Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 Posted by Jim Thacker

Sketchfab offers unlimited online 3D model sharing

[Originally posted on: 27 December 2012. Scroll down for updates.]

Online model viewing service Sketchfab is to offer unlimited uploads once 20,000 people register on the site.

Sketchfab enables users to upload models in a range of standard 3D file formats, then view them interactively via any WebGL-enabled browser, complete with lighting and textures.

Anyone sent the URL of the upload can view the model; and the viewer code can be embedded in a Behance portfolio or in posts on many CG forums.

No upload limit for free accounts
Currently, users of free Sketchfab accounts are restricted to 10 uploads of a maximum of 50MB each: to raise that limit, you have to sign up for a paid Pro account.

The new changes will remove the upload restrictions on all account types, although Pro accounts will still offer other extra features, including a customisable viewer and the option to share files privately.

According to the Sketchfab blog: “We’re not a storage company. We want to help 3D craftsmen publish their work. Why 20,000 users [before removing upload limits]? Because that’s a good base for a strong community.”

At time of posting, over 16,000 people had registered with the site, around 2,000 of those in the past two weeks.

At that rate of progress, if you sign up now and share the news with friends via the social media links provided, you could expect to have unlimited uploads early in the New Year.

Updated 5 February 2012: Sketchfab has hit its target, meaning users of free accounts can now upload an unlimited number of models of up to 50MB each in size.

Sketchfab-hosted assets can also now be embedded in Kickstarter campaigns.

Sign up for a free Sketchfab account