Downloadable three-dimensional models

1. A method comprising:

creating a plurality of different machine-ready models of an object from a three-dimensional model of the object, each one of the plurality of different machine-ready models adapted for fabricating the object characterized by the three-dimensional model on one of a number of different types of three-dimensional printers each having a predetermined configuration resulting in different slicing rules for converting the three-dimensional model into a corresponding one of the machine-ready models;

storing the plurality of different machine-ready models of the object;

receiving a request from a client for the object through a data network;

identifying a type of three-dimensional printer locally associated with the client;

selecting a machine-ready model from the plurality of different machine-ready models of the object, wherein the machine-ready model is selected as corresponding to the type of three-dimensional printer locally associated with the client; and

transmitting the machine-ready model to the client through the data network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request from the client includes a single action from the client in a web page served by a web server to the client.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving the machine-ready model at the client and transmitting the machine-ready model from the client to the three-dimensional printer for fabrication.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the client is configured to automatically store the machine-ready model on a removable memory device locally coupled to the client.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the single action is a single mouse click from the client.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of different machine-ready models include g-code for fabricating the object.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the three-dimensional model of the object through the data network.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a second plurality of machine-ready models for each of a plurality of objects.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing a user interface through the data network for the client to browse the plurality of objects and select one of the plurality of objects for fabrication.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising verifying a printability of each one of the plurality of different machine-ready models on a corresponding one of the different types of three-dimensional printers.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing metadata for the object, the metadata including one or more of a computer rendering of the object, a photograph of the object, an author comment for the object, a number of downloads for the object, a category tag for the object, and a popularity rating for the object.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying a selected one of the plurality of different machine-ready models according to specific configuration information for the three-dimensional printer associated with the client.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically determining when a request to fabricate a selected one of the plurality of different machine-ready models should be redirected to a second three-dimensional printer; and

performing a second selection of one of the plurality of different machine-ready models corresponding to the second three-dimensional printer.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising managing a print queue for one or more of the client, the three-dimensional printer, and the second three-dimensional printer.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the different types of three-dimensional printers include different printers from a single manufacturer.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the different types of three-dimensional printers include printers using two or more printing technologies selected from a group including jet printing, stereolithography, fused deposition modeling, layered object manufacturing, and selective laser sintering.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined configuration includes one or more hardware components of the three-dimensional printer.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising, when two or more of the plurality of different machine-ready models are suitable for the three-dimensional printer associated with the client, selecting one of the two or more machine-ready models according to a predetermined criterion and transmitting the one of the two or more machine-ready models to the client.

19. A computer program product comprising computer-executable code embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:

creating a plurality of different machine-ready models of an object from a three-dimensional model of the object, each one of the plurality of different machine-ready models adapted for fabricating the object characterized by the three-dimensional model on one of a number of different types of three-dimensional printers each having a predetermined configuration resulting in different slicing rules for converting the three-dimensional model into a corresponding one of the machine-ready models;

storing the plurality of different machine-ready models of the object;

receiving a request from a client for the object through a data network;

identifying a type of three-dimensional printer locally associated with the client;

selecting a machine-ready model from the plurality of different machine-ready models of the object, wherein the machine-ready model is selected as corresponding to the type of three-dimensional printer locally associated with the client; and

transmitting the machine-ready model to the client through the data network.