Third Degree
Download and print a 3D model of your favorite Ford Performance vehicle
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company
You might not have the cash to drive home in a new Ford GT or Shelby GT350R, but thanks to a new partnership between Ford and TurboSquid, you can download a 3D model of your favorite Ford Performance vehicle and print one at home—at least a scale model of one.
That’s right. The future is here. You might not be able to print a fully functional car—yet—but you can download a digital file of the car’s shape and print it at home if you are one of the growing group of people that own their own 3D printers.
“3D printing at home is a growing trend, and it makes sense for us to offer our customers a chance to make their own 3D Ford models,†said Mark Bentley, licensing manager, Ford Global Brand Licensing. “At Ford, we’re using 3D printing every day to rapidly prototype parts, and now we want to share that fun with our fans.â€
Yes, Ford frequently uses this technology to create prototype parts for real-world testing, but Juniper research says that right now 44,000 desktop 3D printers are sold every year, and that number is expected to grow to over 1 million in just three years.
To help stay ahead of this trend, Ford enlisted TurboSquid, a company that does 3D modeling for video games, to create the files and support the endeavor’s new website.
“TurboSquid already allows customers to purchase more than 1,000 unique, licensed digital images of Ford products ranging from the Model T to the all-new Ford GT,†said Bentley. “We’re at the forefront of licensing 3D automotive images, and it made sense that TurboSquid help us complete that connection to the consumer.â€
At the moment you can download files for the F-150 Raptor, Fiesta ST, Focus ST, and Shelby GT350R. The Ford GT will be available shortly. If you don’t have a 3D printer, you can buy a pre-printed 1/32 scale plastic model from the site. However, if you do have your own printer, you can download the file for $4.99 and print it at the scale you wish with the material of your choosing, including plastic, sandstone, and metal.
When you buy a model or download a file you do have to agree not to use it for commercial purposes, so if you want to learn more, head on over to the site right here.
