The Olympic Games, held every two years, captivate audiences worldwide and spark widespread interest. In this article, we’ll explore and feature various developed and emerging 3D technologies, examining how one of the greatest events on Earth can spark creativity and provide ideas and inspiration for 3D designers on future projects.
This Guide Covers
- Paris 2024 Highlights
- 3D Printed Objects and Equipment
- Multi-Camera Relay Systems
- AR, VR, and 360 Technologies
- 3D Printed for Stop Motion Animations
- Olympic Themed 3D Printing Competitions
- 3D Printable Models – File Repositories
There is significant potential to witness the latest innovative technologies at the greatest show on Earth. This is true not only in sports but across all aspects, as host countries endeavor to accommodate visitors from around the world. It’s a matter of prestige to showcase modern technology as a major public relations effort to enhance tourism and foster business relationships.
Paris 2024 Highlights
Here are the design and 3D printing highlights featured before and during the 2024 Olympic Games. The summer leading up to the Olympics was rich with sporting events, setting the stage for the games with a vibrant and competitive atmosphere.
3D Printed Concrete Skate Park Elements
The Dutch company Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix proudly announced that it manufactured and supplied 3D-printed concrete elements for a skate park installed at La Défense in Paris before the Olympic Games.
Image: 3d.weber
This 400 m² skatepark at Esplanade de Paris La Défense resembles a gigantic pinball machine and is accessible to everyone from July 18 to August 11 during the international sports competition. Beginners and experienced skateboarders, families, and people with or without disabilities are all welcome to experience the sport together. Source: 3d.weber
Cycling
While attending additive manufacturing trade shows such as Formnext and TCT3 Sixty, visitors can observe a wide array of sports equipment, either fully or partially produced using 3D printing technology and advanced materials. In recent years, it has become commonplace to see items like advanced bike frames on display. Notably, British Cycling recently unveiled the Team GB Olympic track bike for the Paris 2024 Games, featuring multiple components that were additively manufactured using Renishaw’s metal 3D printing technology.
Sports Themed Design for 3D Printing Competitions
Manufacturers and members of the 3D printing community often celebrate the Olympic Games by organizing and participating in 3D printing-themed competitions and giveaways. For instance, platforms like Cults3D and Anycubic’s Makeronline are currently hosting competitions related to the Olympics. If you’re more interested in design than sports, these activities are definitely worth exploring.
Creative 3D Printing Ideas for the Paris 2024 Olympics
Celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympics with your own 3D-printed memorabilia. Design replicas like the intricately patterned Paris 2024 Games Torch and the official gold and black logo. Print using budget desktop resin and FDM 3D printers medals featuring the Eiffel Tower and practical items like pen holders featuring the Olympic Rings. Soccer enthusiasts can recreate the official match ball, while fans can bring the 2024 Paris Olympics Mascot to life with a custom design.
Marianne, the emblematic logo of the Paris 2024 Games, can be seamlessly incorporated into various projects using laser cutters and engravers. This allows for precise and detailed implementation on a wide range of materials.
The First AI Olympic Games
AI technology is set to transform the Paris 2024 Olympics, significantly enhancing athlete training and competition accuracy with advanced algorithms and AI judging systems. Security will be bolstered by AI-powered surveillance, and social media tools will shield athletes from online abuse. AI will also streamline broadcasting, creating personalized highlights and optimizing energy management and timekeeping for peak efficiency. This integration of AI will revolutionize the Olympic experience, ensuring precision and safety throughout the events.
3D Printed Objects and Equipment in the Olympics
– Podiums. In Tokyo 2020 all 98 podiums were printed using the FDM 3D printers. You can see in the video below how an artist Asaon Tokolo came up with the design. Also, we can see how they overcame the notorious warping issue. The helper discs and the brim/skirt extensions were used in order to keep the sharp corners well attached to the print bed.
As these podiums were made from 24.5 tons of recycled plastics, this green initiative was highly praised. And understandably, some of these podiums will be recycled further if not used again.
– Pistol grip. The shooting equipment’s 3D printed grips were customized for the athletes’ hands. Customized handles and grips are not that novice in the 3D printing world. Usually, this involves mold creation, then 3D scanning of the mold, and 3D printing the final model in the desired material.
More 3D printed sport objects and equipment will be added in due course.
Multi-Camera Relay System Replays – Unfinished 3D Scan
While glued to TV watching Tokyo 2020, we could not help admiring these video tricks. In judo, gymnastics, and some other sports, the most important moments, such as the winning throws’ or super complicated jumps’ videos, were replayed using the footage from the multi-camera relay systems. Several cameras take the footage from different angles, and then the software turns the feed into a “3D scan preview-like” feature.
Of course, we know that such footage is not enough for a full 3D scan. Nevertheless, it is tempting to contemplate such technologies. Think of the possibility to create 3D scans and 3D printable figurines of the favorite athletes.
We guess that the movie and game creators benefit from such captured moments anyway. The artists involved can have a better view and understanding of the positions and dimensions.
AR, VR and 360 Technologies
Tokyo 2020 was expected to be the AR/VR technology packed Olympic games. Visitors of such sports as swimming or climbing, for example, could have the AR/VR experience by using special headsets. Due to the pandemic, the venues were out of reach for the visitors, and these headsets were left unused.
Looking at the positive, the new reality is fuelling the technological advancement which will enhance any event experience in the future.
Here is a 360 video from Rio 2016 featuring athletics.
You can rotate the camera while the video is playing.
3D Printed for Stop Motion Animations
3D printing, stop motion and other 3D animation techniques were used by the Blinkink studio for BBC Beijing 2022 advert. In this extensive gallery, you can see the process in detail. Directed by Balázs Simon, the studio used 3D printed parts to portray the elements of winter sports.
3D printing plus stop motion (MP4: Blinkink)
Olympic Themed 3D Printing Competitions
Manufacturers and the community members tend to celebrate Olympic games by organizing and taking part in 3D printing-themed competitions and giveaways.
- Table: 3D Printing Competitions
- Table: 3D Printer Giveaways
Here is an image of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rings and a mascot Miraitowa turned into a 3D printed lithophane by Clint Sturm for a themed competition organized by Creality on Facebook.
(Print and Photo: Clint Sturm)
How to Find Olympics Themed 3D Printable Models
File repositories offer ever-expanding themed collections. And of course, there are a lot of Olympics-related models, from rings and torches to mascots. As the models may be scattered throughout such repositories, we would recommend looking for such 3D models with the help of the specialised search engines like Yeggi or STLFinder, for example. Also, as the “Olympics” is a general keyword, we would recommend searching using such combinations as Pyongyang 2018, Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 or Paris 2024.
(Print and Photo: 3DPrintBunny)
Here is a good example by @3DPrintBunny who gave us permission to use the image as the guide’s thumbnail. To create the rings, Natalie Cheesmond used tensegrity and color-changing techniques.
Conclusion
The greatest show on Earth, the Olympics, can offer a lot of inspiration and innovation even for those who are not so much into sports. The worldwide events attract by their technological advancements, including AR/VR and other 3D technologies.
Related: VR Museums
Throughout the years we have seen various applications of virtual reality in many areas of our lives, and in culture, museums were pioneering adoption of this technology in the form of VR museums. In this article, we will look at a few success stories, understand the volume of work involved and have a little glimpse into the future.
