3d print files for commercial use refers to digital 3d model files that are usually STL or OBJ format. You can use this in a business or other money making systems legally. There are two ways to use an online file. If the file is given commercial license then one can use it for a business too, but if that file is only given “personal use” then you cannot use it to make money online or offline.
In this article, we will be talking about what types of 3d files are allowed to be made and sold as 3d printed files, what commercial use really means and where to sell those commercial files.
3D printers get instructions for what kind of files it needs to print. These digital instructions are 3d print files. Print files contain many metadata like objects weight, height, texture, density, shape, size. Depending on those it takes time and effort to create printed formats. Some of the most popular formats are STL, OBJ, or 3MF.
If you are a 3d print creator and thinking of selling your arts online or offline, you need to make sure your art pieces are licensed. Whether they are for commercial use or personal use, you need to make sure it's licensed. It's because you need to avoid copyright claims or takedown notices.
There are many trusted websites where you can find 3d print files for commercial use. Websites like MyMiniFactory, CGTrader, Cults3D, Printables, Etsy are popular among the users.
Cults3D, a goldmine for STL files, allows designers to sell files with clear licensing terms. Many of the files have commercial use rights.
Cults3d says that they have 2 different license types: licenses for digital files and licenses for paid digital files. You can read their licensing here.
MyMiniFactory is well known for its quality. It was founded in 2013. There are 2 types of license there; Standard Digital File Store License and Official Content License.
Digital file store license says that it is strictly prohibited to sell, share, rent, transfer digital printed objects. The listed objects here in MyMiniFactory cannot be used to make money or charge money.
Official content license says that all listed contents are for personal use only. Customers can do everything for personal uses but cannot do anything if the intention is commercial or mass production.
Another great website for 3d artists. It is the world's largest source for custom 3d models. It has over 2,370,000 3d models.
There are 3 types of licenses: Royalty free, Editorial and Custom.
Royalty free license gives you permission to use projects commercially and it doesn't have any additional liabilities, extra royalties or other hidden fees.
CGTraders custom license allows users to use the product as directed by the seller or maker. So if the seller says that you can sell it as it is, you can do it. But if he restricts it, then you cannot do it.
There are two types of permissions of a print file. Personal use and commercial use. Personal use means, after you purchase the file you can use it for personal use. You can not use that file for making money or doing any business.
On the other hand, if you see “for commercial use” after you purchase a file, it means you can use that file for any type of business and use it for making money online or offline.
Likewise, there are different types of 3d print files; After you download those, there should be a tag saying if you can use it for personal or commercial use.
Yes, you can sell 3d printed items made from downloaded files. But those files should have a commercial license. Most files you find online do not have a license to use commercially. However there are times when you can sell this:
So the question comes, when can’t you sell 3d printed items? If:
There are some times when you download those files and you see there is nothing like that mentioned there, then you should not sell it; just a safe side.
Okay, you searched online, found a free 3d print model file. You thought of downloading it and selling it via Etsy shop. But after you download it and upload it to Etsy, you get a copyright strike. Why?
Because that file was free to download but not free for selling. So you need to know a few things about the types of licensing before you can sell any file. You will learn about different types of licensing and what you can do with those or cannot.
Why does licensing matter in 3d printing? It matters because without licensing you will not have the permission to sell it and if you don’t know the types of licensing then you may violate laws even if you found it online for free.
Some common 3d model licenses are listed in the table blow:
|
License Type |
Advantages |
Drawbacks |
|
CC BY (Attribution) |
Use commercially, modify it and sharing |
Must attribute the author |
|
CC BY-SA (ShareAlike) |
Use, remix, and build upon a work |
Give credit to original creator |
|
CC BY-NC (Non-Commercial) |
Remix, tweak and build upon a work |
Only for non-commercial purpose |
|
CC BY-ND (No Derivatives) |
Copy, distribute and transmit it |
Credit the original creator and cannot modify, remix or build upon it. |
|
CC0 (Public Domain) |
Freely use it, adapt, distribute and build upon it |
No drawbacks. |
With the emergence of ChatGPT, the world is booming with AIs. You can now generate content, generate images, animate them, and even can create 3d models from 2d images. Yes, you can create 3d prints models and stl files from those.
