I’m very glad to see that Trimble is looking into the 3D Warehouse to see if things can be improved! I’d be happy to help in any way I can.
I think it’s clear that some things that are a problem to some, turn out to be just what someone else is looking for, so perhaps a way of sorting or filtering, in the search feature, is a way to have people arrive at the type of model they are looking for.
There is no question that there is piracy. I was surprised and shocked to see my lamp also available from two other users! I didn’t have time to pursue this, to see if other models had been stolen, but now that I read some people sell them, I wonder if my work is enriching someone else! I’m not charging for my few contributions to the warehouse – I loved the very idea that everyone was creating and sharing their content.
My only problem, other than occasionally finding a flimsy and poorly designed model, is that many have an origin nowhere near the actual model! You download it into your drawing, and have to click on Zoom Extents to find it! I’m not sure if this is fixable. Also, some models come with all kinds of other things attached to them, sometimes also far away, so you may not even be aware there’s another object somewhere!
I like that there are products, but would like 3DW to open to all models. I’m willing to search for what I need, but understand busy people may need a way to get either low poly or high poly models, so it would be nice if there was a way for them to specify this in their search. I wouldn’t like to see the warehouse to become so restrictive and cumbersome to add content that people would hesitate to contribute. For me, dimensions are always important so I try to have that information in my description, and always appreciate when others do the same.
I hope all improvements considered for 3DW will not be limiting content in most ways. It seems that no matter what is useless to some, it is very useful for others, so lets keep it an open market!
Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the subject.