Downloading finished 3D models

Instead of creating your own 3D models, you can also download ready-made models from the Internet, edit them if necessary and then use them for 3D printing, for example. Various websites offer a huge selection from simple objects to complex multi-part products.

Two well-known and popular websites for downloadable 3D printing models are:

• Thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com
• Printables https://www.printables.com

When downloading 3D models from such platforms, you should pay attention to which license was used. This is not so important for private use, but if you want to use an object commercially or publish it in a modified form, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the topic of “Creative Commons licenses” and check under which license the file is published - or whether it might not have a license at all. The license is usually specified directly on the model’s respective download website (more on the subject of licenses below).

Vector graphics for laser cutting and editable 3D/CAD models

The platforms mentioned above are usually for sharing 3D models for 3D printing, i.e. usually you will find STL files. The disadvantage of STL files is that they are not easily editable and modifiable. Some designers also publish editable files that can be opened and edited in the appropriate CAD or 3D modeling software (more on this topic in the 3D printing basic learning module).

If you are specifically looking for such projects, it is advisable to simply enter the name of the software in the search bar of the platform, e.g. “FreeCAD”, “Blender”, “Fusion 360” or similar. - This way you will often find projects that include the original file.

Even though the platforms are actually focused on 3D printing, you can also find lasercut files or projects that consist of lasercutting and 3D printing combined. If you enter “lasercut” or “lasercutting” in the search bar, you will find many such projects, including vector graphics files (more on this topic in the laser cutting basic learning module).

Open Licenses and Creative Commons

Creative Commons (CC) is a US-based non-profit organization that publishes various standard license agreements that are valid worldwide. In principle, CC licenses can be applied to all works that are usually subject to copyright – e.g. texts, images, pieces of music, videos or even 3D models. Many 3D models on the above platforms have a CC license.

Anyone who creates a work, i.e. who is the author, can determine when it is published (e.g. on a website) whether and with which license the work is provided. As a rule, the corresponding license information can be found on the same website on which it is published.

The license grants certain rights to all people who download the work. If the work is published without a license, these rights do not exist or the respective copyright laws apply.

CC licenses are just one option - there are also other license models, e.g. GNU General Public License (GNU GPL). However, due to their simplicity, clear comprehensibility and wide awareness, CC models have proven themselves.

Different types of CC licenses

Depending on which rights you want to grant, there are different CC rights modules that you can choose and combine:

Icon	Abbreviation	Module name	Explanation
	BY	Attribution	The name of the author must be mentioned.
	NC	Non-Commercial	The work may not be used for commercial purposes.
	ND	No Derivatives	The work must not be altered.
	SA	Share Alike	The work must be redistributed under the same license after modifications.

Rights modules at Creative Commons - table from: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons#Die_Rechtemodule - (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The combination of several modules results in different licenses, e.g. the “CC BY-SA 4.0” license means that the work may be shared and modified as long as the author is named (BY), including a link to the source and the license, and the republished (or modified, if applicable) work is released under the same license (in this case also under CC BY-SA). Since no “NC” module is included, commercial use is also permitted. The “4.0” indicates the version of the license. A full description of this license can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

If you are the author of a 3D model or other work and would like to use a CC license for publication, it is relatively easy to do so via the website https://creativecommons.org/choose. With this tool, you can select the desired license properties and then get the corresponding CC abbreviation and a link to the license displayed. You can then inculde this in the place where the work is published.

Why permission for commercial use is important

At this point, a widespread problem in connection with Creative Commons licenses should be pointed out. Many authors publish their works with a “non-commercial” license (NC), which excludes the commercial use of the work.

A brochure (only available in German) (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE) published by Wikimedia Germany, Creative Commons Germany and iRights.info states:

„Die populärsten Lizenzen (…) tragen das Kürzel NC für “noncommercial – keine kommerzielle Nutzung” (…). Viele, die intuitiv zu den eingeschränkten Lizenzen greifen, tun dies aus dem durchaus nachvollziehbaren Wunsch heraus, der ungewollten und unkontrollierbaren kommerziellen Ausbeutung ihres Schaffens vorzubeugen. Die zahlreichen, ebenfalls ungewollten Nebenwirkungen aber, die das mit sich bringt, kennen nur wenige.“

“The most popular licenses (…) bear the abbreviation NC for “noncommercial - no commercial use” (…). Many who intuitively reach for the restricted licenses do so out of an understandable desire to prevent the unwanted and uncontrollable commercial exploitation of their work. However, only a few people are aware of the numerous, likewise unwanted side effects that this entails.”

The full brochure can be found here (only available in German). (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)

The most important problems in brief: Many people are not aware that the use of NC licenses also affects publication on e.g. Wikipedia or privately operated websites, even if one would not suspect commercial use at first glance. While Wikipedia is fundamentally non-profit and non-commercial, difficulties can arise as Wikipedia is integrated into, for example, search engines, which in turn belong to commercial companies. A website operated privately or by a non-profit association that uses advertising banners is also considered commercial and may not use NC works.

NC licenses often create annoying and unwanted restrictions in the area of media use with Creative Commons licenses and open source software and hardware, while concerns about commercial exploitation by companies are often unfounded. So before considering an NC license it is worth reading the brochure.

License information

Author: Oskar Lidtke, https://github.com/orcular-org/

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

See best practices for attribution and marking your own work with a CC license.