From shoes to jewelry to swimwear, designers describe how the 3D printing revolution has contributed to their work. 

Though it’s been used by industrial designers to create prototypes for decades, the process of rapid prototyping has only recently begun to benefit the masses, and Shapeways has been leading the way since 2007. As a platform for designing and actualizing 3D printed items, Shapeways has facilitated access to 3D printing technology so that anyone can develop and print their own designs.

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In the video above, Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen describes how the concept of 3D printing is revolutionizing the market for custom-designed products, and we meet creatives who are applying the technology to their various disciplines. Gil Akos of creative coding group Modelab describes the potential for printing using a wide variety of materials, even biological ones that can be applied to medical science. Designer Mary Huang of Continuum Fashion shows us her N12 bikini, and 3D-printed strvct shoe collection.

These are just a few of the ways in which we’re seeing 3D printing entering into our daily lives and addressing our practical needs, while giving us a new creative outlet through which we can create any 3D shape imaginable.

This post also appears on The Creators Project, an Atlantic partner site.