Can I get your files?

Shameless self-promotion and talking myself in circles…

So, I decided with the new year to post some of the things I’ve actually designed over the course of my 3D printing journey for download on Printables (and here on my blog). Disclaimer: This blog post is a little late in coming, considering I started posting the models in January and its now March.

To skip to the point and try my best to not emulate those recipe blogs where they have to tell you their life story and history of the recipe, and why their grandmother was important to them… “Just shut up and give me the recipe!” See the links immediately below for where to find my files that I have posted so far. And if you want to read more about my thoughts and feelings on posting these files, I’ve posted all that after the below links. It may answer some questions if there’s a model that’s missing.

I’ve been waffling about posting these models for a long time. I admire the people who do put out complex and well thought out 3D print models and guides for assembly and whatnot onto the internet. I love seeing the blogs and posts about people’s journeys into making things. They are a part of why I got into making replicas and things myself and part of why I wanted to post more of my own journey on my blog site (since I am no longer using it for writing purposes).

I’ve never felt comfortable posting things on the internet, and this blog was a way to try and overcome that all those years ago. Can’t sell yourself if no one knows the work that you’ve done. Blog posts are one thing, however actually giving your hard work away on the internet is another. These are all models that I’ve put lots of hours into; days, months, and even years for the more complex models. And I’m a weirdly jealous person. A lot of the models I’ve made are because I couldn’t find a model that someone else created that I was satisfied with, or because I didn’t want to pay for their model when I could make my own. Yet there is another side of me that is at war with myself; I believe people should be paid a fair price for their work, especially artists.

So, all that said, I think I have come to terms about posting the files for some of my models. I figure the Satisfactory and Halo inspired models, I’m going to release the STL files for free due to those being major IPs I don’t want to get sued over (though I probably still could be since some companies don’t like fan works *cough* Nintendo *cough*). The model from the more obscure IP, I am considering putting a price tag on, mostly cause I have spent so much time working on this model and I worry that if I just put it out there, someone is going snap up the files, re-post them as their own and put a price tag on them.

I am also only posting the STL files and not the STEP files for the above reasons. STEP files are much easier to edit than STL files to get rid of the watermark I’ve baked into some parts of my models. If I were to release the STEP files, I would probably want to put a higher price on those, and go a similar route to Lilykill on his Patreon where he puts access to the STEP files at a higher price tier than just the STL files (and he even has a higher tier that allows people to resell his stuff); which, I will say I did appreciate, because it allowed me to modify a model for better printing in some cases, or slicing them and adding in more registration pin holes to allow for easier assembly, or hollow out a part for electronics.

I guess, is that really the way to go then? Put STLs up for free, put STEP files up for a small price? I don’t know, maybe I’m overthinking things. Maybe someone can convince me otherwise of my misgivings about posting content on the internet. Maybe I would have felt better about posting all this online 10 or 20 years ago when the internet was a different place (not necessarily saying it was a better place). This is a hobby for me, I don’t plan to make it my income, but posting something I spent a hundred hours (maybe an exaggeration) working on for free for someone else to do as they please with, seems too… generous… to me. Am I even articulating this feeling correctly? Also, when I think that I may be one of the only people to have as close a replica as possible of Vash’s revolver from the manga, I don’t want to release it for others to modify and print (which I know is selfish of me).

Anyway, I’ve done my best to clean up the files, name them appropriately and have an exploded diagram and parts list for each of them to help with assembly. In which I have to say, it is rather bonkers seeing all the exploded diagrams next to each other.

Above are the diagrams for models that I’ve posted already. Below are two diagrams for models I have yet to post, but am planning on.

Side Note: Why is 48 the magic number when it comes to the number of unique parts for the more complex models?

I have completed the exploded diagrams for a Satisfactory Xeno Zapper Replica and Vash’s Revolver replica. TBD when I will post them as I would like to make blog post for the Xeno Zapper detailing the design and build of that one before I post the STL files. And as for Vash’s Revolver, I think I just need to make up my mind if I want to post it for a couple of dollars or just commit to it being free.

Either way, I’d like to hear people’s own thoughts on the matter.