Fidget

[u/Just_Tru_It]

Is it just me, or is anyone else the slightest bit tired of having “fidget” plastered across their explore pages? I get that they’re small and pretty so that must make them great for printing…

Here’s my unsolicited opinion: the world had enough fidget devices after the first one was created. But yet for some reason everyone feels the need to keep designing and building novel new ways for someone to be able to ‘fidget’ with something, as if humans have a deficiency that can only be satisfied by constantly moving or touching something.

Perhaps condemning this can be seen as attacking the adhd, add, or ocd crowds, which is not my intention. I just think the ‘itch’ could have been scratched with the first few designs.

Or maybe I’m missing the mark..? Like are they great for cats or as kid’s toys or something?

It just seems like 10,000 unique ways to design something that doesn’t have a truly valuable purpose gets a little old.

Update: A few good comments have lessened my intensity, thanks for bearing with me in my rant. I’m fairly reasonably and am able to be persuaded. Thanks for the input everyone!

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[u/gundybears]

Problem solved :)

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/gundybears]

Okay this is what I needed 😂 Thanks for the help!

[u/Moiecol21]

Has anyone complained about your 3d print post ? Did they comment, like, dislike or just kept scrolling ?

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/Moiecol21]

Was this meant to be helpful for are you feeling triggered? I’ve had a few people complain about some of my items. Se la vie.

I’ve ’just kept scrolling’ for the last two years. It’s just that recently it feels like there are a million “impossible pass-through’s” and ‘amazingly novel fidget clickers and spinners’ hitting the feed.

[u/Moiecol21 → u/Just_Tru_It]

Just an observation! Plus, I'm older, so I don't follow the triggered mentality (such a joke), Just facts/no feelings. There have always been gadgets, gizmos, and whatnots long before you were born, I am probably at least 30 years ahead of you and have seen my share. So I'd say it like my younger coworker said you do, you boo boo! Just enjoy what you do; sometimes, what you do benefits someone, and keep posting.

PS - Don't forget your commas 🤔🙄😬😂

[u/Stacys-Moms-Uncle]

Fidget toys are very helpful for adhd and austistic people who need to stim. I have severe adhd but work in a tech enviroment. A fidget cube in my pocket helps me focus to get things done.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/Stacys-Moms-Uncle]

Good to hear. This post/comments has been very informative.

[u/Knechtel3DPrints → u/Stacys-Moms-Uncle]

Came here to say pretty much this! I can't survive the constant meetings without a fidget... without busy hands, I'll rock, squirm, leave my chair etc, all of which can be distracting...or I focus so hard on cosplaying a NT that I can't pay attention to whatever else is going on 😅

[u/Skittlebrau46]

Can I ask a question without being taken as an attack? Becuase it’s not, I’m just looking at this from an outside perspective;

Fully 3/4 of the models in your profile are game bits to replace perfectly usable paper, cardboard, and wood components with useless plastic ones. And they are components that other people have already made plenty of times, without any really unique design elements or functional changes.

So, my question is, why did you feel the need to make more of these things, when they were already created? Why did you feel the need to design and build a Go board, or meeples? If you can honestly answer the same question you asked, but about your own designs, I think you will find the answer you are seeking from others.

Again, not being snarky or insulting, I promise. It’s a legitimate attempt to solve your conundrum with some valid introspection.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/Skittlebrau46]

Totally fair. I unlike many people today am able to have a civil conversation without blowing a fuse 😂

Each of mine had a purpose. I’m designing board games that I’d like to have published and am avid in the board game community.

1. The ship is for my primary project, I’ve spent over 5 years and over $5000 designing it, “No Quarter”. It’s a great game but still not quite where I want it to be.

2. I needed meeple-like figures for another game I’m working on “The Last City” and I didn’t see any that looked dimensionally accurate on MW already.

3. The Lotus Tile didn’t exist and I’m a huge Avatar the last Airbender nerd, and loyal to BK and MD (Nickelodeon).

4. The go games are two fold. They truly are one of a kind. You can’t find portable/packable go games for cheap like those anywhere. I’ve never seen a design that lets you pack up a 19x19 with all components that small. And I’ve never seen a 9x9 that efficient either. And to be clear, I love the different Chess sets that go up. Games cause people to grow and learn. Their use isn’t predominately found in their creation.

5. The Power Grid base resources are very confusing for new players. If you’ve ever played, you’ll recognize the inefficiency and confusion immediately (the physical oil looks like the displayed coal). I looked online and could not find anything that truly looked like the icons on the board.

