Is there life on Mars or are we alone in the entire universe? There are thousands of UFO stories and aliens being spotted around the world every day... are all of them pure lies? And what about the future? Will those creatures (if they exist?!) live among us and become part of our society?

These questions have been tackled in various sci-fi movies, games and books about alien attacks and invasions. However, fantasy films aren't the only factors making us doubt our fact-based reality. "I think we're going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we're going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years," says NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan and - you will agree - he is pretty convincing. Or at least a little bit more realistic.

Inspired by the numerous sources of alien-focused discussions, we got curious to know how CG designers imagine aliens and interpret this challenge theme. Its title indicates what we're looking for: show us fictional creatures from the planets existing in space (or inside your head, for that matter), design their spaceships or other spacecraft helping them to travel from one planet to another, and construct their living environment in 3D. Let's inject some 3D fantasies into this alien story.

Surprise us and our sponsors Cheetah3D, LightWave 3D Group and RebusFarm by creating totally new worlds with living yet undiscovered creatures!

It is evident that 3D printing has place in schools and will continue to have a significant impact and value for education. That's why we decided to contribute to the worldwide initiative and organize an educational project called "History Through 3D Printing". The expected outcomes will be grouped in two model categories: 1. Miniatures / busts of US presidents 2. Miniatures representing architectural styles.

How will it work? You can find the list of required models below. Every week it will be updated to demonstrate, which models are still required to complete the collection. At the end of the challenge, the best models will be awarded. Even if your model is not among the winners, be sure to check the final collection - we may still feature it if it's got us charmed.

We are doing this because we believe that our community is strong enough to initiate such a movement and help the young generation become better aware of 3D printing and its potential to be used in the process of learning. This idea is supported by amazing partners: 3D Systems offering the 3D printer for the winner of this challenge and Colorfabb!

Architectural styles

1. Classical
2. Byzantine
3. Gothic
4. Renaissance
5. Baroque
6. Rococco
7. Neoclassicism
8. Art Nouveau
9. Beaux Arts
10. Neo-Gothic
11. Art Deco
12. Modernist styles
13. Postmodernism

US presidents

1. William McKinley (1897-1901)

2. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

3. William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

4. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

5. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)

6. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

7. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

8. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

9. Harry S Truman (1945-1953)

10. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)

11. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

12. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

13. Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

14. Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

15. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

16. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

17.George Bush (1989-1993)

18.Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

19. George W. Bush (2001-2009)

20. Barack Obama (2009-present)

Join this meaningful initiative and let's do some good together!

At least once in your life there should have been a situation when one or another part of your gadget - smartphone adapter, toaster locker or whatever - had got broken. You are getting desperate and disappointed asking yourself: "Where on Earth could I find this small piece?" Usually the answer is: "Nowhere, my dear. You should probably go and grab a new toaster or adapter" as it could be really hard to come by with a tiny component needed. Doesn't sound exciting, does it?

One of the most practical ways to use 3D printing technology is spare parts. So, this brand new challenge is a call for makers, DYI designer communities, 3D printing professionals and enthusiasts! Think about the items, gadgets or whatever what can have breakable parts and design them. For the author of the best model our amazing challenge sponsor Leapfrog 3D printers company is ready to give away the fascinating and extremely motivating prize - Leapfrog Creatr HS printer worth $2500! Imagine the ability to print dozens of spare parts for your friends and yourself!

Maybe this challenge will help someone to get the spare part needed? We're giving you a hint: it is said that some previous generation Apple adapter is known for stopping working after some time due to its design... Here's only one idea, but we believe dozens of them spin in your head. Let those ideas turn into 3D printable objects! CGTrader and Leapfrog 3D printers company will work on boosting your motivation for that!

Make it useful, make it printable and make it work!

Can you imagine your life without a soft and comfortable bed to lay after an extremely intensive day? What place would you choose to eat at if there were no chairs, sofas and tables invented?

It's a fortune - we are living in the ages, which bring us countless number of extraordinary and unique furniture designs. Thus, we decided to expand the supply even more and run CG Furniture challenge! We believe it's the best time to give the opportunity for furniture designers to compete with each other for the recognition and marvelous prizes.

You are free to design any kind and any style of furniture. Medieval style chair or futuristic couch - everything works. Surprise us and surpass yourself! Don't forget that one model could be only for one challenge and should be uploaded during the challenge period.

Our amazing sponsors are ready to give the best they can to motivate you even more! This time we have partnered up with Ranch Computing, SketchList and Landscape Architects Network.

Don't lay in bed, design one instead giving your best shot!

Summer is yet to come bringing joy and warmness not only to people, but also to all living creatures. Thus, we decided to take the opportunity and launch Flora and Fauna challenge as the upcoming season will certainly help you to get inspired for such a topic!

In nature, flora and fauna complement each other, but since you are given a blank page, it's up to you to decide whether to model only plants, animals (take a look at bear 3D model, venom 3D model or velociraptor 3D model if you're out of ideas!) or combine them together! Your models - our prizes. This time we have really great ones: memberships from CG Cookie, Grow FX licenses from Exlevel, Autograss licenses from Happy Digital, Plant Kits by Laubwerk, $1000 render fee by Rayvision, Transform and Signal tools by Greyscalegorilla and cool prizes from CGTrader.

Generate original ideas, put them into the 3D model and render, add as much quality as possible and win marvelous prizes worth more than $7,000!

CGTrader has teamed up with Microsoft to bring you something spectacular!

Microsoft are preloading the 3D Builder printing app with Windows 10. They are looking for 3D models specifically designed for testing and benchmarking 3D printers that will help users check the results for accuracy and deviations. For the best entries they are giving incredible prizes, including a Surface Pro 3! So, get ready - it will be swift and intense, but totally worth it!

You are given only a few short weeks to show what you are capable of and who knows, maybe your model will be preloaded on Windows 10! The kind of 3D print designs you want to make depends entirely on you, just make sure it is visually appealing and attractive. The most important part: don’t forget to look through the technical features mentioned in the 'judging' section as only those models which match the requirements will have a chance to be selected.

Do your best and become part of something that will touch many!

There were times when independent designers were really just tiny specks of creativity compared to the well-established design studios. The big guys ran the show and there was not much jewelry designers without serious financial backing could do to jump over that barrier. Well, let's call those times the pre-3D-printing Era. It's a bit like talking about the lives of those who survived the pre-Google Era. Tough times, serious struggle, happy to never know what that really means.

Consider yourself born under a lucky star if you have an unwavering passion for jewelry design and would like to give it a try. It's your time, and it's absolutely possible for you to earn money from such talent. Stop making excuses and start bending the software to produce the best pieces you can.

We have teamed up with MiiCraft+ to bring you an exciting 3D printing models challenge. These guys specialize in printers almost entirely dedicated to printing 3D jewelry and accessories. They were so generous to offer the Miicraft+ printer for the winner of the best 3D printable design category. So give it your best shot, because the game is on!