[Foundation-l] New project: WikiMake - library of free 3D models?

[Leinonen Teemu]

On 10.2.2012, at 10.55, Gerard Meijssen wrote:
> When you consider a new project, it is important to consider how it will
> fit in. Just being able to have 3d images makes sense when people can view
> them. Making them only available does not strike me as that interesting.
> Working on such models is probably more interesting. The question then
> becomes how is this to be achieved.

Hear, hear. I think making 3D objects available (1) for viewing and (2) for people to make out of them physical objects are equality important. As pointed out in earlier messages there are some online databases of 3D objects for fabrication[1] but from the free culture point of view Wikimedia movement / WMF could play a role in this, too. I see here a huge educational potential.

I do not know enough about file formats, but we naturally would been both: free format for viewing 3D objects and free format that can be used for making out of them physical objects. 

> Effectively there have been new projects since Wikispecies. In my
> appreciation, GLAM is very much a WMF project that is very much run by its
> own community and sponsored by chapters. Having 3d models in Commons is not
> a problem in and of itself. The question to me is what will it deliver,
> what will its community be like and how will this be related maybe
> integrated in all our projects.


Probably the Commons is the the right project to start this, if there is a community interested in to work on it as part of the Wikimedia / WMF. I'll ask some Fab Lab people to consider Commons to be their "home". 

	- Teemu 

[1] http://www.thingiverse.com/

----------------------------------------------
Teemu Leinonen
http://www.uiah.fi/~tleinone/