8 ms·
Show HN: Meet your cardboard buddy.
Our new mass-customisation service, inc a legitimate use for 3D CSS.
- EwanToo 14y agoLove it, would be even better if you could upload a photo and have that as the face
- d0de 14y agoWhen I first saw the site, I was hoping there would be a way to upload a picture, perhaps do some kind of feature-tagging (similar to the way you point out your pupils on photos on those try-on-glasses apps[1]) and have the site spit back a suggested face based on the features they had that most closely resembled yours. Of course, this is complete spitballing, I have no idea if it's feasible. [1]http://www.coastal.com/glasses/frames/derek-cardigan-7016-brown-pink-fade/prod27070.html?rsView=1&ga=F|M|K http://www.coastal.com/glasses/frames/derek-cardigan-7016-br... (click Try It On View)
- pooriaazimi 14y agoThey can also hire someone to do the matching manually (or do it themselves). It's a Show HN, which means they don't have a million users (yet)!
- bvdbijl 14y agoThey could use mechanical turk
- corwinstephen 14y agoI'm jealous of all the people that can come up with ideas so incredibly trivial that they're awesome and everyone buys into them.
- kamaal 14y agoYou will be surprised how much effort goes into executing 'trivial ideas'.
- davidw 14y agoSometimes they're just trivial: see "Pet Rock". Not to say that this particular project is, although it does look a bit faddish to me.
- Joeboy 14y agoMarketing the pet rock apparently involved custom packaging design and manufacture, and the creation of a 32 page "Care and training" manual. So not that trivial.
- davidw 14y ago32 pages and a little package was probably not even a week worth of work. Considering he made millions, it was pretty trivial, in my book.
- amikazmi 14y agoI think he meant to say that the idea is trivial, not the execution. Just like twitter "idea" of publicly broadcasting 140 chars is trivial to make, but the whole "twitter" isn't.
- citricsquid 14y agoThese sort of things discriminate against those of us who have no idea how to describe appearance! If only I could upload a photo and it would make a "closest match".
- Tichy 14y agoThere must be "automated caricature" software available?
- Karunamon 14y agoI've seen those mall photo booths that supposedly do something like this - takes a snapshot of you and caricature-izes it. I can't for the life of me think of what they're called or who makes them.. Only other thing I remember is it's adorned with a picture of a girl who wearing a beret who looks like an artist.
- SudarshanP 14y agoMaybe this could be a crowd sourceable feature. Someone on mechanical turk or crowdflower or 99 designs could take a photo and create your character and send the design back to you which you can print later.
- slig 14y agoFor instance, there're several people doing drawings and caricatures on fiverr[1] for 5 bucks. [1] http://fiverr.com/categories/graphics-design/create-cartoon-caricatures http://fiverr.com/categories/graphics-design/create-cartoon-...
- ed209 14y agohere you go http://cl.ly/image/0j3i3C2q003U http://cl.ly/image/0j3i3C2q003U :)
- marquis 14y agoOn another note, I went to make a pair of them for a friend and her husband's anniversary, but he has very little hair and there is no kind way to not put hair on something like this.
- liedra 14y agoReally cute! It'd be nice to be able to share a mockup with friends somehow.
- hakkasan 14y agoThanks, thats on the roadmap. We'll be able to turn the 3D css to pngs soon.
- kinlan 14y agoI had a lot of fun with it, and the only way I could share myy creation was to screenshot.... Personally I look at it as another revenue model. Make a model of Keene Reeves and sell it to his fans etc. https://plus.google.com/116059998563577101552/posts/Up1kKojQ5Q7 https://plus.google.com/116059998563577101552/posts/Up1kKojQ...
- indiecore 14y agoThis is a best thing I've seen all day.
- Axsuul 14y agoIt's great to see a Kickstarter project deliver! This is some really good execution. Best of luck to you guys.
- hakkasan 14y agoThanks. Kickstarter's been a massive help. I think they'll get through the current backlash in a much stronger place.
- tonymarks 14y agoGreat work guys. Liked the video(s), the instructions are clear, you also set expectations well for shipping, etc. Plus, building your audience (and funding) through a kickstarter campaign is brilliant. I wouldn't worry about the "photo" style characters yet; scale first, excel at customer service, and then if needed, release a 2.0 foldable.me.
- hakkasan 14y agoThanks Tony. There's loads we want to do with it in the coming months. As always though, better shipped than perfect.
