3D content platforms have proliferated over the last 18 months or so. Not surprising considering that the fundamental starting point for any 3D printed model is a digital 3D design. All of the new online platforms that have emerged are generally playing catch up to the well-established, well-populated and long-standing Thingiverse platform, owned and hosted by Stratasys, by virtue of its acquisition of MakerBot. One of the strongest contenders in the 3D content realm is Threeding, which launched at the start of the year, and we have covered here on 3DPI. The latest of which was just a few weeks ago when the 3D content marketplace launched its Amazon Fire App.
Threeding.com is continuing apace in a bid to improve its 3D printing marketplace (that offers free and paid for digital models) with more new functionalities. The company has, today, introduced two further new features that enhance the user experience and are set to improve 3D printing outcomes. The additional features are a 3D preview and an online 3D printability check, which the company claims is unique.
The 3D preview allows users to see a 3D model online from a 360-degree perspective and is available online and via certain (but not all) mobile devices. It is an addition to the 2D images currently available to each model.Furthermore, technical limitations mean the feature will not be available for very large models. However the 360˚ view will mean that full 3D images will be available for small models allowing users full close up access to models
The second new feature, dubbed the “3D Printability Checker”, is a software app that allows the user to check file for 3D printing during the upload and automatically creates a water-tight mesh with the ability to fix common 3D printing problems such as missing polygon meshes, and non-printable round edges etc. Models that have gone through the ‘printability check’ will be certified as ‘3D Printability Checked’ offering a more reliable (although not 100% guaranteed) 3D printing experience for buyers of models.
According to Stan Partalev, Co-founder of Threeding.com: “The 3D preview of 3D printing models and 3D printability check are functionalities that make Threeding.com a world class e-commerce platform. They will give users a better experience and additional security while shopping or selling via Threeding.com”
Both of the new functionalities announced today have been developed in-house by the Threeding.com team and have been designed to significantly improve user experience and guarantee “safe” 3D printing for buyers of models from Threeding.
