Parametric Model Maker Review and Feedback

MakerWorld
84

@ypy, I hope you’re having a good week. Now that we’ve been using the Parametric Model Maker for a while, I’d like to suggest a feature that would be incredibly helpful: the ability to share a version of a model via URL. This would involve saving all the variables set by the user and allowing them to send this configuration to someone else, who could then generate the 3MF or make further adjustments.

As a developer, I can think of several ways to implement this. Here are a couple of ideas for brainstorming:

  • MW Saving Model Settings: In this scenario, users would customize a model and click “save,” which would add the customized model to a new tab on their profile, visible only to them. While in the model maker, they could then share a URL that would allow others to access the model with all the settings pre-configured, ready for download or further modification.
  • Share with Query Strings: This simpler approach requires less backend work. Users would click a share button on the model maker app, which would generate a URL containing all the OpenSCAD variables in the query string. This URL could then be copied to the user’s clipboard. Modern browsers support long URLs, so this method would be practical. When someone opens this URL, the model settings would be automatically applied.

Either approach would be invaluable for designers helping others with specific use cases, and it would enable sharing more examples of what OpenSCAD models can do.

3 Likes
85

MW have already confirmed they are adding support for settings file, which will allow the user to keep the choices they used and use them again later.

The share by link is a decent step beyond that.

I’m in.

86

Great, we thought of the same thing. Model maker will add feature settings firstly. Then add a share button will be added, it will generate a short url link. Model maker plan to be an app like online sandbox for OpenSCAD.

3 Likes
88

As someone who’s building a large project I’d love to see:

  • Multiple File Support (Have multiple files that rely on each other to work properly).
  • Ability to add custom libraries (kind of goes with above, in all reality I just want Round-Anything in order to use it in my project).
  • Ability to link a github repo in order to easily link users to a place where they can contribute.
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89

Hi there

Just to add my feedback after doing my first 2 openSCAD models.

The system I think works well, no more difficult uploading a openSCAD model than a normal one.

However I was a bit surprised how much more poorly my openSCAD models are doing Vs my other models. May just be the designs, but do think some work needed in supporting visibility of openSCAD models given extra work in making them.

Ability to customise them on the handy app I assume is the main one, as no ability to “click to print” seems to really hurt the conversion.

In the interim I think looking at some way to boost openSCAD models in visibility might be beneficial

1 Like
90

I also have this impression and suspect that parameterization is too complex for the typical Bambulab user.

I would have liked to create more parametric models, as designing with OpenSCAD (which is new to me) is quite interesting, but after the poor reception of my Gyro Fidget Customizer and Fridge Magnet Customizer, I’ve lost interest for the time being.

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91

I’ve seen very little customized versions created. I think most people want those decisions already made for them. If you want to have any amount of downloads and prints, I think you have to go ahead and premake a lot of good versions using the customizer for people to download ready to go.

I think the future of it would look good if it were merged into Bambu Slicer and Bambu Handy.

92

Agreed, I have experienced te same.

Whilst I had excellent success with a few, those had been entered into a contest and early on.

Ones I uploaded later didn’t get anywhere near the same levels. I suspect it is the number of contests running at the same time as all other entries by others added later in the entry period failed to get any decent numbers.

I also added a fidget spinner into the contest, albeit later on. It had 56 different customisations, it could generate text anywhere on any surface both protruding and embossed, it could be a gyro or spinner, any texture on the outside, supported any number of sections, section etching. It could generate more variations than MW currently has listed in the category.

It bombed. After a couple days of it getting no traction I made it private. My fear was I had given away the code to something someone else would benefit from.

It would have been fine if the average user was using it to generate their choice of fidget toy.

I have decided to use the code to generate lots of individual fidget gyros and spinners and MW gets many models added rather than one code set that users create their own.

I want to be able to provide customisable versions of many of my models. But, I have to give away the cow to let people choose their milk.

I don’t mind low download counts for my models, I am used to it :rofl:

I don’t want to give always days of code for someone else to download and launch lots of models based on my code back to MW.

WE NEED PRIVATE CODE OpenSCAD FILES.

We were told this would be ready at the end of June. That is why o held back uploading the fidget code, I gave up waiting.

I don’t mind giving away code for smaller things, but I give away models I don’t give away the cow.

I believe this is true. We are all having to repeatedly document how to drag two or more STLs into BS to generate an easier colouring ability when this should be something MW does as part of the OpenSCAD solution.

Agreed. They seem lost. New users appear to get confused.

MW needs to make some simple videos they are good at.

1 Like
93

I have a number of models that take magnets.

I would happily design the ability for the user to say which agents they have already and my model accommodates those.

One model, magnet choice.

Trying to do the same model and are one for every single agent size is far too much to ask and over complicates things.

That is just one example of how OpenSCAD would benefit the system. It doesn’t have to be the entire model that gets changed, one or two key factors.

