I'm not done with 3D printed legos. www.3dpprofessor.com/2020/01/30/3d-printing-a-better-interlocking-brick/

@qtulhoo

4 жыл бұрын

3D Printing Professor The plural of "LEGO" is "LEGO."

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

@@qtulhoo That's something Lego's got to earn back. kzread.info/dash/bejne/X4mN2dGrd5m-fqQ.html

That is a superb design, the basic block could become the standard test cube, after it's printed you end up with something and not just a piece of scrap

@antibodyarmy

4 жыл бұрын

He Was Able To Build This In A Cave! With A Box Of Scraps!

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

That's true. And even if it failed, it's designed to still work! So it's a win-win, even if you lose.

Also, definitely patent this so that Lego can't take it away from you, and then make it creative commons.

@boekster7108

4 жыл бұрын

Lepin will be the one to steal it

@ZipperOfficial

4 жыл бұрын

It cost $1000 to do a patent search then $10000 to do a U.S patent filing and then more to patent more specific aspect of it. And that's just the U.s market It would cost a fortune

@AmaroqStarwind

4 жыл бұрын

Blue So, patents which were originally meant to protect the work of innovators can now only be done by rich organizations who don't even need the protection of patents. Seems legit.

@stonedidears

3 жыл бұрын

Cheap alternative is to safe All the stuff on a cd or print it out. Then send it to yourself. And do not open it. Only if it is legal nessesary that you have to proof that you had that idear. In my Country it is a way to projects intellectual property. Don't know us. And ofcourse awsome video thanks allot

rotate-able linkages would be pretty sweet

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Stay tuned.

@qtulhoo

4 жыл бұрын

Use singular studs.

This made me smile. It is so frustrating when these big companies think they can bully the rest of us.

Lego Technic is what hooked me. I'd love to see gears and shafts for the PrintABlock system. Wedges, and 1/2 pitch shim bricks would also tie together large designs and allow more gear-combinations.

Your cubic unit is technically a "voxel", so you can virtually modeling just what you want at big scale... It's not clear how make articulations, but if it's lego compatible, so maby by this way...

Took me a while to see it, but then when you showed that little mech, it was very clear to me! I've been playing this computer game called "Simple planes", where you can snap these little virtual blocks to make a fuselage, and then add a cockpit, add jet engines, wings, propellers, helicopter rotors, wheels, landing gears... These blocks have indeed a lot of potential...

Building block designs are something I think a lot about and you have a genuinely pure one here. The square hole plays to 3D printing strengths while being extremely aesthetically appealing. Connector pieces are the way to go so you always have smooth sides. I don't like the size of Lego but aligning your bricks with them is an excellent choice. From there you can have a standardized grid of square holes in anyting to make everything into a print a brick. I don't say this often but it's a perfect design. Brilliant in its simplicity.

This is the sort of thing I wish multi-color printers would use to clear the nozzle. Instead of a big worthless lump of waste.

@DatMilu2K

4 жыл бұрын

I think you can do that.

@wetterschneider

4 жыл бұрын

@@DatMilu2K Is it possible to give the printer a "clear the nozzle" file and have it use that instead of the default?

@DatMilu2K

4 жыл бұрын

@@wetterschneider Yes, I think I saw a picture of that on the Prusa sub-reddit once. It was a multi-colored mess but a model instead of a wasted purge block. Edit: I cant find it anymore tho :-/

I live this with the single exception of the size. Not being able to build at plate thickness is somewhat off-putting, but I can feasibly see these scaled sown to at least a single brick width!

You beat me to saying "how satisfying that snap together sound is" and you are so right, these are the future of building bricks, I had a smile on my face all the way through your video, I am so looking forward to seeing this develop!

Joe, you've nailed it! Looks like a superb system, congratulations! Great video!

Great consept. Now in spaceball's style. Merchandising merchandising, we've got mechs, spaceships, space stations. The printablock railgun, flamethrower AND lunchbox. 😁

To get rid of a bit of the wigglyness you could (1) design the snap such that they only open up halfway inside such that the blocks are slightly pressed together when snapped together and (2) add truncated rectangular pyramidal castellations at the cubes edges (alternatingly male and female) to block rotational wiggle. Especially (1) might reqire a bigger cube size though and clips under some remnant permanent load will suffer from plastic creep. Had that issue especially with PLA.

