With the release of exclusive models, can someone actually make it their full-time job to publish models on Makerworld?
I have seen a few designers here with sufficiently large numbers of downloads for many different models they have created that earn exclusive points, Boosts and MakerSupply extra points/revenue share.
With Patreon added in and maybe some direct sales - yes, I imagine some can.
Why, are you thinking about it?
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To be frank, itās my goal/dream. I want to design full time like this. I think how viable it is, depends on your own personal situation. I wouldnāt be able to support myself yet off of what Makerworld offers, even in conjunction with like my Patreon and other ventures. I think thereās some hope there though, if I can build myself up enough.
I guess itās one of those catch 22 situations. I need the time to dedicate to designing stuff, to push it over that line, but I canāt get the extra time to go full ham like I need until I get to that point. Haha.
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A good designer with a big background of high quality models could try making an agreement with BL.
I guess that you had to be one of the original creators or have a very great push to grow a lot and fast. Maybe having some media presence would help
So if you post rather simple models, of which you could create 1 per day and then 5 per week, then you are getting very close. For example, vases, plates, bowls, trays, key boards, remote control holders, etc. Everything that is not so complicated and is generally used. However, you should have appealing product photos.
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Honestly, I wouldnāt use it in that manner. Nothing wrong with using it as a supplemental source, that is largely based on similar platforms, but I wouldnāt set up and manage it as a single or primary source. Not that the money wouldnāt make sense, but because its a revenue source that can dry up in the blink of an eye with the change of a law (American law makers appear to really have it in for Chinese companies).
Soā¦ anyone considering it, it would be prudent to ensure you are set up to function without them as well.
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Thatās true of anything, really. Thereās a lot of youtubers that have had the rug pulled from under them, so. Makerworld as a platform is still not matured either, so what changes will come and how those impact individuals is yet to be seen. The whole business model is yet to be fully proven as a long term viability.
I personally like some of the approach/direction that Makerworld is looking. I donāt want to have to sell my STLs, or do things like on printables where I have to maintain a selection of paid for objects that Iām on the hook to keep a steady flow of.
Iāve said it before, I want Makerworld to do for designers what youtube has done for video content creators. In that it gives them an avenue to be everything they are, while also being able to provide back to the userbase for free.
Makerworld has the creator program too which I think helps put focus on more complex models that canāt just be whipped up in minutes and bulk uploaded.
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Iām not thinking about doing it personally. I would love to but I donāt think thats possible for me at the moment. However I was just curious if it was even possible. I know some people get large downloads. I was just thinking about if it was even possible to give away free files and do it full time. obviously patreon and memberships makes it easy and people have done well with those.
I might do some math on some of the most popular models and see what you would get cash wise from tons of downloads.
Letās assume some simple math.
Assume you hope to earn Ā£20 per hour and work the equivalent of 8 hours a day for 260 days a year. This is a full year, with no weekends and a 4 week holiday (yes this is the U.K., sorry Americans).
That is Ā£41,600 a year.
That is 1,188 gift cards assuming you can feed yourself on Bambu products.
4.57 gift cards per day, every day for those 260 days a year.
I am doing well these days, but, I am not at that level.
Remember, this is far less if you take it out as cash.
As cash = $41,968.46 or in GBP Ā£32,354.49
This is all before tax and other related costs and fees as you are acting as a business.
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I do intend to feed myself with bambu products.
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If you are one of those guys that do generative models, including generative images, so that they can get pushed 1 or 2 times a day atleast, then you can do a living out of it, sure. Just make the math on some big guys and their points and you can see how much revenue they generate. With the exclusive model now you can generate real value revenue too.
But thereās a lot more to be had of this. Publicity, social media, etc., itās all needed and then you start thinking that you work more hours than you would on a regular job while doing this as a side hustle and earning that as an extra.
Lots of ways and angles of seeing this. I prefer a regular job and maintain 3D printing/modeling/commissions as a side hustle and, sometimes, even earning more monthly with the side hustle than what i get in my main job.
You Tube is where I got my view point from. If you know of the 3D Print General (who also actually contributed to the BBL Wiki), he was on You Tube full time and had the rug pulled from under him for content violations. I think he made it out the other side OK, but that change likely crippled him for a little while (if not still). For him, being full time and moving to other platforms still created a huge deficit. I believe Polymaker jumped in and gave a support deal to him which helped to stabilize things. But Iād bet heās still feeling it in some way. I think that was 2 years ago, so thatās my cautionary tale on this. However if that scenario isnāt a fear for you, then no doubt, jump in and never look back.
I personally think Makerworld is great. I also see a possibility for someone who is driven and talented, to carve a living out of it. Just wanted to bring up the risks involved.
Haha. Ahh. I do 3d in my regular job, and then 3d in my side stuff here. Itās 3d all the way down, no matter how you look at it.
I just want the time to bring the level of work of my day job to the 3d print scene without it eating up all of my time. Factorio just released a big update, and I donāt even have time because of all this side stuff 
Also, Iām sick of the industry. I canāt show anything off for the past few major releases I was involved in, because of the ever increasing control clients want over stuff. Itās frustrating to have worked a few years on some of my best work, and barely even being able to talk about it.
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I think about it every day. I mean, the risk involved, what it means, and how to position myself to lower those risk. Itās like with anything related to money, diversify! It canāt be just leaning into one venture. And I consider a lot, if I make that jump, what kind of safety nets can I create for myself to help insure I donāt get the rug completely pulled from me.
For a fresh young face though, itās probably all a lot easier to manage/engage. In that they arenāt so far established in life that they have to consider all these extra things; least their world fall apart when they make the leap.
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Same as me. 3d at work, 3d at home. And the same as you, canāt even show a bloody picture because of clients wanting their stuff hidden. For example, i worked more than 8 months on a pc case design for a well known āgermanā brand (wink wink) and i always wanted to share the work i have done because i was proud of it and the sales reflect that too. Nope! Canāt show, even after it hit the market. I still have the project and i will always have it so it can be changed when needed. But that is the case. No pictures, no sharing!
My side hustle is with commissions and i can tell you that i earn good money from it. I just have to be careful about what i say, to who i say or i wonāt get paid. Other than that, as i said, there are months that i get more money from those commissions than with my job. Not always, but there were some casesā¦
edit: you mentioned factorioā¦ hello dear factorio builder 
I thought in the terms somewhere that cash payout per year was capped at 5k? Maybe I was dreaming?
I missed that. If that is in there, this thread is just about dead.
Honestly, think of how much the exclusive program will cost Bambu and what their main objective is. They could have spend it on customer service, but as you all know that is not their priority. They want to have a monopoly on models, ideally with only Bambu specific 3mf files and therefore unusable for other printer owners. They want to sell printers and dominating and controlling 3D models is their current strategy to make that happen. I would be amazed if they will keep it up like this for long or whether everything will be scaled down drastically once the monopoly is established.
I have only uploaded 10 models and have gotten an A1, AMS and a boatload of filament, all for free. I wouldnāt bet my career on the current āphilanthropicā course of Bambu staying the same. Loving the free stuff though as long as it lasts. Call me skeptic or a pessimist but for now Iāll just keep my day job and wonāt enroll in the exclusive program (except maybe when I design specifically for BambuLab printers or for MakerWorld contests for the 90 day period)
Example calculation: Letās take our example ship with 1000 cubic metres of cargo space again Theoretical number without additional space: 1000 cubic metres / 0.001 cubic metres per roll = 1,000,000 rolls * Theoretical number with additional space: 1000 cubic metres / 0.00115 cubic metres per roll ā 869,565 rolls
