The "Cafe Press" for Design Projects
 

I recently saw this at SIGGRAPH (graphics conference):

http://www.shapeways.com/

You can create anything in a variety of materials, and even open a free shop for people to buy your stuff. They handle shipping and purchases, so it's worry-free. There are no set-up fees and minimum order is only $25 (not per design either).

This is a good way to design original jewelry and other items. They can produce the items in everything from plastic to metal and glass. And, if you make something with moving parts, they are manufactured that way, requiring no assembly.

From the samples I saw, the level of detail is amazing - down to a fraction of a millimeter. And, nothing is molded or formed - it's all cut by an intricate object printer.

And, to create three-dimensional objects, you can download Blender (which is a well-known open source program) for free. And Shapeways even has a free tutorial to show you how the basics of how to create an object. :)

So, just wanted to share! :)

That is TOO COOL.

Freaking awesome. Invent your own stuff!!

Yep! And they also have pre-made designs that you can just customize, if you don't want to make your own, or don't have the savvy to work with 3D design programs. :)