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📘 Learn 3D Design Sales (thangs.com/ebook)
The @Thangs3D Community and Product Teams are pleased to announce a new guide that strikes a balance between growing a community and making a living doing what you love.
The first edition goes over all the steps to get started on your journey, find support from the maker community, and implement bite-sized tips in Growth Marketing, Brand, and Sales to make real money in a competitive and often saturated market.
Distinguish yourself from the crowd. Entirely free – available now at thangs.com/ebook
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🏗️ Background
This book exists because of a labor of love. When you see creators publishing models or doing live streams until midnight, 1 AM, or 4 AM, every day, you realize that creators work hard. They're obsessed with their craft and some would even do it for free, but that hard work is something that should be paid.
Believe it or not, many creators don't believe that their talents should be paid; or that their models can't sell for more than $3, or let alone offer a Membership. But that's not true. People out there do want to support creators and actively seek out unique designs. I see it every day.
We at @Thangs3D want to make the world a better and more supportive place for creators. Not everyone can go "all in" at the start, of course, and that's okay. This ebook was written for those who want to take the first steps and give it a try.
📥 Download It here: thangs.com/ebook
P.S. I consider feedback a gift, so feel free to share your thoughts or what you'd like to see in 2024! 🙇
ALT 📥 Come read our eBook on Learning 3D Design Sales! https://thangs.com/ebook
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𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝟯𝗗 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿: Thank you for letting me be part of your journey. I’ll be rooting for you as you continue to create amazing things. 🙂 Keep creating. Nothing is more clear to me today than this fact: The world needs your art. I borrowed that one from Britt :)
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My changing role at Thangs
Hi 3D Designers,
I know some of you have been waiting for me to return to Thangs. Unfortunately, I need to spend this next chapter focusing on my family, and I’ll be cheering from the sidelines going forward.
This message is one of gratitude. I’m officially stepping down as Community Manager to make way for the next generation of leaders like Tijs, Britt, Danya, Eleanor, Marleen, Robert, Erik, Craig, and many others who’ve been doing a phenomenal job growing the platform with our 3D designer community.
This decision isn’t easy. I had planned my entire 2026 around Thangs. I was genuinely excited about the roadmap, new products, and the Shapeways leadership's decades long 3D printing experience to help us to grow. My family was excited to evolve with Thangs, too. But sometimes, life changes in ways we don’t expect... and we adapt.
Our community remains one of the most magical stories of my career. From zero to tens of millions of users, we built a thriving UGC platform that’s paid out tens of millions to 3D designers, far beyond what many thought possible. It proved that our community loves 3D creators and that innovation doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. Our platform celebrated artists and helped grow their businesses. I’m in awe of what we’ve accomplished together. A rising tide really can lift all boats.
And based on the roadmap the team is cooking up, I know Thangs is still just getting started.
With the Shapeways merger, I’m confident the team and our creators are in great hands. The next few years will bring improvements others simply can’t replicate.
At a time when AI and layoffs are reshaping creative industries, I’m proud that we built something that empowers artists to make a real living doing what they love.
𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝟯𝗗 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿: Thank you for letting me be part of your journey. I’ll be rooting for you as you continue to create amazing things. 🙂 Keep creating. Nothing is more clear to me today than this fact: The world needs your art. I borrowed that one from Britt :)
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Hey Thangs Community! 👋
I wanted to let you all know that I'll be stepping away for a bit to handle some family stuff and take care of my father's health. When my mother passed away back in February, she left a big gap and my father's health has been gradually worsening. I guess this is something that children sometimes just need to do for their parents at some point as they get older. (Shoutout to caregivers around the world btw 💪)
For those on Thangs, it's been amazing watching what you all have been building and creating on the platform!
While I'm gone:
- For any technical help, please remember to contact support@thangs.com as this is where we've been hiring recently a lot to keep up with demand.
- For community-related questions, reach out to ThangsJohn or ThangsDanya on Discord. They're awesome and will take good care of you.
The social media team is cooking up some exciting new campaigns to highlight Memberships, so definitely keep building and sharing your amazing work with us by tagging @Thangs3D! This is a perfect time to level up your presence on the platform as the busy season ramps up going into the Mothers Day & fall holidays.
Busy Seasons: Remember that September and October is when we start to see the 3D Printing "bull market" again, so plan ahead if you want to double or triple your memberships as people look for premium designs from battle tested designers :)
While I am out, I'll miss seeing all your incredible creations, but I'm looking forward to returning refreshed and ready to help the community grow even more.
Keep being awesome, and I'll see you all when I'm back!
- ThangsDan
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Tariffs just created a huge opportunity for all #3DDesigners on Thangs. It's never been a better time to build your own things and generate additional income :)
Want to get whitelisted for Print on Demand and get access to industrial manufacturing at scale?
