So you all see this? Is this how M$ is going to exact control over the 3d printing world? Or do you think they are just doing something that should of been done long ago?
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20150426-microsoft-to-reveal-new-3d-printing-file-format-during-build-2015.html
We can only hope that the file spec is open to all and not locked to only Microsoft products/environments.
They just open-source the dot net frame work and started backing cryogen android.
If it is like docx and xlsx, it would have a ZIP file containing manu folders with crap in them and take up way too much space and nobody would want to try to program anything to do with it.
I would not doubt it if it just ends up being a copy of an existing format that is not used as much. STL seems the most common, but in all reality it is not the best format when you have more than one color or material that you wish to use.
@Camerin_hahn
Yeah. Point? C# is still closed source. tbh .net is pretty much useless to any non Windows OS anyways.
Microsoft has backed a lot of open source software, Mostly because its useful to them as well. If it wasnt in their interests they would ignore it. Linux is just becoming large enough that they cannot justify ignoring it anymore.
If it is locked down. they they will not be able to take over 3d printing as we will continue using what we have. If it is open, they can not take over 3d printing as everyone will be able to implement the format. That is assuming it is an improvement over the current format.
So what do we want to see this used for besides DRM and multi-hotend use? Maybe info about volume and how much material needed to print it with? Could we put slicer info in there for ‘best print settings’ ?
@E_Edge226_T
How is C# closed-source? It’s a spec for a programming language.
Do you mean Visual Studio? There are open-source alternatives.
@Carlton_Dodd
Mono for Linux doesnt count… Its ‘not’ the full spec. Which is why pretty much anything coded in C# wont see a Linux version. Because its closed off with the appearance of openness.
@E_Edge226_T Linux(aside from Android) still only has about a 1% market share. It won’t become relevant to general consumers until it doesn’t require terminal access ever. (Still needs access for some driver installation, setup, and such)
@E_Edge226_T
So, you’re talking about the .NET framework, and not a coding language.
The server-side .NET framework is currently open-source, which allows coding .NET web applications in a fully open-source manner. But, you are correct that the client-side is still closed, meaning desktop applications still require proprietary code.
@E_Edge226_T The software that was suggested for use with my 3D printer used Mono and I found it to be the most unstable piece of shit on the face of the earth. I prefer the printer software written in C,C+ or Python.
@djC653 The ability to choose to have each dot RGB or CMYK defined along with defining the material defined would be good. Of course, that is pretty much what you get with gaming models with rgb and alpha data. For that reason, I think the next big 3D printing file format is actually a 3D game’s model file which is really already out there. There might be some little tweaks here and there to be made though to prompt for overhang or different temperature behavior (to prompt the part to separate easier) or such.
@E_Edge226_T C# the spec has been open for a looong time, mono is a linux/os x implementation of the .net framework and compilers.
The new C# compiler (roslyn) is fully open source and they have opensourced the .net framework libraries.
They are opensourcing pretty much everything (not Visual Studio itself).
The next version of the .net libraries are being ported to several unixes (linux supported, freebsd recently merged)!
In fact I think the development process of .net is now much more open than many of the alternatives.
Considering the drastic changes that have happened during the last year, these news should probably not be evaluated so negatively (at least wait and see).
@Camerin_hahn You should pay attention to the market demographics. Those who are likely using 3d printing are much more likely to be non Microsoft users. The intelligence level to do 3d printing, let alone the drive to learn it, use it, and debug them will self select against the vast majority of Microsoft users that make up that statistic that you are making up.
Examples of the self selection would be when look at the server and supercomputing statistics. Windows accounts for 2% of supercomputing, and 20% of servers.
The numbers most people use are based on the flawed assumption that a purchase is a use for ever. So much hardware comes with a windows license, but doesn’t stay that way. Or if it does for a while, it is recycled into other OS choices before the end of life.
Just a point. A file format is not like programming languages. It is just a storage of data structures. If it works out well, it should get adopted. If it doesn’t work well, it will get dropped for either the previous file format, or it will be replaced by newer versions or newer formats.
@Oystein_Krog
Thanks for the explaination. Why is it that many programs are just not being ported to Linux if they use C#? Even today that seems common practice, Is it just developer choice or perhaps lack of knowledge on the porting process? Obviously you cannot state for every developer out there but what is your general opinion on this?
@Steven_Critchfield You accuse me of not knowing my demographic, then quote number for super computes.
The numbers i was quoting computers accessing the internet. not sales numbers. So your argument about sales is not valid.
If we want to move things to mainstream (so many people talk about 3d printing as it should become mainstream) we need to work well cross platform. Including osx, Windows, and Linux. That should probably be expanded to chrome os and android, but baby steps. ignoring an kernel that makes up 90% or desktop computing is a blocker for mainstream adoption.
It’s really quite hard to develop cross-platform applications, especially so when talking about applications with GUI.
The .net platform has traditionally been windows only, and I think windows developers in particular are not very concerned with cross-platform, though I hope this will change.
It is also my impression that though there are many options for GUI toolkit bindings (api for .net), none of them have emerged as a clear winner, and so there is great fragmentation.
I think many developers are seeing the changes that are happening and are starting to re-evaluate .net/C# as a viable option, especially C# 6.0 and the way the language design team have opened up is very exciting, as C# is without doubt one of the very best languages that exist today (not just in theory but in practice).