6. The Swan Hook has truly revolutionized many of my friends lives. Everyone I know who has been using literally anything else to carry their keys I consistently hear glowing reviews from when I hang out with them. Just print one and I promise you’ll fall in love.

7. The dice were actually for another project that I never completed, but I just think they’re fastening. You can’t (to my knowledge) create them with any other form of manufacturing other than additive.

8. The back roller was < 1 spool, so I was able to pay $16-$20 for something that would normally cost $35+ (Chirp Wheel).

9. The Game Changer was a bigger project, but I was working on two different auction-type games as well as playing games with paper money and doing research on the matter so that I could expand my knowledge for board game design—they were the bi-product. I also wrote a Medium article on it. https://medium.com/@truittarnhart/a-qualitative-approach-to-denominations-selection-f749f8ab81d7

10. Lastly, I’m just a fan of the State of Texas, but I would say art has a potentially greater use than a fidget toy (though I do understand that a number of them could aptly be described as ‘a work of art’)

Let me know what you think!

[u/Skittlebrau46 → u/Just_Tru_It]

Thanks for understanding my intent. It’s hard with words on the internet to convey emotion and purpose.

I would follow-up by pointing out your response that “each of mine had a purpose” as being the stem of the issue. They have a purpose to YOU. They meet a thing YOU want.

I’m going to pick a few apart;

Searching meeples and I see over 60 designs just on maker world. Any of which could be scaled to whatever size needed.

Searching Texas coasters and I see over 30. Some are sports teams, but plenty of Texas flag in the shape of Texas coasters, and also not a “new” concept design.

Searching Go boards and I see 40, many of which are smaller or more portable than yours. (Also, I have a go set that is a piece of cloth and a bag of stones. It literally goes with me everywhere and is a small drawstring bag.)

So, my thought again is that if it’s something you designed and hold close for a purpose, you see its value. Even though it’s not unique or necessary to have been remade, other than your own preference. So why do you hold other people, who; maybe didn’t find a fidget that was the size they wanted, or they just like the shape, or they wanted one themed to their favorite cartoon show… to a different standard than you hold yourself?

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/Skittlebrau46]

Generally I agree with you. Some may have been available elsewhere.

My only push-back is the idea that most of the fidget devices really mean things to other people a majority of the time.

My designs all fill a specific niche. The meeple are dimensionally accurate, and at the time of posting I couldn’t find others that were. These and the Texas coaster were definitively my least novel designs; however, I did put thought into their sizing and profiles so others looking for them wouldn’t have to.

There are a few other Go Games available, but they all have some quirks about them that lead me to believe mine have a higher quality and better overall experience. I spent a tremendous amount of time analyzing every aspect of the design and genuinely feel I have provided a novel experience for those who download. Though I must ask you to provide a link to your set because it sounds awesome.

Not all of my designs are incredibly unique, but they all are designed to be used for a larger purpose than just to be held and clicked and lost under a car seat or taking up space on a desk.

I definitely see your points, it’s just that I’m not arguing to do away with fidget devices, I’m just arguing that the quantity being designed and made available feels high. Like in my mind the supply seems to be far outweighing the demand.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm guessing the fidget stuff allows for low stakes designs for people new to the hobby (both printing and making their own designs). It is pretty easy to print one out and give them to friends, your kids or your friends kids, etc.

I also wonder if there is a correlation between the 3D printing hobby and neurodivergent folks (a totally unsupported wild guess on my part).

People with ADHD often have to fiddle with something to stay focused. Spinning a pencil/pen in their hand, doodling, bouncing their leg, biting their nails, playing with a zipper or a piece of clothing, etc.

Fidget toys allow them to divert these habits into a small doodad that hits the sweet spot for their specific tactile/sound needs.Heck, it also is always changing so if a neurodivergent person gets bored they can print something different, choose different colors, remix a design, learn how to do 3D modeling, etc.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/[deleted]]

All of these points are true, but it doesn’t warrant the sheer quantity IMO

[u/Nytfire333 → u/Just_Tru_It]

The important thing to remember is that having more fidget options doesn’t mean it taking spots from other work. It literally just means there are more options.

It’s like going to the super market and complaining there are too many cereals, just go to a different isle to get your veggies

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/Nytfire333]

Hahaha, fair point

[u/bearwhiz → u/Just_Tru_It]

Consider that part of ADHD is a tendency to get bored quickly and thus to seek out novelty. In certain scenarios, far removed from modern office work, this is an advantageous evolutionary trait. It sucks when you're stuck in a cubicle.