- Sell STL Memberships Thangs.com/Marketplace
- Get Whitelisted for POD: forms.gle/8KAA8ULfzGJEoJbg9
Shoutout to @dr3d_prints for the amazing design.
Follow @Thangs3D for more great STL ideas :)
#DIY #STLFiles #3DDesign #AdditiveMfg #PrintOnDemand
#MakerMovement #3DModeling #ThangsMarketplace #MadeInAmerica #DigitalManufacturing #RC #RCCar
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3D Designers are recession proof. Because if you can imagine it, you can build it 🦾 That's the magic of #3DPrinting :) 🏗️
@Thangs3D Collections vNext are now live! Thank you to all our designers who gave feedback on this new set of releases :)
- We now have a year of data that shows designers who create collections also secure more annual plans (12-month memberships).
- By reducing the cognitive load for your potential buyers, designers with collections typically see increased sales and have higher conversion rates.
- Thangs Profile Search lets users search your model page for a specific model they are looking for.
- Additionally, a fit and finish feature, Designer Name now appears prominently in your Thangs Posts emails and other email notifications you send from Thangs.
Join the Thangs Discord to learn more about our feature roadmap and we would love to hear from you about how to make the platform better.
Cheers,
Dan
#Thangs3D #3DDesign #Collections #DesignerTips
#3DDesigner
#3DModels #QueenOfDragons #ShapewaysPartner
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Hear me yap about 3D Printing Memberships and Print on Demand at Thangs :)
Question: Can you retire with 3D Printing Income?
Answer: Yes... It's not easy, but a path has already been made.
And things are about to get much easier :)
Join the Thangs3D Discord to see the full summary and TLDR :)
#3DDesignIncome #ThangsMemberships #DesignerSuccess #RecurringRevenue
#3DPrintingFuture #FullTimeDesign #CreatorEconomy #PassiveIncome
#PrintOnDemand #3DMarketplace #InfiniteTail #ShapewaysPartner
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TLDR: Can you retire with 3D Printing Income?
Answer: Yes... It's not easy, but a path has already been made. And things are about to get much better
Memberships continue to experience strong growth, due to an influx of new premium model demand. In the video, I talk about third party tools that you can use to see the growth of 3D Printing Memberships. Shapeways saw this opportunity, as well, and so memberships will continue to grow for our creators, as we're still the only platform fully dedicated to growing Designer Success.
Print on Demand (POD) is a new product offering, which we are building to give designers more channels to generate income from. One important thing I also share is the website EHunt which shows some of the data behind Etsy sales. Many top creators are already innovating and creating designs that retain margins and value for their commercial license owners. This is a smart move as it defends their brand and community and as more free models enter the market, it will be premium designers who will benefit as the market consolidates.... And some designers who will also benefit from offering Print on Demand due to its seamless manufacturing integration. These new sales channels have the power to unlock a lot of new growth for your businesses.
Importance of Community: One thing that many people misunderstand is that 3D Design is about selling models, but the truth is that Community is about coming together to grow and learn together. Many people might join your Thangs Community for the model, but they will stay for the experience and network connections they meet in your community. 3D printing is a technical skill and that's why these businesses are defensible and the artists should be valued and paid as professionals!
We will be growing this knowledge base of 3D Printing Design, with help from our new friends at Shapeways, so stick around 🙂
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Hi Designers! We launched the Print on Demand MVP recently which gives 3D designers the option to expand into an exciting new line of business.
I created this video for Discord to talk about some gaps we want to close in the near term. You can read a summary below:
✨ AI Assisted Summary ✨
Dan discusses the company's new print-on-demand service in partnership with Shapeways. The presentation covers three main points:
1. Print-on-Demand Release: Thangs3D now offers a service where customers can order physical prints of hashtag#3DDesigns directly from the platform. Dan showcases examples from various designers including elegant vases, functional designs, jewelry pieces, and specialized accessories like drone extensions.
This service allows designers to reach customers who don't own 3D printers and even if they do, access higher quality manufacturing printers not available to consumers.
2. Product Gaps: Dan acknowledges several areas needing improvement:
- High U.S. shipping costs ($25) that can be a shock to customers
Need for quantity selection options
- Improvements needed for the upload process, especially for assembly files
- The goal to eventually allow designers to sell complete product SKUs rather than individual parts
3. Balance and Priorities: Dan advises designers not to completely pivot their business model to print-on-demand. Instead, he recommends treating it as an additional business line while maintaining focus on core offerings (like memberships). He encourages designers to test the service first by visiting Shapeways.com and suggests that successful designers typically develop multiple revenue streams.
