This work grew out of rapid developments of topology optimization approaches and emerging industry trends of “3D printing” techniques, the latter bridging to a large extent the gap between innovative design and advanced manufacturing. In the present work, we first make an application-oriented review of topology optimization approaches in an attempt to illustrate their efficacy in the design of high-performance structures. Subsequently, a broad panorama of additive manufacturing is provided with a particular interest in its application in the automotive and the aerospace sectors. Taking an aerospace bracket as an example, we further go through an entire procedure from topology optimization design to additive manufacturing, then to performance verification. In the interest of cultivating a long-term partnership upon this combination, we finally examine, in face of present and near future, limitations of additive manufacturing in the loss of geometric accuracy and performance deterioration, and provide a roadmap for future work.