MakerWorld Guide for Organizations to Join

MakerWorld
1

“Share Your Designs. Reach More Makers. Create Greater Impact.”

This is a simple guide to bringing your open-source designs and mission to the MakerWorld community. Thank you for your attention :slight_smile:

01 Why MakerWorld?

Bring Your Mission to More Makers.

MakerWorld connects organizations, creators, and makers around the world through 3D printing and open-source design. By joining MakerWorld, you can:

  1. Share Open-Source Designs: Make your designs easier for people to discover, download, and print.

  2. Reach More Makers: Connect with a global community of people who can help bring your ideas into the real world.

  3. Build Awareness: Introduce more people to your organization, projects, and mission.

  4. Create Lasting Impact: Turn digital designs into practical, printable solutions that can be shared and used by more people.

On MakerWorld, you can share a wide range of open-source 3D-printable designs, including assistive tools, educational resources, everyday solutions, DIY tools, creative projects and more.

Your work doesn’t have to stop at one project or one community. Share it on MakerWorld and let more makers discover, make, and build on it.

→ MakeWorld Website: https://makerworld.com/en

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02 Your MakerWorld Journey

Join MakerWorld in a Few Simple Steps. Set Up Your Organization and Start Sharing.

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03 Upload Your First Model

Uploading a model is the easiest way to start building your presence on MakerWorld.

A Good Model Page Should Answer Four Questions:

  • What is it? Give the model a clear, easy-to-understand name and a brief introduction.

  • Who is it for? Explain who can benefit from the design and use accurate tags to help makers discover it.

  • How does it work? Briefly explain how the model is used and what it is designed to do.

  • How can I make it? Provide useful printing and assembly information, such as materials, print settings, assembly instructions, or other helpful details when applicable.

04 Make Your Model Page Stand Out

Show More Than Just the Model.

A great model page starts with a great first impression. Your cover image is often the first thing makers see, so make it immediately clear what the model is, how it is used, and why it matters.

Our Recommended Formula: Model + Real-life Context + Clear Message

  1. Model: Make sure the design is clearly visible. Use a clean photo that allows makers to understand the shape and function of the model at a glance. You can also add the model name and a brief description of its features or use cases to the image. We recommend placing the text to the side of the model without covering it. For models with moving parts or interactive features, consider using a GIF to showcase how they work.

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  2. Real-life Context: Whenever possible, include a real-life photo or usage scenario. Show the model in use or interacting with people to help makers quickly understand its purpose and practical value.

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  3. Add a Clear Message: Add a short headline or key message to the image to highlight what the model does, who it is for, or the problem it helps solve.

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05 Connect with the Community

Don’t Just Upload. Connect.

MakerWorld is more than a place to host your models. It’s a community of people who design, print, test, improve, and share ideas.

  1. Engage with Makers

Read comments and feedback on your models. Learn how people are printing and using your designs, answer questions, and discover ideas for future improvements.

  1. Join Contests & Community Events

Participate in MakerWorld contests and community activities to bring your projects to a wider audience.

Have a cause or real-world need you’d like makers to help solve? You can also become a contest host and turn your organization’s mission into a creative opportunity for the MakerWorld community. Host a Hosted by U or Make for Good contest to inspire makers to design practical solutions around a specific theme or cause.

* Learn more about hosting a contest → Guidelines for MakerWorld Contest Hosted By Creators - Google Docs

* Example: Hosted By U: @JamesDaRock Pieksekisten Design Contest

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  1. Share Your MakerWorld Projects

Bring your MakerWorld pages back to your own community. Share them through: website, social media, newsletter, project pages, community updates and more. The more places your designs are shared, the more makers can discover and use them.

06 Keep Growing on MakerWorld

Build Your Open-Source Library.

You don’t have to stop after uploading your first model. As your organization grows on MakerWorld, you can:

  1. Build Collections

Organize related models into collections or series, making it easier for makers to discover your work.

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  1. Share More Project

Continue adding new designs, updates, and solutions to build a richer open-source library.

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  1. Learn from Your Community

Use maker feedback and model performance to understand what people find useful and improve future designs.

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  1. Join More Activities

Take part in MakerWorld contests, community events, and potential collaborations.

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Your MakerWorld Journey：

Your Mission → Open-Source Designs → MakerWorld → More Makers Discover Your Work → More People Download & Print → More Real-World Use → Greater Awareness & Impact

* Additional Opportunities

Want to explore more opportunities in MakerWorld?

