate about? Or you need good visual communication material to promote and explain your work?Participants will be mentored in groups and supported in answering self-guided research questions with new digital methods, from data collection to visualisation.This will take place in the new digital studio in Arts West, a great collaborative space for researchers keen to up-skill in the digital tools!

Vincent and I will be running the Digital Archives of 3D objects stream. This is for anyone interested in working with objects based data sets : from art historians to zoologists, from dentistry to conservation researchers !


For as long as researchers have been working with artefacts, bones, or any kind of  three-dimensional objects, they have found the need to document their data: from anatomy drawings, to photographs, there is always a need to keep a visual trace of your research material. Some objects are just too fragile to be handled too often, or can’t be moved across institutions to be available for other researchers to work with them. 

Digitising your object based data set can now be a good solution to archive your research, communicate about it, and share it with others.

For our 2-day workshop we have partnered with the Grainger Museum to work on some of their collection. They have shares with us some of their most fascinating artefact, for us to 3D scan them, tinker your 3D model, and archive them online!I went to the Grainger’s storage to help select and pick up these treasures:


In our stream you will not only get the opportunity to use the university 3D scanners, but also learn how to use a range of digital tools to modify it, rescale it, play around with the lighting, and then export it to be displayed online, or even get a facsimile 3D printed!

How cool would it be to have a 3D model printed to communicate about your work, bring to a lecture or a presentation? There is a lot of interest recently around Objet-Based learning, and how we remember better when we get to experience, touch, feel and get a real sense of scale, texture and so on. 

Our Research Platform team have worked in the past to scan and print a replica of a roman coin, for archaeology students to get a better idea of it than with a photo!

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Annelies Van de Ven has also been scanning and printing her cyrus cylinder for communication purposes!

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Learn to do the same at our workshop!

Hurry up and register today!

https://datstory.eventbrite.com.au/

Bringing life the 3D prints!

by Emilie Walsh

Recently I was lucky enough to do a 3D printing workshop for a new crowd: the animation students from the school of Film & TV at the VCA!

Today the #animation students @vca_mcm tried #tinkerCAD during our @ResPlat 3D modelling & #3Dprinting workshop! #resbaz @unimelb pic.twitter.com/CZy0xZKQLZ

You might be wondering how 3D printing is interesting for animators? Well, it is in a very creative way! 3D printing has been used in recent years in the field of stop motion film, and with amazing outcomes. Stop-Motion animation is a handmade old style animation, where puppets are shot frame by frame to create an animated movie. One of the best-known examples must be The Nightmare before Christmas, by Tim Burton (1993). But what else has the industry produced 20 years later using 21st century technology?

Some recent animated feature films use 3D printing to design puppet characters, rather than making them with traditional means of fabrication (e.g. clay or latex modelling). 3D printing allows design modification to be done easily and has the ability to print large varieties of it using animal replacement techniques.

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Series of 3D printed head for replacement animation technic from ParaNorman movie, Laika studio

You can easily print hundreds of faces for one character to mimic the numerous facial expression of the human body. And by replacing the 3D printed element at each frame, you create the illusion of motion. This basic rule of stop motion animation is now coming to new life with 3D printing!

Check out the amazing things that are done with simple plastic filament 3D printers, such as one we have on campus at Melbourne University:

During our two-hour workshop, the future animators learned to use TinkerCAD, a free and accessible software for 3D modelling. They designed some simple models, including this cool snake:

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Springy Snake in TinkerCAD

We found the model on Thingiverse, and modified it by creating a hole through it, so we could pass a wire into the model  allowing the snake to « take the pose » for a stop motion video.

Check the cool GIF we made with it!

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But the possibility of 3D printing for animation go far beyond this! Some large film companies, such as Laika Studio, now create entire films with 3D printing characters and props.

How will the next generation of animators respond to the technology? This is certainly a very promising field of research in animation. Gilles-Alexandre Deschaud is a PhD candidate in Paris 8 University in France, and has dedicated his practice led-research project to creating a short stop-motion animation film, entirely made of 3D prints:

Following our workshop, we printed a whole puppet, using a model on Thingiverse, that we put together:

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3D printed puppet from “Springy Friend” on Thingiverse

Now let’s just wait and see how the animators can bring life to our little springy friend!

If you are curious about 3D modelling and 3D printing, or if you wonder how you could use it in your research, be in touch, or check our upcoming ResBaz conference

Blog awards: April (07/04/16)

The first blog awards for 2016 are here! We’ll be doing these on the first week of every month and recapping our most successful blog posts by our wonderful Research Community Coordinators. 

