3D modeling

Everytown for Gun Safety is celebrating what it calls a victory: California, described as the world's fourth-largest economy, has become the second US state to require the 3D printer industry to build in safeguards against illegal gun manufacturing. The law is aimed at stopping people from using desktop printers to produce untraceable, homemade firearms, and gun safety advocates are promoting it as a model for other states.

A dermatologist has released an interactive 3D biophysical model of human skin, saying it was built largely through vibe coding — using AI-assisted programming rather than hand-written code. The project lets users explore skin structure and biophysical properties in three dimensions. The unusual combination of medical expertise and AI-assisted development is drawing attention and praise among developers and medical professionals.

Japanese discount fashion chain Shimamura is releasing a new collaboration with the Dragon Quest game franchise:立体 (3D) stickers featuring slimes and Dragon Quest logos, in four designs. The stickers are being sold via pre-order production through the online store, a model that limits stock to confirmed demand. Fans of the long-running RPG series are reacting to the collaboration, as Shimamura has previously run popular Dragon Quest merchandise campaigns.

Engineers have unveiled an aquatic soft robot modeled on feather stars, marine invertebrates with feathery arms, that navigates in three dimensions using only two pneumatic actuators. The design, shared within engineering and robotics communities, is drawing attention as an example of biomimetics, where animal movement informs simpler, more efficient machine design for underwater exploration.

A developer has launched an interactive 3D model of the Enigma machine, the German cipher device used during World War II, on the website enigma.design. The project lets users operate a virtual recreation of the historic encryption machine in the browser, drawing early attention and hundreds of upvotes on Hacker News, where commenters are praising its craftsmanship and historical accuracy.

A developer has built an interactive, walkable 3D simulation of an O'Neill cylinder — the rotating space habitat concept from Gerard K. O'Neill — and asked Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant, to make it physically accurate. The project is available online, letting users explore the habitat's interior while its rotation and simulated gravity follow real physics. Commenters are discussing the model's fidelity and the growing use of AI coding assistants to build scientific visualizations.

Developer Matt Keeter has released Halfspace, an experimental integrated development environment for solid modeling built on distance fields, a technique that represents 3D shapes mathematically rather than with traditional meshes. The project is drawing attention among programmers and CAD enthusiasts interested in new approaches to computational geometry and code-driven design.

Engineers have developed an underwater robot modeled on the feather star, a marine animal that swims using coordinated arm movements. The robot achieves full three-dimensional maneuverability using only two actuators, an unusually simple design for such movement. The approach could reduce the cost and complexity of underwater robotics for exploration and monitoring, drawing attention from robotics and marine science communities.

A collaboration led by the NSF National Solar Observatory has received a NASA award for developing a new three-dimensional model of solar eruptions. The model is intended to improve understanding of how eruptions form and evolve, work that matters for space weather forecasting since solar eruptions can disrupt satellites, communications and power grids on Earth.

An artist has unveiled 'Captain Polygon', a low-poly 3D character depicting a sea captain on a boat, created in Blender. The stylised design has drawn modest attention from digital art and 3D modelling communities, where creators frequently share character work and exchange feedback on modelling and rendering techniques.

An artist has posted a new 3D doodle: a chibi-style variation on the Moon Child character, modeled with the Chisel SDF add-on for Blender and rendered with Blender's Cycles renderer. The piece is tagged with game development and retro gaming themes, and is drawing small but positive engagement from the graphics and gamedev community.

Hackaday has published a piece exploring the use of OpenSCAD, the open-source 3D modelling software usually associated with parametric design and 3D printing, in a gardening context. The writeup has drawn modest attention among open-source hardware enthusiasts, who enjoy seeing maker tools applied outside their usual workshop settings, though details of the project itself remain limited to the article.

A tutorial showing the best AI setup for 3D modeling and animation is drawing major attention, with tens of thousands of viewers engaging. It covers which AI tools and workflows work well together for modeling, texturing, and animating 3D scenes. Interest reflects how quickly AI-assisted 3D tools are being adopted by artists and studios looking to speed up production.

A new web tool called Dental Scope offers an interactive 3D model of dental anatomy, letting users explore teeth and related structures in detail. It was shared with the Hacker News community, where it drew attention and positive engagement. Commenters typically discuss its usefulness for dental students, educators, and patients wanting to visualize oral anatomy.

An artist has shared an early low-poly 3D work titled Vertigo, created in the mid-2000s using 3ds Max. The piece, an animal or character design, is being discussed by digital art and 3D modeling communities, drawing attention to nostalgic low-polygon experimentation from that era of 3D art.

A developer has built a browser game for Tripothon S1 that separates a song into its individual instruments, converts each track into a 3D model using Tripo, and teaches music production by letting players walk around inside the mix. The project combines web audio, JavaScript and AI tools, and is drawing attention for its unusual hands-on approach to learning how a mix is assembled.

Researchers have introduced a new tool that lets users repair flaws in AI-generated 3D models and then fabricate the objects to their own specifications. The system addresses a key weakness of generative 3D design, where outputs are often too imperfect to be physically printed or manufactured, and gives users control over how the final product turns out.

The Manyfold 3D printing project, an open-source model library application, is being discussed after its AGENTS.md file — instructions written for AI coding agents working on the repository — was shared and praised as refreshingly sensible. Commenters appear to be highlighting it as a good example of how projects can set expectations for automated contributors.

A free course on FreeCAD, the open-source 3D modelling software, takes place next Tuesday at 5pm at Werkraum Zittau, the hackerspace in Zittau, Germany. The announcement, promoted with a poster made in Inkscape, invites locals interested in open-source design tools to take part. It highlights the makerspace's regular programme of hands-on technology events open to the community.

Word is spreading that developers are building an open-source version of SketchUp, the widely used 3D modeling software. Enthusiasts welcomed the news, with some saying they had long hoped for a free, community-driven alternative to the proprietary tool. Details about the project's features, team, and release timeline remain limited so far.

The Manyfold project, an open-source 3D model management application, has drawn attention for the guidance file it publishes for AI coding agents. The file spells out how automated assistants should contribute to the codebase, covering conventions, testing expectations and boundaries for machine-generated changes. Discussion centers on whether this is a sensible model for other open-source projects navigating AI-assisted development.

A hobbyist has designed and 3D printed an unusual custom part with a spiral inset featuring an internal grid structure, created in CAD software. The purpose is being kept secret until the wider project is finished and shared. Fellow makers are responding to the technical challenge of modelling the spiral interior.