How can I make my model postings better?

Red_Brian · July 1, 2026, 11:31pm

I created a Rainbow Egg Shaker for the kid’s contest, posted it with pictures plus detailed AMS/No-AMS instructions and nobody cared.

Rainbow Egg Shaker

I created a tank for the Modular T-36 contest, created a fancy thumbnail like everyone else, added a story plus assembly instructions and nobody cared.

Tesla T-34 Tank

So I have come up with three ideas.

Ask for feedback on my models/postings.
Post my models on Printables and see if I get a better response.
Give up on posting my models because I am not a great designer.

Constructive criticism is welcome.

#Contests #Hostedbycreator #T34evolution

thczv · July 2, 2026, 3:00am

It is a marathon, not a sprint. Your models are new. Give them time. Make what you like and your audience will build. But you need to be patient.

Nam_The_Nerd · July 3, 2026, 4:37am

I think your best bet is to just post more models and wait, as thczv said. Posting them on Printables would also help. DO NOT use AI for your models, trust me. Just read around in the “Makerworld” section of the forum and you’ll see how much people hate AI models.

Try making new and exciting stuff instead of making the same thing that others are making and also make your models useful. People are more likely to print water bottle cases, printer mods ect, instead of a tank model or an egg shaker (doesn’t mean that nobody will like it, just that useful things will be more popular).

I know that a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but if you do make a large project that the community could mod on, such as a DIY 3D printer or something like that, you could try making it open source. Doing this means that the maker community can remix and share modifications of your project. Licenses that are open source include Public Domain, CC-BY, and CC-BY-SA.

-Nam

RetroSharky · July 3, 2026, 11:39am

First of all, this is just my personal taste, of course, but I think the photo is really ugly. It also looks like it was generated by AI, and you can’t tell at all that it’s a tank. Most of all: When I open the project, I see that you’ve taken such beautiful photos!

That’s the right way: The perspective is great, the lighting is great. You can tell what it is: a tank.

Now take another photo like that, but maybe in a more interesting setting. Check out how the top downloads are doing it.

Keep in mind: Users decide within fractions of a second whether they want to print something: Many avoid AI (even if it just looks like it) like the plague. You want to appeal to hobbyists who want to build their own tank: They want to see real photos. You’ve got a really great project here, but you’re ruining it with the cover.

Those kinds of over-the-top covers might work for dragons and decorative stuff, but those are different customers: You want model builders, fans of tanks, etc. Also: Your model is really solid - really good - but with a cover that’s so over the top, you’re setting expectations so high that they can only end up being a letdown.

However, as I said, that’s just my opinion - it might not be right. I just think an honest cover has more staying power in the long run than these over-the-top ones.

Check out the covers of the top downloads in the contest - they’re all down-to-earth. Anything that even remotely resembles AI sinks like a stone in water. It’s also worth noting that most people probably want tanks modeled take a realistic approach.

To be fair, though, you have to admit to yourself that: The competition is extremely tough. It’s hard to keep up. You’re just a few months short of the experience necessary to compete in this shark tank – a situation you created for yourself. Calmer waters might be a better option. Competitions are really more for pros, where the presentation accounts for nearly 50% of the success.

RetroSharky · July 3, 2026, 12:11pm

So, here’s a second comment, this time about the egg and the contest: Don’t get discouraged, but… A basic egg as a toy? In summer? Not at Easter? That doesn’t even really count as a toy - it’s just a decoration. What kind of fun does this egg offer? I don’t see any toy / fun features.

A total of 3,500 models are competing against each other in this competition, including some serious juggernauts:

These are top-notch 3D modells / products - they’re even being sold in stores and online by now. You don’t stand a chance with just an egg - in summer!

It sounds harsh, but your expectations of quick success are colliding with reality. You’ve really picked the wrong place to start.

Red_Brian · July 3, 2026, 7:38pm

Thank you for your comments, it makes sense now.

There are 3 million models on Maker World. Not many people are looking for Egg Shakers outside of Easter or Sci Fi Tanks in a contest dominated by tank variants with slightly different guns and hatches.

I thought contests would get my models more attention but I didn’t realize how many professionals are entering. Some rando guy using library computers/printers needs a lot of luck to get anywhere with that.

If I want to win then I need to analyze my audience/competition, pick areas with better odds and fine tune my postings until I get a lot of eyeballs and print conversions. In other words, turn it into a marketing job which doesn’t sound very fun.

