Bring 3D designs to life with Shapeways

Do you like to be different from the crowd? Are you a sheep dog, as opposed to a sheep? And more importantly are you one of those people who relish in their uniqueness? Then I think you'll like the sound of Shapeways.

It's a website that gives creativity a chance, allowing you to transform your sketches, designs and ideas into a solid 3D object. It could be a figurine of a character you've designed, Christmas tree decorations, napkin rings, a model of a heteroatomic molecule or an abstract piece of art. The majority of designs make it through to production, no matter how bizarre, giving you a one-of-a-kind creation.

You could be a budding 3D artist, an architect, a product designer, a standard everyday consumer - anyone can give it a go, even if you have absolutely zero experience in the design department - the Shapeways Creator Library is there to assist. You can even turn your favourite poem into a candle holder as shown in the picture. And just in case your ideas are a bit too extravagant, there's a system in place that requires you to upload your design and have the system check its feasibility before moving forward. Once your design has been given the green light all you need to do is wait for your ideas to arrive in the post and come to life.

At the moment there's only two materials available and in white only - nylon and photopolymer (more materials like wood and metal are expected to roll out in the near future). This means bendy or movable functions can be implemented into your design. And being white means you get to put your creative hat on again and get a' painting. Shapeways provides plenty of tips on the correct paint to use as well as design tips and on the service in general.

It really is a clever idea and loads of fun, especially if you're into customised arts and crafts, or if you're simply after something special. And the prices aren't too bad either (average cost $50 - $100). I'm looking forward to my complimentary account packed with $100 USD to design my very own Shiny Shiny desk mascot.

Check out the Shapeways site here

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