if you upload renderings without 3d files, why are you here?

Mathew for someone whom supposedly has only joined GRABCAD as of 2 days ago I find it a bit premature for you to criticize when you have yet to contribute to the site.

Some of us long term members have issues with ongoing abuse of the site by the unscrupulous and have decided to hold back from exposure to such & would prefer to deal one on one with members whom we have a certain amount of trust & respect for. Until such time as GRABCAD management instills some greater controls over the nefarious then we will be reluctant to openly share with all.

Does that mean 2 wrongs make a right ? if you feel your models are getting abused then don't post anything otherwise other members will do the same thing especially when thy see older members doing the same. This is a GrabCad issue who are doing nothing about it since years.

Matthew you ask a very good question and you’ve uncovered one of the biggest problems with GrabCAD in your short time here. It just comes down to the fact that some just ignore the rules for their own benefit.

If someone is unwilling to openly share their 3D content to all, even to those with nefarious intent, then they’re probably sharing something they shouldn’t. When I see someone posting renderings with no 3D content to back it up I’m thinking THEY are the ones with nefarious intent. Because this is usually done by persons posting partial designs hoping to lure someone into paying money for the rest of the design.

If someone is posting renderings without also posting all the related 3D content, they place themselves in bad company.

When I browse GrabCAD looking for content, I usually need it NOW! I don’t have the time to contact the author and wait for a response. I would more than likely be better off just creating the design myself rather wait for a response that may not even come.

The main point with my comments is that before someone criticizes one should earn the right to do so by being a contributor and secondly that there are ongoing issues with the sharing of data on GRABCAD and the way it has been abused by noncontributors to cause the scenario of having rendering only uploads. Just by the fact there are 8,680,000 GRABCAD members yet only 4,610,000 CAD models shows the disparity. This ratio increases dramatically when you consider that contributing members usually have anywhere from 10 models and upwards to a couple of hundred.
There are various reasons for persons to upload their models to the site for free, whether to share with a sense of pride in their creations with other like-minded members or as a means to market their abilities. But secondary to this would be as a form of reparations in exchange for other models downloaded as a form of proper civic interaction on GRABCAD . The models I have Uploaded I view as a form of exchange & appreciation to the models I have downloaded. Furthermore, the “LIKES” usually given to the downloaded model are as a direct show of appreciation for the contributors. A lot of the time members download models without a show of appreciation as if it is their personal right to do as they wish without acknowledging the source it has come from.
Just because I upload a model to share, I have not given the right to others to take my model and use it without due recognition of source and for personal gain (as also stated in GRABCAD Terms of Use). As it is, I have found my models have been posted on other websites for sale as well as even here on GRABCAD by other members claiming as their own.
My comments come as a point of frustration with the present situation and the true desire that GRABCAD can implement some measures to control the abuse. By GRABCAD giving more confidence then in turn members are likely to upload better quality and quantity of models to the site. If it is viewed as Nefarious to rock the boat about by raising this issue with noncontributors and advocating responsible membership then fine, Whatever!
I have not sought economic benefit from my uploads nor do I use extortion as a means of garnishing gains. I find it a bit offensive to infer that I have ulterior nefarious motives to my intentions. As it is, I have invested thousands of hours in my models and am always striving to improve my skills as a parametric modeler. All the models I have uploaded to GRABCAD are my own creations from either plans, my own concepts or retro engineered from physical items. It seems to me that if someone does not care what happens with their uploaded models that those models would be either not good or not original. Members seem to have liked a lot of my models with around 30K downloads of actual 3d CAD models.
If someone lives in a dodgy neighborhood, would they not be a fool if they did not implement some security measures or even move to another more secure location and allow entry to those they trust.
So if members are offended that they do not have unfettered access to models to complete their projects in a timely fashion with other peoples products of labour (whom they will not likely acknowledge anyways), I have no sympathy. A bit of courtesy goes a longer way instead of demanding with a sense of entitlement.
At the end of the day, isn’t the ideal to have an extensive library with members sharing proper ethics and a sense of comradery.