3DVIA.com adds ‘print this model in 3D’ button
Dassault Systèmes has partnered with online 3D printing service Sculpteo to enable users of 3DVIA.com to order hard copies of their digital models.
Users can now upload a model to the site and click the ‘Send to Sculpteo 3D Print’ button on its home page to order a white plastic, black plastic or coloured mineral powder print.
Although many assets on the site are created using Dassault’s 3DVIA product range, which include free design tool 3DVIA Shape and free real-time authoring app 3DVIA Studio, any model in OBJ format can be uploaded.
The usual restrictions for 3D prints (objects should have internal thickness and be stable when rested on their bases) apply, along with a maximum print volume of 15x15x15cm and a maximum file size of 25MB.
Prices start at €30.00 (around $43) for a 5x5x5cm print.
The news follows the launch of Autodesk’s 123D. Released last month, and still in beta, the free entry-level modelling package comes with an option to have designs fabricated by online service Ponoko.
PRESS RELEASE (Excerpts)
Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that the 260,000+ users of its 3DVIA.com community can now order online 3D-printed versions of their digital 3DVIA-hosted models through the 3D printing Web service, Sculpteo. With this partnership, the easy physical production of 3D designs for all, at an affordable price, is taking a new step.
Previously used for rapid prototyping, 3D printing is now considered as a manufacturing solution and is available to all, thanks to an easy-to-use online service created by Sculpteo for 3DVIA. Users simply click the “Send to Sculpteo 3D Print” button on their own 3DVIA model’s view page, specify the size they wish to print and choose a white, black or full-color print option. Final printed models are shipped directly to users’ mailboxes. During the online printing process, 3D models are automatically analyzed to ensure the best results. Digital repair and optimization are just one of the many features provided through Dassault Systèmes and Sculpteo’s partnership.
3DVIA.com, one of the top 3D communities on the Web, is an open platform accepting most 3D files, including CAD and other standard formats (OBJ, DAE, 3DXML, STEP and IGES), enabling community members to print almost any creation with the simple click of a button.
Through a crowd-sourced approach, 3DVIA.com community members, including designers, 3D enthusiasts and companies, have long been producing 3D content with Dassault Systèmes solutions. Users host their 3D models, incorporate them in virtual showrooms with 3DVIA Scenes and give them life with the 3DVIA Studio development environment.
The 3DVIA platform is connected with other Dassault Systèmes solutions, such as CATIA and SolidWorks, which already include a Publish to 3DVIA function (starting with CATIA Version 6 and SolidWorks 2009), consequently making the 3D printing process even easier.