Pinshape Inc., a 3D printing community and marketplace, announced a strategic partnership with 3DPrinterOS (developed by 3D Control Systems Ltd.), the world’s first operating system for 3D printing to enable cloud-based streaming of 3D print jobs and designs to a wide variety of printers.

By using the 3DPrinterOS API, Pinshape designers and customers can quickly and easily stream designs direct-to-print on a majority of today’s desktop 3D printers.

Pinshape comes across a bit like the DeviantArt of 3D printing. It provides space for project, galleries of printed designs, and the ability to download the geometry files for printing in the home. 3D print designers can share their designs with Creative Commons or sell them via the website as well. Examples of projects include the Low Polygon Pokemon (a project filled with Pikachus and Bulbasaurs, but “low resolution”) and a design for printing (and assembling) the Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, a Buddhist temple in Nepal (proceeds paid go to charity to assist Nepal for the recent earthquake.)

“3DPrinterOS was able to provide the missing link to streamline the printing experience for our users”, said Lucas Matheson, Pinshape CEO and Co-Founder.

The press release uses the worlds “click-to-print” to describe the experience of using Pinshape with 3DPrinterOS to seamlessly allow customers to access and then directly print designs. Lucas goes on to say that the integration with 3DPrinterOS is the next step in expanding the value of printable models from Pinshape’s platform by providing a secure, simple experience for customers straight from the cloud to their 3D printers.

The addition of 3DPrinterOS to Pinshape’s toolbox also helps differentiate Pinshape from other galleries that are hardware-affiliated. Pinshape prides itself as a hardware-agnostic marketplace for 3D printable objects.

3D printable relief effort for Nepal

On April 25th, a massive earthquake ripped through Nepal and since then international relief efforts have been underway. While 3D printing is not the first thing that comes to mind for earthquake relief, one thing 3D printers do extremely well is model buildings and Nepal has an ancient and diverse cultural heritage of architecture.

To assist Nepal, MiniWorld and Pinshape teamed up to sell models of buildings from around Nepal and all profits from downloads go to UNISEF Nepal Relief.

The two models from Pinshape include (as noted above) a print of Boudhanath Stupa for $4.99; an amazing print of a Durbar square pagoda for $3.00, a type of building found in plazas in Nepal, many of which suffered damage in the earthquake.

Image credit: screenshot from Pinshape