In about six months, Fulvio Gollinelli and Emiliano Guida, are planning to launch their Just Make 3D modelling network, aiming to collect all 3D modeling and 3D scanning professionals under one virtual roof, to “just make” their services available to the ever growing number of 3D printer-owning consumers.
In a 3D printing scenario where many large companies and start-ups have been offering and want to offer 3D printing services and online networks, Just Make takes a different approach, catering to the primary need of those – both professionals and consumers – who need to 3D print something: having all the necessary resources to create a 3D printable model in the first place, in a single place.
In other words this is a 3D printing social network for 3D modellers. “We have seen that there are many people working in the 3D modelling sector but they are often hard to find and not well connected with each other – Fulvio Gollinelli explained – we want to create a co-creative space that integrates all the information and tools necessary for a person to go from an idea to a 3D printed item.” The service will be open to all 3D printing adopters: professionals, as well as makers, designers, individual 3D printing and 3D scanning services and to all those producers of goods that are beginning to convert from traditional to 3D productivity.
More and more companies are becoming aware that one of the biggest limitations to a widespread adoption of digital manufacturing technologies is the current generation’s limited familiarity with 3D modelling software and tools. That means that while an ever growing number of people may now utilise FFF/FDM and even resin 3D printers, for metal and powder printers many do not have the necessary skill to use them to their full potential.
Autodesk, Rhino and even Google are trying to address this by developing easy to use parametric modelling software that, while being extremely useful tools for beginners, lack functionalities when it comes to designing complex professional parts and items.
Networks such as Digital Forming have been trying to create platforms for consumers to get in touch with designers. Just Make, on the other hand, seeks to unite professional 3D modellers with each other and with the public in general by letting anyone find the items they want through the exploration of their favourite 3D model social networks or by getting their design ideas 3D modelled though a co-working team of online professionals, to then proceed to 3D print it anyway they want. The concept is simple and this video might help explain how it will work:
Just Make could thus become the missing link between the general consumer and consumer oriented 3D printing services such as Sculpteo, iMaterialise, Shapeways and even 3D Hubs, or their own 3D printers. It wants to do this by implementing social media and online community tools such as hashtagging, direct messaging and ratings. An interactive virtual window will allow hobbyists as well as professionals to showcase their work
“We want our users to be able to obtain and download a perfectly 3D printable, truly personalized and unique file they can 3D print at the touch of a button,” says Gollinelli. “That is why we have been building a database of information on over 100 desktop FFF/FDM 3D printer models and a growing number of SLA and DLP home printers, and in part, inkjet powder based 3D printers”. To do this the Just Make team is implementing an AI algorithm, based on neutral networking and semantic ontologies, for the system to automatically learn abilities that cannot be encoded schematically.
Building this network is a large collective effort by Fulvio and Emiliano together with a team of modellers and developers. It has been ongoing for the past two years, and as I mentioned, still has about six months to go. Time, as the Just Make team knows full well, runs very fast in the 3D printing industry: it is time for them to “just make” it work.
