Tips from the ZVerse Design Network: 4 Ways to Optimize Your 3D File for Better Digital Manufacturing Results

You’re ready to manufacture. You have a 3D file. You know the budget you have to work with. You have an idea of the materials you’d like to use.

Not so fast. You have a 3D file – necessary because digital manufacturers can’t work off of 2D images – but is it optimized for manufacturing?

As digital manufacturing becomes accessible to more individuals and small businesses, many are attempting to pull together their own 3D models to save money. While many powerful 3D modeling software exist, creating manufacturable, optimized files isn’t something the software is going to do for you.

Read More

Keeping Customers in Your Ecosystem

A lot has been written in the last few years about customer experience, customer retention and the “ecosystem” of a company. But what does this mean exactly? And what steps can a company take to keep customers thriving within its ecosystem without defecting to a competitor?

Read More

Design Challenges for On-Demand Manufacturing

-The number of 3D printing service bureaus continues to increase to meet demand for 3D printed parts.

-Today, much of the demand for 3D printed parts comes from customers with legacy parts that need to be digitized before production.

-Less than 1% of 3D printing service bureaus offer design services which results in a frustrated customer and a lost production opportunity for the service bureau.

Read More

Why Graphic Designers Should Learn 3D Design

20 years ago graphic designers were facing another massive shift in their market: the internet.Many graphic designers who didn’t learn web design skills found themselves without jobs. Businesses wanted designers who could not only create graphics, but also the web pages to display them on. 3D design has the potential to leave just as massive an effect on the design industry. So you might want to get prepared.

Read More

Reasons Why Homebuilders & Architects Should Use 3D Printing

Homebuilding is the perfect market for 3D printing solutions because it increases understanding between businesses and potential clients. Blueprints and architectural plans can be difficult to grasp, and 3D printed models give a client the chance to interact with a physical representation of a structure that has not yet been built.

The challenge with 3D printing is that, in order to 3D print, you need a 3D file. Creating 3D files can be difficult and expensive, but ZVerse has the solution. Our 3D content creation platform, LAYR™, makes this process easy and offers endless possibilities.

Easily Transform Sketches to 3D Models.

Use our content creation platform, LAYR,  to easily transform any architectural assets (including 2D renders, sketches, floorpans and blueprints) into a 3D printed model.

Increase Productivity.

Reduce time spent creating models by hand by adopting 3D print technology. Hand modeling requires employees to spend months cutting and assembling parts made of cardboard, foam board and Plexiglass. With 3D printing, your model is completed in a few hours.

Increase Design Freedom.

Double-curved surfaces and other specific architectural details often require considerable time and are difficult to create. 3D printing an architectural model can execute these highly detailed elements with ease.

Higher Level of Precision.

By 3D printing models from STL files, you can ensure an exact to-scale replica without the possibility of human error when building a model by hand.

Study Interaction of Volume and Shapes.

A 3D printed model allows you to study a design in a way that 2D renders don’t. To truly understand the impact of volume and shapes in an architectural design, you must view it the way it was meant to be seen— in a physical 3D form.

Make Quick Design Changes.

Finding and fixing problems early in the design stage is key to preventing complications in the building process. By 3D printing a model, instead of waiting months to be built by hand, you can spot these mistakes and complications earlier in the design process.

Durable Models.

3D printed models are stronger than traditional models and won’t buckle or break over time.

Create a Library of Reusable Designs.

3D printing allows you to be more innovative with your model making. When you have repetitive pieces, you can print one as a mold, cast it, and then use the cast to injection-mold the required duplicates.

Effectively Communicate Design.

A full-color, highly detailed 3D model increases understanding between you and your client. Renders and blueprints can be hard to understand, but a 3D model gives your client the chance to interact with a physical representation of a structure that has yet to be built.

Read More