Thingiverse, Makerbot’s collection of public 3D models, is one of the keys to its continued success. However, thus far it has been a fairly lonely affair with users uploading their models and interacting with individuals only rarely. Now there’s Thingiverse Groups, a small tweak that lets you create an online group of like-minded makers.
Quoth the Makerbot blog:
Our new Thingiverse Groups feature allows you to join and create groups around specific topics or types of designs, start conversations, and share Things with your fellow community members. We’ve made it super easy to create groups, search for the newest or most popular groups, and upload your designs.
It’s not a huge change but I could definitely see the value in having, say, a UAV group or a group dedicated to education. Being able to share models and ideas with the group makes 3D printing a lot more fun and, more important, stickier. For example, I made this group in a few seconds and now I wait, breathlessly, as parents stream in from around the world. Should be fun.