The term 3D printing covers a variety of processes in which material is joined or solidified under computer control to create a three-dimensional object.
Today, the precision, repeatability and material range have increased to the point that some 3D printing processes are considered viable as an industrial production technology, whereby the term additive manufacturing can be used synonymously with 3D printing. One of the key advantages of 3D printing is the ability to produce very complex shapes or geometries, and a prerequisite for producing any 3D printed part is a digital 3D model or a CAD file. (Computer- Aided Design)
In other words, it is now possible to create objects, which would be impossible to produce before the development of computer technology.
Artists and Designer selected for the projects projects below were encouraged to push the boundaries of this new media technology.
There are many reasons for the selection of artists for these projects. The first develops an interest in the digital processes of physical making. Part of this curiosity is to do with the transfer of information between physical space and virtual space and back again. The Mechatronic Library enabled the selected artists to access this new digital technology, where sculptural methods were used to explore the interface between man and machine
Science fiction has long offered a philosophical critique of the prospect of artificial intelligence and its companion method; machine learning. But now that AI technologies are increasingly real rather than fictional the wider world of culture and the arts needs to respond with its own language
Additionally, artists and designers bring a unique approach to this technology. By using it in ways it was not originally intended artists can help push the boundaries by incorporating other learning and other technologies, such as Game Engines and new Materials. This, then also fosters a deeper understanding of new media applications within this emerging community.
Conceptually and critically compared to its core users (computer scientists) who are focused on engineering solutions, artists are very good coming up with new applications in order to express original concepts and themes. Often by creating non- temporal driven contextual storyboards relevant and specific to today's contemporary society.