[INTERVIEW] Thingiverse Reboot Targets Creator Pay Instruments and Tighter AI Controls after MyMiniFactory Acquisition

Thingiverse, one of many oldest and most visited libraries of downloadable 3D-print information, is being repositioned round creator monetisation, human-led curation and stricter dealing with of AI-generated uploads after its acquisition by MyMiniFactory (MMF).

Romain Kidd, the newly appointed chief govt of Thingiverse and former MMF CEO, mentioned the platform stays giant by any shopper web measure: “8 million plus customers”, “over 6 million” uploaded objects and roughly “70 plus million web page views per thirty days”. 

An enormous library, little momentum

Thingiverse, based in 2008, constructed its scale as a default index for printable objects through the early progress of desktop fused-filament fabrication. But creators and customers have complained for years about weak search, inconsistent discovery and restricted progress beneath successive homeowners. Ultimaker, which purchased the property from MakerBot, operated Thingiverse as a separate enterprise within the Netherlands previous to the sale. Kidd mentioned the acquisition closed on January 30, with a relaunch tied to a February 12 announcement and a group AMA scheduled for February 17.

Kidd is working Thingiverse with a lean staff and a distributed footprint. He mentioned a three-person management group is becoming a member of from MyMiniFactory, alongside a ten-person Netherlands-based staff centered on know-how and advertising and marketing. “HQ is certainly on Rivington Road,” he mentioned, describing a London base for management and a remote-first working mannequin. The corporate expects a robust US orientation in person consideration, reflecting the geographic focus of hobbyist FDM printing.

The strategic logic for the deal rests on a niche between {hardware} adoption and content material economics. Kidd pointed to speedy growth in low-cost FDM {hardware}, singling out Bambu Lab for example of innovation that has pushed volumes increased. He cited an business run-rate of about 5mn machines bought per yr, then argued that the “content material facet” has not saved tempo for FDM customers. MyMiniFactory has centered on resin printing and tabletop gaming. Thingiverse is meant to push into broader creator segments, with engineering and functional-print classes positioned because the preliminary centre of gravity.

Discovery first: search, classes and human curation

Discovery is the primary operational precedence. Rees Calder, Thingiverse’s new chief advertising and marketing officer, mentioned the prevailing instruments “simply don’t work”, attributing poor outcomes to weak class construction and restricted human intervention in what customers see. He mentioned the brand new staff plans to rebuild class pages and introduce curation strategies that carry high-quality work and cut back the percentages that low-effort uploads sit on the entrance web page for weeks. The target is to floor related designs by group, somewhat than forcing customers by means of a single, blunt search bar.

That discovery work is now tied to a firmer line on automated and low-quality AI-generated content material. Kidd mentioned the “share of AI-generated content material” had risen previous to the acquisition and can be focused instantly. The primary seen change is a homepage reset supposed to cut back what he referred to as “low cost, low-quality content material” from automated pipelines. “We’re eradicating the AI content material from the homepage,” he mentioned, describing it as a change that may be executed throughout the first week. Calder mentioned the corporate expects to mix guide overview with group reporting, and to focus enforcement on accounts somewhat than particular person information, utilizing behavioural alerts reminiscent of mass uploads in brief time home windows.

AI uploads: tagging, filtering and a homepage reset

In follow-up replies, the corporate set out a extra concrete mechanism. Creators will tag uploads at submission, and guests will be capable to filter AI-tagged content material whereas shopping. AI-tagged designs will nonetheless exist on the positioning, however the removing from the homepage is supposed to set the path for discovery and promotion. The corporate mentioned it doesn’t depend on automated detection for 3D fashions as a result of sturdy classification stays tough on the mesh degree and false positives would carry excessive prices for authentic creators.

The more durable query is the place the AI boundary sits for engineering workflows. Calder mentioned MyMiniFactory’s creator group has traditionally most well-liked a strict coverage in art-heavy segments, together with restrictions on AI-generated descriptions and imagery. He prompt the place might evolve at Thingiverse if engineering customers need AI as a design instrument. Kidd additionally left the door open to category-specific coverage, noting that open-source printer and robotics communities might have totally different expectations than toy designers.

Monetisation with out retroactive paywalls

Monetisation is the opposite core shift, however the firm is resisting untimely commitments on product design. Kidd mentioned new options can be added for creators who select to monetise, whereas attempting to keep away from retroactive adjustments that will upset customers and designers who uploaded beneath a free-sharing norm. “We’re not placing a price ticket on each single object,” he mentioned. “We’re not altering any sort of T’s and C’s.”

Kidd linked the monetisation push to MyMiniFactory’s present payout historical past, citing “$100m+” earned by creators on that platform. In follow-up solutions, the corporate listed a number of potential fashions: direct file gross sales, premium options tied to verified profiles, subscriptions much like MyMiniFactory’s Tribes product, crowdfunding campaigns, sponsorship preparations with manufacturers, and an ad-free tier. It didn’t determine which is able to ship first. “We can’t leap the gun and assume we all know,” Kidd mentioned, arguing that monetisation mechanics will differ by group.

Class focus by summer season, enterprise mannequin later

This reluctance to call a primary product is deliberate, nevertheless it leaves traders and creators with restricted near-term readability on how Thingiverse will steadiness visitors scale with creator earnings. The corporate’s working plan is to pick 5 to 10 classes by summer season, then construct options and a marketing strategy round these segments. Standards will embody present utilization alerts reminiscent of downloads, likes and makes, alongside market-size estimates and direct creator interviews.

Requested why Thingiverse must exist as a standalone entity if it adopts MyMiniFactory’s monetisation toolkit, Kidd drew a transparent line between communities somewhat than manufacturers. MyMiniFactory stays centred on tabletop and miniature gaming, the place creators typically promote bundles, subscription drops and adjoining digital property. Thingiverse, he mentioned, will concentrate on broader purposeful and engineering audiences which have traditionally used FDM methods and mechanical CAD. He expects the manufacturers to stay separate, although he acknowledged that backend methods may very well be reused the place it is sensible.

Kidd declined to touch upon why Ultimaker selected to divest, saying that was “a query for Ultimaker”, and he didn’t disclose the acquisition worth. He additionally resisted KPI-driven claims at this stage. For the primary section, he mentioned he’s watching qualitative response to the acquisition and the AI stance throughout boards, Thingiverse teams and the February AMA. Quantitative targets are anticipated to observe as soon as classes are set and have work begins.

Within the follow-up e mail, Kidd set a slim definition of success: clearly recognized classes, an outlined roadmap and new options beginning to roll out. That may be a modest bar for a platform with tens of tens of millions of month-to-month web page views, nevertheless it displays a technique constructed round sequencing and threat management, with AI moderation and discovery overhaul used as early proof factors earlier than the more durable work of creator economics lands.

The 3D Printing Trade Awards are again. Make your nominations now.

Do you use a 3D printing start-up? Attain readers, potential traders, and clients with the 3D Printing Trade Begin-up of 12 months competitors. 

To remain updated with the newest 3D printing information, don’t overlook to subscribe to the 3D Printing Trade publication or observe us on LinkedIn.

When you’re right here, why not subscribe to our Youtube channel? That includes dialogue, debriefs, video shorts, and webinar replays.