Connecting With 3D Printing: Scanning And 3D Printing People Captures Life Events

For our second Connecting With 3D Printing event, we had the pleasure to speak with Dylan Saloner, founder and CEO of PocketMe. PocketMe has created a fully operating booth that can rapidly scan people. The scans are then sent off to a 3D Printing service which uses a powder material to create 3D prints of the scans. The powder material has the advantage of offering high-resolution, multi-color 3D printing.

The technology for creating the scans requires simultaneously taking pictures of the subject from different angles, identifying corresponding features in the images, and recovering 3D information from these correspondences. We discussed with Dylan how he and his team were able to creatively overcome some of the technical difficulties associated with this process. This discussion also spoke to what it takes to develop a business around 3D printing.

One of the key themes of this event however was the magic of capturing life events offered by scanning and 3D printing people. Every print reflects a particular time in someone's life. For example, one print captured a man proposing to his fiancee. Another print was made during Halloween. Yet another print captured a family of four. And we're showing in this post other examples that represent not just body scans, but people's events too. PocketMe's prints have also been used for wedding toppers. At this time the toppers are printed with powder, but could one day be printed with sugar for guests to eat or take home.

As to where the future of 3D printing lies? For Dylan, a very interesting area is building and architecture. The promise of designing and constructing homes in such a way that many parts can be built in place, at once through 3D printing is one that Dylan is particularly interested in seeing happen. The medical area is another domain where Dylan is expecting great progress: his own father has, for example, been using 3D printing to create venous models that can be used for surgical training.

Thanks Dylan for being such a great guest and sharing all these experiences with us!

We will be on a break next month due to the Holiday Season!

A Spooky (And Fun!) Time At The East Bay Mini Maker Faire

We had so much fun attending this year's East Bay Mini Maker Faire!

To showcase our upcoming product and some of the things we do in our workshops, we worked with our visitors on a Halloween themed activity.

We 3D printed all the hand drawn items used for the activity during the event, and our budding cyantists helped us paint them as well as paint and create a beautiful backdrop for them.

We finished the day with a beautiful Halloween Shadow box!

So we'd like to extend our warm thanks to the East Bay Mini Maker Faire Organizing Committee for welcoming us at the Faire and helping us with set up. And if you were one of our visitors, share this post with your families and friends!

A Great First "Connecting with 3D printing" Event

This month, we started an educational event series at WeWork Berkeley to showcase connections between 3D printing and art, and engage our community with the human side of the technology.

We had the great pleasure of having Jessica Hedstrom as our first speaker. Jessica is a 3D printing enthusiast, the founder of the blog and podcast: "Printing Everyday", the community manager at Sculpteo, and a contributor to the blog: "Women in 3D printing". Jess walked us through some great projects she has encountered in the course of writing her blog: these projects showcase how art, technology, design, robotics, biomimicry, medical imaging can all intersect to produce beautiful jewelry, interactive displays and unique art pieces, while having an educational impact too.

This notion of adding value, a topic brought up by Nancy Liang on the Women In 3D Printing blog, was one of the important points we discussed as one of the closing remarks. One of the concerns one might have in that regard, is whether the opportunity for each and every one to make can lead to more waste, and not more value, at a time where sustainability is of prime importance. However, we reviewed and discussed several recycling and sustainable development initiatives, as well as reasons why 3D printing could in fact open up more possibilities than raise issues. As to where 3D printing is heading in the next 5 years? Eyeware and fashion are two areas where Jessica feels a strong growth will take place on the consumer side. Thanks Jessica for being such an amazing first speaker!

We'll have our next event in November, stay tuned for upcoming details!

Today's #CyantistWeLove: Jansen Chan, Director of Pastry At The International Culinary Center

“I think creativity is not learned, but rather cultivated from within. Everybody has some creative talent. It may come in different forms – some are less visual and more conceptual. Most adults don’t develop their creative side enough because they have less opportunities to exercise that part of them. People assume creativity is one thing, when in reality, it can be anything that you produce, construct, generate, foster, or imagine, and then share.”

— Jansen Chan, Director of Pastry Art at the ICC

With Cyant's CEO Barbara Hanna, an alum of The International Culinary Center and a hobbyist chef, we are glad to feature today's #cyantistwelove: Jansen Chan.

A UC Berkeley Architecture Alum, Jansen Chan draws inspiration from architecture and the arts, while bringing his design and critical thinking discipline to his work. His creations reflect this beautiful connection between food and art, as well as a desire to connect with and engage his audience.

3D printing technology has been expanding to print sugar, chocolate, pancake batter and many other food stuffs. So foodie cyantists may find new opportunities to bring food, technology, design and art together in new and exciting ways! We look forward to seeing many cyantists drawing from art artifacts and experiences around them to express their creativity, and following in Jansen Chan's "foodsteps" :) !

Looking Forward To Being Part Of WeWork Berkeley's Presentation For NewCo Oakland!

If you are in the Bay Area, mark your calendars for NewCo Oakland!

