3D search engines: now available at a computer near you

Now that 3D printing has brought a new dimension to computing, some internet users are looking for specific objects rather than sets of words. While Google has focused on making all online text searchable, a new engine called 3DShap.es makes the objects produced by 3D printing just as easy to locate.

Although still in beta, this online tool is already revolutionizing the 3D printing industry. Concordia researcher Michael Groenendyk is part of a multinational team that’s working to make the search engine the go-to site for finding 3D files.

“It’s sort of like Google Images, but for 3D objects,” he says. “A shape-matching algorithm allows users to search for models based on their size and dimension. Users can upload their own model to shape-search with, or else choose one of the models from the database.”

A powerful database

Beyond just searching, 3DShap.es is providing a way to index every 3D model available on the internet. 

Groenendyk, whose work as a business librarian has taught him a thing or two about cataloguing, is currently leading a team working to develop the 3DShap.es database. “We’re basically crawling the internet to find and categorize every kind of 3D model content available! We’re also working with companies and websites to get access to content behind paywalls.”