When introducing the MakerBot’s PrintShop app for the iPad in early summer last year, Bre Pettis, then CEO of MakerBot, believed that they had “finally provided a piece of software that helps bring 3D printing to the masses, having removed the obstacle of not knowing 3D design to be able to 3D print.” It is true that the app made 3D printing an object on a MakerBot Replicator easy and accessible to anyone. With just a few touches on an iPad, anybody, even without any 3D design experience or understanding, could 3D print.
However, it wasn’t by any means an opening of the skies that this was accomplished because initially, you were restricted to features like Type Maker, which allowed you to print your own type in certain formats; Ring Maker, which allowed you to print rings and customize them with select interchangeable tops; and Bracelet Maker, which pretty much did similar things as Ring Maker but with bracelets. Later, with Vase Maker, the concept was extended to making bowls, containers and vases. Medal Maker did the same for personalized medals.
The PrintShop app also provided access to a host of select printable objects on Thingiverse that you could customize and print on your own. Overall, within the limited range of MakerBot provided designs and objects, you could customize a bit here and there and 3D print it. Even for those with 3D design know-how, you still couldn’t really stretch the legs of your imagination. But with the latest update of the app available in the iTunes App Store, MakerBot® PrintShop® version 1.5, there is a new tool. Shape Maker allows you more freedom to create, in more dimensions and with fewer limitations than ever before.
To see how it works, just open the MakerBot PrintShop iPad app, select Shape Maker and, with the iPad’s camera, snap a photo of a drawing or an item that has a distinct contrast and simple lines in its design. Use the slider tools to select the areas of the drawing to 3D print and scale; when all of the items or lines that are to be 3D printed turn green, choose a background select print or save right from the screen. Files saved will be accessible in the MakerBot Cloud Library and can be accessed through personal accounts on MakerBot’s 3D printables community, Thingiverse.com.
Files printed can be sent via Wi-Fi directly to a MakerBot Replicator. For those that want to change the size of their finished print, it is recommended that the item be accessed via MakerBot Desktop for sizing and scaling to fit the 3D printer that is being used.
Joey Neal, Chief Experience Officer with MakerBot, notes, “Our goal with the MakerBot PrintShop app is to make 3D printing more accessible and empower anyone to easily create 3D designs. All it takes is a pen and a piece of white paper to create a drawing that can then be 3D printed using the new MakerBot Shape Maker feature. If you can draw a sketch, you can use MakerBot Shape Maker to transform your creations from the flat 2D world of pen and paper to the exciting 3D world of 3D printing.”
“It’s really a simple, easy and intuitive 3D design tool. We are excited to see what is designed and 3D printed with MakerBot Shape Maker. For example, students of all ages, artists, cartoonists and even parents that want to preserve their children’s artwork will be amazed at the simplicity and ease of use with this app.”
Neal also noted that the Shape Maker feature in MakerBot PrintShop is a great tool for teachers and students to use in the classroom. The free app removes the barriers for students to get started with 3D printing and can be a gateway into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. For art students, Shape Maker can bring creative projects to life in 3D and offer new perspectives on how to create objects.
The Shape Maker tool is a big step in terms of bringing 3D printing to people of all ages and backgrounds, in that it bridges the gap between what you imagine and what you 3D print. You can seamlessly transform any sketch, photograph or screen captures into three-dimensions. Nearly whatever you draw or take a snapshot of can be printed. 2D drawings, instead of remaining flat on a sheet, can be printed and held as 3D objects.
