That is true, even my meagre analytics have gone quiet for a bit longer this time. I usually get a flat spot end of month but this time its flatlining a little more. Meh its nothing much to me, just sucks if its censoring unevenly. Social Credit System anyone?
Hey, I am finally back at a PC.
So here are some better screenshots of my data.
As you can see, the user activity seems pretty normal to me.
The likes and collects even did go up due to a new release.
But prints dropped massively. For most of my models, you would usually print more than one. That resulted in mostly having more prints than downloads. Not for all, but the rate is usually around 1:1.
Some examples of those models:
I can not argue that they are hiding my models or making them less visible, as also the views did go up. I am also regularly checking that the models are well-placed within their keywords and titles so users can find them when they are looking for something like that. (I am a web guy, so yeah I did on-page SEO)
I put some effort into the descriptions and visual representation of the models, with better high-quality images to also better show the expected results for the newer ones. Very few CAD screenshots, and only if they would benefit the user instead of real pictures, but always backed with real pictures.
From what I can see, tested, I think @Uhl already pointed out.
There is a limitation on downloads for a while.
You will only receive 1 download from a user per model.
It seems to be new that the same behavior is now also applied to prints.
If that’s true, it is indeed a bummer. I can verify that a first download and print per model is counted. Additional prints seem to be ignored.
This makes it unattractive not only for systems but also for larger more complex models to be shared in a single models, that have multiple build plates to be completed.
Examples:
Because it means that a single filament clip is as much worth as a Big Ben for example:
I like this one 
. But it’s multiple Kilograms, and in this case 63 hours of prints in contrast to 5 minutes.
When I read what they like to see from models or also take into account the feedback from the questions regarding less popular models:
It seems to be the wrong turn if they want to achieve high-quality models, that people like and print. For now, I still hope there is a bug in the reporting from the slicer to the platform.
I also checked the new BETA of Bambu Studio because there seem to be some updates to the network component, but it still did not count repeated prints/prints of different plates.
Edit 1:
For me, the prints are more interesting than downloads. Since I can check if a version finds adoption and what the preferred sizes of the users are. Since my models mostly should not scaled in the slicer, I always provide the source models also, so the users can build their own if no profile matches. Having no access to the real prints anymore in the data, it makes the analytics more or less useless to me.
Edit 2:
I´ve also noticed that some data seems to be lost in the analytics. If I switch to the monthly view, there seems to be a limitation, or they only keep data for a certain amount of time.
It also makes the analytics feature, even more unreliable. And would force me to extract the data on my own if I want to see a long-term history.
Maybe it´s time for a little crawler to persist the data long-term on my own?
For some time now, models have not been opening in BS. BS starts, the “Importing Model” window opens, and it stays like that, the progress bar does not change, only the “Cancel” button is active, and that’s it. Maybe this is the reason for the decrease in the number of prints?
Make sure, youbselect the proper timespan on the top 
Works for me at least:
You are right, that seems to work here also. Even sometimes it shows no data at all when switched to 1 year.
This is what bugs me about this change. It does put more incentive on less complex quick to print simple models. Previously, more complex, larger scale, models did tend to inherently have more rewards.
It’s a heavy price in filament and time to develop some of those items, and the rewards system did a lot to offset that cost. It’s given me the resources to push some of those designs further and go through a more robust prototyping stage.
@MakerWorld You had posted previously asking the community about rewards and how we feel about them in relation to niche items and larger more complex designs. This is how things are feeling right now in regards to those larger more complex designs.
A simple object that doesn’t use a lot of filament can be pretty easy to print, and so it’s not crazy for something like that to go trending and get a few thousand prints. It’s easy to digest and doesn’t have a huge impact on the end user’s filament supply.
A larger more complex project might push more filament and print time overall even with it’s lower overall print numbers.
My largest object is roughly 1.5kg of plastic, and I’m currently doing a modification someone requested that’d probably take it over 2kg of plastic to print. Once I put it up too, I don’t think that’s gonna be the only guy to print it. I want to print this thing out before I post it too, so I’m trying to figure out filament for that right now. Color is important, because this will also serve as the model for the photographs, so I can’t just slap any ol’ color in there and call it gravy.
I’ve been chewing through filament at an alarming rate! Haha.
The point being that in those complex models there’s a lot more value, but how things currently are it doesn’t seem like it helps reflect that value.
The more value? I think larger and more complex models have a longer lasting impact. They bring more value to people’s printers in that they often provide a fuller product, and not just a trinket. They bring value to Bambu because it brings user engagement to more interesting designs and helps push filament sales (I’m pretty sure I’ve at least been helping Iridium gold go out of stock. I get asked about it a lot)
I’d say the same about system-esque stuff like benjaminkott does. That kind of stuff is like the bread and butter of 3d printing. It’s the egg and milks. It’s what everyone has on their shopping list. Everyone needs to organize, and systems are just what the doctor ordered. A good system should be rewarded through and through.
I’d surmise that this adjustment was made to prevent people from uploading quick print models and spamming/scamming the system that way, and to pull in the run-away success of those quick models that go trending, or viral, or whatever, where the rewards don’t always equal the effort/complexity of the model itself.