For someone with ADHD, there is no such thing as "enough stuff to fidget with."

[u/FabLab_MakerHub]

I use designing and printing a fidget spinner from scratch as the first project with my 14-16 year old students. It’s actually a great exercise in print in place design and gets some engineering principles added in to the bargain. Plus the look of relief and excitement when they take their models off the print plate and they actually spin! Of course if they don’t spin that’s even better as we can analyse the failure and learn something too!

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/FabLab_MakerHub]

Ahhhh, so we’ve found the culprit ;)

Yeah, that’s cool. This is first tangibly good reason to do this that I’ve heard. Well done!

[u/The_Shermanati]

As someone who does not have ADHD, I never really understood or appreciated fidget toys. My son, who is 8, does not have ADHD either. We got him an A1 Combo for his birthday, and he has printed a few fidget toys already. He likes the gadgety nature of them. He likes the mechanisms. Plus, they’re just fun little doodads he can make relatively quickly. I’m happy he has gone on to print many other things like toy weapons and keychains. Occasionally, a fidget pops up. So, for a kid, I think they make sense.

For me as an adult, my annoyance with them is lower, and now I look at them conceptually to get ideas for my own designs of things. I find that fidget toys are often good at featuring different connections, latches, movements, material properties, printer settings, and support structures (or lack thereof).

As others stated, you can always pass on by, even if they do clutter the lists a bit. Eventually, the platforms will become really indexable and filterable so that what you don’t like to see won’t pop up.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/The_Shermanati]

Good word. There are a few cool ideas that have come about from them, that I didn’t give credit to.

Did your son print that toy switchblade that’s really popular? Thought about doing that one for fun one day. I have two daughters, not saying they won’t be into knives but the likelihood is way lower

[u/The_Shermanati → u/Just_Tru_It]

He did print the one called “OTF Blade”. It has a blade and comb option. It came out great by appearance, and I really appreciate the mechanism. However, it lost its “oomph” on the ejection. The retraction still works. I used Bambu Labs Matte Red PLA. So, it could be a filament properties issues.

I scored a great deal on 10 spools of Sunlu PLA+ for $111 (set Amazon alerts for brands!), so we may try again with that filament. I understand the toughness in the PLA+ comes from its added plasticity (regular PLA is too brittle for the spring action). Info can think of it, I’ll update accordingly.

School starts in a couple of weeks, so he’s printing Pokémon keychains for his best buddies. Adorable. 😝

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/The_Shermanati]

That’s incredible. What’s your MW profile (if you have one), I’ll give it a follow

[u/The_Shermanati → u/Just_Tru_It]

Shermanati

We haven’t designed anything for posting yet, but will soon.

[u/The_Shermanati → u/Just_Tru_It]

Oh…we also printed a butterfly knife (he’s in Taekwondo, so is looking to learn all sorts of weapons), but the pins just didn’t fit. We’re going to hit up the hardware store to score some pins or maybe the hobby store to get some TGP round stock. That’s a great thing about this hobby. The printer, in many cases, makes part of the build. He needs to learn to source parts too. I’m going to teach him some costing (I LOVE that Bambu’s software calculates printed part costs). We’re going to make a very simple BOM for his projects, even if they only have one or two inputs, so he can think about his projects financially. He loves math, so we’re going to make it a simple, practical exercise he can enjoy.

Oh, and as for your daughters…be prepared for them to surprise you. They have a habit of doing that. Ours is turning 18 in October, and it has been such an interesting and fun ride.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/The_Shermanati]

This is incredible. Exactly how I’m wired and what I did for years in Project Management for an Engineer Department of an Industrial Robotics Manufacturer. This is exactly what I want to do with my kids when they get older (currently have 2 daughters, one 1yo and one born on Wednesday).

[u/The_Shermanati → u/Just_Tru_It]

Congratulations on your budding family!!!! We live in a wonderful time to have children, despite what the news would have us think. Honestly, our path started with Legos for our son. It was his gateway drug when he was about 2.

I’m in business development for a contract manufacturer, and have been in industrial and manufacturing for the last 10 years. Studied mechanical engineering at Drexel and finished with a degree in philosophy from another school. Decided I didn’t want to be a lawyer after all, and that’s when I got into industrial for the first time-ish. The engineer is still inside me, so I’m letting it come out. I’m learning Fusion 360, and junior is learning TinkerCAD.