For information on design commercialization, creator rewards, and other advanced features—including Points, Exclusive Model, BOM, Commercial License, and Crowdfunding—please refer to our Premium Creator Onboarding Guide.

Ready to Join? Bring your mission to MakerWorld!

From One Model to a Community

A model can start a conversation.

A collection of models can build a community.

A community can help an idea reach even further.

Share your designs, connect with makers, and help turn open-source ideas into real-world impact.

Create your MakerWorld account and start making an impact.

The MakerWorld Contest Team :slight_smile:

2

I imagine this is a prelude to Bambu Lab reaffirming its commitment to open source software and unlocking its recent closed source ‘security’ software.

Also, a big apology to those it accused of crimes when they were using entirely open source code already released by themselves.

After all, it would be hypocritical to ask others to do what they themselves refuse to do. Plus, the open source officials have pointed out that BL isn’t compliant with the licence they pertain to have released their software under and are required to rectify it.

Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) asserted that Bambu Studio violates AGPLv3. They argue that bundling a closed-source networking plugin directly into an AGPLv3 application breaks the copyleft agreement.

3

Either this is the biggest 180° turnaround in Bambu’s company history, or it’s the biggest joke and a complete embarrassment. Any company that makes an announcement like this now has to deliver.

I hope Bambu sets a good example - that’s the standard it will have to live up to after this announcement. :grin: :+1:

  • So when API and SDK documentation be public and open-source? Without formally filing a business registration? So far, Bambu has been the one deciding who gets access and who doesn’t.
  • When will RFID systems become open source? I’m talking specifically about the encryption that prevents people from using the system?
  • When will Bambu Studio become open source without Bambu’s closed-source code being loaded in the background?
4

Seems more like an appeal to come get lost in the noise.

I don’t know. Just not feeling it. Whoever put the time in on this could probably have reported 10-20 non-compliant models on MW instead. MW has become the place for AI-generated models that may or may not even print. Please address that.

5

It certainly doesn’t make me want to put my designs on MakerWorld when you do nothing to protect users from obviously bad faith IP claims by major companies.

The recent takedowns of every model that merely mentioned the word “Uno” in the description or title is a prime example.

Users absolutely have the right under Fair Use to say “Uno” - that is not an infringement, it’s not controversial or debatable, it’s settled law. Despite all that, you just aided Mattel in abusing IP laws by taking down every model they pointed at and then stonewalling all users who had very reasonable grounds for appeal.

Tell me, how many models had Mattel uploaded to MakerWorld? How many models that don’t actually infringe did you take down, and how many creators did you just alienate forever by taking down their models?

You need to do SO MUCH better than you did here.

6

Reading this seems like Bambu’s desperate attempt at asking people to post more models so they can show to their investors mw is growing. More is not always better.

7

I find it odd that an organization that seeks to control other people’s software has “software freedom” in its title.

I think that y’all are confused. The OP clearly states “open-source designs”. As opposed to copyrighted and trademarked designs. Designs that aren’t encumbered with legal entanglements, or require payment to use. Things people publish to MakerWorld to share with others should all be open-source. Kind of like before the internet, when magazines would give step by step instructions for DIY projects. Anybody with the tools and ability could freely build whatever was published - with the option of modifying the original to suit one’s tastes.

8

Same old story, man - every time the word open source comes up, you dive right back into the tales from the old days. We all knew you’d be sharing your classic stories again, just like always.

Take this as a friendly gesture: would you like us to bring you a nice hot cup of tea and a DIY magazine to go with it? :grin: :+1:

9

Then you misunderstand its usage. More importantly, you are misunderstanding that it isn’t trying to “control other people’s software”, it is simply requiring those that license their software this particular are obligated to follow the rules that govern said license. It isn’t the organisation wishing to control software, they are requiring those that benefit from the license adhere to the rules that govern it.

A simpler example (but not a one to one comparison); driving isn’t a right, it is a privilege, rules must be followed to be legally allowed to drive. The accusation is that BL are not driving in accordance with the law. Because of that, their right to hold the driving licence is being challenged.

Please explain the confusion based on what was written rather than what you believe was said.

I drew comparisons with their push for open source models when the person calling for said open source has been legitimately accused of not adhering to open source rules.

The subject was hypocrisy. Many commentators here had the same view.

You brought in subjects I never spoke of or had any relation to.

While there is a well known disconnect that many people get confused about, I am not one of those.

It maybe that you read what you thought was said , rather than what was actually said. If you would like me to clarify anything I said, quote it, explain what you think I meant and I would be happy to clear up any confusion.

