Among the Windows 8.1 announcements made at Microsoft's Build keynote in San Francisco today was one that should appeal to the 3D printer enthusiasts among you: the operating system will add a standard driver model and an API for the new devices. This will make the 3D printing experience slightly simpler and more consistent for both developers and users, not unlike common activities like 2D printing and scanning are now. Developers will be able to use the new API to integrate 3D printing dialog boxes into their applications, making it that much easier to print your designs using that $200 3D printer you just bought.

Microsoft's Antoine Leblond demonstrated the feature using a Windows 8.1 PC and a MakerBot Replicator 2, which will apparently be sold in Microsoft stores beginning soon.