3Depot (3D model repository)

Hey all,

I posted here for a few days a couple weeks ago and then went quiet. I've been continuing to read the threads, but spending most of my time on a personal project that is somewhat related. I didn't want to talk about it much before I had anything concrete, but now that we're in the later stages of development I'm looking for some community input.

Myself and two friends have been working tirelessly for the last week and a half developing a database-driven website to host 3D models. We're not quite ready to unveil it to the public yet (it's still lacking a couple very key features) but if we continue at this rate we should be able to in about a week. For now, I'd like to know what sorts of features you'd like in such a site. I'll give you three lists now: features the site currently has, features we're planning to implement before release, and features that we're planning to implement eventually.

Features we have:
-Relatively secure accounts/password authorization including the ability to create a new account.
-A "model database" that allows you to upload a new model* and that asks you for parameters including physical size, an image URL and a short description. *(note you can't actually upload a file, only fill out the descriptions as if you had)
-A very useable GUI, if I do say so myself.
-Model search - currently only works if the result contains all of the search parameters (we're working on that).
-A "bookmarked models" page that lets you bookmark models for easy access.
-Model edit/delete functionality
-A "more information" page for each model with a more detailed description.

Features we're working on before release:
-The ability to upload and download actual models, and update model files (probably not through full-scale SVN)
-Better search (including OR, NOT and other booleans)
-An XML page pointing to models administered by and bookmarked by each user. This will give RepRap and other 3D printers the ability to hook in to our site and host a local copy of all the models that have been bookmarked by the user for ease of access.
-SSL encryption

Eventual site features:
-Physical model size displayed in inches/cm depending on account preference
-Allowing model uploaders to give public edit or even delete access to the description pages of their models, turning certain pages on the site into wikis.
-Allow model uploaders to assign a fee to their model that must be paid to download it.

All feedback is great. Whether you have something to add to the list or a comment to make on one of the items already there or something completely unrelated, we'd love to get your input.

---

-Kyle

I'd love to take a look at the site. I definitely think there is a need for a nice community site to share models. Keep working on it, hopefully it turns out well.

I think models need a number of 'requirements' fields, as the project will continue changing and different things are possible. For example, when models go up that have electronics, they will need the ability to make PCBs, so that'd need to be logged and searchable. The same goes for support materials, etc..

randomdude Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think models need a number of 'requirements'
> fields, as the project will continue changing and
> different things are possible. For example, when
> models go up that have electronics, they will need
> the ability to make PCBs, so that'd need to be
> logged and searchable. The same goes for support
> materials, etc..


That makes sense. I've toyed with a sort of "compatible printers" type category for each model, where either a server-side script analyzes the model to determine what the requirements are, then compares that to a database of printers and their capabilities to decide which will be able to print it. Of course, if people modify their printers to the point that they don't fall into one of the general categories in the database, your solution would make more sense.

I'd advocate using different "colors" for the different materials in the item, including some transparent "color" for a filler material, (as distinct from no material,) then using XML, or similar, to spell out what each color is, possibly with substitutes. Something along the lines of
...
TotalSizeXcm == 100
TotalSizeYcm == 150
TotalSizeZcm == 55
FF0000 == 'HDPE'
FF0000 == 'ABS'
FF0000 == 'polypropylene'
FF0000 == 'polymorph'
FF0000 == 'friendly plastic'
FF0000 == 'PETE'
FF0000 == Generic_Thermoplastic
Minimum_ResolutionCm(FF0000) == .05
0000FF == 'silver'
0000FF == 'copper'
0000FF == 'woods metal'
0000FF == 'AIM 70'
0000FF == 'AsarcoLo 158'
0000FF == 'CerroBEND'
0000FF == 'Indalloy 158'
0000FF == 'Ostalloy 158'
0000FF == Generic_Conductor
Minimum_ResolutionCm(0000FF) == .1
000001 == Generic_Filler
Minimum_ResolutionCm(000001) == .5
...

With the first entry, (or last, it wouldn't really matter, only it determines the proper order to list things,) for which the fabricator is equipped to work, used.

In this way, a person can download the model, (or at least the information page,) and the prototyper control software can tell them if they are equipped to use it.

Possibly even a referenceable file on the clients side that a script can access to tell the user whether or not proceeding is practical. The server shouldn't need to know, although keeping a database, or at least a cookie, of the capabilities of a given fabricator is another possibility.

Sean, that's a great idea. I think a format like that is definitely going to be necessary once 3D printing really takes off and there are a bunch of different flavors. We aren't anticipating developing that sort of specification ourselves because it's a little beyond the mission statement of the website. However, if 3D printers with multiple materials start being developed before that gap is filled by someone else, we will look into creating that kind of standard file. I wouldn't think it would be hard.

Whether we end up creating the file format or not, I'm sure, knowing this community, that it will be open, so we may be able to integrate a server-side script with it to determine if a given user's machine can print a given object either way.

On a tangent: Can STL do internal geometry? I've only read the basic theory on it, and it seems to only define the surface of an object. Could you have a surface-within-a-surface, such as a copper wire within an HDPE block?