- tonymarks 14y agoYep. I agree. Folks seem caught up on "face images", but you may want to consider gaining licensing rights to work with professional and collegiate sports. Dropping a New York Yankees pin-striped-uni on a foldable.me would sell pretty well as an add-on price. (And you wouldn't have to give up quality control) Good luck!
- 9k9 14y agoWho needs this junk?
- antidoh 14y agoWho needs the different colored shirts in your closet?
- rikf 14y agoThis is freaking awesome well done guys. Would love to get these for our team and stick them on our kanban board instead of 2d south park characters! EDIT: You should also make some animal shapes for pets!
- hakkasan 14y agoSweet! Send us a picture when you get them.
- snogglethorpe 14y ago> stick them on our kanban board note~ "kanban" already includes the notion of a board, so "kanban board" is sort of like "PIN number".
- mortenjorck 14y agoThis may be pedantic, but I learned something.
- snogglethorpe 14y agop.s. in the spirit of pedantry: 看板 (kanban) = "signboard"; 板 (ita) = "board" From a wikipedia glance, "kanban" was used here in the sense of a particular process-control method, and although the term "kanban" here is pretty clearly derived from 看板, I suppose now it could be considered a distinct term. Still, "kanban board" really sounds redundant...
- bruceboughton 14y agoNo.
- borplk 14y agoIt's a great idea. Impressed.
- Peroni 14y agoLove it. Surprisingly cheap too. I've ordered three and can't wait to see them!
- hakkasan 14y agoThanks. Let us know what you think of them.
- aabbaabb 14y agoShould buy the .com
- hakkasan 14y agohttp://FoldableMe.com http://FoldableMe.com :-)
- flixic 14y agoVery nice. But your preview visualization uses what I assume to be close to final art, including all the flaps and all. With web inspector (and some curl) I was able to extract all the layers, combine them together, and get a printable file: http://cl.ly/JprN http://cl.ly/JprN I'm sure most of HN visitors would be able to do the same. Not sure if you should patch it, though: your target audience will surely won't do things like that, and visualization is already a complex beast. Anyway, thanks for the free foldable design (:
- marcelfalliere 14y agoSame. Took me 15 minutes to figure it out and assemble the thing. I used webkit console and gimp. And since I have a hand down on the image, I can personnalize it to be me even more. Heisenberg is my go-to t-shirt http://i.imgur.com/BwQU9.png http://i.imgur.com/BwQU9.png
- hakkasan 14y agoNice! User designed t-shirts would be a rad idea. Try this on for size: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7brn6w9t11qk6saio1_1280.jpg http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7brn6w9t11qk6saio1_1280.j...
- whalesalad 14y agoDid you pirate that copy of Photoshop too? Show us your /etc/hosts file! Hah I tease, I tease. But seriously though.
- flixic 14y agoProudly showing how I paid a few thousand dollars to corporation that showed total disregard to its users[1][2] http://cl.ly/JspZ http://cl.ly/JspZ [1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3952263 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3952263 [2] https://getsatisfaction.com/adobe/topics/why_are_uk_prices_nearly_double_us_prices https://getsatisfaction.com/adobe/topics/why_are_uk_prices_n...
- ChuckMcM 14y ago
- BklynJay 14y agoGreat work guys. Easy to use website with a clear design. Love the product and will be ordering at least one.
- hakkasan 14y agoThanks Jay! Let us know what you think of the little fella
- e03179 14y agoXBOX 360 avatars can be extremely customizable and are stored in a 3D format on MS servers (and likely on the console itself). The recognize many friends online because of their avatar. I'd pay $$ to have a 3d printout of my XBOX 360 avatar...perhaps even with articulating appendages.
- micheljansen 14y agoYou know, I personally wouldn't spend $11.99 on this, but I have no doubt that plenty of people will fork that out with ease. I love how you can create genuine value from virtually nothing. This makes people happy and doesn't waste tons of stuff in the process.
- topbanana 14y agoNice, but needs face recognition. I can't be bothered to draw myself!
- engtech 14y agoNext step: create a Facebook app that lets you export your foldable.me to a facebook profile picture, maybe with something that lets you do a nice integration of profile picture + timeline cover photo. foldable.me goes viral as friends see their friends use the site. You end up with tons of people using the site who would never consider paying $12 for a piece of coloured cardboard... but once they get an emotional attachment to their avatar you can follow up with some lifecycle emails to convert them into a purchasing customer. You could also have a feature where friends could gift their foldable.me to other friends.
