3D printing?

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 05 Oct 2011, 17:58

As I was planning to experiment with 3D printing in the near future, I was hoping some of you might want to share some experiences about the does and don't's of this process. At the moment I haven't got a clue where to look & what to look for specifically... So any suggestions are more than welcome... Links to helpful websites might also help.
Thanks in advance...

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » 05 Oct 2011, 18:23

i'm sorry what you mean 3d printing? rendering images big enough to have them printed? so you need to know the pxel size?
or is it something else?

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 05 Oct 2011, 18:29

No, I mean creating an actual object (a miniature) of a 3D computer model
by an additive manufacturing process called 3d printing ;)

Mathaeus · Post by **Mathaeus** » 05 Oct 2011, 18:58

zBrush people seems to be more proficient in this field, I think there is even some 3d printing plugin for zBrush. At least you can start from their forums..

Firebird · Post by **Firebird** » 06 Oct 2011, 08:36

Hi Hirazi Blue

I´ve used http://www.shapeways.com/ once for a print and they got a section with tutorials http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/ so maybe you find what you need there.

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 06 Oct 2011, 10:44

Thanks, I'll check it out.
Did your own 3D print turn out something like you envisioned it beforehand?
;)

Firebird · Post by **Firebird** » 06 Oct 2011, 12:22

Well actually yes. It was quite accurate for the small size we needed.
And got really close even with small features. Insets with 0.5 mm and so on.
But my print was a Product prototype one in gold one in silver finish and the model was basically just a cube one side open, one hole at the bottom and rounded edges. Simplified spoken.

But for that the presenting and showing a "working" Prototype, it was perfect.

The Gold one was more "off" then the silver one because the Gold coating added a small amount of inaccuracy.

Aumakua · Post by **Aumakua** » 06 Oct 2011, 21:28

Hello,
Hirazi Blue, choosing a 3d print facility/3d printer is up to your preferences, like if you want colored prints, if you prefer maximum accuracy available, what size you like and such.
As for me, I've printed a few of my models so far, using 3 different technologies in different studios.
You can checkout some photos there, http://www.noisyknuckles.com/3dprints.php
The demon model was printed by Growit3d, the warlord by Protodemon (too pity they're not available any more) and the medium bust and the rocket by Offload Studios (the other busts were printed by a studio here in Athens, but with a ZCorp printer too, like Offload).
In case you're looking for best quality available (but no color), you should check out studios with Envisiontec printers.

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 07 Oct 2011, 08:27

Thanks for the info...

I've got some more studying/deciding to do, it seems...

AceMastermind · Post by **AceMastermind** » 08 Oct 2011, 18:40

Hirazi Blue wrote:... Links to helpful websites might also help...

http://www.123dapp.com/

http://www.123dapp.com/about
- http://www.123dapp.com/make

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 08 Oct 2011, 18:48

And how are these useful links exactly? ;)

AceMastermind · Post by **AceMastermind** » 08 Oct 2011, 19:09

I can never tell if you are being serious or sarcastic since your choice of smiley always has something stuck in it's eye.
Are you looking to buy a 3d printER or have someone to 3d print your modeling work for you? This tidbit of info could help the discussion be more productive.

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 08 Oct 2011, 19:16

I thought this thread was quite obviously about using someone else's (some company's) 3D printer to create something tangible out of a Softimage made model for me. And strangely, everybody else did grasp that (apart from the first reply)...

AceMastermind · Post by **AceMastermind** » 08 Oct 2011, 19:24

Hirazi Blue wrote:I thought this thread was quite obviously about using someone else's (some company's) 3D printer to create something tangible out of a Softimage made model for me...

This is why I posted those links(the last one being the target) to a helpful website with some good information. Hope this helps.

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 08 Oct 2011, 19:52

Okay, before this gets out of hand any further: my question following your original post wasn't meant cynically. I just didn't see what the newest Autodesk gimmick had to do with anything, as I already thought I made it clear, I was planning to use Softimage for the modeling part. But now you've specified the last link as the most important one, it has become much clearer to me.

So, sorry for the misunderstanding.

edited text slightly to remove potential ambiguity

hokkeiv · Post by **hokkeiv** » 10 Oct 2011, 19:54

Followings are some information I gathered from the internet, as I found myself may probably need 3D printing solutions in near future as well. I nevertheless have not tried out any of these yet.

Sculpteo
A company offering 3D printing service for hobbyists.

Sculpteo Pro
And they also have this "Pro" version for professional prototyping/3D printing.

Ponoko
Another company offering 3D printing service, much like the Shapeways, they provide a platform for their clients to sell printed products.

On the other hand, it is possible to get a desktop 3D printer which does not cost an arm and a leg! (just costs less than half of a SI license) However, little work may be needed by oneself to finish off the printed output depending on the structure of geometry (usually it is about cleaning up the support materials, whereas the printing service mentioned above will clean up the printed output before delivery).

RepRap
An open source project on developing a (self-replicating

) 3D printer, information on acquiring a full kit/assembled one is available on the wiki.

eMAKER Huxley 3D printer kits
This "portable" RepRap derivative costs only $475 for a full kit! (EDIT: this is the price for the first batch, the second batch currently available is selling $550 a full kit with microSD slot)

Thing-O-Matic
MakerBot's commercial desktop 3D printer (I think this may also be considered as a derivative of RepRap), available in kit/assembled. They claimed the printer is as easy to assemble as IKEA's furniture, has improved position accuracy, and is easy to operate.

Sorry for my bad English, hope this tiny information helps.

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