How AI creates 3d print files that can be used for commercial use? Nowadays tools like Luma Labs, DreamFusion, Kaedim can generate 3d models. They use neural networks to transform your 2d models or text prompts to 3d models. For LumaLabs AI, once you upload the picture, it will, with its NeRF rendering option, create a 3D scene or model based on it. Most AIs these days use these systems. Also there is Blender. With add-ons, you can easily create 3d models.
However, there are easier ways now. Tools like Point-E by OpenAI, Escapade, with their text to 3d model feature, made 3d models creation easier. The best part is, these files can be exported into formats like .STL or .OBJ.
Who Owns These Generated 3d Print Models?
Usually, these generated models are the property of the companies. But if someone generates them using AIs then they need to give human touch, do slight edits to show that the whole was not created by AI. That's how one can own the generated models. And then you can use those 3D print files commercially.
N.B: If the AI generated models come with a license then you are good to go but if it doesn't say anything then you cannot use it commercially. However if you download any 3d files from any 3d platform then 1st check licensings.
Before jumping into the post processing, you need to know some necessary things. When you download something from online, even if it says it's free, it doesn't always mean it's free. Look at Facebook; it is free, or it? It is initially free but the data you are putting in, it's the cost.
However, there are some tips for safely using free 3d print files commercially. They are:
It's a good practice to check the license first. You should never assume that it is good for commercial use. If anything isn’t mentioned there, don’t use it.
Some websites do not mention the licensing, so it is not safe to download from those sites. Try to download from popular websites as they clearly state those licensings. Some of those popular sites are MyMiniFactory, Cults3D, CGTrader etc.
Some people online re-upload files after downloading it from another person. Repsting sometimes mislabels licenses, it also proves that it may be a stolen print format. So if you download and use these kinds of 3d files then it may lead you to legal troubles.
Some creators mention that you can use their file free but you need to credit them. A simple mention in your file or under your file shows that you respect the artist, and respect the system.
If you believe something is wrong, or some things are not clear, you can always message the creator. It only takes a few seconds to do that. All designers appreciate this.
Imagine a scene, you have downloaded a file, printed it and sold it to the local market or an online marketplace. One day one person comes and says that you took his design without his permission; you have violated the law. After further enquiry you find that it's true. What to do when this happens?
For situations similar to this, some things can happen.
Most markets have DMCA. If they find someone misusing this or violating this, they can delete that product listing, in the worst case scenario they can ban you from using their platform.
Sometimes legal actions are taken. Though nowadays the first two methods: DMCA takedown and Banning ID works best, still if everything doesn't go as planned it may go to this extent.
The projected market size of 3d printing is $37.4 billion by 2029 by MarketsAndMarkets. So you understand the community is also big. However, if anything goes wrong like you mistakenly used another person's file then it leads to a bad impression in the community. The designers may stop working with you, customers may call you names, and then the brands may act serious.
After carefully reading the whole, you have already understood that before every download, you are obliged to check and recheck the licensing. Then, only then you can sell according to it. However, if you still miss something, read the article again as it gives a detailed description related to commercial use of 3d files.
To make your own 3d print files you can do it in 2 ways. One, you can use different softwares like Blender, Tinkercad etc. Two, you can use text to 3d model generator to generate your own print files.
There are some file formats: STL, OBJ, or 3MF. But the most popular one is STL(.stl) file format. This file format is supported by most of the softwares and printers. STL stores the geometry of the objects, OBJ stores color and texture and 3MF stores more advanced metadata like color, material and complex geometries.
Actually this depends on the object's size, its complexity and the material used in the printer. Mostly it depends on the printer's capability and settings; if the printer is powerful then it can easily print high detailed 3d models and take little time. But if the printer is average then it might take time. Usually it's from 30 minutes to 24 hours.