Dan concludes by expressing appreciation for the Thangs team and inviting users to join their Discord community for further discussions.
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Print on Demand is live on Thangs!
📌 No inventory
📌 No production hassle
📌 Sell digital & physical goods with ease
Join the wait list → forms.gle/8KAA8ULfzGJEoJbg9
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Hi everyone, First, thanks to everyone who has stuck around! I recorded this on Thursday when we were trying to get the POD MVP launch out the door, but it's been awhile since I've shared an update.
🔑 Product Updates:
- Thank you (Q1 and for family support as well)
- POD
- Memberships: New Features like Profile Search and Collections on the way, as well
Note: We haven't launched yet, so look forward to our social media and marketing posts later today, but I wanted to just say hi as well.
Follow me to learn more!
#3DPrinting #ProductManagement #3DDesigner #3DDesign #NomadSculpt #Blender #Solidworks #Shapeways #Thangs3D
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P.S. Be sure to check out this recent shoutout for Thangs from How companies can leverage additive manufacturing without high investment via interview with @Shapeways!
3printr.com/how-companies-ca…
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« In Memory of My Son, Archer, and a Final Request for Support »
(I'm going back to work this month.)
Hi Friends,
It's been about 30 days since my son passed away. The pain of losing him is still very real. While I know that, over time, people may expect us to "move on," I wanted to share our fundraiser one more time for visibility. This will be the last time I post about this on social media out of respect for everyone’s well-being and mental health.
For those who believe in God, they often say He has a plan.
For those who don't, they say life is unpredictable.
Either way, the loss is immeasurable, but I know we need to continue living life. If anything, for Archer's sake.
3 years ago when I joined Thangs, I merged my personal and professional profiles. Sorry for anyone who was surprised by the work messages or for those professional contacts who were taken aback by my recent personal loss. After March 17, I will go back to posting about "work stuff" because I genuinely like my work. I chose to work at Thangs for many reasons, but the truth is that the people I've met in 3D printing are doing it with all their hearts and truly "all in." They are now my friends for life. The community in 3D printing is something pure and exciting, just like the early days of Google. I'm incredibly thankful to be part of this growing design community. Furthermore, it was something that truly shaped Archer's life growing up and I wouldn't trade his experiences and love for this technology for anything.
In case you are seeing this for the first time, if you’d like to support my family's recovery and help raise awareness for autism parenting, I’d deeply appreciate any contributions or simply sharing the Safety Lessons for Parents links around. Donations will be used to begin my family's fertility journey and 25% of donations will go to programs that helped us greatly during Archers autism diagnosis:
• GoFundMe: gofund.me/818634f4
• Due: April 4, 2025 when we will distribute school donations.
#autismparenting #agingparents #carsafety
Thanks to everyone reading and for your understanding and friendship during this time 🙇
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Important Links to Share Around:
◦ Safety Lessons for Parents to keep their children safe: danphamx.medium.com/learning…
◦ Learn About Archer: danphamx.medium.com/remember…
◦ Share Our GoFundMe: gofund.me/818634f4
Thanks again to everyone reading. I'm looking forward to getting back to supporting great designers. While I am still hurting, nothing has changed in 3D Printing.
The world needs your art.
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3D Designers, Follow Your Passions 🏗️🖨️
Dear 3D Printing Community,
I'm extremely grateful to everyone who has sent me messages of support and those who have offered their time and love. Thank you so much.
The new Shapeways and Thangs Leadership team have also been very supportive. It's nice to work with people that authentically care about each other and their community members. It reminds me of why I left "big tech" to join #3DPrinting over two years ago. The people. I will never forget your kindness.
@JohnMarkhamJr has been passing on your words of support to me too, so, thank you again to all. I'm taking time from family matters to provide some updates:
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If you want to help my family personally, consider sharing my links. No obligation at all, but the more people who read these, the better I will feel.
💡For example: Some Googlers said that they would find a way to add "child safety seats" to Gemini Search Results for travel lists. I hope so, for the sake of other families.
As for me, there's so many things I wish I could tell you about what I've learned about grief, life, and death, perhaps one day over coffee or Discord chat. You are all friends for life. But, I don't have time for coffee chats. My family is making plans to try for a second child. This is expensive. The risk of miscarriage is high, so we are pursing IVF and other strategies. Because I refuse to "give up" even if the odds are stacked against me.
Safety Lessons for other Millennial Parents
(Learnings from Loss)
danphamx.medium.com/learning…
Learn More About Archer
(Remebering my child beyond his autism diagnosis)
danphamx.medium.com/remember…
Donate to my family and Autism Support
gofundme.com/f/honor-archer-…
Follow your Passions.
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