Instructables

Instructables is more than just a repository of free 3D models. It's an excellent community portal for users to share their DIY projects. Instructables is dedicated to members working together step by step to build a variety of projects. Users add instructions to their projects, usually accompanied by visual aids, and then interact in topic forums and comment sections below each Instructable step. In August 2005, at the O'Reilly Foo Camp conference, a prototype version of the site was released, complete with the initial content of electronics, cooking, kiting, and bicycle projects. The original content primarily focused on projects such as building electronic or mechanical devices to solve common household problems. The project's scope has expanded to include a broader range of categories, such as Food, Living, Outside, Tech, Play, and Workshop. Sponsored categories are occasionally added to allow businesses to advertise a specific topic on the site.

The site allows users to upload photos, diagrams, video, and animation to help explain complex terminology and mechanisms in simple terms. Instructables has a full-time staff as well as a volunteer group that features well-documented articles, welcomes new users, and assists with site maintenance. Members who have registered can create Instructables, which are step-by-step descriptions of projects they want to share online. They are written in such a way that other members can easily replicate and share them with the rest of the community. Members can also upload videos and slideshows depicting undocumented projects.

Each month, several contests are held, each with a different theme. People vote for entries in a specific competition that they believe are of high quality and creativity, and the winners are awarded prizes. T-shirts, patches, and stickers are typically awarded in an Instructables-sponsored contest, but more extravagant prizes are frequently awarded based on sponsor availability.

Website: instructables.com