After the recent separation of download and print counts, sorting models by downloads is no longer the best way to see popularity of models. Suggest updating it to use the original total download count, which is downloads + prints*2, for sorting. To avoid confusion, change the name of the sorting to one of the following, or some other better terms.
Sort by Downloads+Prints*2
Sort by Reward Points
Sort by Conversion
Sort by Popularity
The popularity sorting type may be good. I’ve added it to our plan list.
I’m still waiting for this, it’s a really important feature for creators and it affects the way people rely to a project. How much do we have to wait?
I already created a ticket regarding this some weeks ago. I was told it will be fixed but nothing has changed so far 
I don’t think it’s a good idea at all!
First, I don’t see how keeping the sorting on only the download count will affect the “popularity” classement.
There will be less downloads counts for all models on average so that should still be a valid way of sorting models. Am I missing something?
And second, and most importantly IMHO, the prints counter is only incremented if the model is printed on a bambu lab printers.
And even though, now the proportion of non bambulab printer users might be marginal comparing to the rest of the users. I think it’s a really bad idea for a model repository platform to not give an equal visibility to all users, regardless of what printer they have.
This website is called MakerWorld, not BambuWorld, so I guess this website has for vocation to become the place to be for every makers who wants to find something useful or cool to print regardless the printer they have.
And starting to tweak in that direction the most common way of sorting models, one of the main features of a model repo, isn’t the way to go.
In my opinion, this features is just a respond to a bad implementation of counter measure took by bambulab to avoid cheating. and it affects one of the most important features of a model repo, the download count.
I hope they will find a better way to do it in the future. But at least it seems more fair for every users than starting tweaking the sorting system.
I personally used MarkerWorld for sometimes without having a Bambu printer. And the last thing I wish for MakerWorld is to gain the label “it’s only for Bambu users”.
And bambulab could loose a lot of potential new customers if that become the case.
Let me explain it with an example. I have a model with 125 downloads and 335 prints. Why should a model with 126 downloads and 0 prints be sorted over mine?
Yeah but this doesn’t reflect the popularity of a model IMHO.
Because first of the way how prints are counted has changed. now it’s one print per user per model. So at best downloads equals prints.
So having an higher number of prints over download only meant that the model was a “consumable type” of model like a filament swatches or spool clips for example.
So if you implement this, that means that some previous model to that change will have an advantages over newer one.
And second, the most important IMO. Prints are only counted when the model is printed on the bambu machine.
Plus print under a certain amount of print time are counted as a print anymore.
So let’s I publish a Voron mod ( assumingly printed on a voron) or a small model, those will never have prints counted.
And I’m not sur of this but I guess that if you use your bbl printer in offline mode, prints aren’t counted either.
So download count aren’t perfect to judge the popularity a model but at least it’s not discriminating against non bbl printer based models and small models.
Yes it does.
I don’t have a Bambulab printer, and the model i’m talking about has nothing to do with any of the stuff you said, you can look by yourself (Honeycomb System, standard shelf hive, hexagonal by Wolfman_Industries - MakerWorld)
People preferred to print it using my print profile because it’s not a complex design and the print profile is good. 460 people (125+335) printed my design, but still my model is very low on the page because of the sorting method. It means way less people will see it and it objectively affects the popularity of my model.
And it is clear that Makerworld is made for Bambulabs. So you adjust your designs based on your target. Mods for Vorons will always be more popular on thinghiverse/printables, if you make that type of specific stuff and you publish it here, you are just choosing your target wrong and it’s your fault, but all of this has nothing to do with the topic we are talking about.
If you download the file it counts as a download, if you print it using my print profile it counts as a print. Two different counters that does not affect each other. Why should downloads be more important than prints? They should have an equal value on the sorting system
That’s not how it works. 125 users did download your model. And many of them have printed it multiple time on a Bambu printer, that’s why you have 335 prints counted. That’s what I meant with “consumable type” of model. No the best choose of word I agree ^^
And I agree the demographic of user on MakerWorld are primarily Bambu printer owners and it’s most probably easier to publish a Voron mod on printables to gain attention.
But that has nothing to do with the wrong audience but with fairness amongst all models whatever they are.
Makerworld even allow you to filter models per print profile made for printers other than bbl printers. So the goal of bambulab is to create a sharing platform for all makers not only for bbl owners.
And like thingiverse or printables, the popularity raking on MakerWorld shouldn’t be based on a data that is solely generated when the model is printed on a bbl printer.