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As 3D printing has gotten easier and we’ve seen new model repositories take shape to become their own communal spaces, it’s pretty common for an incentive structure to follow. It gamifies participation, and in many cases, you can get monetary value out of your models. It’s a win-win. Win.

Such systems can be susceptible to abuse, though. In a fresh post on its blog, Bambu Lab has outlined the challenges its still-relatively new MakerWorld repository faces with peak abuse days seeing it squashing 6,000 accounts set up for the purpose of farming its popularity-based points system.

This is about to change, though, with the introduction of the MakerWorld Boost System. Intended to bring a little equity to the platform, the boost system, for now, compliments the existing points systems, with a limited number of boost “tokens” available to users of the platform from their actions. These tokens are then giftable to model creators, with a gifted token redeemable into the existing points system for a value of 11 points–approximately $1 value.

In a nutshell, points are currently awarded for creating a profile and completing a checklist of signup tasks, such as filling out your profile data. Standard stuff. Beyond these one-time tasks, the points then accrue from the downloads that your models and print settings for those models get. Since the monetary value for points and boosts is funded by MakerWorld, the blog post indicates that “budget” from points will be transferred into getting boost tokens off the ground. In short, the points awarded from single tasks and downloads will likely reduce soon, if not already.

In the post, the company outlines how the points system alone was not particularly equitable. “Niche models, while valuable to specific communities, may not achieve widespread popularity and consequently receive fewer points.” Likewise, complex and sophisticated projects with difficult components or multiple prints, while technically more impressive and often well-designed, also receive fewer points on account of the difficulty and higher barrier to completion.

It’s clear Bambu Lab expects to learn as it goes with the system; it caveats that frequent rule changes to the boost system will follow as it gets to grips with its new economy.

It may not entirely eradicate efforts to game the system and could be a measure to detangle MakerWorld from expensive low-value growth, but we’re always going to be fans of spreading value and reward where it’s due. More details and the thinking behind this transition can be found on the Bambu Lab blog.

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License: The text of "MakerWorld Introduces Boosts to Tackle Unfair Popularity-Based Points System" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.