Photoshop Adds Support for 3D Printing

It could be said that one way to measure how much a new technology has caught on is by the amount of support offered. Additive manufacturing (AM) might not be exactly new, but it has been propelled into the spotlight fairly recently. Companies like Autodesk have offered support for 3D printing for years, but only recently have companies immediately recognizable to the general public, such as Microsoft, begun to offer similar support intended for a more general audience.

Now Adobe, provider of the most well-known image and design software on the planet, has added 3D printing support to Photoshop Creative Cloud (CC). Not only does Photoshop now allow users to work with 3D images, it also directly supports a number of 3D printers, including the MakerBot Replicator and 3D Systems’ Cube, along with built-in service bureau access in the form of Shapeways.

From the demonstrations, it appears as though Adobe has attempted to make 3D design as accessible to its users as any other graphical process. Photoshop CC automatically configures material support (or scaffolding) for prints where necessary, repairs models that aren’t watertight, and even provides an image prior to printing consistent with the final product, taking into account materials used. The program also allows users to convert 2D images into 3D images through extrude, twist and pinch tools.

Only four or so AM systems are supported with v1.0 of the software, but I expect Adobe will continue adding new 3D printers on a regular basis, or develop the tools needed to work with more generic AM systems. I’m less certain about other service bureaus being added to the print menu. Shapeways must be ecstatic to be offered the chance to work with Adobe in the service bureau capacity for Photoshop’s users.

Adobe’s new toolset also includes some social media aspects. Users can upload their designs to Sketchfab or embed them in their Behance portfolio.

While Photoshop CC won’t be supplanting the likes of Autodesk at workstations of professionals already accustomed to working with 3D designs, but it should absolutely draw in additional users. Businesses or individuals that had some amount of interest in AM, but lacked the tools to employ the technology, should be drawn to using software with which they are already familiar.

If you hadn’t guessed from the “CC” designation, these new features are only available on the cloud version of Photoshop. Potential customers get a 30-day free trial and, if hooked, pay $9.99 per month for each software toolset used.

Below you’ll find a couple of videos about Photoshop CC’s 3D design capabilities.

Source: Adobe