MakerBot, a leader in desktop 3D printing, and Autodesk, a leader in 3D design software, today announced they have signed a definitive agreement to jointly market a combination of 3D design software and 3D printing hardware to engineers, designers, architects, makers, creators, and artists. The agreement will entail the resale of MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printers in connection with Autodesk's 123D membership offerings. This collaboration will enable connecting MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printers with the Autodesk 123D family of apps, making the process of realizing a user's 3D design through 3D printing on MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printers even easier than before.
Autodesk and MakerBot will work together to help enable users to 3D print a model to their MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer after creating designs from within the 123D apps. The Autodesk 123D family of apps—which includes 123D Catch,123D Creature, 123D Design, and 123D Sculpt—provides users with the ability to capture, design and make their ideas, and connect with other makers around the world for support or inspiration. According to MakerBot, the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer is its easiest, fastest, and most affordable tool for creating 3D prints, setting a new standard in resolution and accuracy for creating high quality models.
Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, announced the partnership during his opening remarks for SXSW 2013, and the companies showcased creatures designed with Autodesk's new 123D Creature iPad app, which were printed on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer at SXSW Create Presented by Autodesk.
"Software is key in showcasing the capabilities of 3D printing, and Autodesk's 123D Creature iPad app is an awesome way to highlight how you can customize a design, make it your own, and print it in 3D on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer," noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. "MakerBot prides itself on setting the standard in desktop 3D printing, and now in working with Autodesk, we are also together, setting the standard in providing the leading 3D design software that is optimized for printing on a MakerBot."
"Our goal is to continue making 3D printing from our applications simpler and more straightforward, and optimizing the Autodesk 123D family to work with MakerBot printers delivers on this promise by enabling our community to print their creations with greater ease," said Samir Hanna, Vice President of Consumer Products at Autodesk. "Our collaboration will help accelerate the next industrial revolution, and we are excited to work with MakerBot to make this happen."
