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Adobe Adds 3D Printer Support To Photoshop
angry tapir writes "Adobe has rolled out an update to Photoshop that incorporates direct support for 3D printing. According to Adobe, they don't expect most users to directly create 3D meshes in Photoshop. Instead they expect most of the time people will import objects from other applications and then use Photoshop as a finishing tool to tweak and repair meshes — in a similar fashion to how Photoshop can be used to tweak photos before production. The application currently directly supports MakerBot printers and the online Shapeways service. More printer support is coming (printer profiles are editable XML files) and the application can also export STL files that can be copied to a USB drive and used on other brands of 3D printer."
Some more features that I won't know how to use in PS! Seriously, this is great. But it does make PS even more intimidating - wow, the learning curve is already steep!
Now we can airbrush our 3D printed sex bots.
I'm waiting until they add the kitchen sink and rename the project adobe franken-shop. come on, photo editing, then video editing, now 3d cad? I swear they just keep adding in items so people feel they are getting value from the upgrades. OR they want to help out the massive (and lucrative) training economy built around the wonderful (and intuitive) user interface in Photoshop.
Gimp developers - please don't feel obliges to play catch-up and incorporate this. It should be a separate application.
...how the software-subscription/lending business model is working out for adobe?
Whose brilliant idea was it to add something that has nothing to do with photoshop?
2D image editing and 3D modeling are two completely seperate things that share almost nothing. I'd be surprised if they shared anything beyond the basic interface.
I don't understand why something like this would be included in Photoshop. "Kitchen sink" applications are usually a bad idea: you want your app to do one thing very well, not a bunch of different things poorly. "One thing" can be defined pretty broadly (2D still image editing, in Photoshop's case), but you need some level of focus. And it's not like there aren't still more important things to fix: the Windows version of Photoshop still does not play nice with HiDPI, and there is still no support at all for the Windows Ink API (so tablets which don't support WinTab for patent reasons can't even get basic pressure sensitivity). Adobe is aware of these issues, but they'd rather add silly glitz that no one will use instead of fixing these rather significant bugs.
Symantec now offering Norton Antivirus for 3D printers.
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I can't wait to see the Fark Photoshop contests for 3D printers. Or better yet, give your crescent wrench huge tatas.
Well, over 1 million people have signed up as of 24 September or so: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2013/september/creative-cloud-1-millionth-user
which sounds impressive, until one recalls that for its 20th anniversary, Adobe announced PhotoShop had over 10 million users.
There's also no word on how many of these people have merely signed up for a 30 day free demo / trial.
Adobe's initial estimation was that only one-third or so (~4 million) of their customer base (~12 million) would initially sign up: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/adobes-creative-cloud-gamble-pays-off-handsomely-even-if-q2-earnings-crash-021396.php
So they're still far short of their initial estimate.
An Adobe CEO admitted to the disappointment and a need to tweak things: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/19/adobe_q2_customers_disappointed_with_no_boxed_wares/
but I've still not seen any change --- just more patches and up-dates. My suspicion is that Adobe planned this a long while ago, identifying the last few product features which would be essential for profitability of users and the most difficult for a competitor to implement, then deferring implementing them until after they introduced Creative Cloud.
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
Could it be because nobody is buying their stupid new subscription-only version of Photoshop, and this is a desperate attempt to make it tempting again?
Yeah, that's probably it.
Oh, wow, so Adobe is going to start supporting 3D printers.
Hey, wait - aren't Adobe those guys who were so adamant about DRM on their new software release they thought making it a subscription based service was a good idea?
Considering the source, I don't trust that this isn't just a power move on Adobe's part to get in on the ground floor of locking down your property (in this case, your 3D printer).
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
If you have a 3D printer that can print with clay, you could use Adobe to design, print and build your adobe house!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
How did they incorporate 3D modelling, which mostly uses 3D vector-based drawing, into a 2.5D pixel-based application?
I'm sorry, but to me that doesn't make sense. Photoshop is a program to manipulate raster images, that is, 2-dimensional arrays of coloured pixels. 3D printing simply doesn't fit in here.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with Adobe making a program for 3D printing. They also can bundle it with Photoshop, that's a pure business decision. But it simply doesn't make sense to add that functionality to the Photoshop program itself. Three are almost no operations which make sense for both raster image editing and 3D printing.
Photoshop has been adding (marginally functional) 3D tools for years now. Real 3D programs tend to offer better functionality and workflows, but I suppose the user case is that if you are just cleaning up a mesh you don't need the full Maya suite and you don't need to go wander around the depths of Free Software to fun a specific tool.
This may say more about 3D printing than Photoshop though. When you're noticed by the big guys, you've made it.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Adobe CS2 had ImageReady, a proper tool designed for Web optimization. Adobe CS3 tried to add the ImageReady tools to Photoshop in a half-assed way where you can only do actual work once you're already in the "export" mode where you lose 95% of the Photoshop power and need to go back-and-forth between regular mode and export mode.
They screwed up bad.
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So I guess you're not a big fan of World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV then.
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I won't be happy until Photoshop enables me to do rocket surgery.
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ob xkcd
I think that's the first in /.'s history when a goatse picture is actually on topic.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
I know on a number of photographer forums, I constantly hear people griping about not wanting to rent their software, and are not at this point, moving past CS6.
I'm personally sticking with the CS6 Production Premium suite I got for the educational pricing, and believe that will last me a number of years to see how this plays out, and if Adobe relents on the rental only software paradigm.
I know there are some fanboys that love CC, and for some it is a good fit. I do hope Adobe relents at some point and allows for stand alone versions again. If not, they I hope other tools stand up and maybe try to put offerings in place that would supplant Photoshop.
Heck...Adobe needs some competition in this realm anyway, long overdo.
I actually wish some other corporate types would throw money and resources maybe into GIMP, since it has a decent start, and have it fully developed into a PS competitor.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
If you can afford to buy Photoshop why not just hire a "rocket surgeon"?
Now 'designers' will believe even more that they can be engineers.
It's simple. They have been running out of ways to improve Photoshop. Once they realized this, they switched to a subscription only business model. Now they can roll out meager "upgrades" in drips and drabs without the pressure of having to create a whole new version of the software. I expect Adobe will update/upgrade the 3D portion of Photoshop the most over the next two years simply because there will be a lot of features they CAN add. Photoshop itself already does just about everything it needs to be able to do. Also, Adobe has been trying to crack the 3D problem for fifteen plus years now. Where the "3D problem" is how does Adobe sell 3D.
When are they going to add 3D printing support to Blender. Design your part in Blender, hit "print" and out comes a piece of plastic.
3D printing. Good.
Cloud. Bad.
Subscription. Bad.
Adobe loses 2 out 3.