Editor's Pick: Objet Connex3 with Stratasys Creative Colors

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

Color 3D printing showed its promise years ago. But there was a gap between promise and bloom. Early color 3D prints had color, sure, yet they lacked the vibrancy of a Cassius Marcellus Coolidge oil. Often parts were paint-by-numbers garish or dreary like the piping on a frozen cake. Objet multi-material, multi-color 3D printers from Stratasys changed that for the better with bright, deep colors. Today's Pick of the Week, however, is about the blossoming of color 3D printing with the subtleties of color and texture that can turn heads.

The elevator speech is that Stratasys has partnered with Adobe to bring Adobe's color management expertise to Objet Connex3 3D printers and clients of the Stratasys Direct Manufacturing parts on-demand service. The form of this technology partnership is Stratasys Creative Colors software, and the Objet Connex3 is currently the only 3D printer series with Adobe Color management benefits, according to Stratasys.

Stratasys Creative Colors creates a direct connection between Adobe Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud) digital imaging software and an Objet Connex3 3D printer. It works with Objet Studio software for prepping files for 3D printing, and it now comes bundled with the Objet Connex3 series. You can add it to existing units.

So, what's in Stratasys Creative Colors for you?

First, Stratasys Creative Colors offers a direct design-to-3D-print workflow: You open a design in Photoshop CC, add colors and textures, color preview your work, export and print. Next, the Adobe 3D print engine gives you gradient color palettes with expanded color spectrums, textures and pattern support. The Objet Connex3 gives you the ability to mix multiple polymer materials and colors in a single part. Put that together and you can make 3D models and parts with a final product's look and texture. Prototyping will never be the same.

Also no longer the same is Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. The direct link between Photoshop CC and Stratasys Direct Manufacturing extends the capabilities of Stratasys Creative Colors with functionality like direct price quoting, model validation and previewing.

You can learn more about Stratasys Creative Colors from today's Pick of the Week write-up. Make sure to the hit the link at the end of the main text. Once on the Objet Connex3 landing page, scroll to the bottom and take in the video to see how Stratasys Creative Colors software works.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

Learn more about Objet Connex3 3D printers and Stratasys Creative Colors here.