【1990 Archives】

An Ode to... is a weekly column where we share the stuff we're really into in hopes that you'll990 Archivesreally into it, too.

What's more satisfying than being able to 3D print stuff? Watching it happen.

If you're at all familiar with what goes into the 3D printing process, you know just how long it takes. But now, thanks to timelapse video, you can watch objects appear as if they're being created out of thin air.

There is something intensely pleasing about seeing the inner structures that fortify 3D prints come to be in an almost fluid-like motion. Take this headless knight: Watching the wavy weavings is so bizarrely calming, it doesn't matter that it takes more than one try.

This next video looks straight out of some futuristic Disney Channel program, like Smart House or Phil of the Future. The borderline-eerie music really adds to the overall experience. You'll feel like Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century watching this vase phase in out of nowhere.

This moon city video gives off similar vibes (with some different music). Especially pleasing is the effect of the platform slowly descending rather than the 3D printer building up.

The two clocks in this video illustrate justhow lengthy a process a 3D print of this size actually is. The fact that this castle is also the equivalent of the Barbie Dream Home for kids who grew up liking medieval fantasy novels is just an added bonus.

As technology advances, different types of 3D printing are evolving as well. For example, here's a video of a 3D print being made out of a vat of resin. Sure, it seems a bit slimy and gross, but at the same time, it's undeniably cool.

This lighthouse, as seen in the video game Elder Scrolls, was so massive it had to be built in three stages.

As technology advances and 3D printers become more accessible, we can only hope that more printing timelapses will come along with it. It's a little bit of magic right before your eyes.

(Editor: {typename type="name"/})