How long until models are sold via 3-D printer download?

[Scheuch13]

Seems like these would be pretty easy to make using a 3-D printer. Imagine going on bandai and buying 20 3-D models downloads for the price of say 5 models shipped to you. Taking those on a flash drive down to your 3-d printer shop (or in your own house if you have one) and paying a fee for them to upload and print your model sheets out for you. Bam, no more waiting weeks for stuff to be shipped to you. Companies like bandai could pump out 3-D downloads as fast as possible and not worry about the manufacturing part of the biz or having to do production runs on old models or worry about replacing stock.

That new figure you wanted but is out of stock every where will no longer be a problem. The only "problem" will be 3-D piracy, so for all you torrent types who have your own 3-D printer might be getting your stuff for free.

Then again with an active community people might design their own models to be given out freely to the community (of course companies like bandai with the intellectual rights will not like that).

Interesting times ahead guys, pretty soon just about everything you buy will be sold via 3-d printing.

[joelfinkle]

I'm surprised I haven't heard of more cases of existing mods/add-ons. Thingiverse only has four items when you search for Gundam, and none of them are really pro items (although I like the CD spindle flight stand).

Part of the problem is that current inexpensive 3D printers really suck: maximum resolution is 1/10mm, which tends to give you a pretty rough-textured surface (at 1/100 scale, that's the equivalent of centimeter-sized grooves all over the surface), requiring a lot of filling and sanding -- although some recent advancements with acetone vapor sound promising. The next-generation fused-powder stuff won't come out until the patents expire (another three years, I think), and maybe then we'll see some major movement in this.

The other catch is that it's not going to save you much money: the plastic is about $25-75 per kilogram, and printing is slow. For a smaller HG model, you're barely going to break even on raw cost. Your choices for materials are ABS, which is not particularly paintable, or PLA, which is a bio-plastic, and does appear to be more paintable.

Now, I can see Bandai giving away 3D models for the pre-HG era models, as a promotion, and possibly for add-ons like weapons packs, etc. You're right that piracy would be rampant, but remember that this isn't a high-volume hobby: who's going to download torrents of PG-scale The-O models? Probably no more than a couple-hundred people worldwide, and most of those would never print it. If Bandai sold the models for use in a 3D modeling program, and made it easy to buy, they'd probably sell some just for people to create computer wallpaper and machinima.

Now, go read Makers by Cory Doctorow, available free at his website. Then, buy a copy for your friends, because they'll want to read it.

[Mythgarr]

Heck, why depends on Bandai?
A crafty CAD expert could make a 3D mech model parts and distribute it for free and expect a few donation here and there to make ends meet and continue their endeavour, just like what's happening in music, movie, and book fronts. Heck, open source could even make some models continously improved.

[Xenosynth]

Well, yes and no. The thing we need to consider is copyright and whatnot, in the case that mythgarr is suggesting. And while people might be able to make cutom builds more readily available, I don't think copying the runners for a 3D printer will necessarily be a good idea because if Bandai gets involved... Well, we've already seen how much they lose off of the knockoff models. It's a big business. Bandai will probably find a way to have security measures against it.

Besides, even Bandai's current 3D printer models with their amazing 3D printer are pretty damned rough around the edges, both metaphorically and literally. I really doubt mass production 3D printer models will be something we'll be seeing soon. Maybe 10-15 years, but again, given how much of a cash cow the models are for bandai, I really think they'd have some kind of security against it.

[joelfinkle]

...given how much of a cash cow the models are for bandai, I really think they'd have some kind of security against it.

Security is nearly pointless. If you can deliver it digitally, digital rights management doesn't work. Look at DVDs, MP3s, Kindle books, etc. The only people stopped are honest consumers, as all those formats are broken.

3D artists can make money on add-ons so long as they don't use Bandai trademarks.
"1/100 Scale Giant Robot Custom Backpack" is fine, "MG Scale Backpack for Zaku II" violates trademark. The use of insignia, like the sinanju's molded-in crests, could cause lawsuits, but I haven't heard of Bandai stomping on 3rd-party decals, for instance.

The key is to make it worthwhile to get your digital files from Bandai: Easy to purchase, useful and usable, customizable. I'd shell out a few bucks for a flight stand or a variant head (Tallgeese II could have been done this way, for instance), and would be more likely to buy an official from Bandai if it's reasonably priced and DRM-free meaning I can use it in my 3D modeling program, not just theirs.

The corrolary to "Information wants to be free" is "Information needs to be valuable."