New guidelines for uploading print profiles !?

MakerWorld
1

I gave up on the model uploading game but when I found this Email in the morning I had to look.

Don’t get wrong, quality does matter but after checking the requirements I am certain I won’t upload at Makerworld in the near future.
Yes a picture says more than a 1000 words but being forced to provide one, forced to stick to naming restrictions and more is a bit overkill.

After all this hassle creators had for so long I fail to understand how this is helping anyone except Bambu.
Those restrictions, IMHO, are clearly only aimed at automation, to make it as easy as possible for the bots to flag things.
And well, like it or not: Those updates we keep getting for print profiles are not the works of Bambu, is what the users and creators established works, Bambu only takes the credit and benefits from it.

When I started 3D printing there was nothing like this, you uploaded a model, if needed added some explanation on required print setting but the rest was up to whoever downloaded it.
It was how I and many other people LEARNED how to use our printers, how to troubleshoot print issues and more.
The way it is now there is no learning for new users - download and EXPECT that it comes out as advertised and well, if not than complain in the forum and ask for help.
It is the wrong way around and the wrong type of learning if you ask me.
And they way Bambu selected to accomplish the mission ? :frowning:

Bambu mandates, Bambu demands, do as your told, fix your uploads by the 9th of next month or else.
Is THIS really sending the right message ?
I remember how I started, how I wanted others to check and use my model creations and how it was MY post, my upload, my crappy work of presenting it.
And I have been subjected to force forced changes before…
Imagine you uploaded 50+ models of various complexity and fully in line with the sites rules at the time.
All of a sudden the rules change and you either have to fully overhaul those 50+ listings or have them blocked until they will be acceptable.
That I might add for something you provided for free, make no profit from and that you already invested endless hours in to make it happen.
I left the site behind me and moved on after deleting my models from there.
Bambu does the same thing now and while parts of it a good, the approach is worse than anything.

Why not HELP the users?
Ok, forgot that Bambu does not think having enough staff is a good thing…
Anyway, if Bambu wants to be in control of all aspects of a user’s creativity than it would only sense to provide the means for it!
Have an uploader that works as advertised, that makes sure nothing is missed or faked and once a user is don you bloody keep the new model unavailable until a real human made sure the AI and bot system did not miss anything.
Quality control and improvement starts by being PRO-ACTIVE and not by bending creators to your will.

Just my 5 cents to those forced changes, not that I care too much no longer sharing my models.

2

No extra rules have been applied in the grand scheme of things, it’s an attempt to fine tune the ones already from what I can see. I support the Guidelines and the vision they are attempting to uphold.

This is a template and helps to keep the look and feel of MakerWorld. Most of us comply with these and can understand the reasoning behind it, a portion of people will naturally look for shortcuts and schemes to grab a quick buck. We have a fair degree of flexibility, I don’t upload a lot and come from the dark ages but manage to colour between the lines with ease. Of course I could up my game, there are many ways I could get more traffic to my catalogue but thats not really my thing. Those who do want to have an little earner have done alright from what I can see.

The ones who have taken shortcuts are naturally steaming, tough…

1 Like
3

Hmm, that is certainly one way of seeing things…

I on the other side struggle with it quite a bit and find the Wiki for it rather offensive.
MakerWolrd Print Profiles Upload Guidelines
Now, what does this title suggest??
To me it suggest that is GUIDELINES…

But right on the top of the page we can read:
MakerWorld mandates
and then it states “Note that models produced by non-FDM printers will be regarded as invalid physical photos.”
The later literally means Bambu does not like resin printers and such and expects a creator to print the model in FDM even if it is not the ideal manufacturing process for the model.
Makerworld however does not state anywhere the site is FDM only.

Select a meaningful name

Well of course I do, how else would I find models on my computer years after I created them…
But why would do this twice only to names that suit me and a naming only the hoster requires?
If the model comes in three or four colours then the image already shows that, no need to specify this and blow up the length of the filename for no reason.
It is not for the user so they have it easier, it for Bambu to have it easier to eventually fix their flawed default print profiles.

Prohibited practices

Is Bambu now a legal entity we have to comply to similar to a teen trying to buy some booze ??
The last one, number 9 is really revealing.
Me using a high flow hotened and wanting to offer a matching profile for it would struggle here.
Can’t really upload two profiles as I simply refuse to waste my time and money printing the model again with a standard hotend and those crippling speeds.
But can’t upload it is the fast print profile or mention it, I could still try to name highflow or such to confuse the user.

