CommunityCAD
Downloading
What you need to download, daily and weekly limits, and your download history.
How to download#
You can download without an account. On a model page:
- Download (top right) gets the latest version's original upload: one file, or the whole ZIP.
- Versions tab: download any earlier version.
- Files tab: download a single file, even one inside a ZIP.
Before you use a model, check its license (sidebar or Files tab). The license says what you may do with it: print it for yourself, change it, share it, sell prints of it. See Choosing a license.
Download limits#
| Per day | Per week | |
|---|---|---|
| Signed out, or Free | 5 | 20 |
| Supporter | 10 | 50 |
| Believer | 50 | 200 |
| Professional | Unlimited | Unlimited |
The limits keep the site sustainable. Higher tiers can be paid for or earned for free. See Membership tiers.
What counts as one download#
- One model, once a day. Downloading several files from the same model, or the same file again, on the same day counts as one.
- Your own models never count.
- Each printer counts separately. Sending a model to a printer with CommunityCAD for Klipper counts once for that printer, in the same allowance.
- Signed-out downloads count per internet connection (IP address).
Days reset at midnight UTC; weeks reset Monday at 00:00 UTC.
When you reach a limit#
The download doesn't happen, nothing is used up, and a message tells you when your limit resets. Signed-out visitors can sign in for a free account; members can move up a tier. When you've used most of the day's allowance, you get a heads-up first.
Your download history#
Signed in, open your profile → Downloads to see:
- how many downloads you've used today and this week, and when they reset;
- every download: which model and file, whether it went to This website or one of your printers, the date, and whether it used your allowance or was free.
File formats#
What you get is what the creator uploaded. Common formats:
| Format | Typically used for |
|---|---|
STEP (.step, .stp) | Exact CAD geometry; open in any CAD program and edit |
| STL, OBJ | 3D printing (meshes) |
| 3MF | 3D printing projects, sometimes with print settings |
| DXF, SVG | Laser cutting, CNC routing, 2D drawings |
G-code (.gcode, .nc, .tap, .cnc) | Ready-to-run machine instructions for one specific machine |
SolidWorks, Fusion 360 (.f3d), FreeCAD (.fcstd) | Native files for that program |
| ZIP | A full project: see Organising your files |
When a creator uploads a STEP file, we also generate an STL version for printing, found under exports/ in the Files tab.
G-code is made for one machine. G-code sliced for a different printer or machine can damage yours. Only run G-code that matches your machine, and watch the start of every job. See Printing safely.