1. “Before I go, let me tell you a story… “ By Dr. Paul John Michael Mignone
It’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to one of our original “first generation” Research Community Coordinators. Paul has been with the ResBaz community from the very beginning & was the lead in kicking off the CADventurer community. A beautiful story by Paul - thank you for everything!

2. “Virtual Surgery using 3D Slicer at the Research Bazaar 2016 Conference” By Louise van der Werff
CADventurer Louise recaps her (hugely) successful 3D Slicer stream at ResBaz 2016! The post contains highlights, recognises the growing community & shares the course notes. 

3. “Autodesk Inventor at ResBaz 2016!” By Aliza Wajih
The CADventurers are on a roll! Aliza’s Autodesk class was majority women (75%) which would definitely make Rosie proud! She recapped the course content and thanked her two wonderful helpers - all in the name of community. 

That concludes our first Blog Awards for April - with the CADventurers out on top! What more can we say but… game on. 

Our favourite #3DPMelb moments!

Here are some of the amazing things we saw, played with and experienced at the 2015 3D Printing Showcase! 

#SharksDen and 3D Printing standout at #NexHack!

by Paul Mignone 

The Internet of Things, (i.e., the network connectivity of physical objects) has had a massive impact on the world, and continues to grow at a phenomenal rate (estimated to be in 28 billion devices by 2020 and over 50 billion by 2025). Therefore it’s no surprise that students and academics are keen to engage and utilise Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for their educational, career and research potential.

Nexpaq, a company specialising in modular smartphone cases, have massive plans to democratise the IoT movement. They have released a Module Development Kit (MDK), containing the open hardware and software required for individuals to create customised modules for IoT applications beyond smart phones. They also released the CAD files of their modules, allowing users to quickly modify and rapid-prototype new and innovative IoT modules. 

Last week, over 90 students and researchers came together at #Nexhack, Nexpaq’s inaugural hackathon at the University of Melbourne. Ten teams were given MDKs, pizzas, Red Bulls and 2.5 days to construct a module and pitch it to a panel of investors. I also had the opportunity to run two 3D printing workshops for the teams. 

During these workshops, I taught groups how to work with Nexpaq’s CAD files, basic 3D printing principles and basic TinkerCAD training. A big shout out to the team NexDirection, who managed to modify the Nexpaq breathalyser module into a 3D printed joystick module! This fantastic form of innovation was noted by the investor panel, and they were awarded with the 2nd place prize. Congratulations to Michelle Mannering (Carlton Connect) and the Nexpaq team on running a fantastic event!

From telemetry systems for drones, to low power m2m radios, I was amazed by the scale of innovation shown by the #Nexhack attendees in only a couple of days. With the next #SharksDen and 3D printing showcase only around the corner, UniMelb researchers continue to show their capacity to translate their research skills into innovative products!

The Benefits of 3D Printing Anatomy and 3D Slicer Training

By: Louise van der Werff

Another 3D Slicer training workshop has been set! Running across two consecutive afternoons on the 25th and 26th of August, this workshop follows on from the alpha training workshop in late July, which you can read more about in my last blog post.

Registrations can be made for the new workshop via Eventbrite here.

A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of attending a seminar by Professor Paul McMenamin, who is the Director of the Centre for Human Anatomy Education at Monash University. The talk, titled “Innovations In Replication of Human Anatomical Dissections by 3D Printing: uses in Education and Research”, discussed ways in which the use of 3D printed bio-models for teaching and training purposes could replace more expensive and less accessible methods such as the use of cadavers and plastinates (diseased human bodies).

Obviously exposure to real human anatomy is a great way for medical students to learn. However, the cost of accessing cadavers can be in the thousands of dollars, and further preservation techniques such as plastination (a technique used to preserve a whole body or parts of the body by removing water and fat and replacing them with certain plastics) requires specialised labs, licenses and materials, and can add tens of thousands of dollars more onto the cost.

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Image: A plastinate of a horses hoof. Photo by Dr. Christoph von Horst (own work; http://www.plastinate.com) via Wikimedia Commons.

Coupled with the strict ethical considerations involved, real human bodies are not an ideal or necessary medium for all teaching situations. 

One alternative to the use of cadavers and plastinates for teaching purposes are stylised plastic models. These can be cheap, but are often not very realistic.

