From Reuters (Link):
French software company Dassault Systemes launched on Tuesday 3DVIA, a platform that will enable consumer and professional users to access three-dimensional services online.
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The 3D services, the first of which will be accessible on the 3dvia.com site in autumn, will allow users in online communities to create objects in 3D, upload and share them.
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“We want to do the 3D Flickr,” he told Reuters, referring to the popular online photo-sharing site owned by Yahoo Inc.
I’m not so sure about this. Making 3D models is just a teeny bit more difficult than pushing the shutter release button on a camera. Then there are issues of file compatibility. Having just played with Dassault’s “3D Print Screen” software two nights ago and finding it lacking, I’m not holding my breath.
Besides, this just doesn’t feel to me like how it should feel, cuz it feels like a big corporation hoping to make money off of the backs of a bunch of 3D modelers. There are other options for people like me… options wrapped up in some of the stuff surrounding Croquet.
If I can avoid the gatekeeper, you can bet I intend to do just that. And so will plenty of others.
{Update: I should have included this as well: MS is teaming up with Dassault. PCWorld has a piece on that (Link) which goes into much more. For example, the Allegorithmic connection is interesting. Remember that (reLink)?
But here’s the really interesting part:
Dassault Systhmes also plans a business side to the 3dvia community, called SupplierSource, to help designers find manufacturers for their products. The SupplierSource site, which the company said will appear at http://www.suppliersource.3dvia.com/, is not yet live.
I wonder how that’s going to work. Needless to say I’m liking this a bit more.}
I don’t think we’ll ever need to worry about Gatekeepers in this field .. the biggest concern should be low cost production houses coming out of India / China.
However, even that isn’t so bad, as once fab technologies side of things start to really take off things could get very very interesting…
But, yeah, I know, I’m preaching to the choir here :)
Yep.
Though there will be companies who want to be Gatekeepers… and people who will lean on them. Initially, at least, and hopefully for not too long.
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Yip it’s an interesting claim to be the 3D Flickr considering they supply one of the modes of 3D creation – hardly an open proposition. And how does it differ from Google 3D Warehouse anyhow – which is same same but pushing Sketchup instead of Solidworks?
And in terms of finding manufacturers for designers, I am not convinced this is the holy grail of design. The holy grail is having people buy your cool stuff – this outcome does not NEED today’s traditional manufacturers to make this real… a new paradigm is coming – it’s called personal manufacturing (which you all know about anyhow ;)
Well, Dassault is making other moves on the software front. Plus the plug-in thing (which I’ve not bothered to look into). And, of course, there’s the connection to ParallelGraphics. So what we have now is basically one-up on Google.
People who make Sketch Up models aren’t likely to be trying to find manufacturers; it’s always been an architectural/level-editing style modeler. Dassault’s effort will likely try to leverage the social networking side to get 3D modelers (non-archi) to contribute content… and I bet the trade off is that for connecting with manufacturers, members have to allow their models to be used in Virtual Earth (which will probably wind up using Photosynth generated models for architecture).
All that said, I agree in that it assumes traditional manufacturing is the endgame for some of us. It isn’t. But it will be a long time before the lure of traditional manufacturing royalties doesn’t attract a lot of designers.