Well, had to try something and i think i got it now. Tried to download 5 to 10 models at a time and they counted for the user, after that i got a captcha and everything i download after it it won’t count, even for a diferent user.
I think they are limiting what they think stop bots, in this case, if a bot tries to mass download, it won’t count at all after 5 or 10 times. The problem is that it also penalizes the normal user, like me, who downloads toys and fun stuff for the kids. Every download i make now it doesn’t count for the creator.
Edit: in case someone wants to see if it happens too, try to go to a user you like, download a few of his models and refresh the page to check if your download counted. Do that 5 to 10 times and you will probably see that your download after it won’t count at all. That or they are limiting certain users, and that’s not good if that user is one of the normal ones and not a “cheater/bot/whatever”
I feel you and fear the same. My models may not take Kilograms per single print but in total it´s quite a lot. Usually, I don’t take pictures during test prints - but for my drawer, I took a picture because I thought it looked quite funny. There are sometimes dozens of iterations just to ensure it feels right. All done before the upload, just to ensure the model works and everyone has a good time printing it.
Anyways. There must be a different way, to stop this. It feels bad to hide numbers or reduce them, or in my way as I can show the numbers were adjusted downwards.
For me more important than points are realistic numbers.
I have a current model released in that timeframe, and it is trending. It´s only #23 with only 149 downloads and 37 prints. That cannot be right. That number is way too low to be ranked so high. Would have been fine if no one liked it. But the numbers just don’t make sense.
That’s a pretty good point on the print counter. I have a card bin system, and it’s always been interesting to me to see the downloads vs prints. It made me realize that of those printing it, they’re getting a lot out of it, because they’re printing a bunch of parts.
Was thinking about this some too in regards to the stuff my dad does. He’s been making some play set type toys that are modular and can be built up in many different ways, so lots of parts one can print to make anything!
I think I’m repeating myself for the fourth time with my suggestions, but maybe someone will wake up? They should have the counters counted so that the overviews are correct. They are of no use to anyone if downloads and prints are out of proportion due to manipulation by the site operator.
Instead, you should evaluate and categorise each model according to the effort/complexity and time required to create it. Based on this categorisation, you distribute points to the designer. The designer does not receive 20 points for the model, but 2000 points, for example. For even more complex models 5000, 10000, 15000 points. Of course, there has to be an upper limit somewhere. If someone only uploads a bed scraper that they have perhaps stolen from somewhere, then they will only receive 20 points, for example. But …
No more points should be awarded for downloads and printouts!
And …
Die Sortierung nach Downloads sollte auch weggelassen werden. Allenfalls eine Sortierung nach Suchworten und Zeitpunkten. Also ich suche dann zum Beispiel nach Modellen aus den letzten 4 Wochen mit dem Suchwort “Ballaballa”. Die Leute sollen ja Dinge auch finden können. Aber alles, was dazu führt, das Systemzu missbrauchen, also irgendwelche Charts, sollte ganz verschwinden.
Ich finde, dann gäbe es die wenigsten Missbräuche und Spam Uploads etc.
Zudem würden Designer, die vernünftige und aufwendige Arbeiten abliefern belohnt. Zudem hört das Gejammer nach den Punkten auf und ob es legitim ist die zusammenzustreichen.
Aber ich fürchte ich rede gegen eine Wand … oder @Bambulab?
Now we will have to add a subjective reviewer and have a whole new argument about how long things take to print versus how much filament used versus apparent complexity. The point matrix will get very complex. I can only imagine the complaining or number of tickets people will make to argue that their model is big so it deserves more points. How many employees will they need to dedicate to this reviewer position?
Instead, you should evaluate and categorise each model according to the effort/complexity and time required to create it. Based on this categorisation, you distribute points to the designer.
Demand / Print metrics is what makes the program work. The most complex model doesn’t help if there is no demand for it or if it seems to be too complex for people to print. To honor creativity and design skills the current contests are the best approach.
What pays the program are models that people actually print (and not just collect), motivate them buy more printers and especially more filament.
I totally agree. I’m not a huge creator, but I really appreciate and utilize the data that analytics provide. If Bambu Lab needs to cut back on their generous point system, that’s 100% up to them, but they shouldn’t manipulate user interaction data. Instead, openly communicating and raising the price of point redemptions (i.e. charging 800 points for a gift card instead of 490) would achieve the same goal without obscuring analytics.
Hold on a moment. Is your 40€ gift card available for 490 points? It’s listed as 524 points for me. Does this vary based on local currency?
yes based on location and store you pick to redeem from
The US store is for $40. I assume the difference in points needed is the exchange rates coming into play.
And today has really been bad. I usually get @500-600 a Saturday and have gotten a big ZERO points during the day today.
But my account not being able to redeem points was lifted overnight…lol
Wow, i just got one of those sliding captcha’s for clicking the 3d preview button on some models too fast.
Day 6 since they put a cap on awarding points for my printouts. I was averaging 500-600 points per day then dropped to around 100 if I’m lucky. I feel bad for those starting out in designing. If they get a popular model it will just get capped. My motivation to post anything new has dropped to zero. Still holding out hope that they will fix it but not expecting it to. I guess their credibility has a price tag and it was getting too expensive.