Feb. 18, 2015 | By Alec
While 3D printers can theoretically be used to make just about anything, the reality is that most of us are using to 3D print fun toys and tributes to awesome movies, series and games. And as most of us aren’t flawless designers, I dare say I’m not the only one who spends hours going through Thingiverse and Shapeways looking for cool stl files. That endless search for geeky items could be a thing of the past, however, as Gambody has just launched: an online 3D printing marketplace made by and for gamers.
As Alexander, the Ukrainian developer of Gambody explains to us, "Gambody is a marketplace of 3D printing layouts and this project is aimed at all those people who can't imagine their lives without gaming; that all dream of taking part in its creation and bring something of their own." To oversimplify, you could say it's a mixture of Thingiverse and Shapeways specifically aimed at gamers, where they can purchase and sell 3D printable files of anything video game-related.
The basic idea: buying 3D printed tributes to video games.
"We made it all ridiculously easy by offering you a complete and highly-customizable platform. Become a merchant by selling your 3d models to people or buy 3d designs without hassle and download high quality 3d models for free, then just print and use them," Alexander says. "Gambody.com offers you to discover and plunge into the vast world of 3d printing. We developed this service so that people all around the world can give a try to something new and exciting, such as creating or receiving unique and distinctive things with a 3d printer."
In essence, Aleksandr is aiming specifically at the niche market of gamers, who are typically very interested in sculptures and other fan tributes. These he hopes to bring together with the growing number of 3D designers who are testing the waters of online market platforms. Already, you can find a series of very interesting designs in STL format on the Gambody marketplace, typically with price tags in the region of €25,00 (or about $29,00). While these are currently only listed as pre-order for unknown reasons, if purchased 35-80% of the price will go directly to the designer (depending on the type of deal they make with Gambody).
Gambody also seeks to encourage as many people as possible to start designing and marketing their creations through a serious of tutorials and blog posts, which you can find here. "Learn and improve daily or get an insight into something you are interested by reading our blogs or reviewing dozens of up-to-date tutorials about 3D printing, which will help you to understand this technology and get to grips with it. Start making money or give your close ones a unique gift they will remember for a long time."
As such, it's a very interesting concept that could definitely be successful – the online presence of gamers is enormous, while game tributes are some of the most popular 3D printable designs out there – though you can’t help but wonder if they can find they find their place in the market. After all, many free designs can be found all over the web, while comparable and successful services already exist.
Alexander is, however, very optimistic and insists that the Gambody setup is very different from that of its competitors. Not only does he believe their file protection system will attract many designers – files are kept on the website’s servers, rather than downloaded, to prevent piracy – but he argues that no other service has the same focus on a target audience. Finally, Gambody is also seeking to become a marketplace for branded and licensed content – which would be necessary should you seek to sell 3D designs of game characters and so on.
This would of course depend on his success in attracting people from the gaming industry itself, and the fact that none of the website’s designs can already be purchased could have something to do with that. "The concept of our service is already appreciated by gaming companies, which implies partnership with giants and leaders of the gaming industry such as Blizzard, VALVE, EA Games, Wargaming," he explains to us, adding that "some of them are already in the process of integration. Gambody opens the best opportunity to be involved into 3D printing. Any game company may become a partner of our marketplace of 3D printable files of gaming models for 3D printer. Open up new horizons for your games, fans and increase your profit."
All in all, the Gambody concept is promising and could definitely be a success. The models look great so far, while the protected file system and the focus on the gaming market could indeed mean that both designers and customers flock to the Gambody webstore. However, it remains to be seen if Gambody can carve out a large enough slice of the 3D printable file market (and fight off free alternatives), though successfully developing partnerships with large game develops will surely help.
Also check out this concept clip for Gambody:
Posted in 3D Design
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If this is real then it wont last long as everyone takes them to task over IP infringement, the 'print' example is just a render.
Nilok wrote at 2/19/2015 3:43:45 AM:
This feels really suspicious since Games Workshop is very protective of their IP and make most of their money selling plastic miniatures. The fact they are offering the XV109 Y'vahra and even Horus STLs for sale to be replicated is very odd.
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