3DPlusMe Will 3D-Print You as a Baseball Player

The above image is a mock-up of what I would look like as a member of the Houston Astros. It comes courtesy of the folks at 3DPlusMe, a Utah-based company that specializes in converting facial scans to 3D-printed models. 3DPlusMe had a booth in Salt River Flats during Spring Training this year, and my boss David Appelman pointed it out while we were attending a game during our yearly FanGraphs trip to Arizona.

The booth was a fairly simple setup. On one side, there was a tablet PC that allowed the representative to help a user customize their creation. The other side featured a chair positioned in front of a camera and a customized Microsoft Kinect setup. I sat in the chair and stared a small video screen (to promote zero head movement), the Kinect moved 180 degrees from my left ear to my right to scan my handsome features. The total time from scan to conversion was fairly short, and I was customizing my player in a matter of minutes.

You may have seen 3DPlusMe in the news before, as they offer a similar product featuring Marvel, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter characters. They received some press at last year’s ComicCon.

Once the scan is done, the customer can pick their favorite team and see their likeness dressed in full team garb. They are then given as special code to use on 3DPlusMe’s web site to order a figure of themselves.

Yes, I am actually this muscular.

Cydni Tetro, CEO of 3DPlusMe, said that they have licenses with both MLS and MLB, and debuted their MLB booth at the All-Star Game last year in Minneapolis. They also had a presence at the World Series in San Francisco and Kansas City. Tetro did say that there are plans to be in more parks in 2015, though she couldn’t comment on anything definite when we spoke.

Beside ballparks, 3DPlusMe booths can be found in select Walmart stores, as well as FAO Schwartz and the Times Square Toys ‘R Us in New York. Tetro told me that while focus was geared toward fantasy/sci-fi products in the past, 2015 will be the year a big push is made in the sports market.

While I haven’t seen an actual model, the renderings look pretty dang accurate. Teams should think about using 3DPlusMe for their bobblehead giveaways, and save us the emotional scarring of what is offered now.

Would I buy one of these things? Of course not. But these products are most certainly geared toward children, not cynical 30-somethings. Also, a 3D-printed version of myself as Iron Man would be my wife’s first and only entry into evidence during our divorce proceedings.

3D printing is still a relatively new technology, at least as far as the consumer-grade segment goes. 3DPlusMe hasn’t even been in business three years yet, and they’re already making waves in the sports and entertainment industry. I’m sure personalized doppelgangers are just the first step. I won’t get a 3D model of myself as an Astro, but if 3DPlusMe or one of their competitors got in the miniature ballpark printing game, I might just cut them a blank check.