User:Pjhermans/sandbox

3D Publishing With the advent of 3D printing the whole world is talking about 3d printers, and what one can print with that. In paralell to the growth of the intalled base of 3D Printer, many initiatives for 3D content started, where designers, individuals etc. could upload the 3D model. Two different business models appeared:
 * Free services like Thingiverse, Youmagine, where people upload their 3D model, and everybody can download the model and 3D print at home for free.
 * Paid services like Shapeways, Ponoko, i.Materialise, Sculpteo, where people can upload their 3d model, but where you have to pay to get the 3d model printed via the 3D print services of these companies. In parallel to these international operating companies many small service bureaus popped up where the customer has his 3D model printed.

The 3D content market has grown considerably. However it is noticable that the type of 3d content goes in any direction without a clear qualification of the 3D content. One could say that Shapeways, Ponoko, i.Materialise, Sculpteo etc. are taking over this role. Yes, they do, but their main goal is organize a huge database with 3D content in order to fill their production facilities. There is a clear trend that step by step companies start to create their 3D content (on their own or in corporation with) as part of their strategy: be it as a new product in itself, merchandise, or part of a productrange. Some examples:
 * Hasbro, the brand behind My Little Pony and Transformers has joined with 3D Systems for a new 3D printing project. Children wil be able to 3D print their own toys.
 * The book called LEO the Maker Prince, which is the First Children’s Book On 3D Printing. The book was made in order to give young children a chance to get involved with this new way of producing objects.
 * Trobok Digital Toy Store has opened their website with their own designed toys with fancy names like SPIKE, 21st Century Bear, Pig Corp! and SCOUT. The customer has to pay for the design, than download itand 3D print it at home.
 * But in the near future companies like IKEA could offer a database with accessories where the customer could pay, download and 3D print it, and use it on their IKEA table.

Many more 3D content strategies can be developed, these are just examples. In order to organise this, people are required who are able to create, select, edit and market 3D contant as part of the strategy of the company. This is what 3D publishing is all bout.

Definition of 3D publishing 3D Publishing is the process of production and distribution of 3D content for production on a 3D printer. In many cases, individuals may be their own 3D publishers, meaning: originators and developers of 3D content. With 3D Software and 3D scanners 3D content can be created and vice versa: From atoms to bits and from bits to atoms. This means traditional boundaries between value chains disappear which leads to new business opportunities. Currently (2014) 3D Publishing and 3D publishers are not a well known function or job, but this will happen soon with the strong growth of 3D printing. If you make the comparison with social media / social media editor. In the beginning of the millennium nobody had heard of social media, nowadays every company uses social media and has at least one social media editor.

The first ever conference on 3D publishing was held in March 2014 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.