Seems like Autodesk is working hard to become the world-premier solution for the creation of your own custom parts, sculptures, and toys.
At first glance, it’s somewhat like what people used to do in the game known as Spore, only after you make the creature, you can order it 3D printed and shipped to your door. Currently, this type of market is something that Blender isn’t even in (despite one of the recent meetings of Ton talking about future functionality for use with 3D printers). But this does show a possible future where not only are you printing your own parts, but printing your own decorations as well. No need to buy toys to give your kids as gifts on Christmas either, just print them.
Also in the specs. is the ability to export to their high-end (and very expensive) applications (which another app. in general would pretty much be required if you wanted to add a lot of fine detail and then render them in a photorealistic environment), but for the hobbyist that additional amount of power may not be needed much anyway.
If this type of thing becomes widespread, as in: every home has a 3D printer, it could mean coming full circle back to everyone building their own stuff like people did before the industrial revolution. Of course, the cost of raw plastic would skyrocket.
I think there’s been experiments with printing using metallic powders as well, there’s still going to be a need for someone to produce all all of that so people can print.
Anyway, I’ve also read of experimental models where people use more than 1 material in a single printed object, but we’re still a ways off of being able to print full-blown circuitry and electronics and an even longer ways off from Star-Trek replicators. But even in this current state, there’s been articles of a quiet manufacturing revolution slowly taking place here in the states where startups are printing their products rather than milling them or moving production off-shore. (it’s a lot cheaper than milling and machining for instance).
Regardless of where we are right now, Blender is already in a position to really allow for wide-scale creative 3D printing with the combination that is the skin modifier and dyntopo, we just need to have the right API in place to send requests to printing companies in the form of a file format their printers can read.
I wasn’t thinking so much of complex items such as electronics, but the type of toys a person might make for their kids: dolls, toy trucks, etc.
And if you have (like me) something that’s broken around the house, it would be possible to make a replacement part instead of having to buy it. We have a couch with a recliner at each end and we have to keep a pair of pliers handy to open one side because the plastic release mechanism is broken. I still have the bits, so if I had a 3D printer, I could make a replacement and build it so it won’t break again.
