That’s an interesting quote.
Are you a member of the exclusive club?
Seems like you still don’t get the concept, do you?
Some of my models are in the “Exclusive Program” and some are not. It’s not a club for designers. Also, you should know when to enter one of your models into the program and when not to…
I do understand the concept. Are you happy with the way it works?
You know you can put more than one sentence in a reply right? No need to spam a few messages.
What is your problem with an exclusive program? It is 100 percent voluntary.
You are acting like the exclusive program is a “group of elitists”. Getting eligibility for the exclusive program is like getting a Costco membership. It is not hard at all. One good model can make you eligible for the program in a week.
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Yes, I’m fully conversant. The question was for someone else
At the same time, this does NOT mean you now have to make every future model an “exclusive” one… just to point that out, not a club you join, nor a club your models join. By default nothing happens once you’re eligible… all you have after 200 prints, is the option to enter your models into the “Exclusive Program”. Nothing more, nothing less… and all the rules are right there to read up on when the confirmation message pops up.
In terms of what?
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In terms of giving exclusivity of your work for a period of time
What is the issue with exclusivity?
Not wanting other people to take your work with cheap remixes? Wanting to get an extra point incentive?
No, that’s not my meaning
is it that, or is it…
maintaining exclusivity of your work for a period of time
Not to sound philosophical or anything but that’s like… was math invented or discovered…
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Okay, so they ‘maintain’ exclusivity of your model. Is there criteria for the type of model accepted?
…or the model does… really depends on your POV. Anyways, as far as…
…yes, there is. Also have a read of the rest of all of this before you keep shooting from your hip with your comments and we can actually have a discussion about the pros and the cons of entering any or all of your models into this program:
https://makerworld.com/en/exclusive-model-policy
I’d say for a serious discussion, knowledge of the “Agreement” (first link) is essential.
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Are you finding my questions uncomfortable? I’m happy to stop
Not at all… I find them vague
I’m happy to continue… if you actually read up (see links above) on what you’re talking about.
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It’s my opinion that this is an elitist ‘attitude’ club. You have proven this along with a few other contributers who seemingly are also members.
So far in this conversation I’ve had plenty condescending comments. Correction of grammar, inference of being ‘flat world stupid’. Incorrect assumptions and bullying tactics.
All that have taken offence to my opinion have happily chosen a path of elitism. Was it you that flagged two of comments as inappropriate?
And yes, it is clear that there is criteria to be met for a model to be accepted. It is indeed selective, it is not open to everyone.
Yes, there is base criteria in terms of the quantity of downloads. However, Bambu do have the last word on what gets approved.
My conclusion after suffering this debate remains as true as my original opinion.
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Is it 100 prints or 200 downloads?
“Creators need to fulfill one requirement: Accumulated Print exceed 100 on MakerWorld. The picture below shows where you can find your accumulated print. If this number is ≥100, you will be eligible to upload Exclusive Models.”
Pretty low bar in my opinion
(Skip to the end for a TLDR in the style of Gary Lutz as imagined by AI, because why not)
There’s a few tidbits in here I want to touch on and give some thoughts on, for better or worse. I think you’re overthinking what the whole program is and offers, what it gives, or takes away.
Not everything fits within the aims of the exclusive program. I’ve released a number of things recently and didn’t enter them into the exclusive program for my own reasons too. That doesn’t mean they are less, or at a loss, or anything like that.
The exclusive program, it has it’s own cost of entry, which is making your item exclusive, and following those guidelines set out by. That’s the cost you and I payh to get the added benefits of the exclusive program. Our “membership” into this program isn’t free or cherry picked. Not everything belongs in the exclusive program, and that’s fine. By it’s very name, it’s exclusive. It’s not mean to be all inclusive.
It’s not. There’s a lot of amazing models on this website, but everyone is able to step up to the plate. For things like the exclusive program, as long as you meet the requirements, you can step up to the plate too.
The exclusive program isn’t a gated community. Part of the issue is that Bambu isn’t doing enough to make sure the requirements are met and people recklessly plow into the program without understanding those requirements.
From a creator’s standpoint, I can tell you it’s a fierce competition out there. I feel the pressure. It doesn’t feel like an elitist club.
Also, when we talk about exclusivity, we’re not talking about exclusivity of the program, but of the models to Bambu’s platform. It’s a marketing program for them, that is meant to help draw users in. It’s to their benefit. They want those models to reflect a certain level of quality. Just like how exclusives played their part in the console wars. Man, I remember during the era of the PS4, all those exclusives they had… and I had an xbox one. I wanted to play some God of War, damn it.
The requirements are there to uphold those goals. If your personal goals don’t jive with that, then you need to accept it’s not the program for you.
You don’t win by showing up. You need to play to the markets, to the people, to what people want. People get frustrated and exasperated for all sorts of reasons. I think there’s a lot of people that feel a certain level of entitlement because they showed up. It’s still a free market out there on the mean streets of Makerworld though. It’s the users downloading, printing, giving boost, whatever.