NewCo, a new type of conference where attendees find out about innovative companies and their teams directly in their native environment, is coming to the East Bay on October 8th.

A number of Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley companies will be hosting tours throughout the day, and Cyant is thrilled to be part of this day as a presenter during WeWork Berkeley's tour, starting 9:30am.

We look forward to showcasing the company and our work along with two other great Berkeley startups and WeWork Berkeley residents: Butter Home Services and Truly [M.A.D.] !

A Great Time At The First San Jose Mini-Maker-Faire!

It was great attending the Faire, meeting makers, vendors and visitors from the San Jose community this past Sunday.

We were thrilled by the reception parents and kids gave to our stand and by their enthusiastic participation in our gift activity for this first Maker Faire. Some children even asked their parents to come back to our stand before going home!

They say life is a bowl of cherries! And so for this first San Jose Faire, we demonstrated how cherries hand drawn and 3D printed using our upcoming product can be creatively used to make a ... whimsical one!

New varieties of cherries were invented, some cherries donned new colors (yes, cherries can be blue, yellow and black!), laws of gravity were defied... or upheld, to fill and unfill a bowl painted with a Matisse-an blue.

By the end of the Faire, the contributions of young and big (:)) cyantists had made a beautiful, contemporary work of art. And our bowl of cherries was a great way to celebrate the First San Jose Mini Maker Faire!

We'd like to extend our warm thanks to the San Jose Mini Maker Faire Organizing Committee for welcoming us at the Faire and helping us with set up. And if you were one of our visitors and see your cherries, share this post with your families and friends!

A Back-To-School Special For Our Upcoming Art-Meets-Tech Workshop At MOCHA!

We are looking forward to our Halloween themed after-school workshop at MOCHA, and to celebrate Back-to-School, we are extending a special!

The Early Bird Registration of $285 is now extended until September 20th! And if you are a member of the MOCHA community, you will receive a $25 discount if you register one child, or $70 if you register two!

So come have some arts and 3D printing fun with us!

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

WEDNESDAYS OCTOBER 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

3:45pm to 5:45pm

MOCHA

Throughout the four 2hr sessions, children will learn about 3D printing and digital creation, and integrate their 3D prints into their creations, while being engaged in traditional arts. We will also have fun looking at Halloween stories and arts to draw inspiration from, and work on a collaborative project. We will end with a little Halloween party at the Museum, where the children can showcase their projects and receive a few treats!

REGISTRATIONS:

LETICIA PADGETT
510.987.8556
REGISTRAR@MOCHA.ORG

Cyant Has A New Logo!

We are thrilled to introduce a new logo that will represent Cyant from now on.

Cyant is about connecting art and technology, "right brain" and "left brain", to grow connections, foster learning, creativity and engagement. Looking at Cyant's history, trees have been a silent symbol of this connectedness and growth from day 1. And looking to the future, Cyant will work as much as possible to do its part in supporting sustainability and a greener environment. So it is a thrill to present this new logo, which perfectly represents what Cyant is about.

Let us know what you think!

Throwback Thursday: How 3DPrinted Butterflies Brought Together Young Cyantists At Make San Leandro

As we prepare for our attendance at San Jose's Mini Maker Faire, we take a look back at our participation to Make San Leandro, the first Mini-Maker Faire of the city.

San Leandro has been a fast growing hub of makers and 3D printing businesses. Last year, it held its first Maker Faire, which coincided with the city's Annual Cherry Festival. And Cyant was there to showcase how 3D printed hand drawings and writings can be used to make a fun collaborative artwork!

Naturally, our theme was around cherries, and cherry blossoms more specifically. These ethereal blossoms are celebrated in the Japanese culture, and we could not help but draw inspiration from Japanese art and a poem from Arakida Moritake to engage the young Cyantists visiting our stand!

While discussing 3D printing and our theme, our visitors lent a hand to make a hand painted background for the artwork, and assemble our final mixed media project.

By the end of the day, we had a beautiful piece ready to be collected by the San Leandro Downtown Association!

So we look forward to seeing what we'll be creating with Cyantists at San Jose's Mini Maker Faire!

And if you would like to bring this experience to your event or engage your students in this STEAM activity at your school, contact us!

Cyant At The First San Jose Mini Maker Faire!

Come and meet us in San Jose on September 6th!

Having participated in the first San Leandro Maker Faire last year, Cyant is again part of a first Mini-Maker Faire with our participation to San Jose's upcoming Faire. So we look forward to showcasing how drawings and writings can be 3D printed and used for artworks and creations, and meet budding makers and Cyantists at the Faire!

FAIRE DETAILS:

1ST ANNUAL SAN JOSE MINI MAKER FAIRE AT HISTORY PARK!
Join History San Jose and 75+ Makers for the 1st Annual San Jose Mini
Maker Faire at History Park on Sunday, September 6 from 10am-6pm! For
more information, please click here. Tickets are limited! To buy
your tickets today, please click this link. Or, if you would like
to volunteer, please fill out this form.