10

I think it’s meant as a guide for organizations, to encourage them to post their designs up to Makerworld. :thinking:

A guide FOR organizations (that want) to join Makerworld.

11

Indeed, they claim to be a guide for organizations to share their (open source) stuff on Makerworld…

MakerWorld:
This is a simple guide to bringing your open-source designs and mission to the MakerWorld community.

… however, I wonder which business organizations would willingly share for free stuff they normally charge for…

13

Maybe they are trying to attract organizations like Lego and Mattel. :person_shrugging: Or maybe organizations that organize things, like Ikea? :thinking:

14

This one is going to be fun. Here we have two individuals who fancy themselves as experts and have a habit of dominating threads with their silliness. When questioned they tend to resort to lame attempts at denigration and insults.

When I was kid I loved taking those assessment tests that they regularly give children. My favorite of all was the reading comprehension tests. I always aced them because the answers were always in the questions.

When one reads through the OP one clearly sees that the subject at hand is to encourage organizations to publish their open-source designs to MakerWorld.

Yet these two pretend experts apparently could not get past the term open-source before they doubled down into the conspiracy theory rabbit hole that they seem to enjoy wallowing in.

15

It’s perfectly legitimate to judge Bambu based on what it demands from an organisation.

It’s a give-and-take situation. Anyone who doesn’t see a discrepancy and wants Bambu to remain a one-way street - well, that’s their call.

Anyone who never contributes to the community and treats the one‑way street as their entire purpose in life will naturally have a hard time understanding this. There are people who understand the balance of giving and taking, and others who only ever take.

16

I expect they have a similar newsfeed to myself.
A few weeks ago, I got a newsfeed about Philips having an account on Printables (“Philips Fixables” or similar) offering stl’s for replacement parts. In fact though, that is old news. The account and models on Fixables are much older.
IIRC, it has only around 7 models and been around for at least 18 months.

Nevertheless, having access to consumer product replacement part stl’s would be neat. Just wondering what the organizations get out of it to truly entice them to upload anything. Loss of control, exposition to scammers, intersting liability questions,…

I’d love to see collections of replacement parts or acceptable mod kits. But I expect organizations need to be able to see some really tangible benefits.

BW,
Eno

17

Or… you are getting trolled repeatedly and don’t know it. Just a thought. :person_shrugging:

18

It is rather common for companies to hand out merch at tradeshows, the same as non-profits tend to hand out merch at fundraisers. If the organization has multiple branches around the country or world, it might be more efficient to have the merch printed locally rather than mass produced in a factory and then distributed.

Perhaps the more productive effort may be for educational organizations to provide parts for stem or art projects. There could be some online content that uses the parts made available to print. Seems to me that a great deal of mathematics can be better visualized with 3D objects.

19

Sure, whatever gives you a warm fuzzy.

20

There’s probably already an issue when it comes to licensing and maintaining control. When an organization uploads a 3D model to MakerWorld, it has to assign a license just like everyone else. MakerWorld doesn’t allow models without a license nor or your own license.

The Standard Digital File License is a Bambu-specific license, so it may not be suitable for organizations. Then there are the Creative Commons licenses, but from an organization’s perspective, those often go in the opposite direction - they reduce control.

Most organizations would likely need legal advice to determine which license is appropriate for them.

And there’s another major challenge: this varies heavily depending on the organization. Some aren’t allowed to accept money from completely external sources. It’s an extremely complex issue, and regional & global laws make it even more complicated. But with MakerWorld, you essentially start earning money from the first point.

I’m not claiming to know exactly how all of this works, but I will say this: without talking to a lawyer first, I wouldn’t recommend that an organization post on MakerWorld instead of using its own website.

The situation right now is pretty simple: MakerWorld already struggles to manage all the uncontrolled remixes and reuploads, and an organization with a solid reputation definitely wouldn’t be happy about that. In this case, the problem isn’t even Makerworld - it’s the bad actors.

As much as I like the idea itself, I’m pretty sure they’d need a rock‑solid legal foundation first. Something like this could definitely give the DIY repair movement a real boost, but only if organizations also feel safe and confident using MakerWorld in a legal sense.

22

Yes, STEM education is indeed an area where I can see things happening early. Perhaps not so much for organizations selling products, but organizations (wishing to) promote STEM. They may even be interested in running or sponsoring contests as part of their work. That could be quite exciting :heart:

Not sure about company merch though. Working for a global company, I am pretty sure we’d want to ensure good quality ourselves as the merch reflects the brand.

But I am sold on the idea of STEM education being a good customer for this idea.

BE,
Eno