*THIS GAVE ME AN IDEA!!!!!* So you know how sometimes you want to print something that's just too big to fit on your 3D printer, so you have to break it up into smaller pieces and then later, like, glue them together somehow? Well gluing bare pieces as they are are prone to bad warping because glue expands and contracts, and if you're printing in PETG then it might not even work since PETG is so resistant to chemicals. Well, what if we INTEGRATE these designs into things you have to print in parts so that you could just snap them together fresh off the printer???

Couldn’t you make the diamond holes a through hole while still keeping it printable w/o supports? Could open up future designs

This is so cool! With lego, the creativity is in how you can combine the blocks, but with your design, you have that and the possibility of just making a piece that you want on your printer. I love it!

That's really cool, looks like you need to design a printable tool to replace the needle-nose pliers for extracting the connectors, maybe you could tweak the design so stretching open one side of the connector squeezes the other side slightly so that it can easily pull out. Then a tool would push inside the connector to expand it slightly, which is a force that wouldn't be applied by standard bricks.

Now that's getting Jiggy with it! Nice work 👍👍

This stuff is friggin epic! I would totally get that if you made an extension that allows for it to interface with Legos! Edit: also, make sure to sell bricks based on it, some of us sadly do not have the luxury of owning a 3D printer

Brilliant!! I can not state enough how genius this pursuit is. The satisfaction of snapping together well built building blocks is universally undeniable. Despite advancements of every kind, LEGO stands the test of time. They remain a staple for a reason. I’m excited to see if you can take a fundamental concept to new heights! Right on

Love it, reminds me of Zoids when I was a kid.

@vshawn96

4 жыл бұрын

ZBuilders series works like this.

How about using space filling truncated octahedra? See thingiverse thing:404497 -- This adds to the six (100) cube surfaces eight (111) octahedral surfaces. It makes the blocks significantly bigger though since the hexaginal faces are bigger than the square ones. Also the (111) faces have threefold symmetry not matching the twofold symmetry of the clips. -- In this regard space filling rhombic dodecahedra would be the perfect block shape. With those you get no less than twelve (110) surfaces all with twofold symmetry matching the clips. And all the faces have the same size so the block can stay compact. All the (100) cube surfaces then are gone though.

@mechadense

4 жыл бұрын

With truncated octahedra tetrahedral symmetry is possibe and one can create some models of organic molecules.

@mechadense

4 жыл бұрын

Truncated octahedron spacefill (corresponding to body centered cubic lattice bcc) is actually dual to rhombic dodecahedral spacfill (cirresponding to face centered cubic lattice). I once did some modelling for a transition beteen those two space fills. Gotta dig that out and publish it. Also interesting fact: Rhombic dodecahedra spacefill are the voroni cells of cubic close packing of spheres aka face centered cubic (fcc) aka ABCABC layering. The other close packing of spheres is NOT bcc but is hexagonal close packing (hcp) ABAB layering orresponds to turning one side of the rhombic dodecahedton by 60°. This introduces a special axis (anisotropy).

Found the true Minecraft Lego. Great work!

Dude thank you for upgrading your camera this video looks awesome

Fantastic video and great design. Can't wait to print them out.

This actually looks pretty cool. I like the idea of being able to attach non-block parts, and being able to connect on all sides.

The snaps are similar (in concept) to connectors used in dungeon tiles for D&D and other games

I love seeing the evolution of this project. It's pushed you to get very creative. Would love to see some car, airplane, ship/spaceship and helicopter sets. I know they're pretty basic, but those can lead to even more combinations and perhaps even larger kits.

I can see this new block format being very fun and popular. I know I want to make some. Thank you for making something new.

I dig it! Next, making a building block that becomes items such as scalable 3d printers themselves, and also vehicles that too can be added on to to go from a car to a camper or a boat upon arrival at the campground or the lake!

Thank you so much for the Shout Out!!!

It's so simple but I'm in love, I can just imagine myself designing custom parts and it wouldn't be nearly as hard as trying to design a custom Lego piece. Sure it has some disadvantages, it may never be as secure of a connection as Lego but I think the amount of new possibilities outweigh the negatives.

You had a great idea, I agree make a variety of pieces I don't know if someone has advised to you but try making some blocks with some flat faces so that they could be like the "end of a chain"

Super innovative! Bravo! Hopefully this is an open design, then the community can expand this concept.

