“My kids have no problem building 3-D models in Minecraft all day long. In Windows 8.1, that’s not an unrealistic scenario. Imagine if you could build an object in a game, then one-button print it in real life. Just as iOS makes it easy for developers to plug in a scheduler or push notifications to iPhone apps, so, too, can Windows developers instantly support the relevant market of 3-D printers.Īnd it’s these developers that Microsoft is banking on creating a new wave of 3-D design software that can be more creative than technical. Microsoft worked with hardware vendors–including MakerBot, 3D Systems, and Autodesk–to build the API glue that can allow any developer to build 3-D creation apps with a one-touch printing option. From there you can start the glitch-prone printing process. You have to design an image in a program like CAD, then output it to specialty printer software.

The company tells me that 70% of 3-D printing is already done on Windows machines, but the problem is that it’s a clunky process. My kids have no problem building 3-D models in Minecraft all day long.Īnd that’s really the appeal of Microsoft’s pitch. “Our thinking was, let’s make this as easy as writing and printing a Word document,” says Shanen Boettcher, general manager at Microsoft’s Startup Business Group. Windows 8.1 will be the first OS to support 3-D printing natively on desktops and tablets. Today, Microsoft announced a crucial step to empower the next wave of 3-D printer adoption.

Minecraft skyscraper simple