ZBrushCentral

ModelBox 3D: Give Your 2D Printer a Third Dimension!

Community
#1

I just launched a new product called ModelBox 3D on Kickstarter! It adds a third dimension to the standard inkjet or laser printer that you already have and gives a new life to your digital 3D AND 2D art. Whether you use it to display your own artwork, to prototype a new product, or simply as a unique display piece, we will have a huge library online of all sorts of downloadable models ready-to-print from home and put into your Modelbox 3D. Artists will have the option to share their pieces with the growing ModelBox 3D community and further get their names out there!

Check us out and learn more at: http://kck.st/12bz9QJ

I’m a fellow 3D modeler and ZBrush user, I’d be happy to answer any of your questions here! Right now we’re developing our software to accept OBJ files because we figured it is a very universal file format between different 3D software packages. If you have any suggestions I’m happy to hear them!!

#2

Will you accept any other 3D outputs other than OBJ files? Also does mesh resolution matter? All of my models coming out of ZBrush are in the millions of polys.

#3

We originally intended to offer just OBJ uploading capabilities, knowing that nearly every 3D platform can export as an OBJ file. After hearing from a decent number of our audience we’re hoping to add .STL functionality for AutoCAD and SolidWorks users as well.

With ModelBox 3D your mesh resolution does not affect your final print. Because we’re literally using an MRI-like slicing method your tiniest details or mesh pinches will not show. What is important however, is creating a front or back projected image of your model. Whether you have a colored texture or a plain displacement map [to act as a greyscale texture] you’ll be able to see your model’s detail in the print that way. For a better idea of how our texture process works, take a look at a p3D model I whipped up. From that link you’ll be able to zoom in and spin around a 3D model of ModelBox 3D.

With that said our online system will probably bog down if we accepted your heavy ZBrush files. Fortunately ZBRush has Decimation Master which you can easily run on your model to reduce its files size, and because of our texturing process, it won’t reduce the quality of your model when printed. Once our software is wrapped up and tied into the online generator we’ll have a better idea of what file sizes we can accept.