Basis of Presentation (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation (Policies)	Mar. 31, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of 3D Systems Corporation and all majority-owned subsidiaries and entities in which a controlling interest is maintained (“3D Systems” or the “Company” or “we” or “us”). All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. A non-controlling interest in a subsidiary is considered an ownership interest in a majority-owned subsidiary that is not attributable to the parent. We include noncontrolling interests as a component of total equity in the condensed consolidated balance sheets and the net income attributable to noncontrolling interests are presented as an adjustment from net loss used to arrive at net loss attributable to 3D Systems Corporation in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) applicable to interim reports. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (“2019 Form 10-K”). Our annual reporting period is the calendar year.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards and Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted	Recently Adopted Accounting Standards In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”), as revised in July 2018, which provides guidance regarding the measurement of credit losses for financial assets and certain other instruments that are not accounted for at fair value through net income, including trade and other receivables, debt securities, net investment in sales type and direct financing leases, and off-balance sheet credit exposures. The new guidance requires companies to replace the current incurred loss impairment methodology with a methodology that measures all expected credit losses for financial assets based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The Company adopted this guidance during the current period and the implementation did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment” (“ASU 2017-04”), which eliminates the performance of Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. In performing its annual or interim impairment testing, an entity will instead compare the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognize any impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. Additionally, an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss. The Company adopted this guidance during the current period and the implementation did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations. Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740) - Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes,” which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating some exceptions to the general approach in Accounting Standards Codification 740, Income Taxes. It also clarifies certain aspects of the existing guidance to promote more consistent application. This standard is effective for calendar-year public business entities in 2021 and interim periods within that year, and early adoption is permitted. We are currently not early adopting and are in the process of evaluating the impact the new standard will have on our consolidated financial statements. No other new accounting pronouncements, issued or effective during 2020, have had or are expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition	We account for revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” Performance Obligations A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer, and is the unit of account in ASC Topic 606. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. Contract BalancesThe timing of revenue recognition, billings and cash collections results in billed accounts receivable, unbilled receivables (contract assets), and customer deposits and deferred revenues (contract liabilities) on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. We record a receivable when revenue is recognized at the time of invoicing, or unbilled receivables when revenue is recognized prior to invoicing. For most of our contracts, customers are invoiced when products are shipped or when services are performed resulting in billed accounts receivables for the remainder of the owed contract price. Unbilled receivables generally result from items being shipped where the customer has not been charged, but for which revenue had been recognized. In our on demand manufacturing business, customers may be required to pay in full before work begins on their orders, resulting in customer deposits. We typically bill in advance for installation, training and maintenance contracts as well as extended warranties, resulting in deferred revenue.