3D model licenses explained: can you sell what you print?
Every model you download comes with a license: the designer’s rules for what you may do with it. Most are easy to follow once you know the short codes. Here’s what they mean, and the answer to the question everyone asks: can you sell your prints?
This is a plain-words guide, not legal advice. The license on the model’s own page is what counts, and when in doubt, ask the designer.
Where to find the license
On the model’s page, usually near the download button or under the description. On free libraries it’s often a Creative Commons license. On marketplaces, paid models usually come with the store’s own license, or the designer’s, which often covers personal use only.
Creative Commons, piece by piece
Creative Commons licenses are built from a few building blocks, which is why they have names like “CC BY-NC-SA”. Each block adds one rule:
| Part | Stands for | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| BY | Attribution | Credit the designer when you share the model or something made from it. Every CC license except CC0 has this. |
| SA | ShareAlike | If you share a changed version, share it under the same license. |
| NC | NonCommercial | No commercial use, which includes selling prints. |
| ND | NoDerivatives | You may share it only as it is: no changed versions (remixes) shared. |
| CC0 | No rights reserved | Do anything you like, even without credit. |
What can you do with it?
- Print it for yourself: yes, under every Creative Commons license, and under almost every store license too.
- Give a print to a friend: almost always fine, as long as you aren’t being paid for it.
- Share the file: with a Creative Commons license, yes, with credit. With a paid model, usually not: the person you share it with should get it from the designer.
- Remix it (change it and share your version): yes, unless the license has ND. With SA, your version must use the same license.
- Sell prints: not if the license has NC. Licenses without NC (such as CC BY or CC BY-SA) allow it, as long as you credit the designer. Many designers who use NC, or sell their models, also offer a separate license for selling prints, so it’s worth asking.
How to credit a designer
Name the designer, name the model, link to its page, and say which license it uses. For example: “Articulated Frog by (the designer’s name), from Thingiverse (a link to its page), licensed CC BY 4.0”. If you changed it, say so. When you sell prints under a license that allows it, putting the credit on the listing is a kind thing to do, and it’s what the license asks.
Licenses and Yigo
Yigo shows a model’s title, tags, picture and link, and sends you to the model’s own page to download it. The license is on that page, and it’s the designer’s, not Yigo’s. Check it before you print something to sell.