Design Sharing Platforms

We refer to online platforms where users share designs of physical objects (hardware). There is a growing number of them and some encourage free hardware, while others help users keep their work non-free and exchange them for money. Some offer various CAD and/or CAM software capabilities or connect users with printing or machining facilities. Some are dedicated to a specific domain, like electronics, or space development. Some platforms are controlled by one company while others are governed more like a commons. These aspects enhance or limit the users' freedoms. In this page we seek to help users choose the platform that aligns best with ethical values and maximises user freedom. Therefore we build a list of the current platforms and indicate their main aspects.

Platforms

As there are so many different online platforms out there, dedicated to hardware designs, we first want to narrow it down a bit. We distinguish those platforms that encourage sharing designs and help people building communities around a hardware design commons, that cover Free/Libre Hardware Designs and Open Source Hardware. And other platforms that build markets around the designs.

Platforms for the Hardware Design Commons

Online platforms for sharing designs
Name	Slogan	Domain(s)	Ownership	Bus. model	Software	Software license	Technical features					Encourage sharing		Added value		Comments
							formats	rendering	version history	friending	other features	default license	reputation features	machining service	market place
Ohanda	4x Freedoms = Unlimited & Unconditional	Electronics, 3D	Informal Community	CBPP/Donations	Unknown	-	HTML	no	no	no	no	"4 Freedoms"	producer page	no	no	trademark protection
Thingiverse	Digital Designs for Physical Objects	3D	MakerBot Industries, LLC	Sell MakerBot printers	Unknown	Unknown	stl, obj, thing, scad, amf, dae, 3ds, x3d, blend, ply, dxf, ai, svg, cdr, ps, eps, epsi, sch, brd	yes	no	follow	collections, customizer, apps, API	CC BY-SA	user profile, likes, made one, watch, remix	-	-	Shout out QR tag
Openbuilds	Dream it - Build it - Share it	3D, electronics	OpenBuilds Part Store	Margins on parts sales	Unknown	Unknown	SketchUp, gCode, STL, dwg, obj, jpg, doc, , etc	No	No	follow	forums	CC BY	Ratings, likes, views, user profile	Share a part	OpenBuilds Store incl FairShare program		Youmagine	Share Your Imagination		YouMagine 3D BV	?	Unknown	Unknown	STL, AMF, SCAD, JSCAD, OBJ, DAE, OFF, 3DS, PLY	yes	no	follow	collections, ideas, comments, direct message, QR print out	CC BY-SA	rate, favourite, # downloads, user profile	no	no	Partnership with Ultimaker
Open Hardware Repository	a place on the web for electronics designers at experimental physics facilities to collaborate on open hardware designs	Electronics	CERN	CBPP/community	Chili Project	GPL v2	any	no	yes (git / wiki)	no	per project: mailing list, git repository, wiki, news, documents, issue tracker	CERN OHL	user profile, activity statistics, highlighted projects	no	no	community encouraging freedom & openness in electronics
Fritzing	Electronics made easy	Electronics	University of Applied Science Potsdam	CBPP/Donations	Fritzing	GPLv3	Fritzing, Gerber, SVG, PDF, XML, Spice	Breadboard, Schematic, PCB, Code	no	no	Forum, Sharing, Autorouting	CC BY-SA	user profile	no	no	services for PCB production, parts, ...
Open Design Engine	Web portal to publish the entire design process for open source hardware projects	Electronics, 3D	Mach30 Foundation for Space development	CBPP/Donations	Redmine	GPLv2	any file	no	yes	no	Wiki, Forum, Roadmap, Gantt, Issue tracker, News	Clear distinction between Hardware/Software/Documentation licenses	user profile	no	no	Complete design process, OSHW only
Makeystreet	Stuff that a maker would find interesting	Electronics, 3D	Alex J V (OSHW maker)	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	any document, image or video (upload or link)	no	yes	yes	groups, assemblies, subassemblies, insights, forum, private/public projects	no license	userprofile, reviews, contribution stats	no	no	governance & licenses should be clarified
Bld3r	A 3D Printing Social Network	3D	private	CBPP/Community	Bld3r	AGPL	Any file: upload / link / torrent	no	no	yes	printshelves (to print & printed), comments, wiki	free and NC licenses	user profile, ratings of user, objects, comments	no	no	Commons based community
Yeggi	Search engine for printable 3D models	3D	yeggi UG (Ltd. Germany)	Advertising	unknown	unknown	any	no	no	no	lists, tag notifications	any 3D model from the web	popularity	no	no	search engine
ThingTracker	A proposal on sharing designs and projects in the maker community.	3D, electronics, any thing	Gary Hodgson c.s.	CBPP	Specification on Github	no license specified	any file									a distributed protocol for a thing network
Libre3D		3D
DIYdrones	The leading community for personal UAVs	UAVs	Chris Anderson/3D Robotics	CBPP	Unknown	Unknown		no	no	yes	blog, forums, groups	CC BY	profile page	-	-	3D Robotics store integrated
[]

Platforms for Design Marketplaces

Here follow just a few wellknown platforms that favour the sale of designs over commons-based forms of knowledge sharing.

Online platforms for sharing designs
Name	Slogan	Domain(s)	Ownership	Bus. model	Software	Software license	Technical features					Encourage sharing		Added value		Comments
							formats	rendering	version history	friending	other features	default license	reputation features	machining service	market place
Shapeways	Shop Design Sell	3D	Company: Shapeways BV	Charges for 3D printing	Unknown	Unknown	STL, OBJ, X3D, DAE, Collada or VRML97/2 (WRL)[1]		no	follow		no sharing	Twitter, FB	Many materials	Users can have their shop	Not focused at sharing designs but selling products
Ponoko	Get Your Product Ideas Custom Made By Our Designers & Robots.		Ponoko Ltd	Charges for lasercutting and 3D printing	Unknown	Unknown	EPS, SVG, STL, DAE, VRML97	no	no	no	user shop, showroom, contact	CC BY	user profile, comments	yes	yes
3D FileMarket	A growing 3D Printing Community	3D	private	Advertising, commissions on model sales	unknown	unknown		no	no	no		non-free	peer rating, view and download statistics	no	models can be purchased (20% margin for platform)	Marketplace
Threeding	3D Printing Marketplace	3D	Company (based in Bulgaria)	Commission & 3D printing	Unknown	Unknown	STL, WRL	yes	no	no	printability check, wishlist	non-free	user profile, peer rating	yes	yes
Etsy	Your place to buy and sell things handmade	3D objects and models	private	Sales commission	unknown	unknown		no	no	yes	reviews	non-free	favourites, treasures, comments	no	yes	market place of unique objects
SketchFab		3D
SproutForm	Connecting maker communities with brands	3D

To be added

• Open Innovation Projects
• Piratebay
• grabCAD
• ...

Legend of Variables

• Name and URL
• Slogan
• Ownership: private, commons
• Business model: membership, donations, freemium services, ...
• Platform software: Name & URL
• Platform software license
• Technical features:
  • Allowed CAD formats: STL, GCode, ...
  • online rendering
  • version history: is there a versioning system included in the platform
  • friending: enables users to become friends/followers/contacts: yes/no
  • other features: groups/teams, collections, forum, wiki, ...
• Encourages sharing:
  • Default license: the license that is selected as default option or otherwise the most used one
  • reputation features: like user profile, peer rating mechanisms, ...
• added value:
  • machining services: 3D print, lasercut, CNC, ...
  • marketplace: where users can sell and purchase designs
• Comments