When I spoke with Bram de Zwart of 3D Hubs in New York last week, he told me that they had been working on a new API to connect creators and users of 3D content to its global network of 3D printers and that global software developer, Autodesk, had picked it up for its 123D family of apps. I was impressed — until he told me that I couldn’t talk about it yet. Well, obviously I am still impressed with the fast paced developments and increasing reach that 3D Hubs continues to display, just disappointed that I had to keep this off the record.
But now the word is out, and 3D Hubs has introduced this new enterprise-grade API and announced that Autodesk will indeed be the first company to integrate it into its 123D family of software applications, which provide free 3D design software with content modelling and fabrication services for people who want to make things themselves. This is obviously a good fit and makes a great deal of sense by combining and connecting accessible design and content with local 3D printing services.
3D Hubs’ global network of 3D printers now numbers more than 3,800 situated in 80 countries and these numbers are growing MoM. By providing a seamless online workflow from the Autodesk 123Dapp.com site to 3D Hubs the integration of the 3D Hubs and Autodesk 123D platforms makes it easy for anyone to directly turn their designs into physical products faster and more cost-effectively than ever before. As, I mentioned last week, the other statistic that 3D Hubs is rightly rather proud of is that the average delivery time of a products printed via the network is less than two days.
Bram, who is CEO and co-founder of 3D Hubs, put out a formal statement, which was slightly toned down on his exuberance last week: “We are thrilled to expose our global network of 3D printers to the millions of designers worldwide who use Autodesk 123D apps. Not only will 3D Hubs benefit from additional orders from the Autodesk 123D ecosystem, but Autodesk can offer a fast and affordable new 3D printing option to their users.”
Similarly, Samir Hanna, vice president of consumer products at Autodesk seemed pleased with the collaboration: “3D printers might not yet be in every home the way televisions and phones are, but that doesn’t mean everyday consumers won’t 3D print. Integrating the 3D Hubs printer network will provide Autodesk users with more convenient access to 3D printing from fellow designers and makers located just around the corner.”
And that seems to be the main point — making all aspects of personalized design and making much more accessible — and local!
In celebration of this new collaboration, both companies will host a free 3D modelling and 3D printing workshop, and a networking mixer in the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco tomorrow for the Silicon Valley 3D printing, startup and creative communities.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing some of the user stories that start coming out of this collaboration.
I’m not happy about the API, or anything from 3DHubs, nope, every new interaction with that site makes me want to leave.