Daily Blender Tip 334: BlenderKit Add-on
Jan van den Hemel writes:
BlenderKit is an interesting add-on that comes with Blender 2.8 by default. It allows you to insert assets and materials into scenes by simply clicking on a picture. It then downloads the asset from the internet. There are both free and paid versions, the paid version has more assets than the free one. Check it out!
Is BlenderKit really bundled with Blender 2.8? How is this acceptable? Why not another plugin that does the same thing? Who made the call on that? In exchange of what? This is Micro$oft/Gooogle type of stuff. Why should we help a paid add-on reach a dominant position on the market for free? this is weird…
I just checked and it looks to be an optional add-on bundled within 2.80. This appears to point to the free stuff but indirectly provides a super-quick way to get their paid product in front of users. This seems to provide an advantage that other authors don’t seem to have.
I have to think about this more . . . but initially I think I agree with you.
I hadn’t really thought about it like that. Are there good asset management alternatives to this add-on that are not included as optional add-ons bundled with Blender?
I am uncertain as to if there are alternatives similar to this. And my comments were not intended as a slam to anyone. I actually think the BlenderKit site seems really cool. They seem to offer a lot of content (especially for their paid subscription). My thoughts were driven by the fact that any embedded add-on should be for something entirely self-contained, so to speak. I also believe the motives were pure, for the committee that decided which add-ons would be bundled with 2.80, but perhaps this level of thought was overlooked. It seems a little counter-intuitive to the ‘open source’ mindset IMO. Especially when you have to create a separate account at their site just to get the free items. Again, not down-playing BlenderKit for what it does. I don’t think it should’ve been bundled, is all. Seems to give an unfair advantage for an option paid product. Hope this clarifies.
I enter on their website and I saw that you are encouraged to be a creator. For this type of things you are paid to create content. So you are not helping for free. You will get 70% from your sellings, blenderkit gets 15% and blender gets %. You are not paying for an add-on, you are paying for the content of a library. So I think that’s why blender agreed with them, because is a win-win.
Isn’t that how Youtube started? Create content for free and now that users’ livelihood depends on it, it’s closing people’s channels without any chance to democratically defend yourself? So if someone has a problem with Blenderkit and Blenderkit shuts down their account they cannot distribute their content to Blender users through Blenderkit anymore. They have to look for a different option which puts them at a disadvantage. It’s always win-win until it’s not any more.