Designer Spotlight: Florian Bendl - Shapeways Blog

Designer Spotlight: Florian Bendl

December 28, 2015

This week we are highlighting Florian Bendl, designer behind Math_Art_Nature. A jack of many trades, Florian is a physicist who is currently working in the financial industry, but also a 3D modeler in his free time!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? Where are you located?

My name is Florian Bendl, I’m a physicist working in the financial industry in Switzerland. My day job consists mainly of shoving numbers back and forth on a computer and I wanted again a connection to the physical world with what I am doing. This is why I have taken up 3D printing as a hobby and am a regular guest at the local Fablab for some hands on work with the CNC and laser cutter.

What’s the story behind your designs? What inspires you?

I find inspiration in so many things around me. Nature is a fantastic designer. I still find the beauty in mathematics compelling and theory has an abundance of beautiful concepts and shapes which all deserve a place in a museum in their own right. The ability to transform numbers into beautiful physical objects still takes my breath away.

How did you learn how to design in 3D?

I wanted to design in 3D for a long time. Beginning of 2014 I finally got myself started by attending a 3-day course for Rhino. With the basics at hand I started building models. It was since long clear that generative design was what I was interested in, leading me to Grasshopper. It’s a fantastic interface and gets one going really quickly. For the more complicated models I program my models in the supplied Python modules and if the mathematics gets rougher, I use Matlab to generate the necessary input. My physics background certainly helps there.

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THIS SHOP:

Thank you, Florian! Nature is a great designer but you are also bringing some of the greatness to life very well – keep up the beautiful work! Don’t forget to check out Florian’s shop, website and follow along on Facebook. To be featured, email aimee @ shapeways.com.