3DHoudini

Our Story

While working for a global design consultancy, Founder Chris White realized what an incredible waste it was for a $600,000 router to set idle for weeks at a time. Having previously used freelancing websites like Upwork and Fiverr to build personal websites, Chris wondered if the same sort of freelancing website would be helpful for businesses with excessive downtime on equipment. With the goal of solving that problem, Chris began work on a new web-based platform, 3DHoudini. But the work didn’t stop there….

As we progressed, we found that 3DHoudini solved other problems and created new opportunities. The same market access that we would provide to a company with downtime on equipment could be granted to any number of smaller operators or sole proprietors. It was an exciting realization that we could build a successful business and empower the little guy at the same time!

As we built the platform and worked our way through the issues of making a freelancing platform suitable for the manufacturing industry, we realized that 3DHoudini’s features were desirable to manufacturers and service providers of all sizes, not just the little guy.

Empowering the Little Guy

3DHoudini is the first marketplace to apply a freelancing platform model to the manufacturing industry. Freelancing sites have been extremely successful in empowering the “little guys,” a.k.a. freelancers, by giving them access to a global market. In the manufacturing industry, prohibitive costs prevent a large and capable segment of nontraditional suppliers from accessing the market. These nontraditional suppliers are businesses with downtime on equipment, and those we call the “freelancers of manufacturing.”

These freelancers are typically small shops or sole proprietors who operate sophisticated manufacturing equipment made affordable by advances in technology. 3DHoudini gives traditional and nontraditional manufacturers and service providers low-cost market access, while giving buyers on-demand solutions for sourcing parts and services at the lowest prices.

Making Business Transactions More Successful

Let’s face it: many things can go wrong during a business transaction. We would like to think that manufacturing can be achieved with a click, but most of the time, it’s not that easy. 3DHoudini offers a suite of features to make business transactions online more successful. We took features that the freelancing geniuses of Fiverr and Upwork spent a decade developing, then tailored them to fit manufacturing! As a result, the 3DHoudini platform is packed with powerful features that no one else in the online manufacturing industry has. These market-specific features appeal to manufacturers of all sizes, allowing for better communication, a customizable order process that mirrors real-world manufacturing and security features that protect both parties and avert bad actor situations.

Game changing platform features

3DHoudini took features that the freelancing geniuses of Fiverr and Upwork spent a decade developing, then modified them to create an online marketplace with functionality that is uniquely suited for real-world manufacturing! As a result, the 3DHoudini platform is packed with powerful features that no one else in the online manufacturing industry has.

3DHoudini’s platform is packed with powerful features that improve customer confidence and satisfaction. These market-specific features will undoubtedly appeal to manufacturers of all sizes, allowing for better communication, a customizable order process that mirrors real-world manufacturing and security features that protect both parties and avert bad actor situations. Variations of such features have been a keystone of freelancing sites for a decade but have yet to be adopted by the online manufacturing world.

The 3DHoudini platform features include:

Communication tools

• Direct video chat
• Instant messaging
• Photo and video updates

System for bidding and negotiating

• Browse and request bids from sellers
• Post projects and receive bids from sellers
• Respond to bids with counteroffers

Customizable terms

• Milestones and partial payment options
• Penalties for late completion options
• Order adjustments and updates (with mutual consent)

Security features

• Payment protection system (payment held until agreed upon terms are met)
• Dispute resolution center (determination made in accordance to contract terms)
• Identity verification (document proofing and risk screening to reduce fraud)
• Electronic consent non-disclosure agreements