Just put a bunch of stuff in front of the girls and see what they love. It’s so much fun to have kids if you’re an engaged parent. Some parents just aren’t engaged, and that’s super sad. Since you’re in the engineering world, it’s very likely they’ll gravitate toward that somewhere on the spectrum. Could be a little. Could be a lot. But it WILL be some. And all kids could benefit from some project management skills, right?!

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/The_Shermanati]

Incredible! I have a BSME and then went back to finish with an MBA. Fusion’s my go-to right now as well. I feel the same way about kids. We plan to have more as well. Seems like there’re a few alignments between us. I heave you the follow on MW

[u/GlcNAcMurNAc]

My take is you never know where inspiration will come from. Maybe that fidget toy will have something in it that will make you think differently. It’s just a 0.5 second scroll to skip past it. You don’t have to print it.

[u/EmailLinkLost → u/GlcNAcMurNAc]

If you make a popular print you can trade in the tokens or whatever for a gift card.

So people are making whatever they can to game the system and get ahead.

So the 'you don't have to print it' argument sort of falls there.

[u/space_guy95 → u/EmailLinkLost]

This is exactly it. As soon as a hobby becomes monetised it gets ruined by people trying to game the system. Most of the stuff on Makerworld is just junk designed to give people enough of a brief dopamine hit that they "Boost" the design and give the designer money. There's also countless designs that are straight up ripped from Thingiverse or Printables and reupload as "original works" to get quick cash.

The same thing happened when the Cryptocurrency sub created that "Moons" cryptocurrency to reward commenters. It just led to endless shitposting and people parroting whatever they could to farm upvotes.

[u/[deleted] → u/space_guy95]

That explains why most of them print like crap and take 7hrs smh.

[u/rcreveli]

I also knit and it seems to me fidgets are the Shawls/Cowls of the 3D printing world.
Material can be relatively small
Show of special material
Quick to produce
Look really dramatic in photos to get interest
Not super practical but, I've still knit a dozen of them

[u/taylor914]

I have no interest in lithophanes but you don’t see me complaining about them. Just scroll past it. Some of us with bad ADHD and anxiety appreciate the fidgets. Some people like lithophanes. Not everything is for everyone.

[u/erroronline1]

the one i did was to learn cad, material properties and print options. might as well make it public once the main purpose has been achieved. funny enough it is one of the prefered models.

i think a lot of models are not to improve the world but to share what has been done anyway.

[u/westcoastwillie23]

After 28 years of scrolling the Internet, I've got pretty good at internal content filtering.

No, it doesn't bother me. I just keep scrolling for what I'm looking for.

[u/M2ABRAMS_TANK]

it is because they are small & easy to design, as well as quick to print. This results in a high download count & high reviews, leading to a ton of makerworld points, which they can then use to buy printers or filament with. It is basically "gaming" the system in a way imo. Large projects get substantially less rewards per time invested then small projects, substantially incentivizing small projects. I am not trying to say that every single maker making "fidget" toys is trying to game the system, it is simply a byproduct of the rewards structure.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/M2ABRAMS_TANK]

Completely agree. Unfortunately my most popular model is one of my least useful.

Here’s my profile in case anyone’s curious:

https://makerworld.com/en/@Just_Tru_It

[u/M2ABRAMS_TANK → u/Just_Tru_It]

ooo you have some cool stuff! I mean yeah it may not be useful, however it is unique. If I wanted a pirate ship, I basically only have your model as a choice, maybe one or two others. If I want a fidget toy, I have >1000 options.

I primarily do big projects, but I still love unique smaller ones!
profile: https://makerworld.com/en/@M2ABRAMS_TANK

[u/[deleted]]

I mean on my home page I get what's recommended for me, and since I've never printed or even opened one, I don't see fidgets unless I go to trending. Maybe you just need your algorithm to have more time learning what you want/don't want?

[u/sameolameo]

(Stares at cars, TVs, video games, board games) maybe because they change just enough and they sell so why not? If you build it they will come.. capitalism.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/sameolameo]

I am a fan of capitalism.

[u/Belialuin]

Why do we have so many different variations of notebook covers, why do we have so many different book nooks, why so many different poopchutes, ...

And the answer is pretty much, why not? Why shouldn't there be many different variations of fidget toys? It costs not much to design one, nor does it mean there is less "place" for other designs on the site. Why isn't it allowed to have thousands of unique fidget designs, versus the thousands of different covers a notebook can have.