- vividmind 14y agoVery nice and cute. I'd definitely use for gifts. Bug report: the rotation and bottom scrolling buttons for lists didn't work for me in Chrome.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- bellan 14y agoHere's an article on how the avatar creation tool was built using 3D CSS: http://logicalfriday.com/2012/03/28/finally-a-legitimate-use-for-3d-css/ http://logicalfriday.com/2012/03/28/finally-a-legitimate-use...
- famousactress 14y agoMost of the comments here are a bum-out. Firstly, I don't think this is as trivial an idea to execute as a number of folks are saying. If you haven't launched something close to this complicated, you should refrain from suggesting this isn't much of an effort. It's clear that a lot of thought and work went into the concept, site, video, and product. Second, this is rad! Maybe we're getting cynical or a bit lost in history, but the idea that for about what lunch costs lately a kid (chronological or spiritual) can get a website to send them something totally custom is pretty awesome. Think hard about how long this has even been practical to do at all, much less as a tiny upstart. Oh, and it appears to be a successful Kickstarter project... so it's nice to see evidence of those.
- duck 14y agoHere is the Kickstarter link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kzhu/foldableme http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kzhu/foldableme
- felideon 14y agoSeems like a nice way to create your own Cardboard Programmer[1] (for Rubber ducky debugging[2]) of anyone you like. Edit: Maybe remote teams can print out all your coworkers so they keep you company. [1] http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?CardboardProgrammer http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?CardboardProgrammer [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging [3] Suggestion from [1]: "Uma Thurman's analytical, diagnostic, and motivational skills were amazing."
- adrianhoward 14y agoEdit: Maybe remote teams can print out all your coworkers so they keep you company. That was almost my first thought on seeing this :-)
- diasks2 14y agoIf you want some awesome downloadable freebies, the artist Patrick Washburn from Tokyo has been doing these types of foldable designs for awhile now: Spock: http://blog.patokon.com/2011/08/spock-wobblehead-papercraft.html http://blog.patokon.com/2011/08/spock-wobblehead-papercraft.... Spidey 50th Wobblehead and Old 52: http://blog.patokon.com/2012/06/spidey-50th-wobblehead-and-old-52.html http://blog.patokon.com/2012/06/spidey-50th-wobblehead-and-o... Captain America and Conan: http://blog.patokon.com/2011/09/marvel-comics-wobbleheads-captain.html http://blog.patokon.com/2011/09/marvel-comics-wobbleheads-ca... Yoda: http://blog.patokon.com/2011/07/yoda-papercraft.html http://blog.patokon.com/2011/07/yoda-papercraft.html Putter King: http://www.slideshare.net/putterking/putter-king-wobblehead http://www.slideshare.net/putterking/putter-king-wobblehead
- stevewilhelm 14y agoClever idea. Would be nice to have a digital delivery method that sends a PDF so one can print them immediately. Americans are all about immediate gratification. Might also consider a family pack. Don't know if these family stickers are popular in the UK, but they are everywhere here in the states. http://www.familystickers.com/ http://www.familystickers.com/
- hakkasan 14y agoThanks for the heads up Steve. That's an interesting idea.
- flyinglizard 14y agoYour execution is brilliant. Very well made site.
- hakkasan 14y agoThanks, that's kind of you to say
- kazuya 14y agoSplendid! However I prefer http://facemakr.com/ http://facemakr.com/ when it comes to the variations of facial parts.
- rbellio 14y agoBeing 6'6" tall and built like an NFL lineman, I have never been accused of being cute, light or portable. If I didn't feel buying one for myself would be somewhat narcissistic, I'd totally get one. If anyone wanted to buy me one as a present, I'd display it proudly on my desk though.
- bking 14y agoWould it be possible to make two sizes? I could see some mom buying a whole family. Followup could be pets. Maybe make some car decals that follow the same realm as the stickers you see on soccer mom vans
- hakkasan 14y agoThats a cool suggestion. Thanks
- alan57 14y agoNovel and entertaining. Reminds me of creating a Mii on the Wii, only they arrive at your door. It would be cool if you could get super mini versions that you could hand out as business cards. It's the kind of thing that recipients would definitely show around, and hold on to.
- bking 14y agoOh, and can you make a zombie setup? I would totally pay for a mini-zombie-me
- hakkasan 14y agoAce. Halloween is around the corner!
- hnriot 14y agoNice execution, great website, but a total waste of time and resources.
- veridies 14y agoReally cool concept. I'd love to get a couple of these as gifts. Only problem is that I suck at selecting the right features, so facial recognition or Mechanical Turk usage would really help. (Also, a ponytail hairstyle would be nice.)
