Among the first steps in printing 3D models is to download a software to guide you in designing a 3D plan and layout. These softwares are generating information that is necessary for printing the data in 3D. They have also worked with engineering, architecture, and building clients, who are able to upload their current data files, which include CAM files, CAD files, CAE files, Maya, AutoCAD, BIM models, and more. But where do we go from here? 2016 has been a huge year for 3D modeling and innovation. 3D printed objects can be found everywhere in the news, ranging from prosthetics and clothes, to toys and even food. As we settle into 2018, what are the predictions and trends for the growth and direction of this industry?

The capabilities of 3D modeling and printing getting expansions

New resources are continuously pushing technological capabilities through experimentation with concrete, glass, new metals, and more. Innovations have been expanding the production of various shapes and sizes. These big area 3D models hold the promise to manufacture a whole airplane blades or wing structures for vast wind turbines in one single print.

Manufacturing as a service

3D printing is benefiting prototyping for the reason that it helps cut down the production time. Companies are using their own 3D printer rather than sending the prototype out for the production. However, it has been predicted that companies are going to turn away from purchasing their own 3D printers. Rather, MaaS (Manufacturing as a Service) is going to be further improved in 2018. MaaS is a direct digital network for manufacturing. Companies will be able to submit CAD designs for 3D models in the network for bidding on and producing quotes. This enables the company to focus on the design.

Consumers

It is not all roses and sunshines for the industry of 3D modeling. The consumer market is dwindling. There will no longer be a production of PC 3D printers, as 3D systems are shifting way from the consumer market. Consumer 3D modeling has been at least 5 years away from the adoption of mainstream. The decrease in PC printers is for the reason that consumers are knowledgeable about faster, more cost-effective, and more capable systems, which will soon be available. It is expecting the launch of the latest generation of 3D models in 2018 to stabilize the PC 3D market. Companies like Carbon3D and HP are going to debut new technologies that will provide more enhanced and faster printers.

Healthcare

Among the fastest adopters of 3D modeling is healthcare, and it is not going to change in 2018. The capabilities for customization on 3D models match their needs. Individual bodies are in need of customized designs, and 3D modeling is able to create these items faster. They are also a less expensive option. There has been an analysis that in 2 to 3 years, material and technological innovation will result in 10% of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and drugs being produced with 3D printers. There will be 10% among the people in the developed healthcare industry, who are going to live with 3D printed items. Aside from that, 3D designing is going to be an important tool in more than 35% of surgical procedures, necessitating implant and prosthetic devices, along with the synthetic organs to be places around and inside the body.

How 3D printing would influence 3D modeling?

3D printing will make it easier for people to visualize information. Because there has been a great drop in the price of 3D printing, more and more people are planning to migrate into the technology and it is changing quickly as it is being adopted more largely. 3D models are a great help in city planning and see how various features will work and fit altogether. You can use 3D modeling for testing assets regarding degradation, energy efficiency, and other elements.

How collaborative design software and 3D visualization help strengthen and rebuild the infrastructure of the nation?

The digital design technology is able to make the decision-making process to go much faster. This is because people have the capability of visualizing complicated problems with more ease. Also, you will be able to use BIM software (Building Information Modeling software) to get more buy-in from the end users through demonstration of a higher level of complexity and detail. Moreover, this type of visualization will result to collaboration. Different stakeholders may have conversations with regards to the project by means of 3D models as a starting point.

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The government is continuously seeking for new ways to do more with less. How will digital design be able to help them do this in 2018?

The digital design and 3D modeling has now been cost-effective enough for agencies, corporations, and others to be able to have their own software, and get the BIM technology manipulated in-house. Starting with 3D models of the project and working backward into a design proposal will be helpful in reduced costs and better planning.

How cloud would influence the digital designing

Cloud computing makes it easier to access information, build more diverse and bigger teams that can work together from different parts of the world. It helps process information more efficiently and get more collaboration incorporated during the design stage. If 3D models are stored in the cloud, there will be more team members that can use and access the model for solving problems and sharing ideas. Architects will be given opportunity to run analysis in the cloud while working on a project on the computing device that they have chosen, with servers being the ones to do the heavy lifting instead of individual machines, and thereby, making the process more efficient.

3D models have become more and more accessible in the recent years. If companies would train an employee or hire a professional, they will be able to revolutionize the way they develop products internally and make better building decisions. After a digital 3D modeling has been created, there are lots of ways to use it. In 2018, 3D models will become an easier, faster, and more cost-effective way of visualizing your project in 3D, which can support collaboration, understanding, and efficiency further.