It almost sounds like the title of a pop song from a few years ago. Right now, though, it describes the theme of the Valentine’s Day 3D Printing Challenge promoted by CG Trader, an online marketplace where 3D artists and designers can buy, sell or share 3D models.
Similar creative challenges linked to upcoming consumer holidays are not new but are developing rapidly. A quick comparison with last year’s Shapeways’ offer and other Saint Valentine’s Day related items, that we covered on 3DPI, will show you how far 3D printing has come in just one year in opening up to the crowd.
While last year it was mostly about a few complex creations, now, since the Challenge’s official opening, about a week previous to the time of this writing, 75 models have already been uploaded, ranging in price from 10 to about 50 dollars (with a few higher priced exceptions). Not all the models uploaded so far are 3D printable but more than half can be downloaded as .stl or .wrl (for multiple colour prints) and some are even available for free.
Posting them on CG Trader is free of charge and there are no limits as to how many can be entered by a single entity (be it an individual, a team or any legal entity). An Asterid 1000HB fully assembled 3D Printer from Plastic Scribbler will be the top prize, assigned in the Best Portfolio category (along with a free 3D printing model offer by 3D Print UK). Other prizes, for both Best Portfolio and Best Model include $300 from CG Trader, 5 Kg of premium PLA filament from iGO3D, a 100 Euro Gift card from Sculpteo and a CG Trader T-shirt. The Best Model winner will also receive a 3D printing pen and 1 Kg of filament from iGO3D.
Some of the models are basic but one thing is for sure, they are unique. And if you have a 3D printer or have access to one you can get a head start and create your Saint Valentine’s Gift for your partner by yourselves. After all, the 3D model is just half of the equation, just like a perfect wedding it takes two to tango: 3D modelling and 3D printing. The CG Trader challenge will give you the model, you do the printing. Or, if you are a 3D modeller, enter the competition guided by your love’s creativity and share it with the world.
Any solution you choose will certainly be original and might be the best answer to one of the biggest criticisms people tend to make about Saint Valentine’s Day and its consumeristic driven aspects (that make the price of roses quadruple on and around February 14th). Don’t just buy a mass-produced gift for your loved one: use the instruments available today to create something that is both unique and uniquely appealing.
Tom Bieleki, co-founder of Print to Peer, recently tweeted me about the IKEA Effect. What he means, I think, is that we assign a higher perceived value to something we created or build by ourselves. I bet that it has a much higher perceived value to a life partner as well. How much higher is likely to be directly proportional to their love.
