Pictured: Anycubic and Thingiverse signing their partnership. Image: Anycubic, via PR Newswire
In this article
Anycubic and Thingiverse have signed what they call an exclusive partnership. On November 17 a Thingiverse section opens on Makeronline, Anycubic’s model site, and Anycubic will turn selected Thingiverse models into multicolor 3MF files for its printers.
TL;DR
- Anycubic announced the deal with Thingiverse on October 23. Neither company has said what “exclusive” actually covers.
- The first step gives Anycubic users access to Thingiverse’s library of more than 2 million models.
- Anycubic will adapt selected models for multicolor printing and convert them from STL to 3MF for “compatible printers.” It hasn’t named which ones.
- The release says nothing about whether designers are asked first, or how they’re credited on the converted files.
- Thingiverse has belonged to MyMiniFactory since February, when it bought the site from UltiMaker.
My take
Anycubic teaming up with Thingiverse says at least one thing: Anycubic realized they would not be able to take on the giants of MakerWorld and Printables without some help. For Anycubic, I believe this is a good thing. Personally, when I am looking for some models to 3D print, I have never once thought to myself, “Let’s check out Makeronline.” No disrespect, but I had to double-check that was indeed the name of their model platform. Now, there is no real indication of what “exclusive” means for both of the platforms in this deal, so it will be interesting to see where it goes.
Growing another platform has, in my opinion, been shown to be a very difficult thing. You are competing against pretty much every other manufacturer. With MakerWorld and Printables generating the amount of traffic that they are, it can be hard to convince 3D modelers to upload to the platform, because realistically there is no incentive for the modeler to do so.
When MyMiniFactory bought Thingiverse, it was clear there would be changes. This seems to be one of the first major dominoes to fall. Personally, I think Thingiverse could greatly benefit from some UI updates to their site. I think it is capitalizing off the nostalgia of looking like the older 3D model hosting websites. There are reasons that MakerWorld and Printables are so popular, and I believe it is because they are easy to look at and navigate.
What Anycubic and Thingiverse announced
The announcement went out through PR Newswire on October 23 with a Shenzhen dateline. It describes the first phase in three parts. Anycubic users get access to Thingiverse’s library, which the release puts at more than 2 million models. Anycubic adapts a selection of those models for multicolor printing and converts them from STL to 3MF, so they open ready to print on compatible machines. And a dedicated section for the collaboration goes live on Makeronline on November 17, 2026.
The two companies say they’ll keep adding supported models after that. Anycubic co-founder James Ouyang says that as 3D printing goes mainstream, people “need more than hardware.” Thingiverse CEO Romain Kidd says the goal is to make it as easy as possible for printer owners to enjoy what the site’s creators make.
The conversion is the useful part for owners. An STL is just a shape. A 3MF can carry colors, plate layout and print settings, so a converted model can open in the slicer already painted and arranged instead of you doing that by hand. That’s the whole pitch of brand model sites like Bambu Lab’s MakerWorld and Prusa’s Printables, and it’s what Anycubic is now promising for a slice of Thingiverse.
What the release leaves out
Quite a lot. “Exclusive” is in the headline and nowhere else. The release doesn’t say whether Thingiverse is barred from doing similar deals with Bambu Lab, Creality or anyone else, or whether the converted 3MF files will only live on Makeronline.
It doesn’t list the “compatible printers” either. Anycubic sells both resin and filament machines, and multicolor 3MF files only make sense on its filament printers with a multi-material unit. Which models count is something we’ll need Anycubic to spell out.
The biggest gap is the designers. Thingiverse models come from individual designers, who attach a license to what they upload. The release doesn’t say whether designers get asked before their model is converted, how they’re credited on Makeronline, or what happens with models whose licenses don’t allow changes or commercial use. Makeronline is run by a company that sells printers, so that last one isn’t a small detail. We’ll look at how the section handles credit and licenses when it opens on November 17.
Thingiverse has a new owner looking for money
This deal makes more sense once you remember who runs Thingiverse now. MyMiniFactory bought it from UltiMaker earlier this year. UltiMaker confirmed the sale on February 18, calling Thingiverse one of the largest 3D printing model repositories and archiving its own Thingiverse forum on February 27.
Right after the sale was announced, Kidd laid out his plans in an interview with 3D Printing Industry. He said Thingiverse wasn’t going to put a price tag on every object and wasn’t changing its terms. He listed several ways it might make money, including direct file sales, paid features, subscriptions, crowdfunding and brand sponsorships, and said no first product had been picked yet. He also told the outlet Thingiverse was pulling AI-generated models off its homepage and would have creators tag them.
A partnership with a printer company fits that list. Neither side has said whether money changes hands, or whether any of it reaches Thingiverse’s designers.
What happens next
The Thingiverse section on Makeronline is due November 17. Until then nobody outside the two companies knows how many models get the multicolor treatment, which printers they target or how designers are treated. We haven’t seen the section or any converted files ourselves. We’ll update this story when it goes live.
If you own an Anycubic printer, nothing changes today. If you’ve uploaded models to Thingiverse, watch for word from Thingiverse, and check Makeronline next month.
Sources
- Anycubic press release: Anycubic and Thingiverse Announce Exclusive Partnership to Expand Access to 3D Models (PR Newswire, October 23, 2026)
- UltiMaker: MyMiniFactory acquires Thingiverse (February 18, 2026)
- 3D Printing Industry, interview with Thingiverse CEO Romain Kidd (February 13, 2026)
- MakerWorld (Bambu Lab) and Printables (Prusa)
