Author Topic: 3D printing figurines  (Read 15401 times)

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Offline Bryan See

  • Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
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Re: 3D printing figurines
And a what about user-made ships like the Raguel?
Bryan See - My FreeSpace Wiki User Page (Talk, Contributions)

Full Projects:
Shattered Stars

Campaigns:
Lost in the Mist - Cyrene vs. Psamtik
FreeSpace: Reunited

Ships:
GTS Hygeia, GTT Argo, SC Raguel

Tools:
FSO TC/Game template

I've been under attack by Tiger Parents like Jennifer Pan...

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
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  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
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Re: 3D printing figurines
OK OK,  let the guy run at his own pace. 
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
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Re: 3D printing figurines
Hey all,
I had some free time in class today and decided to put together a spreadsheet of the estimated cost for *potentially* selling these Erebuses. Some notes:
-This is absolutely preliminary. I cannot guarantee I am going to do this. This is merely a means for me to gauge potential interest and to see if this would be worth my time (I deeply appreciate those who freely give up their time for this community, but I am currently not in a position financially to be able to put in the hours without reimbursement).
-All of this would be pending approval of Aesaar/the BP team/any other persons who would need to give approval (and who, of course, would be credited) for me to sell prints
-I would still need to hash out the legality of some of these - how exactly to sell, what models I can sell (user made ships vs Volition made ships).
-Delivery Time. Printing these would be best in batches. Additionally, I won't be able to start any printing until I am settled at home for the summer (so starting around mid-May). I would probably be able to start shipping mid July onwards.
-Other models. As mentioned above, I have the Erebus currently set up for printing, so that would be the best to start with. However, I would certainly be open to other models (full TEI fleet anyone  ;7 ). The Erebus is about as large and complex as it gets, so any other prints would be around the same time to make or less, depending on the size and detail.
-All of this presumes that the final product(s) are of sufficient quality (ie they don't look terrible).

That all being said, in the interest of disclosure, here's the spreadsheet:


And here is a quick google form I made. Please only submit once:
https://forms.gle/D54FVh3i5Q86s3Up7

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
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  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
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Re: 3D printing figurines
Baby number two is due any day.    I'm really interested but can't justify that outlay bud.  I wholeheartedly appreciate and applaud your effort though.   
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

 
Re: 3D printing figurines
Baby number two is due any day.    I'm really interested but can't justify that outlay bud.  I wholeheartedly appreciate and applaud your effort though.

No problem mate, understandable. If I can find ways to streamline/optimize the process, I'll post. And I'll post updates on the current Erebus as well.

Again, if anyone reading (even if you're not interested in purchasing) could take 5s and just fill out this survey it would help to quantify interest:
https://forms.gle/D54FVh3i5Q86s3Up7

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
  • Moderator
  • 213
  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
    • My old squad sub-domain
Re: 3D printing figurines
I'm keeping an eye on here anyway.  Have done your survey and for the record,  I'd take mine unpainted and would get other ships :yes:
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

 
Re: 3D printing figurines
the ravana seems like a bad choice given we still have a very old model for it
The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell.

 

Offline 5thAce

  • 26
Re: 3D printing figurines
Oh man, a painted Erebus, Titan and Solaris would be a god send. Perhaps one day there can be an entire "GTVA and friends" set lol :D

 
Re: 3D printing figurines
Hey all, just a quick update. Still working on this, but I won't have anything to show for another 2 or so weeks, final exams are coming around and I need to focus on those. Thanks to all who have responded to the survey. Also I've got another model in the works for STL processing...

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
  • Moderator
  • 213
  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
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Re: 3D printing figurines
Absolutely mate, priorities are all important.   Hope the exams go well for ya.
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

 
Re: 3D printing figurines
Nearly Done! Printing Turrets Tomorrow, then time for some paint! It already looks sweet.





« Last Edit: May 09, 2019, 08:50:28 pm by TechnoD11 »

 
Re: 3D printing figurines
Turrets Printed  ;7




 

Offline 5thAce

  • 26
Re: 3D printing figurines
Very impressive!! If selling these becomes a reality I'd definitely be interested!

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
  • Moderator
  • 213
  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
    • My old squad sub-domain
Re: 3D printing figurines
It's well on it's way.   :nod:. Looking forward to seeing it finished and painted.

Teeny bit of 800 grit on top maybe?
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

 

Offline Thaeris

  • Can take his lumps
  • 211
  • Away in Limbo
Re: 3D printing figurines
I'm always intrigued by these projects - what would you think of castings? You could produce your master mold via 3D printing, and use a low-cost recyclable material like aluminum as your casting material. Al also does not hold the stigma of lead alloys, which could be a selling point. What is the actual best material for the job? I cannot say.

Castings may make your operation profitable. If you have to manually print, clean, and assemble a model every time... I'm not sure how much you will be able to deliver.
"trolls are clearly social rejects and therefore should be isolated from society, or perhaps impaled."

-Nuke



"Look on the bright side, how many release dates have been given for Doomsday, and it still isn't out yet.

It's the Duke Nukem Forever of prophecies..."


"Jesus saves.

Everyone else takes normal damage.
"

-Flipside

"pirating software is a lesser evil than stealing but its still evil. but since i pride myself for being evil, almost anything is fair game."


"i never understood why women get the creeps so ****ing easily. i mean most serial killers act perfectly normal, until they kill you."


-Nuke

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
  • Moderator
  • 213
  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
    • My old squad sub-domain
Re: 3D printing figurines
I agree with the master model concept.   But I'd go for a silicone mold and resin "reprints" due to the benefit of being able to add dye to get the base colour just right and I believe a lower cost than metal castings.
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

 

Offline Thaeris

  • Can take his lumps
  • 211
  • Away in Limbo
Re: 3D printing figurines
That's actually a good call, Dekker. Now that I think about it, the small modeling houses get by via use of resin or vacuform. And resin is FAR superior to vacuform.