Welcome Stephanie!

We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie Regni as Interim Community Manager

With an Engineering degree from INSA, and experience as an R&D Engineer and Project Manager, Stephanie (@stephanieregni) has been managing the communities of two mobile apps available on GooglePlay. So we look forward to working with Stephanie over the next few weeks!

Join Us In October At MOCHA, Oakland, For Some Halloween Fun!

We are excited to announce our next Workshop at the Museum Of Children's Art in Oakland

Our first Workshop with the Museum sparked a great collaboration, which also launched a new After School Programming for the Museum. So we are thrilled to work with the MOCHA team again this Fall and help more Cyantists learn, create and make Art and Technology connections.

Our next Workshop at the Museum is all about Halloween, one of children's favorite times of the year:

Pumpkins, bats, cats, witches, and many others: so many fun characters to draw and create from! So this workshop will look ahead to Halloween and let children make creations for one of their favorite times of the year.

Throughout the four 2hr sessions, children will learn about 3D printing and digital creation, and integrate their 3D prints into their creations, while being engaged in traditional arts. We will also have fun looking at Halloween stories and arts to draw inspiration from, and work on a collaborative project.

We will end with a little Halloween party at the Museum, where the children can showcase their projects and receive a few treats!

REGISTRATIONS:

LETICIA PADGETT
510.987.8556
REGISTRAR@MOCHA.ORG

Cyant And Barbara Hanna Featured On the Women In 3D Printing Blog

Earlier this month, Barbara had the pleasure and honor of being a guest speaker at the inaugural Women in 3D Printing Meetup at Galvanize.

This Meetup is organized by Sculpteo US Sales Manager, Nora Toure (@nora_8808), and Unyq CMO, Evy Wilkins (@mainwilk), two women who represent different facets of the growing 3D Printing industry. Its goal is to gather women (and men!) interested in discussing 3D printing, as well as Women in Tech topics and issues.

During this evening, Barbara described her vision and some of her experiences with Cyant and her journey in tech. And it was a great opportunity for all attendees to share stories and/or get feedback.

A follow-up blog post is now up on the Women In 3D Printing Website, and we are thrilled to see Cyant and Barbara featured among the great and inspiring women already on the blog!

To follow Women In 3D Printing: twitter: @women3Dprinting / fb: @Women in 3D Printing

Cyant Becomes A Tech Futures Group Client

We are glad to announce that we have been selected as a Tech Futures Group Client.

Tech Futures Group is a community of experienced advisors who act as a complete and free advisory wing to tech start-ups and small tech companies. Advisors provide assistance in the following areas: General and strategic business advice, Patents and intellectual property, business model development in Excel, VC/angle pitch preparation, bio-medical manufacturing, and government grants including SBIR and STTR. TFG is a program of the Northern California Small Business Development Center (NorCal SBDC) Network which is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), private entities, and universities. It serves technology clients from across the 14 counties of the NorCal SBDC Region.

Gerry Barañano, TFG entrepreneur-in-residence will be our prime advisor within the group.  Gerry brings a comprehensive understanding of all the elements necessary to start a successful technology company from his experience as founder and CEO of several start-up companies. He has hands-on experience in launching products and services in the telecommunications, computer manufacturing, software, hardware, and green/clean tech industries.

So we are looking forward to working with Gerry and the Tech Futures Group advisors. Having their experience and help with strategic business and marketing issues will be invaluable for Cyant to grow in the education market and other markets where we believe our platform could be used. And both our organizations being based in Berkeley, CA, we are glad to be working with another organization in the Berkeley community.

First Art-Meets-Tech Workshop at the Museum of Children's Art, Oakland

We are thrilled to start our Art-Meets-Tech Workshop at MOCHA on May 13th!

This workshop, ideally suited for children aged 8 to 10, but open to ages 7 to 11, will provide a first introduction to 3D Printing, while keeping them engaged with traditional arts.

With some inspiration from the enchanting world of "My Neighbor Totoro," we will work on a mixed media artwork which will feature 3-D printed pieces from the children's own hand drawings. Over the four 2 hour sessions of the workshop, children will discuss the workshop's theme, draw and make some of its characters, learn about 3-D printing (how it works, how it is used) and digital creation. They will assemble a mixed media artwork which will be on display at the MOCHA gallery!

We are delighted that our collaboration with MOCHA is opening STEAM Wednesdays at the Museum. The Arts have an intrinsic cultural and human value that help us develop and deepen our understanding of the world. So STEAM, an educational framework which highlights the essential role of Art in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, is a natural way to engage children, boys and girls, around learning, creative and collaborative activities, and tease all their senses in the process.

And participants to the workshop will be able to receive a 10% discount on additional print orders of their creation via the 3D printing service Sculpteo, if they wish to continue to have fun with their creations and showcase them to their friends and family!

So we forward to going full STEAM ahead with new young Cyantists as we learn about art, technology, and have fun!

REGISTRATION DETAILS