OK, a few weeks ago I decided to try out the 3D printing process at www.shapeways.com and make one of my 3D models into a real, physical model. I spent some time building my USS Kilimanjaro model from scratch, this time in a manor which would allow it to be converted to a .stl model format for the 3D printing machine. It's quite different to modelling for animation or images, so it took me a bit of getting used to.
Anyway I made the model, uploaded it in a variety of sizes and chose a middling size in a material they were actually phasing out. It is called 'Alumide', and is supposed to look somewhat metallic. It doesn't really, it's more like grey primer with glitter through it, but what the hell. They say 10 days for your order to arrive world-wide, but after it was printed they posted it UPS and it made its way from the Nederlands to Germany to the central belt of Scotland in around 24 hours. Most impressive. Anyway, here's the pics...
Apologies for the quality, I had to use my webcam as my DSLR is on loan to a friend for baby pictures and my iPhone cable is at work. You'll also have to deal with my ugly face, but we're all men here, right?
Anyway, on to first impressions. Small. This stuff is relatively expensive to produce so I didn't go for a big model on the first try. What you see cost me $35, or about £22 in real money, and that's with the saucer and secondary hull hollowed out somewhat to save money. Also the alumide doesn't show the detail well, and most of the finer detail is lost in the model. For small, detailed objects you're better to use their 'white detailed' material, but that costs nearly 3 times more than Alumide or their basic 'strong, white, flexible' material. I would rather spend to make the model a good deal larger so the detail showed up in the basic material than spend the same on small with the detailed stuff.
The material I got feels like ceramic, when you put it down on a table it sounds like a china cup. It's probably too brittle for my sausage hands, so I'll be choosing the strong white flexible stuff next time to avoid any tears. I'll also be modeling a stand onto the thing tomorrow, so anyone else ordering it will have it upright without difficulty.
Will I be using the service again? Hell yes! I cant stop playing with the thing, and have plans for other stuff I want to make. I've just made a set of custom guitar volume and tone knobs which I'm ordering now, and I've more sci-fi stuff I want to play with. It's expensive, yes, but for a one-off custom model to your own design? One day I hope to have a little line up of my own designs on the top of my TV unit which I can show off.
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
Awesome. Much better quality than the Rep-rap stuff I'm seeing online. Maybe one day those of us who want them will have cheap 3-D printers on our desks.
Mmm . . . politician heads. It'll be the new voodoo. Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
It's certainly one use for them, evil homunculus all over the place!
This model is not particularly detailed, my next one will make use of this new found experience and should be a good deal better. The material didn't support fine detail and looks a little odd and not suited to painting. The next will be a lot larger because I now know how thin a wall I can get away with, and I'll be using a different, stronger and more flexible material.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
After seeing that third pic I couldn't help thinking of Apollo and TOS.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Nice- 2500th scale prehaps? For this type of work, it's best to only make things not readily available- I could have slapped together those parts for you easy enough.
Hmmm....might be nice to make FASA mods for the new 1:100th styrene Connie Refit kit- stuff like the Chandley or Andor would be big sellers.
Though if you really wnat to impress me, have the cardassian weapons platform "printed" as a kit in several pieces- then yo can easily get someone to make molds and cast it in polyurethane resin (far better than that brittle stuff for models).
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
I only made that model because it was the most recent I'd made and therefore the quickest to convert, and because the guy who designed it wants a model of it for himself. I wanted to see what the Alumide material looked like, but it's not what I thought and too brittle to be of any use.
With the knowledge gleaned from this excersize I plan to make one of my own designs, probably the USS Vigilant for starters. I want to try and get it as large as I can without breaking the $50 barrier, and if made in their strong white material it will have greatly improved detail and strength. It could even be painted up if I felt the need.
As for making customization parts for other models, it's certainly one use for the system. Make your prototype and test it, then make your own moulds and off you go. Cardassian Weapons Platform?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
I think you should try another company, frankly. I'll ask around at SSM and see who has a good reputation and high quality.
Really, what you get should be good enough to just primer, paint and decal as your own "one off" model kit.
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
This is really, really cool, Axeman. When you get your DSLR back I'd be very curious to see some closeups to see what you're talking about with the details. Also keenly interested to learn how the other materials turn out. Really cool stuff.
(Did the guy you made this for get his? Is he over the moon?)
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
I'm gettin my DSLR back soon, then I'll do some close up comparisons. I'm going to make some tweaks and order in a different material to see how it comes out. My tests showed that I cant make a really good sized model without bursting the bank, or maybe doing it in pieces in installments.
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Oh cool. Yes, I'd be very curious to see what else you come up with. Was a bit surprised that you had this one assembled (and upright no less!) instead of in pieces. Very much looking forward to seeing more picks. Would also love to hear about your process of converting your models for this process...
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
I'll get more done, but it will have to wait till I have a bit of spare cash lying around. I did the first model all in one piece because of it's size, there's no real danger of it breaking under its own weight when it's so small. I do wish I'd modeled a stand onto it though.
When making models for printing you have to make sure they're completely watertight meshes and have no mesh errors of any kind. As well as fixing all the mesh problems I made sure I exaggerated some of the fine detail and hollowed out as much of the structure as I could without having the walls too thin.
Once it's done I have to scale it exactly to the size I want, then run a conversion plugin that makes it into an .STL file for printing. Scale is odd as the .STL file format has no scale defined in it. I have to assume 1m = 1mm on the physical model, and select that scale when I upload it. Then you wait a week and voila!
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Orbital. weapons. Platform. You'll be a hero to modelers everywhere if you make one in 2500th scale. I now of a few people that would buy a master of that design. Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Monac Shipyards anyone?
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
Orbital Weapons Platform? I dont know that one, you got any drawings and I'll see what I can do?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
They'd be pretty small in 2500th scale- only about 3" across at a guess. Which means "not too expensive to print. Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
Ok, had some time today and made a quick blank to check out the way the thing fits together. Over time I'll replace the parts with more accurate representations. I cant make it very detailed as it wont show up on a small print. Might look the part though. Here's a pic...
Any idea exactly how big the finished model is supposed to be in millimeters? I need to scale it properly so once it's done I can work out the price per print.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
There are a few more views of that thing here on Bernd's site (scroll to the bottom.)
As for the scale, short of asking Doug Drexler (I think he has the original mesh) you can only guestimate how big it was supposed to be from the shots it was in.
Looks like (when folded up) it's a touch smaller than the Defiant's nacelle cowling, but then that'd depend on how big you think the Defiant is supposed to be...
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
In the clip Rev linked to above, we see a Klingon BOP collide with one of the platforms (at around 2:57). They seem of roughly comparable scale. Don't know if that's helpful, but it could be. (And skirts the Defiant scale debate)
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
Are there not two sizes of BoP as well? I seem to recall someone reusing a model and calling it something different to get around the scale issues. So, how big a bop?
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
As I recall the giant BoP (K'Vort?) only showed up in TNG. I think on DS9 they consistently stuck to the smaller version. Certainly in the later seasons anyway.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by Axeman 3D: Ok, had some time today and made a quick blank to check out the way the thing fits together. Over time I'll replace the parts with more accurate representations. I cant make it very detailed as it wont show up on a small print. Might look the part though. Here's a pic...
Any idea exactly how big the finished model is supposed to be in millimeters? I need to scale it properly so once it's done I can work out the price per print.
Getting there- the "legs" are seperate parts that move to that outward position.
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