Comments on RepRap: Blog: Announcing Thingiverse.com

In case it's not implemented already, it would be ...

2008-11-20T19:33:00.000Z

In case it's not implemented already, it would be good for the modelers to be able to see page view statistics for their model. Even an option of placing a hit counter on their model page would be useful.

Also, it would be great if the modeler could choose to have adsense on their page, with the revenues split between them and thingiverse. Like the wikidot adsense feature:
http://www.wikidot.com/adsense

You know Lego doesn't have exclusive rights to mak...

2008-11-20T07:27:00.000Z

You know Lego doesn't have exclusive rights to making Lego bricks anymore we can legally print off all the bricks we want. If we could mill aluminum we might be able to do some simple injection molding.

james:converters are always useful! the most usefu...

2008-11-19T20:01:00.000Z

james:

converters are always useful! the most useful type of converter for the RepRap community would be a FOO -> STL converter. From STL, its easy to convert to POV which i use for doing the actual rendering. linux (or something independent, say python) and command line is also crucial here.

erik:

thanks very much! those ideas sound fantastic and hopefully someday thingiverse will grow to incorporate all of them.

cheers,
Zach

I like it! I like the name too! I've been thinking...

2008-11-19T10:36:00.000Z

I like it! I like the name too! I've been thinking about creating such a system, but besides some planning and a lot of talking I didn't find the time to actually do it yet. Now Zach has done a great job (again!) in laying the foundation for something that will be utterly great and will aid in the network effects that can become significant enough for a fabrication revolution to happen.

There are many sites that have some similarity to thingiverse, but I contend that all of them will remain different because they are over specialized. The google 3D warehouse is similar, and contains vast amounts of objects. Still, it is limited to 3D files only (with renderings). Thingiverse has the capacity to evolve along with the needs of the community:
- format agnostic (any format is supported, any popular format can be furter supported with rederings and such).
- subscribe (RSS) to classes of objects: e.g. cat toys if you have a cat. Would be nice to find a new cat toy in your 3D printer every other week. Or subscribe to authors' projects, most popular objects, etc.
- voting for objects and designers. Contests, etc.
- Direct 'print' button available from the website.
- Wizards for objects (parametric modeler) to create (for example) boxes, enclosures with dimensions that you specify (e.g. for the pot with screw thread).
- lot's of producers, independent (RepRappers and CNC guys, people that have a FabLab nearby) or professional like Ponoko or Shapeways can connect to this website and offer services with a varying amount of systems integration. An API would definitely be a good thing to have (for the thingiverse design repository AND for the producers).
- much more, but I'll stop now ;)

Random idea of great randomness: If you go to, say...

2008-11-18T01:29:00.000Z

Random idea of great randomness: If you go to, say, http://guide.lugnet.com/partsref/search.cgi?q=3030, you will find something somewhat similar -- in particular, there is a huge library there of 3d models of useful objects -- lego parts.
Would it be useful to anyone to have a ldr (the 3d format preferred by the lego community -- and a homegrown one to that community) to xxx converter? If so, what should xxx be? Would you be interested in having your site support ldr?
Continuing on my lego-related rant, has anyone considered a design similar to http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/3711?img=18787 as a reprapable replacement for the toothed belt? We'd probably have to zoom up the design a bit for easy reproduction on a reprap, and to thicken out some of the thinner parts, but it could replace a non-reprapable and difficult to acquire part.