3DShook Offers New Appz & Online Tools Making 3D Printing Easy for All

When 3D printing began to hit the mainstream, it was hailed as magic, although there was still a lot of complexity to the process, from the learning curve of design and software to the expense of 3D printing and hardware. While there’s no getting around the effort one must expend as an innovator and an artist, many enthusiasts are discovering that from downloading a file to pressing a few buttons it’s getting easier and easier to have a 3D model in hand quite expediently.

Companies like 3DShook are facilitating that even further, and especially with their latest release. Appz, now available for users worldwide, is an app that not only makes the 3D printing process easier, it offers a complete set of online tools that allow users to choose, create, and customize 3D models. The 3D Shook team will be periodically updating Appz too, so that users have access to as many new tools and products as possible, with this service available free to 3DShook members until the end of this year.

“The Appz toolset allows our users to simply drag & drop images and quickly create real usable objects, from cool personalized iPhone cases and business cards, to door signs, key-chains and lithophane lamps–all produce unique and ready to print products in just a few steps,” said Nadav Brill, 3DShook CTO.

Appz are part of a larger set of 3DShook’s online tools allowing users a wide range of possibilities such as:

• Local handling of files which can simply be dragged to your browser.
• A 2D-2-3D tool/editor based on images, text and shapes, which allows for simple dragging of a .jpg/png image to the browser.
• Image and text wrapping, along with placements on 3D objects.
• A unique, highly precise 3D ruler for scaling and measuring models.
• An overhangs ‘shader’ to highlight areas that need supports.
• A basic online modeler for beginners learning the ropes.
• Export to 3rd party services such as 3DHubs, Shapeways and i.materialise.

“We want our users to have fun while making great objects that work, and we’re constantly developing technologies to allow it,” said Brill. “I believe makers and designers on all levels can enjoy these tools, not just beginners.”

Addressing that issue directly, they’ve announced that along with the online tools, 3DShook developers have also created a plugin, 3DShook Printing Exporter, which works with Autodesk Maya.

“Some of us at 3DShook are veteran Maya users and it only seemed natural to develop the plugin for Maya first,” said Brill. “We are working on adapting it to other platforms in the future.”

Users can scale, place, and position their 3D models within Maya, and while they can 3D print the items through 3DShook’s resources, price quotes from outside sources are available. Over 50 different printer bed grids are available through 3DShook Printing Exporter, along with access for Maya users to all of the aforementioned online printing tools.

Founded just two years ago, the company has grown quickly and expansively, now offering 1300 tested and functional 3D printable products.

“We want to offer endless possibilities for people to consume our content,” said Hector Berrebi, 3DShook COO. “We constantly explore new ways and partnerships to reach wider crowds interested in 3D printing.”

“These first 6 months were intensive and extremely productive for us. Soon after our launch, we were dubbed the Netflix of 3D printing. We work hard to stand up to it, and will be releasing some pretty exciting stuff in the coming months. This is just the beginning…”

3DShook is currently known as one of the world’s largest content creators for 3D printing. Their designs are always exclusive, allowing users the comfort of knowing the 3DShook models are not to be found on any other sites. Designs are tested, free of any intellectual-property issues, and over a hundred new designs are added monthly to their platform, which includes 40 categories currently.

Along with Appz, they are also announcing a variety of new partnerships and collaborations. New payment options will be announced also, in the form of a Pay-per-Print method being offered for all its products, along with three file pack options which will be added to Shook’s very affordable monthly and yearly subscription plans.

3DShook reports that their lite memberships are now offered with many 3D printers such as BEEVERYCREATIVE, Solidoodle, CEL Robox and Dagoma. They also offer direct slicing of files to mBot 3D printers, and will soon offer collections to NewMatter users on their online store. Additionally, 3D printer distributors such as Afinia in the U.S. or Logicom and Igo3D in Europe now add 3DShook access to new printers they sell.  Discuss this story in the 3DShook forum thread on 3DPB.com.