3D printing has taken the technology world by storm. With many uses and limitless possibilities, it is one of the advancing technologies that will replace many sectors in the future.
Gradually, 3D printing is becoming a regular part of our everyday lives as well, with many creative individuals taking it up as a hobby by buying printers of their own. Additionally, it provides individuals with an opportunity to start a lucrative business as well.
Regardless of your motive, your 3D creations need a digital presence. And if you’ve built your website on WordPress, we have the solution for you.
WordPress websites are coupled with some of the best plugins that not only enhance the functionality of your work but also increase traffic to your website. And today, we bring you some of the best WordPress plugins for 3D printing that will help you showcase your 3D creations as both – hobbyist and entrepreneur. So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the best WordPress 3D printing plugins.
3DPrint Lite
If you are looking to start a 3D printing business, then this plugin is for you. With the help of this plugin, your customers can order customized 3D models by uploading their own digital models to your WordPress site. They can also select from other options like filament, color, and the size of the model.
Choosing from selected options will give them an estimated cost of the finished product. If the estimated cost fits the buyer’s budget, they can ‘Request a Quote’ that will be immediately received by the admin. The admin can further decide to send the approximate quote of the product or disregard the request altogether.
The 3D Print plugin is open-source software. It has both free and premium versions available. The free plugin provides support for STL, OBJ, and ZIP file formats, while the paid version of the plugin enables support for other formats that include STP and IGS. The premium version also offers WooCommerce integration for better usability in your eCommerce store.
Woo 3D Viewer
Another WooCommerce integrated plugin is Woo 3D Viewer. It’s a simple, easy-to-use plugin that lets customers adjust their scene and model settings, background color, shadows, shininess, and transparency of the finished product. They can also arrange their payments right from the website and request a quote if the estimated price aligns with their budget.
Just like 3D Print, Woo 3D Viewer comes in both free and pro versions. The free version provides support for both STL and OBJ file formats along with WooCommerce integration. On the other hand, the Pro version offers model repair features and variable product support. It also enables the users to protect models from unwanted downloads by converting their models to PNG, animated GIF, WEBM video format
In addition, the Pro version gives an option to show a WEBM or a GIF instead of a 3D model, along with model compression for faster loading on mobile devices.
Phanes 3DP Calculator
Turn your WordPress or WooCommerce website into an online store for selling 3D printing services with the Phanes 3DP plugin. The easy-to-use plugin comes with both – free and paid modules and is equipped with a wide range of features.
To start off, the customers can get Instant Quotes and Checkout Options. The software supports only STL files that the clients can directly upload on the website for a view of the final 3D product.
One good thing about the Phanes 3DP plugin is that it allows users to add as many filament attributes as they want. The makers don’t take any commission for the products that you sell through the plugin as well. However, the downside is that the free module only accepts payment through PayPal. It also supports only basic currencies, including the USD, EUR, Yen, British Pound, Chinese Yuan, Australian Dollars.
You can, however, choose to go for a premium subscription of $14.95 per month to widen the payment options that will let you accept Stripe payments as well. It will also let you receive all the major currencies, including the Hong Kong dollar, New Zealand dollar, and Thai Baht.
Additionally, the plugin’s premium version opens up possibilities of several other features such as volume and density calculations, bulk and zip bulk uploads, and delayed price quotes.
Verge3D
Verge3D is another valuable tool that you can use for both – content creation and eCommerce. With this plugin, you can create product configuration, 3D presentations, portfolios, an online store, browser game, and even an e-learning app with 3D models.
One of the best things about this plugin is that it gives an interactive true 360-degree view of the models. This allows you to present your 3D models in a more fruitful way to thousands of internet users and potential customers. The plugin also has impressive zooming capabilities that will enable the viewers to carefully inspect the 3D model from all angles.
In addition, the software works seamlessly on all devices. So whether your audience is using a smartphone or a TV set, the plugin will work efficiently.
Above all, Verge3D elements are hosted on your own WordPress servers. This means that you can choose to showcase them to the public or keep them private – the choice is yours.
Canvasio3D Light
Customers often shy away from online shopping as it doesn’t give them the feel of physical buying. However, plugins like Canvasio3D remove the problem by showcasing a 360-degree view of the products for the best representation possible.
Canvasio3D is a free, easy-to-use plugin that includes powerful software for viewing 3D models. With this plugin, you can conveniently upload 3D models to your WordPress site in a wide range of file formats, including OBJ, STL, DAE, and MTL. You can also easily edit them using the menu buttons from a single dashboard.
For the viewers, Canvasio3D is a delight as it lets them experience the 3D models from all angles. With zooming capabilities, they can view the models as realistically as possible.
The plugin is free, open-source software. It supports additional languages besides English, including French, German, Polish, Japanese, and Italian.
Final Words
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a growing industry and can benefit virtually any business. And available plugins like the ones mentioned above make it easy to showcase your 3D products on the powerful CMS system of WordPress.
Unleash your creativity with these plugins and try them out. Good luck!