Or I could continue designing stuff that I like and if a matching contest comes along then spend a minimal amount of time posting/entering my model. That way I won’t feel like I wasted a lot of time if it amounts to nothing.

I’ll go with the second choice and I might as well try different cover photos on the tank contest to see if it helps. I will work on prompts to get the studio photography look with fancy reflections and what not that other people are using.

EnoTheThracian · July 3, 2026, 8:43pm

I concur that this is a sensible and in itself a rewarding approach. It does not raise unrealistic expectations, gives you more freedom to think about what matters to you and the design you want to achieve and after a while, your designs will rack up points. Just protect yourself from unreasonable expectations.

There is one item I would warn against doing though:

Models need to appeal to Makers. We tend to respect skill.
However, a prompted images loudest message is: “Fake it until you … fake it again”

So an honest image is usually appreciated more. You may also want to look at this:

Most of it goes well beyond my skills. But I do appreciate an honest pic more than AI enhanced images.

&

DWdesigns · July 4, 2026, 12:07am

Your new cover photo is even more AI, even you admitted that you haven’t printed the track yet, meaning you have not had a complete model before posting. You don’t know if the track will print and if it will fit and how it look. Focus on making and having a real complete model first.

What CAD software do you have in your library computer? How did you learn CAD?

Red_Brian · July 5, 2026, 8:08pm

The tinker lab is open weekday afternoons with 3D printing on Friday afternoons. I started with Tinkercad and moved to Blender (using Youtube tutorials) when I wanted to make a single piece Vortex piggy bank.

I wish the library had Fusion 360 so I can do gears but they don’t want to support another software package. Is Fusion 360 easier to learn than Blender and does it enforce printable geometry from the ground up?

Anyway, the tracks and road wheels are part of the modular base kit and already tested by other people. My mod was the part that is new so it and the modular tank chassis took the entire afternoon of June 26 to print. No printing on July 3rd so I will do the tracks, road wheels and a final picture on July 10th leaving one week until the contest ends. Yes, I should have waited for a 100% completed/tested/documented model but the contest would have been over by then.

P.S. I wish that Cyberbricks had more features (e.g speakers, vision sensors, lidar) . So many new things could be built with a more complete package - voice command models, game playing robots, Aliens motion sensor, etc. Sadly, Cyberbricks really isn’t a full replacement for Lego Mindstorms (yet?).

RetroSharky · July 5, 2026, 9:51pm

These are two completely different software solutions that cannot be compared. They serve different purposes.

Blender: Organic shapes. Rounded edges. Curves that are almost impossible to draw in standard CAD software. Perfect for decorations, figurines, and so on. You can model almost like clay.

Fusion / CAD: Perfection and precision. You can create precise, to-scale sketches. It’s ideal for mechanical designs. Need a solution or a new functional part? Use Fusion (or another CAD software).

One is modeling, the other is CAD.

Fusion is actually easier to learn than Blender. There are plenty of tutorials available and you will start to see results very quickly. However, it’s important to understand which program is best suited to each task.

Fusion is also better for avoiding common beginner mistakes. In Blender, for example, it’s very easy to create open geometry. This doesn’t happen in Fusion. Blender uses almost 99% mesh, which is hollow, whereas Fusion and other CAD programs almost always produce solid objects.

So YES - it generates 3D printer-friendly geometry because it’s solid, not hollow. That said, hollow isn’t a problem as long as it’s “mainfold.”

Personally, I use both programs: Blender for the decoration, as I mentioned, and Fusion for the functional parts.

By the way, Fusion is also available for free, with almost all of its features. Just make sure to download the “personal use” version - not the “trial version,” which is the wrong one.

Red_Brian · July 17, 2026, 6:54pm

At the bottom of the Creator Center I found that by clicking on each model I could see a historical traffic chart for that model. There is a traffic spike on the first day of listing a model and entering a contest. A smaller spike on the day I posted about the model on Maker World. A smaller spike on the day I asked for feedback on the Bambu Forum. And the smallest spike on the day I uploaded better pictures. Time will tell if better pictures attract more views/prints over the long run.

This data allows people to do Search Engine Optimization by tracking listing changes and the resulting traffic changes.

FWIW, here are my new pictures.

They are better than my ealier pictures but in order to maximize my chances of winning a printer I need to wait until I have a great model, a great listing and a contest where I have a chance of winning something in case I don’t get thousands of downloads.

Thanks again for the feedback. It helped me improve what I listed and has given me the patience to not post anything new until I have something truly different/good.