Since the unveiling of the Ember 3D printer and Spark 3D printing platform at Inside 3D Printing in Santa Clara this year, we’ve been waiting for the time when Autodesk’s 3D printing technology will make it to the public. It seems the company’s strategy is similar to that implemented by Google, with their Glass face-computers, and Oculus Rift. Autodesk will first be opening up its Ember 3D printer to “explorers” to test the machine out, at the full $5995 price, before going into full production.
*Said in the dated comedy styling of Jeff Foxworthy* You might be an explorer if… you are one of these types of people, outlined by Autodesk:“qualified industry leaders, software developers, materials scientists, research institutions, makers and hackers.”If you’ve got the dough and the chops, you can apply to be an explorer here. Start apply now, as space is limited and passes will be granted to those who apply most quickly.
Once accepted, you should be given the Ember Explorer Pack early next year. The pack consists of all of the following:“早期的基于SLA DLP的Ember打印机，Ember Explorer Supplies，Ember Explorer饰面套件，专用技术支持，信息和事件的独家访问以及提供直接反馈并影响Ember打印机的最终生产的选项。”
在相关新闻中，Autodesk围绕其Spark 3D打印平台的合作伙伴关系不断增长。除了众多公司listed on the Spark website, the company has just joined forces with3D Industri.es（3DI）, a London-based firm aiming to be the Google of 3D printable content. 3Di uses its3dshap.essite to find 3D printable models and3Dpartsource.com搜索网络制造组件。在拉斯维加斯举行的Autodesk University活动中，这家初创公司宣布，3DI的搜索引擎将使用3D打印的3D型号为Spark Platform推动了Spark Platform。
CEO and Founder of 3Di, Seena Rejal, said of the partnership,“Autodesk is going the right direction with Spark. They’re trying to make 3D Printing easy from endtoend and that’s one of our goals too. We’re excited to have Autodesk as a Strategic Partner to better organize the 3D Web and make it easier for everyone to utilize 3D printing, whether you’re a Maker or an Engineer.”
This means that, if you’re accepted into the Explorers Program, not only will you get to test out Ember and Spark, but the fruits of Autodesks’ partnerships, as well, including a 3D printables search engine, driven by 3Di.
