Yobi3D Meta-Searches For 3D Models

By on January 25th, 2015 in Service

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A search service provides a very easy way to find great 3D models for printing. 

Yobi3D is a meta-search service. It does not actually host 3D models itself, but instead simply indexes those stored elsewhere and permits searching many repositories from their single interface. 

They seem to index many of the popular and also lesser-known repositories, including: CGTrader, Thingiverse, YouMagine, Threading, SimplyMaya, 123DApp, NIH, 3DVia, Blender, Geeks3D, Top3DModel and a great many more. Weā€™ve seen a couple other meta-search services before, but Yobi3D seems to cover more repos than most. 

But thereā€™s a lot more to Yobi3D than merely itā€™s seemingly infinite list of searchable models. Their interface is particularly interesting. 

They provide a full screen, rotatable 3D view of any selected 3D model. This means you can get a very good understanding of the model before you choose to download it, making searching a lot easier. Models can be shown in various modes, such as the polygon view here. 

They also provide a number of filters to ensure your search is focused on the models you need. You can, for instance, specify only ā€œSTLā€ format, with a particular range of polygons. 

Even better, you can also filter by usage license. Now you can actually find 3D models that fit the legal requirements for your application.

Once youā€™ve found the most desirable 3D model, Yobi3D links you to the page of the repository in which that model is stored. From there you can download it in the manner prescribed by that service. 

We believe services such as Yobi3D are essential to provide the public with the best possible selection of 3D models. If consumers are not able to find printable content, they will not print, and thatā€™s not good news for anyone. 

Via Yobi3D

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!