Automated Slicing: Preventing Theft Of 3D Models For Designers

--- title: 'Automated Slicing: Preventing Theft Of 3D Models For Designers' date: '2024-05-17' summary: 'MatterManifest: Protecting 3D Designs From Being Stolen' image: 'https://assets.mattermanifest.com/uploaded/site/blog/prevent-stealing-of-3d-models/lock.webp' author: 'MatterManifest' tags: ['About', 'MatterManifest', 'Slicing'] featured: true --- ## Building a Secure 3D Printing Marketplace: Protecting Designers with Automatic Slicing In the rapidly evolving world of 3D printing, one of the primary concerns for designers is protecting their intellectual property. While several amazing marketplaces exist, they either do not address all of the problems discussed in this article or they are owned by individual 3D printer companies, which will favor their own printers rather than a universal solution. As a result, designers who want to monetize their creations must post their designs on several marketplaces rather than having a single source that can support all printers. This article discusses how we plan to build a secure 3D printing marketplace that can eventually work for all printers, allowing designers to monetize their creations without the fear of their designs being stolen or misused. ### The Challenge of Protecting STL Files STL files, the standard format for 3D printable designs, are susceptible to unauthorized copying and redistribution. Once an STL file is downloaded, it can be easily shared without the designer's permission, leading to potential revenue loss and violation of intellectual property rights. To address this, a new approach to managing 3D printing marketplaces is required. ### The Solution: Automatic Slicing to Order Our solution involves a novel approach: automatic slicing of 3D models to order. Instead of allowing users to download STL files, the marketplace offers a service where the slicing of the model is performed server-side. The database of 3D models is only accessible by the slicing server, ensuring security. Future updates to the slicing server will enable advanced customization options not limited to infill density, layer height, and color, eventually providing the same level of customization as using a slicer yourself. This approach eliminates the need for beginners to master slicing, providing them with a ready-to-print G-code file. Simultaneously, this method ensures that the original STL files remain secure and inaccessible to the end user, deterring theft and protecting the designer's monetization potential. ![alt text](https://assets.mattermanifest.com/uploaded/site/blog/prevent-stealing-of-3d-models/mattermanifest-automatic-slicing-explained.png) ### How It Works 1. **Upload and Listing**: Designers upload their STL files to the marketplace in a print-in-place way where the parts needed are all accounted for and properly oriented. These files are securely stored and never directly exposed to users. Designers can set their pricing and licensing terms for each design. 2. **User Browsing and Ordering**: Users browse the marketplace and select the designs they want to print. Instead of downloading the STL file, users select their printer and material and place an order for the sliced file tailored to their equipment. 3. **Automatic Slicing**: Once an order is placed, the marketplace's backend system automatically slices the STL file according to the user's printer specifications. This process involves generating G-code, the machine instructions required for 3D printing. Once a G-code is generated for a particular printer, material, and profile, it can be reused for others with the same setup. This also confirms print success and narrows down potential issues that other users might face to their printer setup or filament. 4. **Delivery of G-code**: The sliced G-code file is then delivered to the user. This file is specific to their printer and material type. Reverse-engineering from G-code to STL is extremely difficult, and becomes even harder when designs require high precision to function properly or to be visually appealing. By delivering only the G-code, the marketplace ensures that the designer's intellectual property is well protected. ### Benefits of Automatic Slicing - **Security**: By never exposing the original STL files, the risk of unauthorized copying and redistribution is significantly reduced. - **Convenience**: Users receive ready-to-print G-code files, eliminating the need for them to perform slicing themselves. This is particularly beneficial for beginners, who often face an overwhelming number of options for slicers. Most slicer configuration files have around 300 settings, which beginners have to understand, deciding which to change and which not to change in the slicer program. - **Customization**: The slicing process can be tailored to individual printer specifications and material types, ensuring optimal print quality and reducing the likelihood of printing errors. This standardization helps beginners narrow down their printing issues to either their filament or printer build, as the consistency in slicing removes one variable from the troubleshooting process. Printer and filament issues are easier to fix with our dedicated troubleshooter. - **Monetization**: Designers can confidently sell their designs, knowing their intellectual property is protected, potentially leading to higher quality and more diverse offerings in the marketplace. # ### How We Plan To Do This 1. **Marketplace for G-codes Only**: Create a marketplace where only G-code files are distributed. The STL files uploaded by designers are never made available for download. 2. **Efficient Backend System**: Develop a highly efficient backend system where STL files are stored in a separate, secure database. These files are only sliced based on user requests for specific printer and material types. 3. **Comprehensive Printer Profiles**: Maintain a base of printer profiles where all 300 print settings are stored. These settings can be tweaked based on future user preferences such as infill density, use of supports, and layer height. 4. **End-to-End Solution for Users**: Design a platform that goes beyond just serving files. By automating and controlling the slicing process, we can significantly narrow down and troubleshoot print failures to hardware and filament settings. In the future, we can also adjust settings automatically when failures occur, accounting for support, retraction, seams, and printing speeds to standardize the ideal settings for each printer and material combination. 5. **Printer to Printer Variability**: As printers improve and become more affordable, the same G-code will work on different printers of the same model. Advances in bed leveling, nozzle and extruder builds, and easy assembly will eliminate the need for extensive individual calibration. We expect that within the next five years, entry-level printers under $300 will consistently yield the same quality from the same G-code. # ### Announcing Our Beta This is not a small undertaking. The concept requires a level of software mastery and the ability to store and serve potentially hundreds of G-codes for each 3D model that is uploaded. However, we are excited to announce that we've completed a prototype for automated slicing that supports several popular FDM printers and PLA material. Head over to [mattermanifest.com/catalog](https://mattermanifest.com/catalog) and try it for yourself. You can reach us for feedback at [contact@mattermanifest.com](mailto:contact@mattermanifest.com). We look forward to hearing your feedback to understand what features we should focus on building next that would be most useful to the community. ### Why Does This Matter? Two years ago, we experienced the frustration of having our file stolen and branded as someone else’s creation. To make matters worse, another seller trademarked the name of our listing and used that to take down our Etsy listing on the grounds of copyright infringement while selling our product. Rather than trying to fight back, we decided that the real problem was the limitations in the potential of 3D printing. We believe that the 3D printing community has immense potential, currently hindered by file theft, a steep learning curve for beginners, and inadequate protection for talented designers who just want to create and profit from their work. Our goal is to revolutionize the way things are done today and accelerate the impact that 3D printing can have on everyday people like us. If you share our vision, help us bring this to life! Connect with us on social media, provide feedback, and sign up for our [Marketplace Beta](https://mattermanifest.com/coming-soon) as we roll out the platform for 3D Designers.

Automated Slicing: Preventing Theft Of 3D Models For Designers

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