Rapid Prototyping (RP) has been widely used for rapid development of prototypes in various industrial fields. In recent years, a new requirement in RP industry has issued so as to directly manufacture a functional prototype which has enough mechanical properties to be used as a functional part. The RP prototype, however, has a limitation in mechanical properties due to its layer-by-layer manufacturing process. This manufacturing process results in anisotropy of the prototype, especially showing weakness in the building direction. In the present work, we performed tensile tests for RP prototypes in order to determine directional mechanical properties. The test specimens were made by using $Eden330^{TM}$ by Object Geometries Ltd. Finite element analyses considering material anisotropy were then carried out for RP prototypes with various building directions. Effect of the building direction on the mechanical strength was investigated through the analysis, and compared with experimental results.