Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Printing in 3D

Want to create 3D objects in the real world, not just in Photoshop? No problem! 3D printers are now a reality. Instead of spraying ink like an inkjet printer, a 3D printer creates a stack of extremely thin layers—one on top of the other—of liquid plastic, metal, glass, gold, silver, or even a granular, resin-type substance to create the final object. Depending on the material, the layers either dry instantly, or a laser beam is used to heat and solidify each layer. Neat, huh?

Industry experts predict that by 2016, high-quality 3D printers will be available for less than $2,000. Meanwhile, there are 3D-printing companies that will create a 3D object from your exported 3D file. Happily, Photoshop CC 2014 lets you print directly to a 3D printer (if you have one) or send the file off to a company such as Shapeways (www.shapeways.com) or Sculpteo (www.sculpteo.com) for them to print.

Once you’ve perfected your 3D object and rendered it, choose 3D→3D Print Settings. Photoshop places your object inside a box with a grid on the bottom to give you an idea of what the printed object will look like, as shown in Figure 21-13. And in the Properties panel, you see the 3D Print Settings visible in Figure 21-13.

Figure 21-13. Here you see both the 3D print preview and the Properties panel’s 3D Print Settings. The cube around the object represents the maximum size the printer can print. ...