I have seen this same development on many other sites over the decades.
Let the users be creative and let it rip for a while, then claim you want to provide better standards for everyone.
In the end everything is totally uniform boring and the creator spends more time than ever to comply with what is required to have their model appear on the site without the hoster starting more hassles later.
Where is the return for the creator here?

Bambu still has no meaningful reputation system to promote creators or users.
And Makerworld is drowning in the always same models already.
Quantity rather than quality if you ask me.
With a deadline of less than three weeks imposed today I can’t imagine how many models are affected by this and as a result would have to disappear until fixed.
And I am sure this also affects quite a few real creators who had more focus on their models and the quality of them.
How do you provide a now mandatory real picture of a printed model that you uploaded a year or more earlier?
It might be painted now, gone to a friend or been sold.
Means you have to print it again only so you can comply and provide the mandatory picture.
Is Bambu paying creators who would have a high reputation by now for this extra time, material and so on? Of course not…
No matter how I look at the problems that created this ‘guidelines’ and the need for change - this is not the right way if you ask me.
Bambu has all the benefits, makes the rules but still won’t include anything that addresses theft, copyright/licence violation or any of the things creator complain about for a few years now.
Why do you think that is ? :wink:

4

I don’t see an issue here. It is largely the same guidance they issued for many months now. As far as I am concerned,the site is better since implementing them.

3 Likes
5

A lot of this to me is semantics.

This is a webpage for Bambu printers. So far they don’t sell Resin, SLS, or even Laser machines, and if they did I’d assume they would split off to have a dedicated webpage.

Choice is a wonderful thing, noone is demanding you do anything, if you don’t wish to follow Guidelines, Rules, Mandates, there is a chance the moderator will pull down the offending item. The rules/guidelines are a way of providing a stable and reliable print outcome without too much intervention. Seems pretty easy, you can do this either via the handy app or your home computer. For the average user this is reasonably seamless, I can print a model no matter where I am and expect the same result as the model page.

The printed evidence is not new, it has been a thing for long enough and if you haven’t done so… [insert flogging a dead horse gif]

Edit. You get no argument from me re copyright/stealing. This should be somewhere they need to innovate with AI

6

When this service started, BL hoped it would attract all different types of printers to have printer profiles.

That dream has long since died.

I moan (a lot) about the rules and the lack of decent enforcement.

The most recent changes are a minor albeit annoying set of tweaks.

Only those who have invested a lot of time here will have a lot of work to verify every previous model and print profile is compliant.

The idea that BL wants photo evidence of a successful print has long been argued here and the majority agree it is required.

The idea that the photo evidence comes from the printer the profile is targeted at is a no-brainer.

Why would you provide evidence that the P & X series can print a model using a resin-printed model? It makes no sense as it fails the basic premise of being photo proof of a successful print for the targetted printer!

The OP has decided this community is not for them, that is cool, no one forces anyone to stay.

7

IMO the guidelines/rules are by and large reasonable, and came about due to some people pushing the boundaries, presumably for points. The tricky part is enforcement, since there’s always room for interpretation if one is determined :upside_down_face:

8

Let my to correct my mistake here:
It is not really guidelines…
It is the Email from makerworld I got last night:

Dear MakerWorld Creators,

We’re writing to inform you of an important update to our Print Profile guidelines. As you know, MakerWorld is committed to providing a high-quality platform for 3D printing enthusiasts. In response to valuable feedback from our community, we have enhanced our Print Profile guidelines to ensure that all profiles meet our stringent quality standards.

All Print Profiles must adhere to the updated guidelines. You can find the detailed guidelines here:

https://wiki.bambulab.com/makerworld/tutorials/print-profile-upload

To avoid having your Print Profiles reported and removed, please review your existing profiles and make any necessary adjustments by October 9th.

We understand that these updates may require some adjustments on your part, but we believe that they will ultimately benefit the entire MakerWorld community. By following these guidelines, you can help ensure that your print profiles are consistently reliable and produce high-quality prints.

Key points to remember:

  • Review the updated guidelines carefully.
  • Make necessary adjustments to your existing profiles by October 9th.
  • Adhere to the new guidelines for all future profile uploads.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team.

Thank you for your continued support of MakerWorld.

Best regards,

MakerWorld Team

Like a deadline to comply with that some will find hard to meet.
Or how it leaves no choice - you must comply, it is mandatory…
Might be just me but it sends the wrong message.

9

May I kindly ask ask why you make unfounded assumptions about my decisions and imply you know them ?
Some could find you assumption rather offensive.

