Do I have to (3D Model)? #2
As implied last time; you no longer have to be a CG modeller (or even a 'digital sculptor') to enter the 3D modelling arena. The current consumer-level boom in 3D printing has opened up the ground-floor of the CG ivory tower to enthusiasts and hobbyists alike. Interestingly - and perhaps, inevitably - this has also started to shape the direction of 3D modelling tools.
A glance at Netfabb on the 3DCreationLab page reveals a tool that automatically performs modeller-style operations on broken 3D meshes to make them print-ready. There's even a free version. Having spent months, or even years, learning how to track down and fix problems with 3D geometry using skill and a perhaps a few plugins, you might now find that your abilities have been supplanted with a few button presses! Currently the resume covers such issues as “reversed normals, bad edges, holes in the mesh (and) noise shells” - issues that you'd certainly need some modelling ability to fix beforehand. In particular; the smooth patching of complex 3D holes in an object is decidedly 'modelling' territory. Ground-floor enthusiasts have wandered in and stolen the fire from Heaven; or, at least, have had it handed to them.
Of course, the facilitators in such ventures are the 3D printing companies and their associates, rather than the creators of dedicated 3D modelling/rendering packages - who'd happily have you commit to their products both financially and/or in terms of time and method. Well, that is their business after all.
There are exceptions of course: notably Autodesk’s free 123D tool suite. Autodesk have also been the brains behind big-hitters such as 3DS Max, AutoCAD and MAYA. These free 3D-print oriented tools offer a level of functionality that was the stuff of dreams for many years in the professional market place - now all packaged-up in user-friendly, interactive GUIs. The processes resolve themselves to user push-and-pull operations, either with a mouse or on a touch-sensitive screen. No need for a “Boolean Operations” pop-up window here; you just stick two models together and blend the seam with a brush.
The third-party 3D printing industry only works at its current level if such tools exist - even for free. Autodesk or 3DCreationLab may snag users who will become pros, sure; but there are a lot (or at least: enough) 'regular' folks who'd like to print things themselves; people who are not modellers by any stretch of the imagination. At least, that’s what the industry is counting on to be true.
Without cheap and easy solutions, then the industry doesn't work for these users and their revenue is lost. If the market is to genuinely cater to the mainstream - as is often spoken about - then the one-click fix is essential, as consumers will no longer be technical enthusiasts, but the general public. These people only enter the arena because they have their eye on a finished 'something' and desire a quick way of to reaching it. Months/years of CG modelling practice to get there? No thanks. A few fun tools? Maybe. A button press? Yes please.
So, in spite of the claim we made in part #1, it would appear that you don't have to be a CG modeller after all, right? Well, not exactly. Frankly, it all depends upon the desired end result. If all you requires is a 3D printed object or a rendered still of a 3D scene, then you could theoretically side-step the modelling process entirely. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. More on this next time.
(image by david)
Tagged with: netfabb, 123D tool suite, 3D modelling, 3D printing industry
