Pirate3D
SmartObjects
This could be a bit of a game changer, Pirate3D have released a demo version of their app which they claim could revolutionise the way the layman interacts with 3D printing and err… it’s really, really good, even in demo form.
The in-browser or smartphone app allows even the most unskilled 3D modellers to create designs in seconds, export them and then print. It is as good and as easy as their PR has been saying it is.
“We realized that people would not adopt 3D printing technology as long as they can’t easily create the objects digitally,” says Kai Elvin, Pirate3D’s Guru of Application Development. “As such, we designed our Smart Objects application to make 3D object generation as intuitive as possible. Users simply use their fingers to design the 3D objects.”
Sure it is a little limited and those who can 3D model might wince at its simplicity and limitations. But I’m a total and utter novice, designing in the third dimension doesn’t compute with me, everything looks like 3D text from Word 97 when I try it on Photoshop. With SmartObjects I was able to create the object I was thinking of in under a minute.
This is not TinkerCad by any means but from my very limited time on Tinkercad I’ve struggled to get my idea down, with the SmartObjects software I was able to create this shape in seconds.
You don’t even have to download the app, if you have Chrome on your smartphone it automatically loads the shapes in the browser for seamless touch screen interaction.
Using a stripped down point cloud and 3D render of a mushroom I was able to tweak and make the weird looking item you see at the top of the page. What I’m hoping that item does, is hold my phone in a decent position to watch Netflix on my lunch break…
They’ve also opened the app up to developers so that they could fully integrate SmartObjects with their own websites or create their own SmartObject apps.
The big test will come when I attempt to print with the exported STL file for #ThingiThursday. If it fails, I will report those failures in full but pretty much every industry export I’ve spoken to has said the key to mass adoption is an easy to use modelling app to print closed eco-system. Have Pirate3D achieved this? With their super affordable printer and now the release of this app, I’m beginning to believe they might.