I don’t argue about what actually helps the creator.
I just don’t think that HOW Bambu applies what is required is the best way - in regards to certain wording, deadlines as such.
Everyone agrees that what we had so far wasn’t ideal, Bambu works on this and accepts feedback from users and creators - GREAT!
But in a community that is based around the user and created Bambu could and should use a far better wording.
Not to mention to include in this Wiki how and why things are as they are.
For a newbie knowing not just that he or she can’t upload their creation like this is of certain help.
Knowing WHY though could mean the newbie is not frustrated by the requirements but might actually welcome them.
Just saying…
And no, I take no offence in your comment.

10

The naming restrictions seem rather excessive to me. I actually like when an object has options for faster or higher-detail versions, and these descriptions were pretty helpful when I was picking out my first prints.

Similarly, banning single-color profile options, while maybe technically okay, sends the wrong message to new users. I avoided many things I wanted to print because they only had AMS profiles available, and I thought this meant I couldn’t print them on my normal A1 Mini. In fact, I didn’t realize this wasn’t the case until getting their email a few minutes ago. If staff go through with this one, they really need to make this clearer to new users.

Overall, the email just came across as needlessly hostile? I’m all for some of these changes, such as requiring supports when necessary, but staff could have gone about this better.

1 Like
11

Certainly.

Firstly, it is singular, not plural.

I make one assumption in my entire comment about you.

This one.

Yet, it isn’t unfounded, it as some might say, founded.

Based on what you said here.

And here.

You said you no longer do something that you did and you wrote about it here.

Thus, based entirely on your own words I surmised you are saying you used upload models and and due to circumstances, some included what you believe to be unnecessary or overly harsh rules, you no longer do.

Had you of said other things than you wrote, I may have believed other things.

I’m not sure why you have taken offence, I said nothing offensive and defended your right to say things others may have thought was attack them and their choices.

12

I have written elsewhere on the forum about the new rules (suggestions).

Your point above is a fair one.

I believe a huge amount of the confusion caused by MW is in part because I believe this document serves to purposes without ever mentioning it.

I believe part of the rules are for the designer when uploading their own first-party profiles and other parts are for profile creators who add third-party profiles to designs they had no hand in creating.

Many bad actors have taken to adding third-party profiles to popular models in the hopes they will ‘point harvest’. In order to make that goal more effective, they add words implying something about their profile which may or may not be true, but, the user believes and directs their attention away from the designer’s profile. The point harvester benefits from misuse of words added solely to gain points and not add value.

I believe this is also meant for third-party profile creators and not first-party designers.

I will not stop including both multi colour and single colour profiles to my own models.

I believe the original intent here, especially as this rule (suggestion) hasn’t changed.

If a first-party designer only includes an AMS variant of a profile, a third-party profile creator with point harvesting intentions or not needn’t add a single colour profile as that facility has already been provided in Bambu Handy by the user selecting the same colour for all choices and the same in Bambu Studio.

Personally, I don’t believe the average new user would understand that as when presented with a palette of colours before printing and left to guess they can choose the same colour for each. It wasn’t obvious to me when I first started and I had 35 years owning a software company under my belt including writing mobile software and four years of 3D printing, one with a dual colour printer.

The rules (suggestions) need so much more clarification that they are useless right now. BL has an annoying history of failing to honour these rules (suggestions), ask anyone here who has tried, we all have many stories of ridiculous excuses for BL not enforcing them.

BTW I keep saying suggestions as the currently do not use the word rules anywhere in the document. They are recommendations. BL couldn’t even be bothered to get those words correctly when they tore them out as rules.

13

As said above, I take no offence in your comment, I was just curious why you would think this community is not for me.

The models, makerworld, those guidelines have nothing to do with the users in this forum.
Just because I decided that, FOR ME, it is not worth it to still upload and share my models does not mean I am against this community or forum.
Otherwise I would not try to help newbies here trying to get going by giving them advise on some of their print issues or failures.

I created this topic because I think this Email went a bit too far and should have been worded better, same for the Wiki about those guidelines.
Not sure if it a translation thing from Chinese, an oversight or whatever.
But in today’s times a company of this size should be able to find less aggressive and less offensive looking phrases.
As a total newbie to the game I would wonder if I really landed in the right place and that isn’t a good first impression where I come from.

So again: no hard feelings here, no offence either, was just curious.
Might have to select my words more carefully in the future to not give wrong impressions, helps me to improve as English isn’t my first language and I am an old fart.