3MF file format and why it’s great (2019)
We have a few million unique users, which is small within the broader context of 3D creators and consumers - so small N, but I&#x27;ll share a couple observations at that volume.<p><i>Adoption</i><p>STLs remain the most popular, today, on our platform. 3MF has been growing, but only in the past quarter did our users tell us in meaningful volumes that we need to support it - which we did, happily. The push to 3MF seems to be gaining momentum.<p><i>Expected benefits vs current state (again, small N and biases in my data)</i><p>1. Color&#x2F;texture is a benefit, though creators include it to varying degrees based on their use case and the intended consumption. We support printers, general 3D designers&#x2F;sculptors, and mechanical engineers - so our audience is broader than primarily&#x2F;solely 3D printing. As such, adoption varies considerably depending on the user and use case.<p>2. Often, the model has more metadata (though rarely includes color, photorealistic renders, etc) and a smaller storage footprint. Benefits creators, consumer and platforms. Though again, adoption lags on the more advanced capabilities inherent to the format.<p>3. Support for assembly like models is a huge benefit! However, the average 3D printing oriented creator still prefers collections of STLs. In user interviews, I often hear the rationale for this is that there are (perceived) tooling and general workflow changes that seem time consuming - so the usual.. change&#x2F;learning takes time.<p><i>Timing</i><p>Creators will drive adoption, as if often the case. We are seeing this increase every month on our platform (thangs.com), but the relative share of uploads still skews towards STL and other formats.<p>Platforms will need to adapt and take advantage of the format benefits to help consumers see the value.<p>Over the mid term, I am really excited about 3MF. The fact that there is a spirited discussion on HN about it, if nothing else, strikes me as a great sign!