Nov 20, 2017 | By Benedict
Startup Yeehaw 3D has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its “Yeehaw Wand,” an augmented reality (AR) and 3D printing tool for 3D designers. Available from $99, the Yeehaw Wand is a kind of digital brush that can be used to “create or recreate anything.”
With the creators of Pokémon Go recently announcing a Harry Potter-themed sequel to its world-conquering AR game, it won’t be long before magic wands and AR become permanently intertwined.
Until that game comes out, however, there’s another kind of magic wand that could reshape the way designers approach AR and even 3D printing.
This wand, which doesn’t use actual magic but whose features might convince users that it does, is the Yeehaw Wand, a kind of digital paintbrush for 3D model designers that allows users to paint and sculpt in thin air, aided by an AR environment.
“Use the Wand to unleash your creative ideas onto reality,” Yeehaw 3D says. “Just wave the Wand in front of your phone or tablet's camera and see your creation taking form right in front of you.”
Priced from $99 and now subject to an already-funded Kickstarter campaign, the Yeehaw Wand certainly looks like an interesting product. It promises to let users “create, play, and print” their designs into the real world, letting them quickly visualize new creations as they might appear in the world around them.
The Wand can be used to sketch 3D designs when it is moved around in front a smartphone or tablet camera. This means users can effectively “trace” objects in the real world by carefully waving the wand over them, but freehand designs can also be made.
Since the Wand is equipped with buttons, the user can use the brush to perform a wide range of commands, including rotating, zooming, color adjustment, and more.
The Yeehaw Wand package comes with more than just the AR brush though. Also included is the required Yeehaw app and a 360° rotating platter. This platter can be used to virtually rotate a 3D creation within the AR environment, allowing creators to approach their design from all angles.
Usefully for us, the Yeehaw Wand has also been made with 3D printing in mind—which makes sense, since Yeehaw made a 3D printer last year.
That machine didn’t come without its fair share of criticism though: many backers reported that their printers never arrived, or arrived faulty, while others noted strong visual similarities between the Yeehaw and the ill-fated Tiko 3D printer.
However, since the Wand works with any 3D printer (and isn’t just a Yeehaw 3D printer add-on), some may view it as a fresh start for Yeehaw. Users can even have their 3D designs sent to Sketchfab from within the Yeehaw app, or can simply export their designs in a 3D printable format.
The wand runs on an Open GL 3D engine, and the app is available on both Android and iOS.
At present, the cheapest Kickstarter option for the Yeehaw Wand costs $99, and includes the Wand, app, and platter. Backers can pay more for multiple quantities or extra items like a travel bag or iPad stand.
The campaign also offers a few deals that pair the Wand with the Yeehaw 3D printer.
Estimated delivery is February 2018; let's hope Yeehaw doesn't need magic to get it's wand shipped on time.
Posted in 3D Design
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