Wow, looking great More flexible Thanks for sharing👍😀

I am looking for ideas because i want to make a marble track out of epoxy resin for my son and i landed here. While it is not really what i was looking for i wanted to say this is awsome! I love the idea and design

YES! I KNEW IT! I had the weirdest feeling awhile back that you'd reach an absolute result between 2 outcomes... One outcome was you'd succeed in reinventing a Lego brick, and it would be capable with most printers... The other was that you stumble upon something completely new... And it looks like you have the possibility of both. Haha! I'm so excited. Also, before I forget, congratulations on this new design, it looks amazing!

This is awesome!

Dude great job these are great

That's really great

Love this!

Dude I designed something like your printablok years ago to work as a step model to work with transformer arms micron toys but great on you for doing something as cool as this

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see your deisng. Is it anywhere I can check it out/

Print a block are looking pretty good 👍

Bravo Professore. Hya printing Lego compatibles is a pain. I usually spend infinite time for calibrating my printer with extrusion multiplier etc. I really don't know why Lego is so afraid of 3D printers. And even as you said a perfect print still has its flaws. I usually print in PLA which is harder then ABS and it is usually eating studs away on the original. Looking forward how your development evolves.

Pretty cool idea that are you developing!

love it!

This is a amazing spin on Lego and turning it into a better one also making all of the sides usable instead of legos 2 usable areas it is.also neat how it has certain custom designs so It isn't just blocks is amazing how did you come up with it

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Just applied what I knew about 3d printing with my knowledge if designs like Tony Buser's clips, and iterated the design a half dozen times.

Brilliant. You just earned the Prof name.

I hit thumbs up the moment I saw the printa-brick! A suggestion however. I think the brick would look more pleasing to the eye if the square hole is orthogonal with the cube itself. Also, remember lego always try to use certain fixed measures, so that pieces can fit in new and odd ways. So the hole in the brick should probably be one exact third of the brick thickness as a whole, so that perhaps things can match up in weird ways as you make more pieces.

@3dpprofessor

2 жыл бұрын

An orthogonal hole would not print on the sides going up as well. There would be some impossible overhangs.

This is pretty cool, I had a similar idea, but looks like you beat me to it! One idea would be if you could add an "end cap" to close off the outside of the cubes that don't connect to anything.

GIblets!! Love it!

Awesome project!

This is rad

This is a great addition to the new wave of community making alongside the polypanel project for example. Enabling people to make things from previously made things that make other things, that will, one day, make other things... oh how the mind boggles - it's a great time to be alive :)

connecting this with polypanels would make it so cool

I like the idea of using these to make transformer toys that let kids (for example) swap out robot arms so that their toy robots can have whatever collection of appendages that they want

how is everything going

Great work and great designs! Really looking forward to what else you come up with. For removing parts and the small joint connectors, need some kind of tool. My initial thought was a tool kind of like a keycap puller tool for keyboards.

@OnyDeus

4 жыл бұрын

Some of the LEGO tubs come with a puller tool. Having loose connections would bug me, I like the security of tighter connections.

I feel like I've seen blocks like these a decade ago... I haven't a clue what they where called, but I remember they weren't all that fun bc there was nothing you could really do with just cubes

You may have done this already but a print a brick with 3 sides ( one right angle and two 45 degree) would give you curves and even a triangle shape for more extreme curves if space allows. I think this would expand what can be made

SNAP! Ooooh yeah.. that's where it's at!

Hey Joe ! Nice video and it is true, the bricks are good alternatives to normal calibration cubes. At the end, the bricks are not wasted, because you can give it to your kids for play :) The robot at the end looks nice ! Keep up with your interesting channel. Greetings form Germany

JOE ... IT'S A NEW WORD "JIGGYNESS" I HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT MUSIC FOR THE PRINTABLOK ADVERTISING . LOOK UP WILL SMITH "GETTIN' JIGGY WIT IT". GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN !

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Na na na na, na na nah.

@rossyboi712

4 жыл бұрын

get jiggy with it

Make stress tests on them ! How many can we put together until something breaks ?

Now you need to make an adaptor so that you can use your system with lego.

@3dpprofessor

3 жыл бұрын

I did.

