Any trackers that do .stl files?

Looking around for trackers that do stl files and/or other stuff for 3d printing. Specifically I'm hoping for rpg minis and the like but if I can find a tracker that does printable objects, I'm happy to help start a mini community.

29 comments

I think what you're asking for (a big repository of pirated STLs) doesn't exist because it isn't really necessary or desirable.
There are a LOT of free models out there. Thingiverse, Printables, Thangs, etc. You really don't need to buy models if you don't want to.
Most of the owners of paid models are just random nerds, not the huge mega corporations that own movies and TV shows. And the printing community is very small and supportive, so the general sentiment is that if a model isn't free, it's probably worth paying for.

There's a lot of free models out there already, and most models are created by individual artists. I encourage you to skip your coffee for a day if there's a paid model you really want to use, as you are directly supporting members of the 3DP community, rather than some corporation.

You can't find them on printables / thangs / thingiverse?
- I'm struggling to think of a time, where a thought popped into my head of something I'd like to print, that I went to printables/thingiverse and something wasn't there. Literally never. And I've thought of some pretty random shit...
- I don't even have a 3d printer yet so I don't have a horse in this race, but given how countries are clamping down on 3d printers and such, like that thing I saw from lawmakers in new york (usa) where they want people to pass a background check or such to buy a 3d printer,
  wouldn't it be a good idea to have a tracker that does 3d print stuff? Does the thingiverse etc have print files for copyrighted objects and components that breach patents and such? Or dare I say it, weapons and that side of things (which I don't support but it's a thing)?
  I think a proper, free from national control resource is the best way. I hope such a thing exists. I can see myself one day needing to replace a part in my coffee machine or something, and thingiverse/etc not having the part file because it breaks the patent/intellectual property of the coffee machine company to host it, you know?
  
  3D printers are ubiquitous in the maker community already. They have also already become a staple of small industry too. The various attempts at regulation will go nowhere. There's no support from anyone who understands the tech.
  This is compounded by the fact that a number of elements are unwanted in the community. The guys trying to push gun designs etc are like the guys who turn up to a kids party wearing body armour and carrying an assult rifle. They might have the right to do it, but they can't then complain that the other parents want nothing to do with them. The community seems to self police remarkably well.
  The big issue with 3D print designs isn't the big companies protecting parts. They don't seem to bother. The issue is that parts are not standardized. A particular part in, say, a dishwasher, will change slightly, from model to model. It also takes a reasonable skill baseline to reverse engineer a broken part to a 3D printable design. The results are also often also a hacky bodge job. I've done it before, and my goal is to fix the issue and move on. This creates a lack of models available, in the first place, paid or free.
  On top of this, most paid model makers are small time artists selling their own design. With piracy, it's the difference between stealing a TV from Walmart, and stealing it from a guy down the street, trying to save money to take his kids on holiday.
  There are a few exceptions. Games Workshop are a big one. They are very hot on defending their copyright on model designs. Their business model relies on selling a few, high profit items, rather than a lot of cheap ones. 3D printers can undercut that significantly.
  On the whole, however, the 3D printing community is extremely functional. This makes piracy quite a niche thing. There's a lot of free designs already, and those that are charging, aren't being unreasonable. It might change with time, but for now it's working well.
  
  In your coffee machine example I can see 2 options
  The coffee machine company released it and let's you print it at home.
  They didn't release it, so a home jobber sketched it themselves and then they print it. No law against reverse engineering a part.
  But interesting idea... I just wonder if torrents is the answer to the problem. Github, gitlab, gittea.
  Spitballing.
  
  I just learned about this bill for 3D printer background checks. What a joke. Making your own plastic parts in the shape of a gun is not at all the same thing as actually building one from scratch. Yet another case of legislators knowing zero about the actual issues at hand, or purposefully avoiding them

Cults3d has a ton of free minis to print. You can get blender and kit bash as well.

I don't know of any trackers, but there are Telegram groups/channels.
STLworld
STL Forest
- Just searched on a public telegram indexer I use and found probably 20+ groups full of private STL files. Some of which would probably make GW pretty upset
  
  Interesting! Never heard of a telegram indexer but I'd be curious to know which ones are good

Years ago Pirate Bay made a big deal about starting a 3D model repository, but it really didn't catch on. Too many places to get free models already. Granted there are some places you can buy really high detail models from movies and games (is gambody still around? Will I get a strike for mentioning gambody like I did on reddit?).
If you really want to torrent 3D models, I'll tell you what I tell everybody. qBittorrent has a very nice search function that, once set up properly, will hit a lot of public trackers straight from the interface. If you have a specific model in mind, give that a shot. Or just search for "3d model" or "STL" or whatever, and you'll get hits.