Microsoft is releasing a 3D printing app for Windows 8.1. 3D printing is said to be the wave of the future and 3D printing shops are popping up in cities around America.

Windows 8.1 makes 3D printing possible because it is native to the operating system, meaning the OS offers plug-and-play support for printers, understands 3D file formats, and connects lots of apps with lots of hardware. Now, with the 3D Builder app, Microsoft makes it even easier for people to create and print objects in 3D.

3D Builder has a catalog of objects you can create from ornaments to toys and more. A user interface lets you scale, rotate and adjust what you want to print. Add multiple objects to a single print - even stack or push objects into one another to create new ones. Printing 3D objects created in other applications or ones that are downloaded from the Internet is also supported.



3D printers are already on the market and 3D Systems, Autodesk, Dassault Systemes, MakerBot, netfabb, Materialise, Stratasys, Tiertime (PP3DP), and many others are making 3D printing a reality for the masses.