Paul and his team have come up with an alternative: 3D modelling and printing real human anatomy. CT scans of human anatomy are used to generate highly realistic 3 dimensional digital models, which are digitally coloured to distinguish different anatomical features, before being 3D printed (in colour!). For comparison, a plastinate of an arm might cost $14,000, while a 3D printed equivalent model can be produced at around the $100 mark. Couple this with the fact that a large number of live patients can be used as models for comparative purposes, multiple copies of the same model may be generated easily, and at a range of different scales, it is an attractive alternative for anatomy education. 

Pictured below is a 3D colour printed model of the blood vessels in a human skull, a structure that would be very difficult to produce any other way.

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Image: A 3D printed anatomical model displayed at the seminar.

Cells and other microscopic structures may also be modelled and printed relatively easily.

All in all, it was a fascinating look into the ways 3D printing technologies may be harnessed in the medical field. 

For more information about anatomical 3D printing at Monash, follow this link. 

If you would like more information about the 3D Slicer training, or have any other questions, please contact me at louisevanderwerff@gmail.com.

My Best Experience Ever #SharksDen - A Reflection

Aliza Wajih

Yes we didn’t win, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t one of my greatest team experiences ever! Shark’s Den gave me the opportunity to meet amazing people.

Every team in every session had come up with innovative and unique ideas. Their passion and dedication was truly reflected in all of their work and despite being in a competition everyone mantained a supportive and creative environment.

At the end of every session I would usually have a chat with members of other teams and we would share our thoughts on our projects. Their constructive and positive feedback did not only help me understand different points of view but also helped me make better decisions.

Working with my own team, Team Next-Gen Phone Cover, was an excellent learning experience. The support, encouragement and passion of my team allowed me to get through times when, even as a CEO, I began to doubt our decisions. Chris, Guna and Ali put their heart and soul into finding the idea we were passionate about and bringing it to life. I could not have been prouder nor could I have wished for a better team. I would like to thank you all for all your efforts.

In addition I would like to thank Research Platforms, David Flanders, Paul Mignone and Vincent Khau for giving me the opportunity to participate in this challenge and all the other teams for being friendly and supportive. I would also like to Congratulate Team Fit n’ Click for winning. It was an honour to work with everyone.

3D Slicer Alpha Training Summary

By Louise van der Werff

Last week I ran my newly developed 3D Slicer training workshop over three content-packed afternoons. Five willing participants were able to come along and get their first peek at the training material, provide very helpful feedback related to the structure of the workshop, and brainstorm ways in which this software may be harnessed in their own work.

For those who may not be familiar with 3D Slicer, it is an open source software package for image visualisation and analysis. More specifically, 3D Slicer is tailored towards the analysis of medical scan data such as that generated via MRI and CT scans. Although 3D Slicer has a wide range of functionalities, this workshop was primarily focussed on generating 3 dimensional volume renderings and surface models of anatomical features from medical scan data.

After giving an introduction on the principles of image processing, I conducted a tour of the 3D Slicer graphical interface, then gave the participants a series of challenges to generate 3D surface models of different anatomical features.

The first step towards generating a 3D model involves image segmentation, which is the process of separating an image into distinct components to make it more meaningful for software to analyse. This is done by assigning each pixel belonging to a particular object a label.

Segmentation of a photo into three distinct components. 

Anatomical structures are segmented from medical scan datasets in 3D Slicer by generating a labelmap over the feature of interest. Anatomical structures we segmented during the workshop included bone, lungs, airways, lateral ventricles, and a trachea and larynx. We explored both manual and automated segmentation methods, their appropriateness being predominantly dependent on the level of contrast between the feature of interest and the surrounding volume.

A particularly challenging case was manually segmenting the trachea and larynx from an MRI scan. Below is a picture of the original scan data, the segmented labelmap, the generated 3D model, and a 3D print of the model to-scale.

An MRI scan of a child’s trachea and larynx. These were manually segmented before a 3D surface model was generated and then 3D printed to scale. 

In addition to segmentation, we also touched upon basic image registration, adding annotations such as fiducials and rulers to a dataset, using statistical tools to calculate volumes of segmented regions, and creating scene views.

The generation of 3D models of anatomical features may be beneficial to many researchers and clinicians, for teaching and training purposes, surgical planning, the creation of custom fit implants and prosthetics, and simple visualisation.

