Prodigy Forge 3D, a 3D Printing/Scanning/Design Application, Seeks Funding on Kickstarter

If you were to ask most of the general public what is holding them back from purchasing a 3D printer, a large percentage of them would probably tell you that it’s because the technology confuses them. The overall opinion of many individuals, who are not familiar with CAD software, or the complexities of the technology at work behind 3D printing, is a bleak one. In general, many feel that they need to learn quite a bit prior to buying a 3D printer. Unlike the plug and play ease of 2D printers, 3D printers have an unknown aura about them, scaring off many potential buyers. The facts are, these people are usually correct. Unless you have a keen understanding of how 3D modelling and CAD software works, and some technical ability, 3D printing can oftentimes be scary and frustrating.

Things are changing though. In the last year alone we have seen tremendous progress from both the software and hardware sides of things, however, one man by the name of Joshua Gravely still thinks there is vast room for improvement, especially from the software end of things.

Gravely has just launched an initiative to create a full feature mobile application which would act as a main 3D printing software hub for anyone, from beginners to expert designers. Today he has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to develop his Prodigy Forge 3D mobile application on both the iOS and Android platforms. The Prodigy Forge 3D software will come packed full of the following core features:

• Sketch & Design – Design and sketch direct from the application.
• Scan Object to a 3D Model – Full 3D scanner support.
• Occipital Structure Sensor – Can function with the iOS sensor add-on.
• Lighting, Textures, & Rigging for a 3D Model – Includes many other 3D modeling tools as well.
• Video Production for a 3D Model – Turn your 3D models into a rotating video, postable to Youtube, and other video platforms.
• Export 3D Models – .STL support.
• 3D Printing of a 3D Model – Easily 3D print your model from the application. Will support numerous printers, and be updated constantly.
• 3D Model to Blueprint Technology – Turns 3D models into 2D blueprints
• Cloud Integration – Store your models on the cloud with integration with several services
• Edit, Sculpt & Detail a Produced 3D Model – All the tools are here.
• 3D Model Slicing or Sectioning – Prepare your models for 3D printing.
• 3D Model Community Vaults – Easily upload models from app to GrabCAD, YouMagine, Repables, Thingiverse, and Shapeways.
• Social Sharing – Easy sharing of models on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus and more.
• 3D Industry Resources – A library of 3D printing resources at your fingertips.
• Expert Support – Free customer support.

Gravely’s ideas for the development of this application is to use the crowd to guide the decision making behind the software. Not only is he seeking a total of $68,936 for the application’s production, via the crowd, but he will also take constant feedback from the crowd, determining where the application ultimately ends up, from a feature standpoint. Prodigy Forge 3D will share any update to the application with those who purchase it, for at least a year and a half after their purchase.

If all goes as planned Gravely would like to have the application at least in beta and access given to certain backers by September of this year. It’s certainly a crunched time frame, but he feels that it will be possible to hit if the funding is reached.

Let us know your thoughts on this application in the Prodigy Forge 3D forum thread on 3DPB.com.  Check out the video below where Gravely gives further details about his application.