Service

Skip the Draft; Cubify Gets You Into the NBA Now

Cubify announced another terrific addition to their “3DMe” service, which puts your face on different 3D printed figurines. The awkwardly named but legally correct “3DMe™ Sports featuring NBA® app!” accepts as input a couple of facial images and applies them to a selection of basketball figurine poses.    The NBA part comes in when you… Continue reading Skip the Draft; Cubify Gets You Into the NBA Now

Shapeways Reduces Ceramics Cost

3D print service Shapeways has reduced the cost of ceramic materials to “be more consistent with how we price the rest of our materials – by volume of material used instead of surface area.”   It’s a methodology switch, really. Instead of charging by surface area (which we suspect they began with as the ceramic… Continue reading Shapeways Reduces Ceramics Cost

How to Easily Create 3D Models from 2D Images: Embossify

A new service provides an incredibly simple way to convert any 2D JPG image into a printable 3D model. Embossify accepts a JPG and quickly converts the file into a 3D mesh by using the contrasting colors as “height indicators”. You can see how it converted our logo into a simple 3D model above.   … Continue reading How to Easily Create 3D Models from 2D Images: Embossify

3D Hubs Offers Community 3D Printing

3D Hubs joins several other startups attempting to crowdsource inexpensive 3D printing. The idea is that idle home or business 3D printers could be put to work producing objects for requestors in local or distant areas. 3D Hubs provides a “hub” where you can find participants offering such services.    The process is straightforward, according… Continue reading 3D Hubs Offers Community 3D Printing

Finally! Verified For 3D Printing

MakerBot’s 3D model service, Thingiverse, has announced a very important new feature: Verified Prints. It’s a certification program that attempts to indicate which 3D models on Thingiverse actually have a chance of being successfully 3D printed.    We’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time, as one of the major complaints with… Continue reading Finally! Verified For 3D Printing

The Bld3r Repository

We bumped into another printable 3D model repository: Bld3r. The site operates as a kind of meta-layer over top of other repositories, but brings it all together in a single interface. The idea is to reduce or even eliminate any difficulties typically caused by a repository’s terms of use. You can store your models in… Continue reading The Bld3r Repository

The Mysterious 4XYZ

A new service popped up purporting to offer radically new furniture through the use of additive manufacturing, known to many through its more common name, 3D printing. The 4AXYZ service says:    WE UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE OF DIMENSIONS ODDM (“oddem”) offers disruptive opportunities to the world of creativity.  4 AXYZ is here to harness Additive… Continue reading The Mysterious 4XYZ

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

Cubify’s Bloody Halloween

Cubify has added a new app to generate 3D models just in time for Halloween: 3DMe Horror!    Previously Cubify has offered to place your own head on top of far nicer bodies such as Star Trek characters, but now you can obtain a 3D printed, full color figurine of yourself as a Zombie, or… Continue reading Cubify’s Bloody Halloween

Fabulonia to Protect 3D Designs

Startup Fabulonia has a new concept that could provide significant protection to designers fearful of losing control of their works.    As we understand it, Fabulonia will operate as a repository of 3D models submitted by (hopefully famous and notable) 3D designers. Consumers will be able to search, select and purchase a “print” from the… Continue reading Fabulonia to Protect 3D Designs

3D Systems Launches 3D Anatomical Service

3D printing giant 3D Systems announced the launch of their new Bespoke Modeling service. It’s a 3D model repository and sharing service, much like others that have emerged in recent years, but there’s a big difference here: this repository is focused on the medical industry.    Why the medical industry? Because there’s an increasing amount… Continue reading 3D Systems Launches 3D Anatomical Service

3DTin’s New Owners

One of the very few browser-based 3D modeling tools has changed hands. 3DTin has been acquired by Montreal-based 3D startup Lagoa.    Lagoa focuses on solving the problem of 3D requiring high-end computing power, which typically isn’t available on the increasingly frequent ultra-portable laptops. People love the portability, but 3D just doesn’t work so well… Continue reading 3DTin’s New Owners

Meshmixer Joins 123D

Autodesk announced that Meshmixer, a tool for easily manipulating 3D meshes, has been added to their 123D suite of 3D modeling applications.    Meshmixer has been around for quite a while and is frequently used by hobbyists and others to fix and mix 3D models. It provides an easy ability to combine multiple meshes to… Continue reading Meshmixer Joins 123D

Leopoly!

