I’ve been using Thingiverse since 2016. It was basically all there was for quite awhile. However, I got really annoyed with the sites lack of progress and when I discovered Printables.com I realized that this is what a model sight is supposed to look like. Among the many features are the great search engine and just a much friendlier feel. By that I mean Josef Prusa the site’s owner could have easily have created a site that is biased against competitor printers but instead, he chose to go the open route and not force you to use Prusa Slicer.
Enter Makerworld, all the other BS aside and being forced to sing for your supper only to be told at random occurrences that they changed the rules randomly.
I must have missed this the first time around when I came I saw and I left… but when did they start forcing downloads in 3MF format only? I noticed that too many models have only 3MF files and not individual model files. Yes, I realized I could open it in Bambu Studio and export the STL files from there but why force me to do that? It’s just gives off that sense of obnoxious and feels like a “Oh… you’re not one of us… OK… we’ll let you in but we don’t like your kind…” Unless I’m mistaken and it’s the model authors who have control over this but it seems to me that this is just a bullying tactic of “You will do it our way…”
There is a great video by Josef Prusa on Youtube where he promoted the open source 3MF file four years ago. Yet, he didn’t force people to use that format even though he could have easily done so.
Again, contrast the Makerworld launch experience with Printables and with Printables it’s a very soft sell. They don’t bully you into anything you don’t want to do. They leave all the choices up to you. You can upload the files as 3MF, STL, STEP or a bunch of other formats. What does Bambu do? They add in just enough annoyances to make me say “You know what?.. I’m good, I’ll visit another site thank you…”
They don’t force you to download the profile, the author does if they don’t upload the .stls. It’s up to the author to decide to upload .stl’s, step and/or .3mf. Exactly the same as on Printables. You don’t have to create a profile for Makerworld. I actually find it easier to just download a profile and modify it the way I want. However, I usually supply .stls, .step and even Fusion files sometimes for my own designs for those who want to use a different printer or add them to the plates themselves.
So sir, I’m afraid not. I was investigating a link another member posted here and he cited a link on Makerworld, that was when the annoyances kicked in. I should have known better.
I trick I have been using when no solid model(s) are available for download is to open a normal BS window with my profiles/settings and drag in the downloaded profile from Maker world. This way only the model is added and I don’t have to change all the settings in the downloaded profile back to what I want.
What do you want with a file that only contains mesh data if you can’t print it or spend days trying to find the right setting? Possibly produce 1kg of filament as waste to then get a decent print? I think it’s a shame that I’ve come across so few 3MF files, on Thingiverse or wherever. Some STLs i downloaded but never printed because I didn’t realise how it would work. I left some things lying around because I didn’t realise whether the model was printable at all. In this respect, I think 3MF is really good. If I classify models as difficult to print, I only upload 3MF. For models where it makes real sense to be able to download the STL files directly, for example to be able to modify them, I also offer them for download. If I want certain models to be customisable, such as functional parts, I make sure that the uploaded STL files can be split into the corresponding objects in Bambu Studio so that their position or size can be changed in the overall object.
I like the 3MF file format and use it as main fromat it after I have seen the video from Josef Prusa. I also use it as export format in my CAD tools (OnShape and OpenSCAD) and I have used used it with Prusa Slicer before I bought my P1P and used Bambu Studio / Orca Slicer. I like especially the options to store more information like pictures, instructions… and the print settings. I have also uploaded my models with 3MF files to printables.com.
But I didn’t like the way, Bambu Lab use it in Bambu Studio. Sure the print settings are part of the project file in 3MF. That’s an advantage. But hell… why isn’t Bambu Studio ask me, if I want to use the integrated profile? Bambu Studio knows, that I don’t have a X1C (configured). I get confused every time I open a downloaded project and the settings are completely unknown! It takes me some seconds, until I realize, that this are not my profile settings.
I have also created some 3MF projects with earlier versions of Bambu Studio, where I have inserted some meta data (pictures and descriptions). Why can’t I change them anymore with the current version of Bambu Studio?
At the moment I’m only watching makerworld.com. I have uploaded some test models as private models to get used with the platform. But there are no plans to use it regularly from my side. But I like the idea behind makerworld.com.
Your post exemplifies what I am trying to say. Printables allows you the flexibility to express your creativity in such a way as you see best fit for your design objectives. On the other hand, Bambu labs herds their users into behavior that is self-promoting for Bambu not the community and that is my main objection. This behavior is similar to what Facebook or Reddit do to their users. I don’t appreciate being controlled or pushed around as if I’m at a rock concert with aggressive security. It doesn’t feel like good customer service; it feels like bullying to me.
I was not really looking for this thread but after reading it, it kind of struck a nerve.
I too had an issue with a 3mf file but it was not because I was trying to download it.
It was because I uploaded a 3mf file (by my own choice) and then began getting complaints similar to the one at the opening of this thread.
I am left despondent when I see this. Here we are clicking a link and getting a small portion of someones life. I say that with sincerity because a person can spend hours, days or even weeks working on a project. I can freely share my work and with the click of a mouse someone can get the benefit of that work. If you cannot put in the extra effort of a few extra mouse clicks to get the file format the way you “like” then you really have no basis for complaining. If you are paying for the material then you might have justification but otherwise the only thing I see is someone complaining about something they have no true investment in. Another member of the “I want it for free and now” club. I am not posting this reply as an attack on anyone’s character but merely asking that when you visit a site like Makerworld you take a step back and reflect on the wonders that are available to you for the price of a mere “Thank You” or “Like”. These principles extend to all sites like Makerworld.
For my part, I can currently only export in 3mf from my CAD programme anyway, because an STL export would be extremely disruptive to my workflow. (A shortcoming that will hopefully be rectified soon with an update.) But what’s the difference for you, whether you have an STL in the slicer or a 3MF, you can slice however you like?
That’s sadly the entitlement issue all the creators have to deal with. It’s not enough that they’re getting something they like for free, they somehow find ways to complain. It’d be perfect if the creators themselves would go to their house and clean their build plate and watch the printer as the parts print the entire time, and then assemble and show them how it all works, so they can go to their friends and family and say “look at what I made!”
I’m annoyed of all the “Play Ball!” ■■■■ that the one user uploaded everyday. Is baseball THAT important? Isn’t MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL just distractions to keep the peoples eyes off what is really going on in the U.S and around the world? Those 4 businesses are nothing but a scheme to distract the people by making them think their ( the fans) team is going to win everything? They have the winner determined before the season starts and after that meeting they all site around and discuss ways to get the people to pay exuberant fees to attend a game, buy over priced food and drinks and then buy their highly overpriced merch so they can give a bunch of underachieving boys in steroided, mens bodies, an outrageous amount of money with no guarantee that that player will “win it all” for whatever team he is on. Then if he gets hurt and can’t play, he still makes his salary. How stupid is that and how stupid do you have to be to support that? No wonder everything is falling apart and a s**tload of people are living day to day just to make enough to eat and have shelter, and more that can’t as I write this. Don’t bother replying to this as there is no argument you have that can prove me wrong and I won’t read your reply anyway. that is my rant and thank you for this space for me to vent.
It takes me some seconds, until I realize, that this are not my profile settings. 
