Today I tried Steem Engine for the first time. Using Steem Keychain to log-in, I was able to sell some tokens built on the platform and exchange them for Steem. The service worked as expected and they took a 1% withdrawal commission, I am now a few airdropped tokens poorer and a couple of Steem richer!
The website https://steem-engine.com is relatively user-friendly, attractive and easy to use. You log-in with Steem Keychain, an app created by @yabapmatt which safely stores your active keys. Once you are connected, you can look into your wallet, buy, sell and create smart contracts. I noticed there aren't many users, especially buyers. Inevitably most of the tokens will go to zero but some of them, which represent a future claim to value may go up. Not that I am suggesting you invest in any token here as you will probably lose your hard earned Steem.
Creating a Token With Steem Engine
It doesn't seem very difficult to create a token, you buy 100 ENG tokens (1 ENG = 1 STEEM), fill out a few parameters and you have your token. Anyone can create a token who has a Steem account and 100 Steem ($35.00 at the time of writing this.) So be careful as many of them will be absolutely worthless and useless.
Legal Advice
Steem Engine also offers legal advice when creating tokens or for launching Crypto projects, for more information you can read about it here. I can't comment on the quality of the advice or the validity of it, however, I applaud their efforts. Many projects, ICOs, Tokens, sidechains etc. we've come across could really benefit from legal advice. I am not a legal expert but have seen blatant violations of the law especially with some casinos and gaming sites.
Summary
@steem-eng is clearly working on making the blockchain a better place. The witness @aggroed manages this project. Developers include @harpagon and @yabapmatt. The support team includes @crystalhuman and @clayboyn. Other well-known Steemians are also included in this project. With time I expect Steem Engine to grow and flourish. The fact they are promoting legal advice makes me think that only good will come out of this. I've seen a few people doubt this service and are waiting for Steemit to make SMTs but upon a closer investigation, I am a fan and will keep a close eye out on Steem Engine.