Leopoly is another web-based 3D sculpting tool that can create 3D printable objects.    What makes Leopoly unique? We think it is quite easy to use; almost anyone could rapidly create interesting 3D objects with no prior use of the tool. It’s basically self-explanatory: the controls are all within a command wheel composed of easy… Continue reading Leopoly!

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

DEFCAD Morphs into a Search Engine

You might remember DEFCAD? It was a site dedicated to hosting “controversial” 3D models that underwent some difficulties when the US Government seized their inventory of 3D printable weapon models. We thought that might be the end for DEFCAD.    Apparently not. A visit to DEFCAD shows they’ve changed the site into a meta-search engine… Continue reading DEFCAD Morphs into a Search Engine

Need to 3D Print a Striped Hyena Skull?

To be truthful, we haven’t had the impulse to 3D print a Striped Hyena Skull. At least so far this week. But in case you do, we’ve found a repository that holds detailed 3D models of numerous biological items, mainly 3D scanned skulls.    Digimorph, part of the National Science Foundation Digital Libraries Initiative, is… Continue reading Need to 3D Print a Striped Hyena Skull?

i.Materialise Keeps Their Rubber

Earlier this year 3D print service i.Materialise announced the temporary availability of an experimental flexible 3D print material. Now they say this material will be available permanently.    The material is indeed flexible and permits 3D printing of a new class of objects leveraging the legendary rubber-like property.   But there’s one fascinating catch. According… Continue reading i.Materialise Keeps Their Rubber

Captured Dimensions Captures Your Dimensions

A new, sophisticated and highly specialized 3D print service has launched: Captured Dimensions. This 3D print service focuses on producing full-color 3D figurines based on human and similar subjects.    The crown jewel of Captured Dimensions is this incredible 3D scanning setup, involving dozens of high-res cameras. The subject merely sits in the center of… Continue reading Captured Dimensions Captures Your Dimensions

Sculpteo’s New Materials

Last week Sculpteo announced the availability of two new materials for their 3D print service: Sterling Silver and Wax.   It’s an arms race between 3D print services; each adds new materials and features to keep up with or gain a lead on the others. The most frequent battlefield is materials. This announcement is just… Continue reading Sculpteo’s New Materials

Patent Issued for Digital Manufacturing

After years of process, US patent number 8,515,826 has been issued to Bryan Norman of KraftWurx fame. While there are billions of patents appearing, many of which are related to 3D printing, this one bears mentioning. Here’s the abstract of the patent:    Methods and systems for designing and producing a three-dimensional object selection of… Continue reading Patent Issued for Digital Manufacturing

New Ventures Focus on 3D Printing

We’ve seen multiple examples of companies starting up that make use of 3D printing for a specific purpose, be it artificial legs, figurines or automotive items. But now we’re seeing design firms emerge that are dedicated solely to 3D printed designs.    One such firm is Innovation Factory of Chicago, who can design, prototype, fund… Continue reading New Ventures Focus on 3D Printing

L’Altrome Launches

We’ve been directed to a new Italian service that can produce full-color 3D printed figurines based on your own image.    The service is similar to others we’ve seen, but is very simple to use. You must provide two color images of your (or someone’s) head: a front view and a side view. These images… Continue reading L’Altrome Launches

FabMe.it Launches

Another 3D model sharing site has launched, FabMe.it. The site operates in what is now becoming a standard business model: 3D designers upload their designs to the service for sale to the public. Presumably FabMe.it takes a portion of the sales, which for the models we inspected, seem to be priced around €0.99 (USD$1.30).   … Continue reading FabMe.it Launches

The 3D-Lab Store

We’ve uncovered yet another 3D model store, the 3D-Lab Store. Like many similar ventures, Poland-based 3D-Lab Store offers shoppers the opportunity to select a 3D print from a set of models. Some of the pieces offer sizing and color choices, which is particularly useful for bracelets.    Objects are printed in various colors of PLA… Continue reading The 3D-Lab Store