As well as using local installs of 3D Slicer on laptops, we are also currently exploring the effectiveness of running 3D Slicer from the NeCTAR Research Cloud via resbaz.cloud.edu.au (which is powered by the DIT4C engine). A couple of participants tried this approach out with promising results. One major benefit of running graphically intensive software from the cloud is that performance is not limited to the specifications of  local devices, and resources can be scaled as required.

Major points of feedback from this alpha 3D Slicer workshop was that participants preferred more practical content to theory, and wanted to get hands-on with the software as quickly as possible. It was great to see ideas flowing near the end of the workshop from participants about how they might apply 3D Slicers functionalities to their own research projects. Some participants were also interested in exploring whether 3D Slicer could be applied to non-medical applications, such as in the Materials Engineering field.

The alpha training material can be viewed and commented on here.

Please keep an eye out for more training sessions, soon to be announced! If you have any questions, please don’t helistate to contact me at louisevanderwerff@gmail.com or tweet me @LouWerff.

Sharks Den Day 2

By Aliza Wajih 

Hi everyone! This is an update to our Shark’s Den event, which is the first attempt to support start-up business and bring people of different qualities together in one room to come with ideas that will change the world.

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This week we started by a crash course to TinkerCAD by Vincent Khau. The lesson soon transformed into a game of start-up charades! It challenged our abilities to communicate ideas, work collaboratively and most of all test our patience. The idea of the first challenge was to bring together two member of the team the CEO and CMO and have them look at a picture, they then had to describe the model in front of them to their CTO who would have to design it using Tinker CAD. The idea on this exercise was to demonstrate the importance of good communication in a team, as well as the difficulty of conveying your ideas to another person.

For the next hour the teams worked on an ideas they are passionate about, or as Paul puts it their “Gazillion Dollar Idea” . With such a diverse crowd we had teams looking at ergonomic issues where a design for customised mouse for gamers was introduced. The idea of the fancy doors that was carried from last week were made better. Environmental issues were also tackled by proposing indoor compactor bins!

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Team #1 presenting the indoor compactor bin

All ideas were brilliant and were pitched at the end of the day in a presentation by the CEO and a draft using TinkerCAD . This session was the followed by the “pivot” where CEO’s went against each other to defend their ideas and design. In the end it was established that as a start-up business most businesses have to pivot their idea meaning they have to take a different look at their business model and really evaluate if their product is viable and will survive in the market. So, sad face, no one won the gazillion dollar this time because the teams have to rethink their designs and ideas, but they are all as determined as ever to really go out there and bring home the prize!

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Stay tuned till next week!

From Concept to Creation #CADventures with AutoDesk Inventor!

By Aliza Wajih

Hi Everyone! Here is another great story from the Research Platforms!

Last week we ran our hugely successful CAD course for the first time after #ResBaz! We used Autodesk Inventor to teach 3D modelling and once again had a fun and wonderful learning experience. The workshop was fully booked within the first 2 weeks of advertising and there were plenty of requests for more… so keep an eye out for them because we will be running more CAD workshops very soon!

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Paul Introducing ResPlat and ResBaz 

The purpose of the course was to give a basic introduction to Autodesk Inventor as well as help participants develop an intuition about the how to take an idea, transform it into a 3D model and modify it so that it can be printed or manufactured.  

After introducing the fundamental concepts of design we looked at some practical examples with a capstone project of designing a fan using some basic Autodesk tools. This was the best way to show participants that even the very basic knowledge of CAD can enable you to make very complicated designs. It was also a great way to demonstrate that what we learnt in class is directly applicable to real world problems. Below is a picture of Ali Daneshpour who went ahead and 3D printed a model of that fan and brought to class for everyone to see!

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Ali With his 3D printed fan and CAD model

Later that week I also discovered a similar model of the fan being used a propeller for a ship. You can imagine the excitement to see that what we did in class with just a few basic tools can be used to design a giant propeller! The link below will take you to that page

Moving onto our next challenge, The Lego Man was also a great success and had people learning and having a little bit of fun with animation and assembly! This is regarded as one of the more challenging aspects of design but everyone made it took very easy! Check out Jaimys’ Lego man and his rock star moves!
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Lego Rockstar with Jaimys

To see all our adventure follow #cadventures on twitter and see everything that happened on the day! 

Participants and feedback

To give you a little background information about our participant, we had a diverse group of talented researchers from molecular chemistry, architectural and engineering background. We encourgae a collaborative and friendly environment in our workshops, so even though most of our participants were not of similar academic backgrounds everyone not only worked with us but also helped each other overcome challenges while collaborating in smaller groups.

