14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printers are all well and good, and so are 3D printing services and everything associated with the concept, but they can't do anything without a virtual 3D model to print from, so MakerBot decided to make a store for them.
There are some websites hosting 3D models, but MakerBot has decided to make a dedicated web store which it hopes will become what “iTunes” is for owners of the Apple iPod.
The store contains many professionally designed digital 3D models, all made by a MakerBot in-house team.
It's not all that shocking to see this happen, seeing as how MakerBot is one of, if not the greatest name on the 3D printing industry.
“3D printing can be a bit daunting from the outside, so we’ve created all these 3D designs that you can buy individual models or as a collection - a bit like songs - and create fun for kids and adults alike,” said Bre Pettis, co-founder and chief executive of MakerBot.
The purpose of the store is two-fold, though one might argue that the secondary goal only goes back to the first.
On the one hand, the store provides people with 3D models. On the other, it will let MakerBot know what people like to 3D print most, allowing it to find out what works best and what things to add to the store over others. This leads to more 3D models, which leads us back to the first goal.
MakerBot's store is cloud-based, reliant on a sharing service called Thingiverse, which lets people upload and share ideas from anywhere with a MakerBot 3D printer.
“3D printing is one of those rare cases where technology has surpassed design thinking,” said Jesse Harrington Au, maker product manager at AutoDesk. “3D modeling is the key to the next step in the evolution of 3D printing.”