Makeshop Seeks Beta Testers

A new 3D model startup is looking for beta testers. Makeshop hopes to provide services to 3D designers and owners of 3D printers – and maybe a little extra cash. Spokesperson Billy Chism says:    I am launching a site for 3D printer owners who want to design, print and sell their items easily either… Continue reading Makeshop Seeks Beta Testers

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

123D Design Gets Better

For those of you using Autodesk’s free 3D modeling utility, 123D Design, there is very good news: a new version has been released.    The new version includes some very key features that were lacking until now:    The ability to import existing STL files, critical for handling 3D scans captured elsewhere Text! You can… Continue reading 123D Design Gets Better

Polychemy’s Personalized Necklaces

Polychemy, a Singapore-based 3D print company now offers personalized 3D printed necklaces. The company, up to now, has offered a variety of 3D printed objects such as phone cases, sculptures and jewelry. Today they’ve launched a personalized feature in which your name can be 3D printed directly into jewelry models.    The necklaces are composed… Continue reading Polychemy’s Personalized Necklaces

My3DTwin Makes… You!

A new service based in the UK can produce a full color 3D print of people. The service requires an in-person visit to their studio where your 3D image will be captured in some detail by a “custom made” 3D scanner.    The captured 3D model is quickly cleaned up and printed in full color… Continue reading My3DTwin Makes… You!

3D Modeling with Leopoly

A new browser-based 3D modeling tool has emerged: Leopoly. The new service presents simple-to-use methods of creating 3D objects.    Leopoly focuses on the community dimension: created objects are shared among the community, who can build new objects based on yours. Tweeting, posting and tagging ensure wide visibility of Leopoly creations.    Creating objects is… Continue reading 3D Modeling with Leopoly

THRE3D’s 3D Printing Directory

A new 3D printing online directory launches today: THRE3D provides a great index of materials, services and, of course, 3D printers.    The site operates at a meta-level above manufacturer and resellers sites, providing an ability to compare offerings in a consistent manner. For example, if you’re interested in obtaining a spool of Laywoo-D3 wood… Continue reading THRE3D’s 3D Printing Directory

Cuboyo’s 3D Model Shop

With all the new printable 3D model shops opening online, you’d wonder how they can possibly distinguish one from another. We’ve been examining Cuboyo and found they offer a convenient online experience for 3D model shopping.   The site contains only printable 3D models, greatly simplifying the shopping experience from typical and numerous 3D model… Continue reading Cuboyo’s 3D Model Shop

3D Printed Ponies!

Across the world today many people have 3D printers, but what do they make with them? We’re seeing inventive folks focus on very specific categories and styles of objects, each trying to eke out a business by servicing the needs of others. Student and artist Nyasu decided to make cute ponies with his 3D printer. … Continue reading 3D Printed Ponies!

Figulo Prints Ceramics

There is no shortage of 3D print services these days. Some are large, some are small, but virtually all of them have a strategy of expanding their scope as wide as possible.    Consider Shapeways, who have the peculiar habit of adding new materials almost weekly, or Kraftwurx, who offer over 100 different materials.  … Continue reading Figulo Prints Ceramics

3D Printing Price Check Update

What is 3DPrintingPriceCheck? It does exactly that. Jonas Neubert, creator of the online service, just released a significant update to the service, which now includes STL upload, instant quotes from some 3D print services, more materials and even lead time estimates.    The service makes shopping for the best deal easy. You simply drag and… Continue reading 3D Printing Price Check Update

How Many Things at Thingiverse? Lots!

3D printing is taking off, if one believes the signals seen this year. Another milestone was reached last week by popular repository Thingiverse, who declared they now have over 100,000 3D models available.    Thingiverse also released several interesting statistics. Apparently the number of models rose by 20,000 in just the past month. At this… Continue reading How Many Things at Thingiverse? Lots!

