Summary

  • 3DBenchy, a standard benchmarking model for 3D printers, had copyright issues but is now in the public domain.
  • The boat's creators intended not to restrict access but to keep it available for the 3D printing community.
  • Users can now freely download and use the 3DBenchy model for printing projects.

From an outsider's perspective, the world of 3D printers looks weird. We buy a new printer, set up the filament or resin, and then immediately print a small tugboat. Not just any tugboat, but the exact same tugboat we've printed before. And people worldwide are doing the exact same thing.

Well, if you're on the outside looking in, that little fellow has a name: 3DBenchy. For a long time, he was the go-to way to benchmark a 3D printer to see if it was printing stuff okay. Unfortunately, it ran into issues over copyrights, meaning people were scrambling to find new 3DBenchy alternatives. Well, the king has returned, as the little boat has officially entered the public domain.

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3DBenchy fires up the engines once more

The feud began when Creative Tools, the folks behind 3DBenchy, was acquired by NTI. As such, the rights to the boat went to NTI, which it claims didn't want to monetize or flex its rights over 3DBenchy.

However, as noted on the NTI website, something went awry:

In January 2025, rumors surfaced that remixes of 3DBenchy were being removed from Printables due to the enforcement of the original license. However, NTI did not initiate this action. Prusa Research, the company behind Printables, later confirmed that a third-party report - not NTI - prompted the enforcement. NTI clarified it had not sought to remove downloads or derivatives of the model and had taken no legal action in this regard.

While NTI didn't intend to make a ruckus, the discord that kicked off proved to the company how important 3DBenchy is to the 3D printing community. As such, to help keep 3DBenchy available for all, it made the decision to enter the specifications into the public domain, meaning anyone can now download and use the faithful vessel for free.

If you want to celebrate by printing one (or ten) of these boats, head over to the official 3DBenchy website and grab the STL from there.