eBay Exact is an iPhone App for 3D Printed Goods

Leading auction marketplace eBay is the latest major e-commerce company getting into 3D printing, following the recent news by Amazon, Tesco, and others. eBay launched an iPhone app called eBay Exact that lets users customize and order 3D printed goods.

How eBay Exact Works

eBay has partnered with 3D printing companies and designers, including MakerBot, Sculpteo, and Hot Pop Factory, to source 3D printed goods that can be customized and purchased.

Here’s the description from the eBay Exact product page:

Unleash your creativity by customizing select products to create exactly what you want with eBay Exact. Simply select a product, choose a design, and add your own personal flair to create a unique item for yourself or someone special!

With our first foray into 3D printing technology, we have partnered with Sculpteo, MakerBot, and Hot Pop Factory who are leaders in 3D printing technology to hand-select a range of special products including, iPhone cases, figurines, and jewelry.

Take the power of creation into your own hands and download the app now to start customizing right away.

Bring your style to life. Choose from a variety of materials, including plastics, wood and metals. Use the engraving feature to further customize your product.

Be the first to use new technology to create one-of-a-kind iPhone cases, jewelry, and figurines based on self-portraits.

Build your collection. Whether you love jewelry or figurines, eBay Exact allows you to create as many unique products, exactly as you like, based on your personal desires and preferences.

Reviews

There are just a few reviews so far, but some of them are glowing.

“Really cool app that gives affordable access to 3D Printers. I’d love to see more templates to customize and buy. Opening up to user generated content – a deviantart like community for 3D models would really make this a very addictive app!”

“App is beautiful- first company to do something like this, impressive.”

Below is a gallery that shows how you can discover an item, customize it and preview your design before ordering it.

Get the app for iPhone and iPad at iTunes or learn more about eBay Exact at eBay.

3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) launched today Cubify(R) Draw, a mobile 3D printing app for iOS. Cubify Draw empowers anyone with an iPhone(R) , iPad(R) or iPad Mini(TM) device to create printable content with their fingertips. Users can digitally doodle with their finger or trace an imported picture and then enhance it with features like adjustable line thickness and height, auto-fill and auto-connect. Users can upload their drawing directly to Cubify or have the STL file emailed to them for printing. Cubify Draw is available in the App Store today via free download.

“Cubify Draw takes digital doodling to printable reality” said Sarah Stocker, Senior Director of Cubify for 3D Systems, “This boundary breaking app is our latest gamified installment in our commitment to democratize content-to-print entertainment on Cubify.”

Our Review

Cubify Draw is a very simple and straight-forward app. You trace or draw with your finger, and it creates a file for you to print. With this simplicity in mind, 3D Systems shared that “the app is ideal for drawing and printing cookie cutters, pendants, ornaments, bracelets and simple toys.”

We tried out the app and found it very easy to navigate, but hard to create models of any precision. Similar to an Etch-A-Sketch, you have one try to get your lines right or you have to clear the canvas and start over.

We imported the On 3D Printing logo in an attempt to trace the “On”. The results are in the gallery below.

It’s great to see the Cubify team extending into digital and competing with other apps like Autodesk 123D Catch. While this first app feels a bit limited, it’s free and easy to use. So if you have a Cube 3D printer, or want to quickly print a design via Cubify.com, give the app a try!