- Evbn 14y agoYou want to get really rich? Integrate with the Flat Stanley industry.
- Poiesis 14y agoIn line with the people talking about giving these as gifts: what about the new Facebook gift platform? I'm not totally sure I'd trust myself to give one of these as a gift, though, as I'd end up either creating a likeness of someone that they didn't like, or a completely narcissistic gift of my own likeness. But, hey, best of luck--I bet there are plenty of people who think otherwise!
- mhb 14y agoIt would be interesting/challenging to also offer the figure in a 3D illusion version. (http://www.moillusions.com/2006/03/dragon-illusion.html http://www.moillusions.com/2006/03/dragon-illusion.html)
- danielhughes 14y agoYou should consider offering an option to scale these up to life size.
- orangethirty 14y agoThis is just out of the box thinking. Beautiful product. Ordering three. Sales tip: this would make great Christmass Tree ornaments. I imagine a Chrsitmass tree with my whole family represneted as little carboard figures. Lovely.
- GarethX 14y agoI bought two from their Kickstarter for the girlfriend and I. I liked mine, but the girlfriend not so much - something about me telling her this stumpy little box was modelled on her didn't go down so well :)
- 404error 14y agoThese guys provide free pop culture cutouts http://www.cubeecraft.com/ http://www.cubeecraft.com/
- lancefisher 14y agoI've done one of those before. The biggest pain was cutting all the little lines out. It's probably worth $12 just for a pre-cut version, plus you can customize it!
- jazzychad 14y agoNo option for mutton chops? Lost a sale :(
- siculars 14y agoJust ordered one. I'm literally sitting on an L couch with my friend across from me while going through the options. Trying to look intently at her face without her noticing. Thankfully, she is lost in her own laptop. For all the people saying you could download the files and do it yourself, I say sure. You could do that. But you could also send something nice to someone in the mail at some point in the future as a surprise. People like getting mail. Real mail. Ya you could put it in the mail yourself, but will you? $12 is cheeper than a movie in NYC. Totally worth it. For the team at foldable.me: Great product. I would work on: -expanding the selections and options -adding high heel shoes -allowing someone to upload a head shot and "cartoonize" it. There are some sites that do this... partner with them? -add different sizes to your cutouts... s/m/l -animals like dogs, cats, horses, sheep, cows, etc.
- lallysingh 14y agoWhite people only? I only discovered while trying to make one. Still, count me as a fan, just not a customer (yet). Lovely 3D animation. Really lovely. I'm always happy to see 3D native on the web. I think siculars's comment for adding animals is brilliant. I think a lot of people would like a desktop version of their favorite cat or dog :-)
- lallysingh 14y agoOh, and a halloween voodoo-doll variant could be a lot of fun :-)
- anigbrowl 14y agoYou can set skin color on the head shape - there's only one head, but lots of colors.
- lallysingh 14y agoAh, ok thanks. I just ordered one.
- jamesbritt 14y agoIf you want to make your own you can grab the Cubee template from here: http://www.cubeecraft.com/template.html http://www.cubeecraft.com/template.html There's PDF and PSD; load it into Photoshop or Illustrator (or whatever works) and have at it. I've built lots of papercraft toys, and designed a few. Half the fun is in downloading a file, printing it out, cutting it up, and ending up with something tangible. BTW there's a copyright on this template, too. It looks identical to the Foldable.me figure.
- hakkasan 14y agoYes, we are working with the creator of CubeeCraft, Chris Beaumont. We're big fans of his work.
- tripzilch 14y ago... but what if I want one with a frown? ;-) just kidding. awesome work, guys!
- mimetic2 14y agothis is the best thing i've seen on hacker news.
- mimetic2 14y agothis is the best thing i've seen on hacker news.
- qq66 14y agoNeat! I am having a lot of trouble making a character that resembles me though. I'll suggest the genetic algorithm used by the Nintendo Wii and also by some police departments to create composite sketches. This mechanism gives you an array of 9 random faces to choose from, and asks you to pick the closest one. Using that information, it generates 9 more random faces, but guided towards the features that you've selected. After 10 or 15 rounds of this, you have converged on a near-perfect likeness. It relies on the fact that I can often tell that a face doesn't quite look like me, but I'm not sure along what parameters. However, when presented with a variant with slightly larger eyes and a variant with slightly smaller eyes, I can immediately select the correct one.
- frozenport 14y agoI would like to see a metal version. Paper does not seem like a durable material, and for the price of 3 Subway footlongs, I demand satisfaction.
- tled 14y agoCan't wait to see Maru cat version