Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 Posted by Jim Thacker

3D Systems acquires The3dStudio.com

Online marketplace The3dStudio.com has been acquired by 3D printing company 3D Systems.

According to a blog post from The3DStudio.com President Matt Anderson, the site’s royalty rates – at 60%, higher than most similar sites – will be unaffected by the takeover.

The3dStudio.com has has previously guaranteed that it will never lower its rates.

Asked by a blog user whether this guarantee still holds true if 3D Systems is now in overall control, Anderson stops short of saying that the new owners could not lower rates, but comments: “I made sure 3DS knew about royalty issues and how dropping your rates is simply not something we can do.”

Anderson has been vocal about the issue of royalty rates in the past, prompting an online spat with Falling Pixel founder Jonathan Lloyd when Falling Pixel merged with TurboSquid earlier this year.

According to the official announcement, The3dStudio.com currently has over 600,000 members, of whom nearly 5,000 sell content through the site.

Visit The3dStudio.com