Anycubic and Thingiverse have agreed an exclusive partnership. Selected Thingiverse models will be converted from STL to multicolor 3MF files and offered to Anycubic users on the MakerOnline platform, aiming at near one-click printing on compatible printers such as the Kobra X. The program starts on 17 November, the opening day of Formnext.
Key facts
Program launches on 17 November, the opening day of Formnext
Selected Thingiverse models are converted from STL to multicolor 3MF
Thingiverse creators must opt in; CC and NC licences are preserved
Thingiverse remains part of MyMiniFactory, bought from UltiMaker about eight months ago
Context 3MF is a print file format that can carry colour and print settings, unlike the plain geometry of an STL file.
What the partnership covers
Anycubic gains permission to share Thingiverse files directly with its users on MakerOnline. Anycubic adapts selected models for multicolor printing and converts them from STL to 3MF for compatible printers, which should reduce manual setup between choosing a model and preparing the print. Thingiverse CEO Romain Kidd described the result as close to a one-click experience. The deal is a collaboration, not an acquisition: Thingiverse stays within MyMiniFactory, which bought it from UltiMaker about eight months ago.
Creator rights and licences
Thingiverse designers must opt in to the program. Both companies say existing Creative Commons and Non-Commercial licence terms will be preserved on all converted 3MF files, and that creators will be credited and showcased.
Why Anycubic is doing it
Anycubic co-founder James Ouyang said mainstream users need quality content and simpler routes to successful prints. Tom's Hardware sees the move as part of a wider effort by printer makers to build their own ecosystems, following the model of Bambu Lab's MakerWorld. Using Thingiverse's library avoids the slow work of recruiting designers to a new platform.
What it means
This is a consumer-platform move with little direct effect on industrial additive manufacturing. For small and mid-sized manufacturers, its relevance is indirect: model libraries and file formats such as 3MF are becoming part of vendor lock-in strategies, which matters when choosing desktop equipment for prototyping or fixtures. Licence terms on converted files stay a point to check before any commercial use of downloaded models.