We Made It: Development Is Back On
By MakerViking
Published
4 min read
Category: News & Updates
We made it — thanks to this community, TinkerAtlas hit its devtools goal and development is back on. A look at what's next, the 1-year anniversary coming up, and the new funding month ahead.
<p class="mb 2" We did it.</p <p class="mb 2" Thanks to this community, we reached the devtools goal before the cycle closed. Development on TinkerAtlas is back on, and I can't tell you how good it feels to write that sentence instead of another standstill update.</p <h2 class="font bold" Thank you, genuinely</h2 <p class="mb 2" I want to be clear about who made this happen, because it wasn't me. It was you.</p <p class="mb 2" Every person who contributed in that final stretch, everyone who chipped in earlier in the month, and the supporters who've quietly kept this platform funded since the early days: you're the reason TinkerAtlas isn't just staying online, but moving forward again. We went from a tense 43% with the clock running down to crossing the line, and that swing came entirely from people who decided this place was worth backing.</p <p class="mb 2" That's not something I take for granted. TinkerAtlas is independent and community first, and that's not changing. But I'll be honest: having the whole month ride on community contributions, plus me hustling to close the gap, isn't something I want to lean on forever. It's a lot of pressure on you and on me.</p <p class="mb 2" So alongside your support, I'm starting to look for sponsors, businesses in the maker and 3D printing space who want to back specific tools or the platform itself. Done right, that takes weight off the community and makes the monthly scramble less of a tightrope, without changing what TinkerAtlas is or who it's for. If that's you, or you know a company that'd be a fit, DM me (MakerViking on TinkerAtlas) and let's talk.</p <p class="mb 2" For now, though: thank you. You're the reason there's something here worth sponsoring at all.</p <h2 class="font bold" What this unlocks</h2 <p class="mb 2" Now the fun part: I get to build again.</p <p class="mb 2" There's real work that's been sitting ready, waiting for exactly this moment:</p <ul <li <p class="mb 2" <strong MakerDraw</strong — the maker themed giveaway tool with Twitch and YouTube integration and OBS overlays. It's most of the way done and near the front of the line.</p </li <li <p class="mb 2" <strong A streaming calendar</strong for the community.</p </li <li <p class="mb 2" <strong A backlog of ideas</strong I've deliberately held back, because I don't like promising things I can't actually build. Now I can start making them real.</p </li </ul <p class="mb 2" I've got more planned than I can fit in a single update, and I'm genuinely excited to get into it.</p <h2 class="font bold" One year of TinkerAtlas</h2 <p class="mb 2" There's a milestone coming up that means a lot to me: on July 6th, TinkerAtlas turns one year old. That's the day I registered the domain and started building this thing, not knowing if anyone would show up.</p <p class="mb 2" A year later, there's a real community here. I'll save the full reflection for closer to the date, but I'm planning to do a stream around the anniversary to mark it properly. (Fingers crossed my camera cooperates, it's been temperamental for a while now, but I'm hoping it holds together for the occasion.)</p <h2 class="font bold" A new month begins</h2 <p class="mb 2" One honest note to close on: reaching the goal is monthly, not permanent. The funding cycle resets, and a new funding month has just started.</p <p class="mb 2" I'm not asking you to turn around and give again right now, especially if you just did. But if you're new here, or you've been meaning to pitch in, this new cycle is where it counts next. Now that development is moving, every bit of support translates directly into the features and ideas I've been itching to build, and alongside the sponsor conversations I'm starting, it all adds up to a more stable footing for the platform.</p <p class="mb 2" If you'd like to help this month:</p <ul <li <p class="mb 2" <strong PayPal:</strong <a target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text blue 600 hover:text blue 800 dark:text blue 400 dark:hover:text blue 200 underline cursor pointer transition colors" href="https://paypal.me/makerviking" https://paypal.me/makerviking</a </p </li <li <p class="mb 2" <strong Ko fi:</strong <a target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text blue 600 hover:text blue 800 dark:text blue 400 dark:hover:text blue 200 underline cursor pointer transition colors" href="https://ko fi.com/tinkeratlas" https://ko fi.com/tinkeratlas</a </p </li </ul <p class="mb 2" And as always, if money's tight, sharing TinkerAtlas with another maker helps just as much.</p <p class="mb 2" For now, though: thank you. Let's make year two even better.</p <p class="mb 2" Thomas</p