What if those notches in the connectors could be used like a screw so you can unscrew individual connectors to make custom legos

This is very similar to the ZOIDS Z BUILDER series of blocks back in the 90's

Looks similar to Snap Ships, whose prototypes were also 3D printed.

@3dpprofessor

Жыл бұрын

Lots of prototypes are 3D printed. But how many of them are 3D printed on the production side? How many of them will let you have the 3D models so you can make as many of them yourself as you want?

You could Slicer mix to connect printed part to make a whole without glueing

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Probably would need supports.

Your block is great, I love the design and your passion. Did you think of adding a flat piece that connect to your block to hide the holes if ever the builder wanted to have a more finished/polished look?

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, but it's complicated. The clip I've designed works optimally when printed laying down, which means a flat piece would either need to print with the grain going in the wrong direction, need to print in halves to avoid supports, or would need to print with supports, and I don't even know how the connector would work with supports under it. Not to mention, "supports" is a dirty word around here. Not as dirty as "raft" but still dirty. So I'm left with essentially designing a half block that it can clip into, which there are some accessories already made that fill that need.

For the stuck connectors. Wonder if there were some way to make them cam out when twisted? Maybe a special block when pressed into the connector would force it to release from the other block with a compliant mechanism to pop the now captured connector out? or maybe that is a feature of a special brick that can release the stored energy of a captured connector think missel launcher. This is really really cool stuff getting a ton of ideas. Will these be opensource or patreon-source?

Nice design. Tight connector? You do realize it takes a knife to separate the plates from the company who I shan't name most of the time. My Ender 3 does a decent job of printing M3 washers/spacers so I'm watching your development. :)

now you need to make a design that allows people to use hobby servos to articulate some of those pins the design for the pin could simply fit over the servo stud like the servo horns already do and making it in such a way that standard servo leads can be used would make things simple and cheap worldwide and im sure that an arduino case thats compatible would also make a great driver for the servos and suddenly you dont need to invest millions into remote control lego bricks like lego had to

you should make connections that rotate for wheels and legs

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Stay tuned.

Remembered me on the connections of Playmobil castle and houses. Not 45° twisted but the same hole and connector stlye

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

The 45 degree twist makes it 3d printable!

Calibration is less about the printer and more about the slicer being accurately calibrated towards a given printer and the material used. There's *a lot* of variables to calibrate which I'm not gonna get into here. This precise type of calibration is quite time-consuming and really need a steady hand a lot of patience. But once done one will end up with an extremely and very accurate slicer-profile that fits that very printer. The flip side of this is that the profile one end up with will not fit anyone else's printer even if they're the exact same maker and model. Each and every 3D printer is super-unique, hence why someone's perfect slicer profile might be a disaster on someone else's printer. With a properly assembled printer and an accurately calibrated slicer-profile, one can take a correctly dimensioned lego brick STL file and it will print super-perfect with a very accurate fit on the original lego parts. I've done that with my Ender 3 and can print lego parts with a very accurate fit. And yes. I print them with ABS.

If you round out the diamond hole, could the pieces rotate?

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Not really. The diamond hole is a complex shape with specific design elements to do its job. However, I could round out the peg.

Congratulations. .. you just found THE HOLY BLOCK 😊

wait was it already broken at the bottom at around 2:10 ? Right after he said "not as accurate"

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Well, how do you think I figured out there was a problem?

Would a 32bit board help with printing Legos since you’d be able to print higher accuracy (less polygontal) circles?

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

That is a very interesting question.

What a great idea.... Awesome... BUT.... do they hurt like Lego's do when you step on them? 😋

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

I haven't tested yet, but if they're anything like other 3d prints I've stepped on, yes.

Upgrade your connectors so that they can spin on their axis... that would be insane. Great job, btw!

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

I might have a solution for that in the future.

Impressive! And well done. It looks like you have the PrintABlok design just about perfected. One concern I have, though, is that you seem to be getting overly excited about specialized accessories (e.g. mech legs, cockpits, guns). Don't get me wrong; those things are cool, and they have their place. However, I think that PrintABloks will have a more widespread and lasting appeal if, instead of designing a bunch of specialized pieces, you design a handful of simple shapes from which specialized objects can be built. For example, if you design a basic cone shape, that cone could become a hat, or a part of a gun, or a piece of a leg, or the top of a bush, or any number of things. But if you design a gun, that gun can only ever be a gun. It will be more refined and definite than the cone, but it will have lost the cone's versatility. Perhaps I'm being pedantic, but I just thought I'd voice my thoughts. I hope they prove helpful.

