Sketch 3D: turn your napkin doodles into 3D models

Belgian 3D printing shop i.materialise has teamed up with GrabCAD for a service called Sketch 3D. For $80, you can have your napkin doodles and other designs converted into 3D models, suitable for printing at i.materialise or any of its competitors. It's a great way to open up the possibilities for 3D printing to people who don't know how to use 3D modelling software.

i.materialise launches Sketch to 3D, A 3D modeling service for 3D printing

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Anonymous

What would be the advantage of this over Sketchup? Is it more powerful, or easier to export to a 3D printer?
Anonymous

SketchUp was designed wit the idea that it culd be a 3D modeling program that anyone could learn how to use. But I see a place in the world for outsourced 3d modeling work if you dont want to learn how to do the modelng yourself. I.Materialise can accept SketchUp files natively now- I know because I uploaded one last night for printing.
codesuidae

How come the model has parts the napkin sketch doesn’t?
Anonymous

Sketch 3D is a great service BUT it is not easy to visualise a 3D object and to sketch it reasonably accurately in 2D. Much easier to do it directly in 3D and as 3D printing needs digital data, best to use software. K3d, Sketchup etc are okay for some but better still is the haptic sketch modelling software that we have developed to be truly inclusive. By using 3D virtual touch it is dead easy to learn and use and anyone can do 3D modelling – and get it 3D printed.
zipr

I’m going to use this to make a model of Stonehenge.
- Anonymous
  
  *points to napkin with a stonehenge arch with 11″ written next to it*
  
  That’s what I want.
Scottholden

$80 sounds cheap. I have to do this exact thing at my job (napkin sketches to solid models) I could burn through that 80 bucks on the phone explaining what dimensions are missing/conflicting.
Anonymous

People should really consider using google sketchup. Pretty easy and free way to get into CAD.

http://sketchup.google.com/