2D or 3D? Drawing or sculpture? These dichotomies break down as you build up a physical model using a traditionally two-dimensional technique, tracing lines in the air that harden in real time to form objects.
From the creators of 3Doodler, currently running a Kickstarter campaign: “It’s a pen that can draw in the air! 3Doodler is the 3D printing pen you can hold in your hand. Lift your imagination off the page! 3Doodler is the world’s first and only 3D Printing Pen.”
Unlike many (even smaller and simpler) 3D printers, this device does not require a savvy geek to get it going: “Using ABS plastic (the material used by many 3D printers), 3Doodler draws in the air or on surfaces. It’s compact and easy to use, and requires no software or computers. You just plug it into a power socket and can start drawing anything within minutes.”
Its uses range from practical small repairs to craft projects and even complex little structures, once you get the hang of it. They offer free stencils and templates to help you learn to create trusses and other rigid forms that will stand up and out from the page.