MakerBot – Autodesk Discount Available

If you happen to be interested in purchasing a MakerBot Replicator 2 personal 3D printer and a premium membership in Autodesk’s highly useful 123D apps, you’re in luck: there’s a discount available.    If you upgrade from the free version of 123D to premium level, you’ll receive a USD$40 discount on purchase of a MakerBot… Continue reading MakerBot – Autodesk Discount Available

Let Yeggi Find Your 3D Models

Unless you’re a capable 3D designer, you’ll have to find pre-made 3D models to send to your 3D printer. This can be problematic for a couple of reasons: searching for non-textual items is always difficult; there are an increasing number of 3D model repositories to search.    The latter is partially solved by the strangely… Continue reading Let Yeggi Find Your 3D Models

Cubify Releases “Draw”

Yet another easy-to-use Cubify app has been released: Draw. It’s actually an iOS app where you can simply “draw” a shape with your finger.    The shape drawn is a 2D trace, but the Draw app expands its thickness and extrudes it into a solid shape. You’re permitted to either email the corresponding STL file… Continue reading Cubify Releases “Draw”

3D Hacker’s Many Services

We were contacted by Andrew Mazzotta, who, with Adam Pirie, have created “3D Hacker”, a multipurpose website serving the needs of the 3D printing community.    The website acts much like a “3D Printing Kijiji”, where members can add listings in several categories, such as: parts, kits, printers, software, tools, tutorials, jobs, events, clubs and… Continue reading 3D Hacker’s Many Services

FabFabbers Opens

Yet another 3D model sharing site has opened: FabFabbers. Like many such repositories, FabFabbers permits members to upload models, showcase them in listings for download by visitors. But what differentiates this repository from the rest?    There are two features we found particularly interesting: uploaded models can actually be stored on GitHub, which is a… Continue reading FabFabbers Opens

Tinkercad Lives!

Our beloved Tinkercad lives again. The very popular web-based 3D modeling service was used by many due to its ease of use, web availability and inexpensive pricing. But in a move shocking everyone, the owners of Tinkercad announced it was closing as their business moved off into other ventures.    But now, in a rather… Continue reading Tinkercad Lives!

Kees 3D Printed Cases

We’ve run across a new 3D print service called “Kees”, which specializes in personalized mobile phone cases. While there seems to be oh, a zillion iPhone case options out there, the Kees service permits significant customization, as you can see in the image below. Each option offers many different choices, with dozens of backgrounds and… Continue reading Kees 3D Printed Cases

iMakr’s 3D Print Service

iMakr opened a large 3D print retail store in London earlier this year. The store sells various types of 3D printers and offers the public a chance to see the technology first hand.    Even though they haven’t been open very long, they’ve now added a new service: 3D prints on demand.    It works… Continue reading iMakr’s 3D Print Service

Forme Offers Fantastic Scanned 3D Models

Another new source for 3D models has launched: Forme, focused on high-resolution scans of a wide variety of object categories.    This model repository offers something quite different from the numerous other 3D model repositories that have popped up lately. Forme offers 3D scans, not modeled objects. They’re not provided in STL form, but instead… Continue reading Forme Offers Fantastic Scanned 3D Models

Staples’ First 3D Printing ‘Experience Centre’ goes live with Mcor Technologies

Mcor Technologies, Ltd. announced that its IRIS full-color 3D printers will be used exclusively in Staples’ first “Experience Centre” that has just opened at the Staples Office Center in Almere, The Netherlands.   The Staples Experience Centre provides a hands-on 3D printing experience where consumers can learn all about 3D printing. Visitors will be able… Continue reading Staples’ First 3D Printing ‘Experience Centre’ goes live with Mcor Technologies

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

Fabbing in Russia and Ukraine

3D printing exists almost everywhere in the world. Our blog receives visits from hundreds of countries, so it’s no surprise to find 3D printing activity in Ukraine and Russia. We came across Stereolia, who provide 3D printing services from the Ukraine and serving Russia.    Stereolia operates a 3D print shop, where designers can upload… Continue reading Fabbing in Russia and Ukraine

Flexiscale Makes Your Railway Models

Flexiscale is a UK-based company specializing in making model railway kits that you can spend enjoyable time assembling. While the practice of model building has been a hobby for many decades, Flexiscale is now approaching the development of kits with modern technology.    They use advanced 3D scanning technology to fully capture 3D scans of… Continue reading Flexiscale Makes Your Railway Models

Cubify Launches 3DMe

Billed as “Personalized 3D Printed Figurines”, the new Cubify 3DMe service does just that. Upload a photo of a face and paste it on one of several pre-made figurines and they’ll 3D print you. Literally.    There’s quite a large selection of figurines to choose from, including Male/Female, Sports, Jobs, Costumes and Occasions. For example,… Continue reading Cubify Launches 3DMe

