Autodesk Introduces 3D Printing from an iPad with a New Free App called 123D Catch

Objects printed from 3D printers

Usually, when we talk about the iPad as a “content creation device,” we’re talking about stuff like drawings, word documents, presentations, and the like… But Autodesk is challenging that simple-minded thinking by showing that the tablet can actually serve in the process of making real-life, 3D objects… They’re doing it with a new app called 123D Catch , which just became available for free in the App Store.

Sound complicated? You’d probably be surprised to hear that if you know how to take a picture using your iPad, the process of using 123D Catch probably isn’t beyond you. The app works by capturing a whole bunch of images of a given object—like, say, a baseball or a hat. Once the pictures are taken, 123D Catch goes to work on making a 3D rendering of the object and sending it off MyCorner—the Autodesk 3D cloud storage. Once there, it’s off to the printer for the true creation.

… Or you could get even more advanced and use something like 123D Sculpt to change colors from the original… Whether or not any of this sci-fi technology will go into everyday use remains to be seen, but no matter what, it’s interesting to see a new realm opening up in the App Store. With this handful of apps paving the way, who knows how long it will be before using an iOS device to simplify an advanced process like 3D printing becomes a commonplace activity.

For more information on how Autodesk’s 123D Catch works, be sure to watch the video below.

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Devin Wieland

 

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