There’s a lot of brilliant models and creators that get looked over every day. It’s very sad, but it’s also the reality of life and not a problem created by the exclusivity program. There’s a lot of competition out there. There’s a lot of models being uploaded constantly. It takes a lot of dedication, work, and skill, to be able to stand out and get yourself above the noise.
Makerworld is an open market. The rules apply the same to us, and as long as we keep within them, we’re all free to put our wares out there. Programs like the exclusive program has it’s own sub set of rules that we must abide by if we want to take part of it’s benefits, but those benefits do come at a cost. It’s a program that is open for anyone to enter as long as they meet the requirements of the program.
Okay, and here’s where I think things really kind of fall apart. The consumer isn’t directly purchasing anything. the models are offered up for free. I’m not dictating the price of my models or anything. I can get rewards in two ways. One gives me gift cards which I can use to purchase more 3d printing stuff, or one, which has additional requirements and restrictions, gives me cash. The consumer already decides how much money I make, or points I make, based on their download and printing of my model.
Those rewards are based on downloads and prints, remember. The rewards I get aren’t based on any direct money that Bambu has made. No actual money has exchanged hands from the consumer to Bambu in relation to my model. The reward is based on the idea that my model will help drive traffic towards Bambu’s store, in the form of sales of filament and hardware.
There is no guarantee that my model, or anyone’s model, has actually generated any cash for Bambu. We are marketing, used to help drive sales, but downloads and prints themselves aren’t a perfect indication that a sale was ever made beyond the initial purchase of the printer.
Before the exclusive program, if you wanted to make cash, it was through affiliate sales of hardware. There was a proven path between your model and the sale of hardware, so. It’s something that could be tracked and quantified.
I think it’s perfectly acceptable for Bambu to put the restricts on the exclusive program that they have. For them, it’s a more direct cost than just the points program, and it should be a safer bet for them. They should demand a certain level of quality for those models within the program. They are investing in the designers at that point, in that their designs will help bring in new users, and help drive sales.
Bambu is a business, remember. This isn’t a charity done strictly for my benefit. We can both benefit from this program, but we both must pay something into it to receive those benefits.
Again, because Creators aren’t directly selling their models, it doesn’t quiet work like that. They can seek to control quality within the exclusivity program because it’s a marketing program that cost them money; it’s an investment with a hope of a return, but that return isn’t something that is directly traceable. Where there is a means to see that direct connection, they do offer a means to share within that profit.
Not in the way that Makerworld does it. Sure, you can go sell your models on Cults3d or some other site, but you’re putting your work behind a paywall. You’re gate keeping it, so to speak. Makerworld has introduced a number of ways to make money off of one’s work while still keeping it free. The exclusive program is one of those avenues.
Part of why I love 3d printing is because of the community, because of the sharing. Because of this idea that if you have the 3d printer, you can make anything without restriction. As a designer, I don’t want to start charging for my work. I absolutely love that anyone can approach my projects. There may be hardware cost associated with them, but the model itself, yeah.
I greatly appreciate what they’ve done with Makerworld because it allows me to follow those ideals while helping work to supporting myself as a designer. That allows me to take this serious and put this level of work into things that everyone here is free to download and print.
Here’s a TLDR in the style of Gary Lutz, as imagined by ChatGPT. It mostly gets the point. Can’t say ChatGPT entirely understands Gary Lutz or how to write like him, but half way is somewhere, I suppose.
It isn’t elitism, it’s paperwork disguised as privilege. You sign your name to their exclusivity and that’s your entry fee, not a handshake but a small surrender. You give them your model, your yes, your silence on other platforms, and in return you get a little spotlight that hums just loud enough to feel earned. There’s no moral outrage in that, only a trade you can either stomach or skip.
People keep mistaking a gate for a wall, as if the hinge is an insult. The gate’s open, just heavy. It wants you to prove you can push. The rules are printed in daylight, but folks don’t read them—they bruise their knuckles on the latch, then call it unfair. You don’t get punished for standing outside; you just don’t get the view from the patio.
Bambu isn’t your benefactor; it’s a business playing host long enough to make the room look generous. They sell filament the way others sell faith—softly, with metrics. I’m not hired, I’m leveraged. My models are bait dressed up as art, and I’m fine with that. The pretending is mutual; they pretend I’m a partner, I pretend it pays.
The models themselves aren’t sold, they just float out there, buoyed by downloads and quiet clicks. Bambu counts movement, not meaning. The points I get are like applause I can exchange for hardware, small bribes to keep the rhythm going. Nobody buys anything, yet everyone feels a little purchased. It’s capitalism by ghost light.
You want to sell? Go elsewhere. You want to share? Stay. MakerWorld’s the last place where “free” still feels like something you sweat for, not some empty plate of exposure. I like it here, in the noise and the nerve of it, the way it lets me keep giving things away and still pretend I’m getting somewhere.
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