You Should Check Out ShouldBee

The explosion of 3D model repositories and services continues. Today we’re checking out ShouldBee, a USA-based service that develops 3D models from which you can purchase full color 3D prints.    We found ShouldBee’s process a little different from the typical “we have a pile of models, pick one” approach used by other model repositories.… Continue reading You Should Check Out ShouldBee

Azavy Launches

Last Saturday saw the silent launch of a new service dedicated to helping you find inexpensive ways to 3D print. Four-person startup Azavy is a kind of network between Consumers, Designers and Makers.    Designers will be able to sell their designs on Azavy to Consumers, who can shop among a variety of themes and… Continue reading Azavy Launches

PanaShape’s Differences

There are multiple “upload and 3D print” sites available today, but Brian Bauman of PanaShape wants you to know their service is slightly different.    Yes, PanaShape permits upload of STL 3D model files – and the service creates animated 3D renderings as well as live-quoting your price to produce the model. They are able… Continue reading PanaShape’s Differences

Would You Share a 3D Printer?

One secret known by 3D printer owners is that they can be a lot of work and expense. They are more expensive than consumer-grade paper printers and require much more care and feeding to get good results. These may discourage some from buying their own 3D printer.    But now there could be another option:… Continue reading Would You Share a 3D Printer?

grain’s Unusual Approach

We’re checking out a new online repository for printable 3D models: grain. There are many such repositories sprouting up recently, so what makes grain different?    grain’s current inventory of models is a little thin, but that’s totally understandable given that it launched only recently. But there’s another twist we haven’t seen before: they don’t… Continue reading grain’s Unusual Approach

3D Industri.es Launches 3DPartSource

New UK startup company 3D Industri.es has launched its first product: 3D Partsource. It’s a repository specifically designed for 3D models of industrial components.    Anyone who searches for 3D models knows the problem these guys are trying to solve immediately: it’s pretty much impossible to find appropriate 3D models using conventional text-based searches. You… Continue reading 3D Industri.es Launches 3DPartSource

Tinkercad Shuts Down

Oh woe. Tinkercad announced its pending demise, as the team developing it has been reassigned to another project.  Launched in 2011, Tinkercad became the premier tool for web-based 3D model development. It even included direct hookups to various 3D print services, creating a very easy path to 3D prints for casual designers. By the end… Continue reading Tinkercad Shuts Down

Materialise Announces Flexible Material

Materialise, the industrial 3D print service, has announced a rather interesting material: TPU 92A-1. Despite the awkward and mysterious nomenclature, TPU 92A-1 offers a legendary feature: flexibility.    The video above shows the amazing flex provided by TPU 92A-1. Not only is this material flexible, but it also is resistant to tearing, temperature and abrasion,… Continue reading Materialise Announces Flexible Material

Sculpteo’s Customizable Dock

3D print service Sculpteo has been experimenting with a variety of end-user customizable 3D models. Once customized, you can order a 3D print of the model through Sculpteo’s banks of expensive 3D printers. The latest end-user modifiable model they’re offering is an iPhone 5 dock.    The customization offered is very straightforward: you can specify… Continue reading Sculpteo’s Customizable Dock

Find The Best 3D Printer?

We’ve learned of a new source for comparisons of 3D printers: FindTheBest.com, which is a comparison and review site for products and services of all types. Now they seem to have added a section for 3D printers, at least the less expensive ones.    Their 3D printer section lists over 30 different devices as of… Continue reading Find The Best 3D Printer?

