As Ultimaker continues to grow and improve, winning this year’s 3D printer shootout at Make Magazine for the Ultimaker 2, the printer manufacturer also continues to improve its 3D printables site, YouMagine. Saying, “We really want to be the nicest, best & easiest place for you to share and remix your files so please hold us to that standard,” YouMagine community manager Joris Peels lists the ways in which Ultimaker has enhanced the site in a YouMagine blogpost.
YouMagine now has improved search capabilities, not only accounting for the popularity of 3D models in rankings and including matching tags, but also features a typeahead search that displays model results with graphic images as queries are typed out. With the addition of a new web application engineer, YouMagine is improving its UltiViewer 3D preview tool to be more stable and modular, so that the team can upgrade the tool without disruption. More importantly, the site will be adding annotations to UltiViewer for users to add comments on their models, such as measurements or notes about printing tolerances.
Other additions include the ability to sign-in with Google and greater 3D file support. YouMagine will now accept a greater number of files – SCAD, JSCAD, OBJ, DAE, OFF, 3DS or PLY – and convert them automatically to .STL. And, as expected with any upgrade, the site has repaired a number of bugs, a full list of which is at the YouMagine blogpost on the topic.
The credit Joris gives to YouMagine users in his post seems to reflect a genuine attempt by Ultimaker to work with its community, a refreshing feeling in comparison to the controversies surrounding *ahem* other model sharing sites. A lesson from Rodney King for us all, “Can’t we all just get along?”