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 Group work in progress on day 2…

From the amazing feedback we received, the course was taught well, ran at good pace and everyone found the helper were always there to fix bugs and clarify doubts (for the participants reading this… Thank you for the lovely feedback). I would like to thank the helpers,Paul Mignone (@PJMignone), Vincent khau (@thevinniek), Bobby Lii, Karlo Julian, and Tony Zathila , who put in tremendous effort to make this another successful course.

<

Another day of overwhelmingly positive feedback for @awajih08 and her #cadventure team #resbaz .@ResPlat pic.twitter.com/uSlCrPjomX

— Paul Mignone (@PJMignone)
June 30, 2015
And last but not least, I would like to thank all the participants who came to the workshops. I got to meet some brilliant people and I am glad that my team and I could help them with their work and research. It makes me feel that I am part of a bigger community and that all the hard works has paid off. (#myresearch) Keep inspiring us!
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Vincent talks #SharksDen: Day 1

by Vincent Khau

Hey everyone!

My name is Vincent Khau, the newest recruit to join the ranks of Research Bazaar! I will be coming on board with the rest of the team as a Research Community Coordinator, working primarily with TinkerCAD and 3D printing, although some of you may recognise me during your #CADventures as one of Aliza’s minions for the Inventor 3D modelling course. I’ve completed my Bachelor of Science just last year, and am currently studying a Master of Engineering (Mechanical) at the University of Melbourne (so I’ll definitely be seen around campus a great deal!). Feelings about joining the community? EXCITED!

Recently I participated in the exciting Shark’s Den Challenge hosted by Research Platforms. If you are, like I was prior to the event, slightly afraid that this might be a gambling den populated by card sharks, let me reassure you by explaining what this event actually is. The Shark’s Den Challenge is an opportunity for technical enthusiasts, entrepreneurs-in-the-making, and innovators to meet new people, form teams, and get creative by designing a product (over consecutive Wednesdays) that they will be pitch to a panel on the 29th of July. Successful teams may have the opportunity to pursue their design with the Melbourne Accelerated Program (MAP)!

My aforementioned premonitions quickly dissipated with David and Paul’s warm hospitality, and with so many interesting and affable people to meet and talk to, the first event on the night was a quick 2 minute ‘speed dating’ of the 20+ crowd where we discussed our strengths and whether we saw ourselves fitting into CEO, CTO, CFO, or CMO roles. The participants who gave the best first impressions were then nominated as CEOs and the teams were picked for the upcoming weeks.

In these teams, we were confronted with the challenge of innovating on an invention which has been around since… well since forever really; the door. After coming up with prototype designs (a foam door with key-less entry and a 'quarantine zone’ that cleans you? What’s not to like!), we immediately started working on a pitch to present our design to the other teams (with CFOs taking frivolous notes as to who were our main competitors).

With an event that was so enjoyable, with so many fascinating ideas being shared, some teams even stayed well beyond the end of the event to continue discussing the next steps to their designs! It was truly an amazing experience to see the power of idea sharing at work, and I am really looking forward to next session on Wednesday 8th July. Can’t wait!

3D Slicer Alpha Training Workshop

by Louise van der Werff

Following my last blog post, I have been busy meeting members of the community and developing training material for the new 3D Slicer workshops soon to be on offer via the Research Bazaar. It’s getting to the point where I would love to share some of this material with the community, but the content and pace of the course is far from polished.

Thus I am on the search for a few willing participants (aka. guinea pigs) to come along and be a part of my alpha training workshop. This workshop will not run smoothly, there will be ‘bugs’, and it will be incomplete. This is an opportunity to gain constructive feedback and guidance from others regarding the content, pace, and length of the workshop.

Image: Volume rendering of a DICOM dataset using 3D Slicer

Below is an 'expression of interest’ form, which you can fill out if you are interested in being part of the alpha training.

Th workshop will be run across three consecutive afternoons (Tuesday the 21st, Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd of July) from 3pm - 5pm in the Doug McDonnell building (Level 3) at Melbourne University. All participants are invited to hang around for a drink (coffee/tea/beer/wine) after each session to provide feedback.

There are only a limited number of spots available, and we will try to pick a complimentary team from those who have expressed their interest. I will contact interested parties by Tuesday the 14th of July to let them know if they can attend. If you don’t get picked, don’t worry, a larger, beta training session will be organised soon after.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact myself, at louisevanderwerff@gmail.com, David F Flanders at dff.melb@gmail.com

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