This week we are highlighting Steve Marshall, of StuffBySteve. Steve is a completely self-taught modeler who likes to push the limits of skill and imagination. His shop ranges from puzzles to fun music inspired pieces-proving that 3D printing can bring all kinds of passions to life!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? Where are you located?
I am a Computer Science student at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg. I love both programming and 3D printing, and few things are more exciting to me than seeing my ideas come to life!

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What’s the story behind your designs? What inspires you?
Most of my inspiration is simply to create cool new stuff. If I have an idea for something that I would like to have, and it doesn’t already exist, I make it myself!
Music has been a major part of my life, and I love singing and performing, so music is a prevalent theme in my designs.

What brought you to 3D printing with Shapeways?
When I was in high school, I loved solving, collecting, and building 3D puzzles. I was inspired by Oskar Van Deventer’s incredible designs, and decided to try 3D printing to make my own. After my first order arrived, I was hooked!

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How did you learn how to design in 3D?
I am completely self-taught, and learned to design in Autodesk Inventor through experimentation. I’m still learning by always trying to make things that push the limits of both my skill, and my imagination.

How do you promote your work?
Promoting my work is definitely not my strong suit, and this is where Shapeways really shines for me. I’ve put a lot of work into making my shop look great with nice product pictures and designs perfected through prototyping. Shapeways has done an amazing job promoting my creations through email newsetters, gift guides, and features. Thanks to the Shapeways team for helping me get noticed!

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Who are your favorite designers or artists? Who in the Shapeways community has served as an inspiration to you?
Oskar Van Deventer was my largest inspiration to start 3D printing, and his creations continue to amaze me! TomZ, Shim, Eric Vergo, and many other members of the TwistyPuzzles forum were also early inspirations. Some of my favourite designers now are Dotsan, Bulatov, Bathsheba, and Polychemy for their beautiful and complex creations. I also have an expanding collection of Baroba’s cute little creatures!

If you weren’t limited by current technologies, what would you want to make using 3D printing?
I’ve never felt limited by what’s currently possible, and every new innovation is amazing to me. Working around material restrictions is part of what makes design so appealing to me- it’s fun finding creative solutions to make things printable! My hope is that 3D design software will continue to become cheaper, easier to learn, and more accessible.

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Anything else you want to share?
Shapeways is awesome! It’s a pleasure to be a part of the community, and it’s always a thrill to take something out of my imagination and hold it in my hands.

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THIS SHOP:

  • Really fun collection of products
  • Great photography
  • Experimentation with different materials
  • Fun shop branding

Pleasure to have you in our community, Steve! Love how much fun you have with your shop! Follow Steve on Twitter, and check out his website. To be featured, feel free to email aimee @ shapeways.com!