Recent development in 3D printing technology has opened an exciting possibility for manufacturing 3D devices on one's desktop. We used 3D modeling programs to design 3D models of a tissue-handling system and these models were "printed" in a stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer to create precision histology devices that are particularly useful to handle multiple samples with small dimensions in pa...

We report on 3D printing of artifacts with a structured, inhomogeneous interior. The interior is decomposed into cells defined by a 3D Voronoi diagram and their sites. When printing such objects, the slices the printer deposits are topologically the same and change only locally in the interior. The slicing algorithm capitalizes on this coherence that minimizes print head moves that do not depos...

SHADOWPIX are white surfaces that display several prescribed images formed by the self-shadowing of the surface when lit from certain directions. The effect is surprising and not commonly seen in the real world. We present algorithms for constructing SHADOWPIX that allow up to four images to be embedded in a single surface. SHADOWPIX can produce a variety of unusual effects depending on the emb...

Printability, the capability of a 3D printer to closely reproduce a 3D model, is a complex decision involving several geometrical attributes like local thickness, shape of the thin regions and their surroundings, and topology with respect to thin regions. We present a method for assessment of 3D shape printability which efficiently and effectively computes such attributes. Our method uses a sim...

The three-dimensional (3D) printer is a new technology that creates physical objects from digital files. Recent technological advances in 3D printing have resulted in increased use of this technology in the medical field, where it is beginning to revolutionize medical and surgical possibilities. It is already providing medicine with powerful tools that facilitate education, surgical planning, a...

This paper presents an application of photogrammetry on ceramic fragments from two excavation sites located north-west of France. The restitution by photogrammetry of these different fragments allowed reconstructions of the potteries in their original state or at least to get to as close as possible. We used the 3D reconstructions to compute some metrics and to generate a presentation support b...

This demonstration describes a new high dynamic range (HDR) display system that generates a physical 3D HDR image without using stereoscopic methods. To boost contrast beyond that obtained using either a hardcopy or a projector, we employ a multiprojection system to superimpose images onto a textured solid hardcopy that is output by a 3D printer or a rapid prototyping machine. The physical cont...

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies have reached a level of quality that justifies considering rapid manufacturing for medical applications. Herein, we introduce a new approach using 3D printing to simplify and improve the fabrication of human heart valve scaffolds by tissue engineering (TE). Custom-made human heart valve scaffolds are to be fabricated on a selective laser-sintering 3D...

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a promising modality for the production of medical devices. Here we describe the design, production, and implementation of a series of sizing tools for use in an intraoperative breast brachytherapy program. These devices were produced using a commercially available low-cost 3D printer and software, and their implementation resulted in an immediate ...