"trolls are clearly social rejects and therefore should be isolated from society, or perhaps impaled."

-Nuke



"Look on the bright side, how many release dates have been given for Doomsday, and it still isn't out yet.

It's the Duke Nukem Forever of prophecies..."


"Jesus saves.

Everyone else takes normal damage.
"

-Flipside

"pirating software is a lesser evil than stealing but its still evil. but since i pride myself for being evil, almost anything is fair game."


"i never understood why women get the creeps so ****ing easily. i mean most serial killers act perfectly normal, until they kill you."


-Nuke

 
Re: 3D printing figurines
Uuuppdate time!
Alright, so first things first:
I've seen the discussion regarding castings. So initially, I was not looking to do castings for two reasons: one, I can leave my printer running while I'm at work to fab parts and the process for cleaning up said parts is not terribly time intensive (see the spreadsheet above), although it does lead to higher model costs. Two, I've had bad experiences with molds in the past - I've worked with Smooth-On's oomoo 30 and found that the molds were relatively easy to tear, meaning that after less than 5 uses the molds become damaged.

Their resins are pretty nice though, and the concentrated dies that Smooth-On makes have nice colors as well (such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/SO-Strong-Color-Tint-9-Pack-Sampler/dp/B005ZSGQBO/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=smooth-on+so-strong&qid=1558799802&s=gateway&sr=8-2)

However

I've been talking with some guys at my work, one of whom does this on a regular basis: he recommended to me a different molding solution, Brick in the Yard's 73-20. He brought in a mold he's got of a Tiger tank Turret that he's used over 30 times with no issues, provided a thin layer of releasing agent is sprayed into the mold before the resin is poured in.

To answer a few other questions:
Teeny bit of 800 grit on top maybe?

Yes and no: the PLA/carbon fiber mix I print with produces a very nice matte black finish (which doesn't come through very well in the photos). Sanding this finish turns it into a rough, light-grey sheen that really doesn't look great - so I typically only use sanding on parts of the model with excess material buildup that needs to be removed. That being said, if the purpose of the print is for use as a master in a silicon mold, then the smoothness of the print is more important than the finish (so in this case, sanding would be done).

An Erebus and a Solaris would be a dream combo for me!  :D

UEF ships would be...challenging. The nice thing about the TEI warships is that they are relatively monolithic units that are easily segmented into printable sections (think pyramid - the printer can't print on thin air, so the part needs to print from bottom to top with minimal overhangs). The UEF ships like the Solaris have lots of hanging armor panels and other unsupported geometry. It wouldn't be impossible, but I wouldn't attempt it until I can reasonably produce easier ships first (I'd need to separate the model into a lot of smaller parts for printing).

And a what about user-made ships like the Raguel?

Related to the above - I'll be focusing on just BP warships for now until I have a good process down. I am certainly not against printing other user-made ships (I'd love to make me some WoD and Exile ships too!) but I need to stay focused on just these BP ones for now.

And some news:
I have officially gotten permission from Aesaar to make these TEI BP models!

The Erebus, as you all can tell, is first on the docket but expect to see progress on a Titan, Diomedes, and Chimera soon.

So, moving forward, here is the plan:
- Make master mold of a part using a cleaned-up 3D printed model
- Resin cast using mold
- paint/airbrush as needed
- list the models on Ebay for purchase.

And I've already started reworking the Erebus model to improve upon the print quality to produce a second, casting-friendly version:




So yeah, that's the end of this rather long update. More to come!

 

 

Offline Colonol Dekker

  • HLP is my mistress
  • Moderator
  • 213
  • Aken Tigh Dekker- you've probably heard me
    • My old squad sub-domain
Re: 3D printing figurines
Aw mate,  that's looking fantastic.  I was going to mention releasing agent, I've only used resin once in a munitions capacity, to seize moving parts that shouldn't be allowed to move but I've seen releasing agent used on YouTube channels like punished props and Tested.

Really happy to see how it's all coming along and in sure once word gets around that loads of people will flock to eBay.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2019, 03:44:52 pm by Colonol Dekker »
Campaigns I've added my distinctiveness to-
- Blue Planet: Battle Captains
-Battle of Neptune
-Between the Ashes 2
-Blue planet: Age of Aquarius
-FOTG?
-Inferno R1
-Ribos: The aftermath / -Retreat from Deneb
-Sol: A History
-TBP EACW teaser
-Earth Brakiri war
-TBP Fortune Hunters (I think?)
-TBP Relic
-Trancsend (Possibly?)
-Uncharted Territory
-Vassagos Dirge
-War Machine
(Others lost to the mists of time and no discernible audit trail)

Your friendly Orestes tactical controller.

Secret bomb God.
That one time I got permabanned and got to read who was being bitxhy about me :p....
GO GO DEKKER RANGERSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
President of the Scooby Doo Model Appreciation Society
The only good Zod is a dead Zod
NEWGROUNDS COMEDY GOLD, UPDATED DAILY
http://badges.steamprofile.com/profile/default/steam/76561198011784807.png

 
Re: 3D printing figurines
Hey all, just a quick update, lest anyone think progress isn't being made (been busy though with IRL stuff, like moving back home for the summer)...



The tops of the 'wings' on the first print came out pretty rough, so I've decided to split them off individually. Initial 3D printing results of this process are looking very promising. Also, printing the wings separately makes the back-rear section of the ship much easier to resin cast.

I've ordered the molding and resin supplies. Hoping to do the first cast in a week or two. I'll check back in around then with an update.