# Manyfold Federating 3D Models with ActivityPub > [! note]- > The content of this page is generated by audio/video transcription and text transformation from the content and links of this source. Source: [https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-4181-manyfold-federating-3d-models/](https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-4181-manyfold-federating-3d-models/) <video src="https://video.fosdem.org/2025/ud2208/fosdem-2025-4181-manyfold-federating-3d-models.av1.webm" controls></video> ## Summary & Highlights: Manyfold is a self-hosted application designed to organize and share 3D print models, aiming to provide a user-friendly alternative to platforms like Thingiverse without intrusive ads. Built using Ruby on Rails, it can be deployed in various modes, including private, multi-user, and federated setups. The session focuses on integrating ActivityPub to enable federation, enhancing the ability to share models across different instances and platforms. **Introduction to Manyfold** Manyfold offers a comprehensive solution for managing 3D print models by allowing users to browse, organize, and troubleshoot their files. It functions similarly to a private Thingiverse, providing an ad-free experience through a self-hosted Docker container. **Federation and ActivityPub Integration** The session highlights the implementation of ActivityPub using the Federails Rails Engine, enabling Manyfold to federate 3D models. This allows users to share and follow models and creators across different platforms, enhancing collaboration and community building. **Technical Implementation and Challenges** James Smith discusses the technical aspects of integrating federation into Manyfold, including defining namespaces and actor types for models and creators. The session invites feedback on these implementations to ensure effective interoperability. **Applications and Future Prospects** Manyfold's federation capabilities present significant potential for eco-social designers, offering tools for collaborative design and shared innovation in 3D printing. The session addresses the challenges of maintaining interoperability and the importance of feedback in refining the system. ## Importance for an eco-social transformation Manyfold's approach to federating 3D models is significant for eco-social transformation as it promotes decentralized and community-driven sharing of resources. By enabling users to host their own instances and share models without centralized control, it aligns with principles of open-source and community empowerment. This can lead to more sustainable practices in 3D printing by reducing reliance on commercial platforms and fostering local innovation. Eco-social designers can leverage Manyfold to collaborate on sustainable design projects, utilizing its federated framework to share and develop models collectively. Challenges include ensuring interoperability across different platforms and addressing legal considerations in model sharing. ## Slides: | | | | --- | --- | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_001.jpg\|300]] | The first slide introduces the session 'Manyfold: Federating 3D Models' presented by James Smith. It provides contact information, including his website and Mastodon handle, setting the stage for an exploration of federated 3D model management. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_002.jpg\|300]] | This slide explains the purpose of Manyfold, a platform for organizing 3D print models. The website manyfold.app is highlighted, indicating where users can access the tool and learn more about its features. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_003.jpg\|300]] | The third slide details Manyfold's capabilities in organizing 3D print models, including browsing, previewing, organizing, tidying, troubleshooting, and converting models. These features are designed to streamline the management of 3D files. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_004.jpg\|300]] | This slide compares Manyfold to Thingiverse, emphasizing that Manyfold offers a similar experience without intrusive ads. It highlights the self-hosted nature of Manyfold, providing users with control over their 3D model repository. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_005.jpg\|300]] | The fifth slide discusses the self-hosted container aspect of Manyfold, indicating that it is deployed as a Docker container. This allows for flexible hosting options and supports the platform's federated capabilities. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_006.jpg\|300]] | This slide outlines the different operation modes of Manyfold, including private single-user, multi-user, and federated modes. It highlights the versatility of Manyfold in adapting to various user needs and sharing scenarios. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_007.jpg\|300]] | The seventh slide focuses on Manyfold's federation capabilities, noting that it is about to be released. It provides a link to the technology behind the federation, emphasizing the use of ActivityPub for decentralized sharing. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_008.jpg\|300]] | This slide introduces the f3di namespace, which includes extension properties for 3D content. It aims to provide a platform-independent way to express 3D model attributes, supporting cross-platform compatibility. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_009.jpg\|300]] | The ninth slide explains the concept of actors within Manyfold, detailing different types such as creators, models, collections, and users. It outlines how these actors are categorized and interact within the federated system. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_010.jpg\|300]] | This slide presents the various activities supported by Manyfold, including creating, updating, and deleting models, as well as following and accepting interactions. It highlights the comprehensive activity management within the platform. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_011.jpg\|300]] | | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_012.jpg\|300]] | The twelfth slide discusses compatibility notes, which are used to describe activities that may not appear in microblog feeds. It emphasizes the importance of these notes in maintaining clear communication across federated instances. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_013.jpg\|300]] | | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_014.jpg\|300]] | This slide introduces Federails, a tool used to integrate federation into Manyfold. It provides contact information and links to resources for further exploration of Federails and its capabilities. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_015.jpg\|300]] | The fifteenth slide provides setup instructions for Federails, detailing the steps to integrate it into a Ruby on Rails application. It outlines the necessary commands and configurations for installation. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_016.jpg\|300]] | This slide explains how to configure Federails within a user model, detailing the inclusion of the ActorEntity concern and the configuration of field names. It provides a code example for implementation. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_017.jpg\|300]] | The seventeenth slide covers the process of handling incoming follow requests in Federails. It provides a code example for managing follow actions and emphasizes the integration of Federails within user models. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_018.jpg\|300]] | This slide discusses creating activities in Federails, providing a code example for generating a 'Create' activity. It highlights the flexibility of Federails in managing various actions within the federated system. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_019.jpg\|300]] | The nineteenth slide focuses on object serialization in Federails, explaining how to serialize a comment object for ActivityPub. It provides a code example and highlights the use of data transformers for federation. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_020.jpg\|300]] | This slide addresses trust and safety concerns, discussing 'Flag' activities and domain blocks. It provides a link to a GitHub repository for managing moderation within the federated system. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Manyfold-Federating-3d-models/preview_021.jpg\|300]] | The final slide offers thanks and provides contact information for further engagement with Manyfold. It includes links to the Manyfold website, Mastodon handle, and other relevant social media accounts. ## Links [Online HTML slides](https://fosdem.org/2025/events/attachments/fosdem-2025-4181-manyfold-federating-3d-models/slides/238268/manyfold_JiUsM9T.pdf) [Video recording (AV1/WebM)](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/ud2208/fosdem-2025-4181-manyfold-federating-3d-models.av1.webm) [Video recording (MP4)](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/ud2208/fosdem-2025-4181-manyfold-federating-3d-models.av1.mp4) [Video recording subtitle file (VTT)]() [Chat room(web)]() [Chat room(app)]()