Anycubic has announced an exclusive partnership with Thingiverse, the world’s oldest and largest repository of free STL models for 3D printing. The move comes roughly eight months after Thingiverse was purchased from UltiMaker by MyMiniFactory. This is clearly a “collaboration,” not an acquisition, as Thingiverse remains part of the MyMiniFactory family and dedicated to the SoulCrafted, human-made art movement.
Instead, Anycubic will gain permission to share the files directly with its own users on the MakerOnline platform. Selected models will be adapted for multicolor printing and converted by Anycubic from STL to 3MF format for compatible printers (such as the Kobra X), helping reduce manual setup and making it easier for users to move from choosing a model to preparing it for printing.
As Thingiverse is an open platform, this partnership aims to make it easier for Creators to have their content enjoyed by Anycubic 3D printer owners around the world, said Romain Kidd, CEO of Thingiverse, in an email to Tom’s Hardware. Kidd said the collaboration will allow Anycubic users to have close to a “1-click” printing experience.
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Kidd emphasized that Thingiverse designers would need to opt into the program. “We (of course) plan to respect Creators rights, licenses, and showcase them,” he said. When we spoke to Kidd earlier this year, he insisted that Thingiverse ultimately belongs to the creators and the people who use it, and they would always be involved in the development of the platform.
“As 3D printing reaches more mainstream users, people need more than hardware,” said James Ouyang, co-founder of Anycubic. “They also need quality content and simpler ways to turn their ideas into successful prints. Building a more integrated 3D printing experience is an important part of our long-term strategy, and working with Thingiverse helps us take another step toward that goal.”
With creator trust a central concern across the open-source community, both companies have stressed that existing Creative Commons and Non-Commercial (NC) licensing terms will be strictly preserved across all converted 3MF files.
The partnership between Anycubic and Thingiverse highlights an industry-wide scramble to build custom ecosystems for consumers to keep them locked into brand loyalty. It would seem every manufacturer craves to provide the same friction-free experience as Bambu Lab has with MakerWorld and shops full of branded filament. Consumers new to 3D printing expect a “just push play” experience, with models flowing from app to printer without thinking. Leveraging Thingiverse’s model library will fast-forward over the long process of courting designers and hosting contests to build up a pool of ready files.
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The program will launch on November 17, which is notably the opening day of Formnext, the world’s largest trade show for additive manufacturing. Tom’s Hardware will have a reporter at the show to see what else Anycubic and other 3D printer manufacturers will be announcing that day.
