{"id":4034,"date":"2013-11-08T14:01:26","date_gmt":"2013-11-08T14:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/get3dsmart.com\/Stagingsite\/\/\/?p=4034"},"modified":"2017-07-11T14:10:00","modified_gmt":"2017-07-11T14:10:00","slug":"retails-wellspring-3d-printable-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/get3dsmart.com\/Stagingsite\/2013\/11\/08\/retails-wellspring-3d-printable-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Retail’s Wellspring of 3D Printable Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve had several retailers ask how I would source content for their 3D printing service. My standard answer is from at least three sources – designers, manufacturers, and consumers themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly individual designers would contribute (that\u2019s where 3DLT gets its 3D printable files now.) We\u2019ll see a huge spike in that effort when we go retail. After all, what designer wouldn\u2019t want a fast track to sell their products through a huge chain store network? To drive the right types of content, we\u2019ll run various promotions with them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, we conduct monthly \u201ctheme drives\u201d with our designers to fill out specific categories. Over the last year, we\u2019ve done theme drives around jewelry, toys, holiday items, and tech accessories to name a few. We\u2019d also conduct less frequent, but more aspirational \u201cinnovation challenges,\u201d with the goal of crowdsourcing new products and potentially, entirely new product categories. It\u2019s also an opportunity for us and our partners to tackle big problems that could potentially have a worldwide impact. Imagine if our gun safety initiative, conducted earlier this year, were sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, or another outdoor retailer. The exposure, impact, and results would be amplified immensely. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also <\/span>addressed<\/span><\/a> the potential impact of 3D scanning. The vast majority of physical products in our world don\u2019t have a digital equivalent. They were designed as blueprints, before the invention of computer aided design (CAD) software. Many of those products are no longer under any kind of intellectual property protection. Even now, people are <\/span>combing the patent office\u2019s database<\/span><\/a>, looking for products that were invented, and may have even been produced and sold successfully, only to fall out of favor years later. <\/span><\/p>\n

Just because there is no longer enough demand to support mass manufacturing, doesn\u2019t mean a product couldn\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t be available. 3D printing makes that possible, but requires a digital file. While an original blueprint can be rebuilt in CAD by an industrial designer or engineer, many more products and parts exist without technical drawings. Even in the cases where they do, at some point you have to ask if it makes more sense to solve the problem with labor or technology. While it might take a designer hours to recreate a product, 3D scanning could allow them (or us) to do it in a fraction of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems likely that 3D scanning could soon be as ubiquitous as our ability to snap photos. \u00a0The recently introduced <\/span>Structure Sensor<\/span><\/a> for instance, attaches to an iPad and allows anyone to scan three dimensional objects. <\/span>Microsoft has taken it a step further. Their 3D Object Reconstruction and Recognition research team recently <\/span>presented a workflow<\/span><\/a> that will allow anyone to scan a 3D object with any smartphone or tablet.<\/span> Using the device\u2019s camera, an image is captured and pushed to the cloud where the computational power exists to render it in 3D. Last year that would have seemed like science fiction and five years ago, we\u2019d all be asking what the heck clouds have to do with phones.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further, content could come from the manufacturers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies who supply retailers now. For them, digital manufacturing could offer an entirely new revenue stream. Of course, not all current products would be candidates – but some would. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the big categories for mass market retailers include:<\/span><\/p>\n