A 3D Printing Dreambox

Every school and office should have a Dreambox. It’s literally a 3D printing service in a box. A box that looks suspiciously like a vending machine.    The machine works much like a 3D print service: you upload a 3D model from your computer or insert a USB stick into the Dreambox, which then sets… Continue reading A 3D Printing Dreambox

Sandboxr’s Figurine Service

There’s another 3D print service about to emerge: Sandboxr. It’s specialized for the easy creation of 3D figurines using a friendly interactive interface.    The new service should enable you to create a unique figurine 3D model by posing a pre-made highly detailed 3D model prepared by professional artists. It appears very reminiscent of game… Continue reading Sandboxr’s Figurine Service

Defense Distributed Defends Itself

If you’ve been following 3D printing recently, you have surely heard of Defense Distributed, a controversial non-profit initiative to create printable 3D models of gun parts, led by Cody Wilson.    Wilson’s talk at SXSW this week revealed their plan to develop and launch a new for-profit venture to distribute said 3D models: DefCAD.com. It’s… Continue reading Defense Distributed Defends Itself

Wirelessly Tag Your 3D Prints

Shapeways announced a very cool feature offered by their 3D print service: NFC tagging. If you haven’t heard of it, NFC stands for “Near Field Communication“, a short-range wireless technology.   NFC is used in key fobs or other security devices. It simply receives a signal and responds with its own unique digital number. With… Continue reading Wirelessly Tag Your 3D Prints

It’s In PrintaBase

What’s PrintaBase? It appears to be a searchable repository of 3D printing information. No 3D models here, just meta information. Their tagline is:    The most comprehensive database for everything 3D printing.     Like you, we’re wondering why their logo says “PrintaBit Beta”, when their site is “PrintaBase”. More than likely this will be… Continue reading It’s In PrintaBase

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

The Mystery of Modelyst

In recent days we’ve observed several printable 3D model repository startups. Some are existing non-printable 3D model repositories hoping to get in on the 3D printing craze, but some are brand new and dedicated to 3D printable models.    Which brings us to Modelyst.    What is it? Well, we’re not exactly certain. They have… Continue reading The Mystery of Modelyst

A Spanish 3D Print Service

We’ve learned of a 3D print service based in Spain: Fabber.cc. This service provides basic 3D printing services, providing prints in ABS or PLA plastic.    The service doesn’t have an interactive pricing mechanism, but you can send in your 3D model and receive a quote for the work.    This service seems to follow… Continue reading A Spanish 3D Print Service

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

3D Printed Human Replacement Parts Approved

Oxford Performance Materials announced that it’s finally received US Food and Drug Administration clearance for their OsteoFab™ Patient Specific Cranial Device. This is a 3D printed medical implant designed to replace missing bone structures.    The advantage of this approach, is of course that the replacement parts can precisely match the missing elements. Extreme personalization,… Continue reading 3D Printed Human Replacement Parts Approved

Shapeways Meets Up

We’ve frequently seen notices from Shapeways (and other companies) announcing meetups. The problem is that these meetups are rarely happening in your city. Sure, if you are a Manhattanite or a Londoner, perhaps, but most people simply aren’t nearby.    Shapeways proposes to solve this dilemma by having a meetup – everywhere!    They’ve announced… Continue reading Shapeways Meets Up

Polychemy Offers More 3D Prints

As interest in 3D printing grows, so does the requirement for amazing 3D prints. One interesting source is Polychemy, who market a collection of eclectic 3D prints by notable 3D artists.    Their catalog is not particularly large, but there are some terrific models stored within, some of which we’ve actually covered earlier. Artists include… Continue reading Polychemy Offers More 3D Prints

Ultra-Lab Sells MakerBots

We’ve just discovered that MakerBot has yet another reseller, this time in Spain. Ultra-Lab sells the full line of MakerBot devices, including the Replicator Dual Extruder, Replicator 2 and the latest model, the Replicator 2X.    In addition to MakerBot products, we understand that Ultra-Lab also sells plastic filament for the printers, electronics kits, e-textiles,… Continue reading Ultra-Lab Sells MakerBots

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

Controversy At 3DLT

You may not have heard about 3DLT. It’s an online “innovation hub” that attempts to provide 3D creators a web presence for marketing their designs. If you’re a designer you can join their program and create a mini-marketplace for your designs or receive requests for custom work.     But where’s the controversy?   Wired… Continue reading Controversy At 3DLT

Published
Categorized as Service Tagged

Dongiverse

Oh dear. This was bound to happen. There’s now a parody of 3D model repository Thingiverse called, “Dongiverse”. As you might expect, it appears to hold actual 3D models related to its eponymous title.    The site seems to be a layer on top of Thingiverse, as it simply links visitors to selected items in… Continue reading Dongiverse