Hi there, I'm handy with 2D graphics, but 3D sculpting and printing is a total mystery to me; it looks like what's possible here is pretty exciting. I got on to this whole thing last Christmas when I was looking for a place in Toronto that could laser-cut designs out of sheet metal to make a necklace for my girlfriend on a university student budget. And... no. I've looked at other sites like Ponoko, and just today I discovered 123D, so I'm wondering if anyone has an idea if one service maybe suited better to someone like me given that I am: 1. Most likely to do one-off, small designs in 2D and 3D 2. In Canada 3. Cost-conscience 4. Happy to take a bunch of time learning any kind of software if it expands my options creatively or lowers the cost of printing. Thanks for your time!
Welcome John, Feel free to upload files to both sites and see which works best for you. From my experience, Shapeways will usually be cheaper. But we don't have the laser cutting. Also Shapeways offers many more methods of uploading and again in my experience is a lot easier to use.
Thanks for the help. I ran some samples through and the shipping on here is much more affordable than I was expecting, so I'll definitely be trying this out after all. I have another question and I don't know if it really belongs here, but maybe someone can point me in the right direction. I would like to create a 3D model and replica of my house before it's torn down within the next couple months. I've experimented with Microsoft's Photosynth and figure that I could theoretically extract 3D information from a point cloud and then reconstruct the shapes, but I'm wondering if there's a better or more effective way to do this. I'd like to be able to do sort of a virtual tour of the model, and also be able to print it.
You may want to check out the Modeler Needed section. With a combination of some photos and dimensions, someone could be able to help you out. Also check out 123D Catch. Looks a little easier to use than Photosynth.
FYI john_; UPS is going to hit you up for a $10 brokerage fee plus 13% HST on the print, shipping and brokerage fee. Depending on how the item is described you'll probably get hit with duty (around 7%) on the print, too.
Hello! I found out about Shapeways through 123D, and the 123D Beta has been my weapon of choice. I've found it's fairly easy to use if you go through the three Hands On tutorials first: http://www.123dapp.com/123D/learn I've found that if you can draw it with a compass and rule on paper, then you can draw it with the 123D Beta. I haven't quite tried any sculpting (like with clay) with it though. The only issue I have with it at the moment is that I need to be patient and make sure I save it often. Being in Beta, it freezes occasionally and crashes sometimes. That said, there has been an update to the software since I first got it, but I haven't installed the new version yet...