Design Sharing Platforms

This page is a brief review of online platforms that allow people to share hardware designs. Our interest lies primarily in platforms that help establish a hardware design commons, while there are also platforms that encourage people to sell there designs instead of sharing them.

Platforms that encourage people to organise in communities and share their designs in the form of a commons vary much. As a minimum one would expect a hardware design to be available under equal conditions to all, under a free license, and in an editable format (such as is common in that particular sector). If we really talk about a hardware design commons, the platform should facilitate replication and modification. Therefore it should cover decisions that went into the design of subassemblies, how these fit into larger systems, documentation of how to build and use the resulting object, source code etc. And provide appropriate licenses for each type of work: for the designs, documentation, software.

It is clear that most platforms today don't cover all of that, but some more than others. 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. Read also other reviews and comparatives of design platforms, like the one by Matt Maier.

Platforms

As there are 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 - as a reference. we also present a list of other platforms that build markets around the designs.

Platforms for the Hardware Design Commons

Online platforms for sharing designs
Name	Slogan	Domain(s)	Ownership	Sustainability model	Software	Software license	Technical features					Encourage sharing		Comments
							formats	rendering	version history	friending	other features	licenses	reputation features
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	Ratings, likes, views, user profile	Share a part; OpenBuilds Store incl FairShare program
Youmagine	Share Your Imagination	3D	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, GPL, LGPL, BSD	rate, favourite, # downloads, user profile	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, GPL, LGPL, TAPR OHL	user profile, activity statistics, highlighted projects	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/BY-SA/BY-NC/BY-NC-SA	user profile	services for PCB production, parts, ...
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	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	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					any license		a distributed protocol for a thing network
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	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	governance & licenses should be clarified
Libre3D	Libre3D Free & Open Source	3D	Informal Community	CBPP	Libre3D Renderer	LGPL	SCAD, STL, PDF, Images, Blender, Doc, XLS, ZIP, Videos	yes (SCAD, STL, videos)	no	no	contact, showcase	CC licenses, GPL, MIT, BSD, PD	user profile	strong relation w/ RepRap
Ohanda	4x Freedoms = Unlimited & Unconditional	Electronics, 3D	Informal Community	CBPP/Donations	Unknown	-	HTML	no	no	no	no	any free license	producer page	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/GPL/LGPL/BSD	user profile, likes, made one, watch, remix	Shout out QR tag
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
Wevolver	Build Technology Together	3D, electronics	company	Sells supplies	Based on Python/Django	Older version under AGPL	any	no	no	yes	project teams, subassemblies, forking	any	network diagrams of contributor relations	unstructured license info
Instructables	DIY How To Make Instructions	electronics	Company: Autodesk	freemium: pro membership + CBPP	unknown	unknown	any	no	no	follow	collections, collaboration, forums, groups, faqs	CC, GPL, APL,PD and none	user profile, favourites, featured, "I Made it"
Hackaday.com	Fresh Hacks Every Day	electronics	Hackaday hackers group	ads, store	WordPress	GPL	any	no	no	yes	submit tips	proprietary		blog posts are made by closed group
Hackaday.io		electronics	Hackaday hackers group	CBPP	unknown	unknown	any	no	no	follow	"wire" of messages, components, build instructions, team, motivation	no license	user profile
[ ]		electronics

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

• Name and URL
• Slogan
• Ownership: private (company name), commons, informal community
• Sustainability model: how is the platform sustained economically? by membership fees, donations, freemium services, ... CBPP refers to the common model of commons-based peer production, based on voluntary contributions
• 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?: yes/no
  • friending: enables users to become friends/followers/contacts: yes/no
  • other features: groups/teams, collections, forum, wiki, ...
• Encourages sharing:
  • licenses: the license options for people to share their designs under
  • 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