Every model I have uploaded to MW, 400+ was designed in OpenSCAD. Many have options that could be added for simple customisation.

Need private code files before I can do that.

94

I had seen this model and wondered why you withdrew it. Now I know.
I also wouldn’t like the usage of customized models by third parties as “new” designs. And I also considered deleting my customizable designs out of this reason. On the other hand, neither fridge magnets nor gyro fidgets are rocket science - any beginner can create them anyway.
But for the reasons mentioned, I hesitate to upload more elaborate designs for the customizer.

II don’t think that alone helps much. Finally, copycats can still create new customized models and upload them as their own. Maybe if Makerworld somehow builds a digital signature into the created STL and automatically evaluates it when someone uploads new models.

95

Having the chance of hiding the code would be great.
During the openscad contest I had a problem with a user copying the whole code of one of my designs.
By that time it was placed first in the trendy tab, and a user added a small improvement I had already listed in the to do list of the model and uploaded it and also added it to the contest. I had no problem with him uploading it to makerworld while waiting for my update, but joining the contest it was too much in my opinion, so I politely asked him to remove it once I reviewed the code and saw it was just the same code with this improvement and simply changed method and variables names (pretty sure he used chatgpt for making the changes)
Funny thing is he pretended he didn’t know about my code untill I reached him and had to open a copyright claim because he didn’t want to remove it.
He knew that little about coding that he defended it was possible to have a 250 lines code exactly the same just as a coincidence.

3 Likes
96

After removing my Parametric Customisable Fidget Spinner/Gyro with 56+ different customisations because it didn’t get any exposure and my concern that others would steal the code and benefit from that, I started to upload a few of the models.

I will be using the ‘engine’ myself to generate new models.

I released the first two less than 48 hours ago.

One of them is now number 3 on the trending list.

I find it amazing that the code that would generate millions of combinations didn’t get much visibility, but, one of those millions of combinations gets significant visibility.

Probably the luck of the draw.

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97

Parametric Model Maker has supported uploading files Paramatric Model Maker 0.8.0 support uploading files!

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98

Also add some fonts you provided.

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99

Thanks for the update, I think that additional functionality will open up so many more possibilities.

Can’t wait to see this continue to grow and have even more functionality added. I’m still excited to hear more about the low-code solution as I would be more than happy to be a beta tester since I am a software developer as well. Cheers,

1 Like
100

Same here: I created the ambigram generator and I sincerely expected an higher feedback.

I’ve spent over 200 working hours on the project, updates, fixes, documentation, guides, etc. and only got complains feedbacks like “I insert the heart symbol but displays an empty space / X / square”, still I dedicated my time to answer and help all those people, telling them the selected font probably doesn’t have the glyph for the heart, I also added a feature to generate a heart shape from code when an escape sequence is found, but then got not a single answer.

I had great plans for a v.3.0, a full rewrite of the code with higher definition and far better results and new features, possible thanks to taking advantage of textmetrics() and some other things I got in my mind, but sincerely I decided to drop the development of the new version to dedicate my time to other tasks that have an higher return from users.

Found some users used this to generate models posted on MakerWorld and on other websites (I recognize the results of my script via a small bug they all have)… not even a link just saying “created via this generator”. I also found some users selling them as personalized work on Etsy and similar platforms.

I’m not going to remove it neither from MakerWorld, nor from GitHub, I will let it there as a memento mori.

Don’t let the users change your spirit of sharing good things.

1 Like
101

Can we still not upload a separate scad file to reference in our models? Many of my models “share” some of the same modules. Instead of copying those modules into every model and having to modify every file when I update a module, it would be much easier to import them.

If we can import svgs, why not other scad files?

102

They went an entirely different route with supporting external files than what I originally asked for.

I wanted to be able to reference external files from additional files I provided at upload time.

This would be related SCAD, SVG, STL and more, provided by the designer.

Instead, we gained the significantly less useful ability to allow users to upload one file with a forced name and nothing from the file system.

A couple of designer have made use of this.

The way I originally asked would have provided far more flexibility though.

I know expansion of this feature isn’t imminent as they have another often requested feature coming sooner. I’m not sure I’m allowed to share it though.

If they get it working, it will provide a lot of opportunities though. Plus, make a lot of existing models require some edits.

103

I don’t think it would take much to implement what I’m asking for.

@ypy - Using your existing file upload option, allow us developers to upload a single SCAD file that we can import. Don’t let the user upload them. This would allow us to store shared modules and functions as a single file that we can then reference in our other SCAD files in the same model, would it not?

104

Feature request if not mentioned already:

  • Customize parametric models directly in Bambu Studio

My users are more likely to rattle off multiple variations of their prints in one sitting. Having to generate, download, and load each print are extra steps. It would be incredible if they could tweak the parameters and see the result directly on the build plate!

2 Likes