While 3DPI cannot report on every single new item appearing on Shapeways, there are some items that just give more food for thought than others. Especially in light of the recent Pokemon Infringement case, Ittyblox’s 3D printed Sims City lookalike buildings might raise an eyebrow at Electronic Arts, the videogame’s current publisher.
Personally I love the idea. I loved Sims City (back when I used to play the very first Sims City) and would love to have one of my favourite buildings simulated and then 3D printed. Right now Ittyblox only offers Chicago buildings (with NYC in beta) but who knows, if the idea is successful it might grow into something bigger with many more options.
Just like in Sim Cities you buy the buildings and assemble them in “boroughs”, inside its own grated box. Unfortunately, at this moment, the buildings are not interactive but in the future, smart embedded chips, such as the ones just announced by Things3D, and Ittyblox/Sim City might become the very first actually feasible 4D videogame ever.
That is the best part of 3D printing: you don’t need huge investments, you can just start really small, with the seed of an idea and see where it takes you. You no longer need a lot of money to make a lot more money; many times you can just invest a little and make enough. That is until Electronic Arts gets upset.
