Bring Minecraft To Life With These Cheap 3-D Printers

By Tim Moynihan for WIRED .

In all likelihood, 3-D printing will forever remain a niche thing. But if you or your kid happen to reside in that niche, making your own stuff has become crazy accessible.

Much of the reason is software: Microsofts Paint 3-D app in the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update makes designing 3-D objects super simple, and kids can even print out their own Minecraft creations. But the hardware is following suit, as 3-D printers are now much cheaper and easier to use.

RELATED: MIT Can Now 3-D Print Robots Made of Both Solids and Liquids

How cheap? For less than $300, you can now buy a capable and beginner-friendly 3-D printer. There are solid models from Monoprice that cost even less, but XYZprinting has 3-D printers for kids and beginners that will look better in your workspace. Theyre essentially designed to fill the void left empty by the long-delayed Mattel ThingMaker . But as a well-timed bonus, they also play nice with Windows 10s latest maker-minded features.

The cheapest and smallest of the lot is the Da Vinci Nano, a $230 box slated to ship by the middle of the year. Its designed to just plug in and work with a Windows PC like a mouse or keyboard, with the ability to print out objects up to the size of a 4.7-inch cube. In case youd rather just print stuff without futzing around in Paint 3D, theres a database of toys and other objects on XYZprintings site.

RELATED: This App Lets Anyone 3-D Print Do-Not-Duplicate Keys

But theres even an easier version of the printer designed for kids. The Da Vinci MiniMaker sells for $250, and its capable of larger 5.9-inch-cubed print jobs. In addition to being able to print out Paint 3D projects and Minecraft models in Windows 10 Creators Update, XYZprinting has a downloadable STEAM education package with tutorials and projects for K-12 students.

Both printers use XYZs proprietary PLA filament, which is non-toxic in case your kid decides to eat the green hamburger they just conjured. The printers have a resolution of 100 microns, which is far from what the industry considers high resolution, but a lower quality is to be expected for the price. If you fork over an extra $250 for the separately-sold 3-D Scanner Pro, you can make low-res 3-D clones of every object in your home. Even a (non-working) version of the 3-D printer itself.

More from WIRED:

Obama Talks AI and the Future of the World

Americas Electronic Voting Machines Are Easy Targets

Googles Unknown Campaign To Track the Worlds Hottest Startups

What Happens When You Talk About Salaries at Google

Hackers Trick Facial-Recognition Logins With Facebook Photos

A Hacking Group is Selling iPhone Spyware to Governments