14 DAY TRIAL // 3D Builder has been around for a while on Windows 10 PCs, but today Microsoft is making the app available on Windows 10 Mobile devices and Xbox One consoles, giving users more options when it comes to creating and printing 3D content.
Presented by Microsoft at its hardware event in October, the 3D Builder app on Windows phones allows users to design and print a 3D object only with a mobile device, and comes with a few options that make the whole process a lot more convenient.
First and foremost, 3D Builder on Windows phones makes it possible for users to scan an object and create a 3D replica using the mobile device’s camera. This means that you only need to take a few shots of the object that you want to re-create in 3D and the app takes care of everything, including processing of the photos.
3D printing support
3D Builder also comes with support for the common 3D formats being used right now, including 3MF, STL, OBJ, PLY, and WRL (VRML) files, and it can also work with your own images to help build a 3D object. There is also a built-in library should you want to print or work with any of the objects that other users in the community created.
Once you create a 3D object on your phone and you want to proceed to printing, you have two options: you can either print it with your own 3D printer or send it to i.materialise, which is a service providing 3D printing for a fee. Windows phones do not work with all 3D printers just yet, but the most popular models are obviously supported, and you can check the full list here.
At this point, the performance of 3D Builder seems to be quite limited, and we’ve noticed the app to be somewhat slow, but this is just the first version available on mobile devices, and it should improve over time. 3D is Microsoft’s big focus for the Windows 10 Creators Update due in early 2017, so by the time this new OS version debuts, the app should also be significantly improved.
