People Naturally Want to Help You

I have lived in several countries often relying on the compassion of strangers. I have personally learned that most all people want to help and be your friend. One of my favorite quotes is from the book, The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo, "When you really want something to happen, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it.". In the 3D printing world, this is definitely true. Think of everything you can download as things people have made just for you. They are all helping you, so don't ignore them.

People are Sharing their Work

One of the beautiful things about 3D printing is the collaborative and shared nature of it. Here are some leading sites where you can obtain models for free.

Thingiverse, TurboSquid, and Other Model Databases

There are already so many models available for free to download. Just like you can find any song online, soon you will be able to find any model online. Make sure you read the comments and reviews as anyone can upload a file. Also note the file type.

CG Textures, Flickr, Image Searches

You can easily put any texture on your model. There are tons of images to use to make textures and software like Gimp to edit them or free. Software like Bump will make various textures automatically. You are always free to take your own photos and use your own designs, but so many are available that there probably isn't a reason to.

Sometimes the model you find is just what you need. Other times you may modify or personalize it I fit your needs. My favorite is times you may combine models, or take parts of several models and combine them. People often think that creativity comes from our individual ideas. But I strongly believe creativity comes from our experiences. And so creativity with 3D modeling is taking ideas and combining them. For example using a multitool pocket knife, with a phone case, with a wallet, with an elephant. Now that would be quite a creative, beautiful, and useful iPhone case.

A personal example is a present I gave to my family combining the jaws of a shark, speaker, with an iPad. I found all these models online and using booleans to intersect them I came out with this iPad holder.

Businesses are Starting to Give Out Their Models

Although only a few businesses have started sharing their models openly, I hope and believe more and more companies will start to do this. I don't think businesses have a choice because someone will reverse engineer the part, especially those with the access of a 3D scanner. I personally have done this with my iPhone case. My Incipio IPhone 4 case broke, so I made a model, and uploaded it on Thingiverse to share with everyone. Instead on spending $20 for their case anyone can print mine for $2 (cost of material). Personally I have modified the case and have several versions. I can have 10 customized versions for the price of a new one. Here is my phone case:

There is a really good example of a company supporting the 3D moment with the Nokia Lumina 820 cell phone. The company released a model of the case to the public. Then people started modifying the case and sharing their models online in thingiverse. Here is the link:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:43096

Eventually instead of people calling in to order a replacement part, they will simply download the part and print it. There will be no need to bother calling the business, no need for waiting weeks to obtain the part, and no need to pay for shipping costs. Convenience is King! Without any legal protection for businesses and people 3D printing their parts for personal use, this is bound to happen.

Is it Stealing?

No, in the 3D printing world, all is shared freely and openly. There are people who charge for their models, but it is only time before someone copies it. There is no law yet against 3D printing for personal use. There may be a problem once you copy another's work and start selling it for profit. Overall 3D printing is outside the bounds of normal law. And I believe it will be more profitable for someone to ask for donations rather than try to charge per model.

Please leave your comments.

and as always thanks for visiting,
The 3D Printing Ninja
3DNinjaneer@gmail.com