Currently, around 30, 000 professional 3D printers are installed around the world, while around 10 million people actively use 3D CAD software.

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In the past small-scale designers like Brian Case never could afford the cost or learning time required to work with high-end CAD software.

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Sales of CAD software to midsize companies are growing 15%, while large-company sales are expanding at a piddling 5% a year, says Gearoid Smyth, global marketing director of PTC, a CAD maker formerly known as Parametric Technology.

FORBES: Easy Designer

Autodesk might have made a name for itself with the CAD software used by architects and engineers to design and model everything from buildings to machines, but the San Francisco-based company has also had a hand in helping bring many Hollywood blockbusters to the big screen.

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Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) makes computer-aided design (CAD) software used by architects, manufacturers, and engineers.

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Thankfully, printing out complicated objects doesn't require a mastery of CAD or other complex 3D modeling software.

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The easy-to-use Form software (compatible with any 3D CAD package), custom-formulated printing materials, and Form Finish post-processing kit complement the beautifully simple printer to make desktop 3D printing as easy as pushing a button.

ENGADGET: FORM 1 delivers high-end 3D printing for an affordable price, meets Kickstarter goal in 1 day

Presumably, to obtain the design for a widget will be as easy as downloading a song (both legally or illegally) because the design is all software, a small file that a CAD program would handle, for example.

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