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

I've had a similar thought. Just keep it abstract. Low poly as it were. And I think that's a possibility.

but is it compatible with other major brands

You should look into exploring "illegal lego building techniques".

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

You mean building at 30 degree angles and stuff? Can do!

4:12 Lego stole the idea from Kidcraft bricks. So, if we make "Kidcraft" bricks, then there is nobody to complain about our little repository.

@yeetus_reetus_deeleetus

3 жыл бұрын

Lego actually purchased that company

you need to make a company with the printablock they are awsome this is the first video of yours I have seen and I know

Ive got a few of those $ Store Block kits they are great for a $

You are so pationate about your project, it nice to see. I'm please to see how much your kickstarter campaign reached. Let see how far your imagination can go!

Love it Joe.. Can we make something rotatable though?... I can't.. Just food for thought!

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

Stay tuned.

Will work with FLASHFORGE Adventurer 5M Pro 3D?

@3dpprofessor

27 күн бұрын

It should. Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

It's look like good base for tabletop game. For kikstarter you can try to cooperate with some game project. Also try to make a moving joint. it absolutely necessary for a good constructor.

Congratulations on a great idea and execution of that idea. An idea, patent those bricks and connector system, keep them open-source, distribute the plans, measurements, and STL freely for non-commercial use, but see if a company wants to license the patent to make and sell PrintABlock sets (think LEGO sets).

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

No need to patent. I've already publicly declared them. If anyone tries to steal them, I have prior art.

@wezyap

4 жыл бұрын

@@3dpprofessor I am not a lawyer, but if there are something Lawful masses with Leonard French have teched me, is that there is a big difference between patent and copyright and that you can`t copyright a functional design, which this very well can fall under. to protect a functional design you need a patent. The worst-case scenario is that LEGO (or any other toy company) sees this video, patents this functionality (or makes a patent that covers this in whole or part, independent of your work) and then this was for nothing. I can be totally wrong though, but it is worth checking out.

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

@@wezyap However, patents are denied on the basis of prior art. In other words, in the world of patents "I had that idea first", and being able to prove it, is huge. So by publishing this video I am essentially preventing anyone else from being able to patent this idea.

@SephoraDuLac

4 жыл бұрын

I hope you’re right, professor.

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

@@SephoraDuLac Me too. Because even if I'm not, i couldn't afford even a provisional patent at this time.

Now imagine useing a resin printer and going more professional brand and sell them as your own sets I would totally buy them

@3dpprofessor

2 жыл бұрын

The clips are the hard part with resin printers. I'm working on it, but so far the best solution is to print the clips FFF, even if the blocks are resin. But they do look good in resin.

I really think you should get a resin-based MSLA printer for these lego compatibles, to really disrupt the market without lego being able to strike it down, that is while not making fools of themselves in the process.

@3dpprofessor

4 жыл бұрын

I have yet to see anyone print Lego compatible bricks on an SLA printer, despite a lot of people saying they would. I may have to do it, just so someone will.

Maybe you should team up with Devin from MakeAnything to combine this with his PolyPanels? Also interesting that the size is the same as a standard 6 sided die (16 mm).

Is there anyway to obtain or purchase a cad model or dimensions of the basic connecter geometry? Seems as though your website only sells toy sets?

@3dpprofessor

3 жыл бұрын

Which CAD? I make these in Blender. The basic dimension *are* in the geometry. I could draw them up, I probably should, but I haven't yet.

@fozbstudios

3 жыл бұрын

@@3dpprofessor I use cadquery, but you probably haven’t heard of that. The blender file, step file, amf , or 3mf would work. Stl could work but would be suboptimal

@fozbstudios

3 жыл бұрын

Just the basic test block would be fine if you don’t wanna redraw anything

@3dpprofessor

3 жыл бұрын

@@fozbstudios Again, which CAD? What format are you thinking?

@fozbstudios

3 жыл бұрын

@@3dpprofessor I’m not sure I understand. I thought I gave several options in my reply to you. To restate: Preferably either .stp .3mf .amf The blender native file Stl file could work but I honestly don’t like working with them Or drawings of all the dimensions by hand or dxf etc

This is the ULTIMATE "fuck you" to lego and i love it. Nicely done!