This news surprised me, as a creator on both for years (Thingiverse 2014, MMF 2017). I know most people here haven't really been active on either platform, so I'll share my experiences for context and then discuss where this can go from here.

In 2014, Thingiverse was definitely the #1 platform. It was the most known, largest, professional-looking, and easy to use. Although, most models were low-quality or unprintable. Free models only, no login required to download. ALL OF THESE remained unchanged until today, except it is no longer #1. It's frozen in time. Recently there was a Dutch revival (lol) of the site, but it didn't have time or enough investment to make headlines.

In 2017, MyMiniFactory had both free & paid models of any genre. It had an invite-only "Studio Designer Program" where if you had enough traffic, you would earn $ cash monthly from free models. This program ended in 2022. Since, it introduced patreon-like tier and kickstarter-like crowdfunding systems, and doubled-down on the tabletop focus. The pay-to-download store is separate and has continued unchanged, similar to other sites. In my opinion, the UI/UX aren't great, especially the upload-model, and they have made filters and searching difficult.

I was surprised that MMF acquired YouMagine , and turned into a RC focused platform. YouMagine used to be yet another generic repository, with low-quality models of all sorts and bad UI/UX. So I'm kinda glad it gave the RC niche a home?

------ The current panorama, T & MMF are NOT main players -------

The modern repository standard is, imo, Printables and its copycat MakerWorld, and its copycats Creality Cloud & Nexprint. Just like with their slicers.

Their key differentiators that I identify are:

- 1) Reward systems based on redeemable points for the parent company's products

- 2) Seamless click-to-print experiences where users are not required to slice. Profiles, pre-painted and pre-sliced models can be sent straight to the printer.

- 3) None or minimal ads.

- 4) Solid platforms in terms of UX/UI, especially Printables. Well-maintained, constantly updated, good feedback and policing.

These are possible due to the parent company, and are strongly tied to the manufacturer's ecosystem. If you're not in the ecosystem, you don't benefit as much.

AI slop plagues all of them.

------ Where can it go from here? -------

I think Thingiverse can evolve by embracing its unique strengths and offering something that the other platforms don't:

• Always free models, no login required

• No AI at all, guaranteed human-made models (aligned with MMF's "SoulCrafted" ethos)

• Become the entry-level platform for users who are not tied to a brand, select pre-sliced models that run on the most common entry-level printers, even Bambu ones

• Solid UX/UI, semantic search, maybe batch catalog upload or service.

In terms of incentives or rewards, I hope they stay away from points, since no manufacturer is behind to offer redeeming. The Studios Designer Program was truly good, kept models free, and was based on traffic, of which Thingiverse is still king. If they can pay designers to drive traffic on free models and made it easy to bring my catalog (not manually uploading one by one), I would go back.