Hello fellow Hubs,
I’m super excited to let you know that in the next few weeks, a 3D Hubs Print Button will become available on all qualifying Things across Thingiverse!
With the integration, a Print button will be added to Thingiverse designs that carry Creative Commons licenses that allow for commercial use. This allows users to directly 3D print objects from the Thingiverse website to 3D Hubs.
Once customers are in the checkout process, the designer is acknowledged through a “tip” functionality, allowing designers to set up shop and be rewarded for their work. Each designer has full control over allowing customers to print their things on 3D Hubs and whether they want to require tips or not.
Here’s a quick impression of how it’ll work:
The first stage of the integration only involves a select group of Hubs, based on level of experience and location. Once this first group hits capacity we’ll be rolling out to more Hubs gradually. In order to keep print quality consistent Thingiverse certification will only be available to select Intermediate, Professional or Master level Hubs. If you’d like to get your Hub Thingiverse certified when a spot is available please fill out this form.
I’m really excited about this opportunity for both designers and Hubs, hope you like it as well!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Filemon
31 Likes
Hi Filemon,
Really excited about this. I suppose we can talk about it now!
As a Thingiverse designer will I need to do anything to my designs other than make sure the license includes commercial use?
As a Hub will I get a new badge? You may have guessed by now I love badges
Cheers,
Marc
2 Likes
Really happy to see this is finally happening! Now Thingiverse is for everyone in the planet and not just for people with a 3D printer hahahah.
However, and considering that I’m a Thingiverse designer and that I’ve had some problems before, I see somehow limited the access to this feature. I share all my designs for free, but with a non-commercial license. I don’t want to work for free and see how others sell me designs, but for me there has always been an exception, 3D Hubs.
Whenever a friend asked me where they could buy one of my designs, I recommended them to go to 3D Hubs and see their nearest hub. For me, there’s a big difference between someone that actively sells my designs (non-commercial), and someone that gets and order on 3D Hubs to print all the Pokemons from the Kanto region. It’s for this reason that I find the “only CC with commercial use will have this feature” rule a little bit limited. I can think about different scenarios right now:
1. If this rule was created to avoid seeing people getting money from designs that are copyrighted (like my low-poly Pokemon), it doesn’t work. It’s as easy as changing the non-commercial license to a commercial license.
2. If the scenario #1 is true, and the problem is with the designer (and not the Hub), maybe removing the tips option would be enough. If the problem is with the Hub, there’s no solution as you can get any STL file printed in 3D Hubs without considering if it’s copyrighted or not.
3. If this rule is to avoid furious designers from seeing how their non-commercial designs can be “purchased”, maybe the easiest solution would be to have an option on their Thingiverse account to activate the 3D Hubs button, but always keeping the non-commercial license.
I really like where 3D printing is going, but this “commercial use” limitation is worse than eating raising cookies thinking they were chocolate chip cookies.
1 Like
Hi Marc,
Glad you like it! 
Nothing you need to do as a designer, indeed the licences are leading for the initial setup.
Once you’re included as a Thingiverse Hub, you’ll get a new badge for sure! 
Cheers cheers,
Filemon
Hi @flowalistik,
Very fair points. I guess each of your points holds truth to it.
Allow me to check if I understand you well. You’re happy for people to print your designs on 3D Hubs. However, you don’t want to change your settings to commercial use as this will allow anyone to use your designs for whatever. So you cannot make use of the new functionality. Correct?
As a solution, I personally feel a lot for your 3rd suggestion. The challenge I see is that the Thingiverse API is ‘general’ and not 3D Hubs specific, so I’m not sure whether a “3D Hubs enabler” is an option. This actually might be one of the reasons it’s setup the way it currently is. I would need to double check that. @Brian would you know?
Cheers,
Filemon
Ps. Haha that final sentence cracked me up, been there
1 Like
Very cool to see this finally announced! Looking forward to seeing orders start coming in
2 Likes
J3di
8
The exclusion of “non-commercial” parts sucks.
I’m a really active Thingiverse-Designer with hundreds of followers and all my parts a licensed NC.
I did this to prevent big company’s and chinese (or else) copy guys earning money from my ideas.
The truth is that they don’t care are about the license. I found many shops selling parts designed by me.
From 19th April on there would be a possibilty to earn some dollars and get a bit rewarded for my hard work.
By using always the NC license it’s again not possible for me.
All in all it seems to me very unfair.
If i choose a commercial license everyone can legal earn money from my ideas. That is what i definetly don’t want.
If i keep the the non-commercial, they sell illegal copys and i get no rewards.
Where is the problem to include the NC license? The designer and the hub would earn a little reward. Both having really work.
If the buyer sells the NC-licensed parts with a high profit, is he the one handling against the license. So no difference to the current state.
@flowalistik scenario hold a lot of truth.
Regards
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I’ve been talking with a friend about this and he made me realise that maybe we are overthinking the non-commercial restriction. I think that all the models on Thingiverse should have the 3D Hubs button. It’s a good thing, not only economically, but also for all the maker community.
It should be Thingiverse the one who added a “tip” button, not only when people “purchase” a design via 3D Hubs, but every time someone downloads a design (it could be placed in the pop-up you see with the license/I made it information). YouMagine has it and although nearly no one tips the designer, I find it a really good way of reminding everyone that someone invested it’s time to create that and share it for free (specially you, @J3DI ).
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Hi guys,
Just got in touch with Thingiverse and this is what they told me; “yes, designers can leave their things as non commercial but manually enable commercial apps like 3d hubs if they so choose”
I think that’s very good news. Does that solve your concerns?
Cheers,
Filemon
6 Likes
Thanks Filemon. That’s awesome news.
hi Filemon,
Message received, very good news.
Best regards
Xavier.
1 Like
Another step towards the future of 3D printing! Great job guys.
3 Likes
Yay! I hope this works out for everyone it’d giver people an incentive to use local services and perhaps buy things they wouldn’t otherwise! Great job guys!
Not yet, I have my eyes on Thrusday (don’t take this as a confirmation just yet)
OK, I’ll keep my fingers crossed
Hey Filemon,
So far so good. Things are going well. I’ve already had 2 orders in the last 24 hours and both are printable (lol). First one is ready to ship and the second one is happily printing away.
I have a quick question though.
How do you gauge the number of orders a hub can handle? I only have one “Thingiverse” printer, but I have three physical machines so there’s plenty of capacity.
Cheers,
Marc
1 Like