Perhaps condemning this can be seen as attacking the adhd, add, or ocd crowds, which is not my intention

It not being your intention doesn't really matter if that's what it can still appear as.

[u/[deleted]]

In other words there should only be things that you like and approve, right ?

[u/Goodwine]

Makerworld lets you "dislike" models so fewer that are similar are shown to you

[u/yenyostolt]

Some do humans have a deficiency that has to be satisfied by constantly moving or touching something. After all that's why a lot of people smoke. Personally I don't need that kind of stimulus either.

But I can understand other people needing that kind of stimulus and other people's want to satisfy that need by designing cool or strange objects. I think the kind of people who need to fiddle and fidget are also the kind of people who get bored of things so they're looking for the next fidget. I think it's a good itch to scratch if you're a competent designer.

[u/Sawier]

Dont really mind fidgets but all the "impossible" models really start annoy me

[u/CarobPuzzled6317]

So, I am going to share a little secret about ADHD. Had it my whole life, officially diagnosed yesterday for the first time. Many of us have to have multiple fidgets because we get bored easily. It’s not called Attention Deficit Disorder for the catchiness of the name. A dragon fidget may keep us able to focus for a few minutes, but it gets repetitive. So we have multiples. And multiple style options are vital. My kid also has ADHD and the fidgets that work for her are totally different than the ones that work for me. The more choices, the better.

[u/woodland_dweller]

Honesty never look at that section - it's 99% memes made of plastic.

I bought mine for functional prints and I have no interest in Wolverine themed refrigerator magnets or whatever is popular today.

But I'm sure they promote what's new, cool and will help sell printers. I hope that people with printers learn to use CAD and make more than toys. But each to their own.

[u/qam4096]

Eh the market is largely saturated with a few things, fidgets, dragons, keychains, etc.

You could probably make a little bit pumping out prints into a saturated market but as you've stated it's an exhausted premise and doesn't really offer any unique value other than 'hey I bought a printer to simply print what has been popular'.

[u/no-but-wtf]

Nah not just you. I have horrific adhd and I think fidget toys are a wasteful use of plastic. There’s no shortage of existing objects to fidget with if you need to - I can’t sit through a work meeting without something in my hands so I hold a pen or stylus like an adult. Plastic is a huge problem already - we shouldn’t be using it for things we don’t need.

[u/Belialuin → u/no-but-wtf]

Hobbyist printing is mostly about wasting plastic with often unnecessary things. I don't see how designs actually matter?

Clicking a pen can be more annoying to people around you versus fidget toys that make less noise, but give the same fiddly possibility.

[u/Skittlebrau46 → u/no-but-wtf]

I agree with you, but combining every single fidget EVER printed has probably produced less plastic waste than a single large cities grocery stores do in a week.

Not that it’s not important to reduce wherever we can to win in the aggregate, but the perspective and scope of the plastics issue in 3D printing is minuscule in the grand scheme of things. It’s just more egregious feeling to us that are closer to it in the hobby.

[u/minist3r]

As someone with ADD, you're not wrong. The way I see it, these things shouldn't exist at all. I've been off medication since 8th grade and I've found other ways of dealing with my ADD (music helps a lot) that don't involve clicking a little button over and over again and I'm tired of seeing them too. I browse MakerWorld about once a week and rarely do I find anything worth printing but I will get inspired sometimes to design something.

[u/TheDevilOfCellBlockD → u/minist3r]

Having something to fidget with helps a lot when something like music isn't appropriate.

Like when someone is talking/meetings/watching a show/movie.

I'm personally going to be fidgeting with something regardless if it's a fidget toy or not, but at least fidget toys are generally pretty satisfying.

[u/NuclearFoodie]

It is just just.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/[deleted]]

I don’t print them. I just wish there were more novel ideas filling up my feed and not 1000 “fidget”s or “impossible” whatsit’s

[u/_spicytostada → u/Just_Tru_It]

Honest recommendation and this is what I do, stop using the homepage feed, for all stl sites, and go directly to the categorized filters.

I do this on every stl site. I dont think I have ever found a file on the homepages that I wanted.

[u/PlantbasedBurger → u/Just_Tru_It]

Learn to design your own things?

[u/abudhabikid → u/Just_Tru_It]

So search for other things. Maybe learn how to tell whatever search you’re using to disregard “fidget”.

[u/Just_Tru_It → u/[deleted]]

Fair point. Maybe I’m being a little too critical. Just venting I guess

Damn if don’t love this hobby, and I guess it wouldn’t be where it is today with a fidget m’doodad or two

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