3d printed Custom Bolter "review"

[gunmnky]

Thanks Symrivven.

The striations are filled in a bit by spray primer. They are still there, but you have to hold at an angle to the light to see them. I'm going to finish painting the bolter I have now and see how much the paint is capable of filling. Liquid green stuff is also an option, but I've never used it before so I can't really give any advice on that. I'm considering picking up a pot to review on my blog.

While FUD is a bit brittle, the bolters did not break when I put stress on them. It does take more pressure to break the FUD sprue than the normal GW sprues, but FUD is not soft like GW plastic either. I feel that close combat weapons (if made properly) won't be any more delicate than the stock GW fare.

Here is the WIP of a Dark Angel thunder hammer I've been working on:



As long as the parts are firmly anchored and have a good length to thickness ratio, you should be fine.

I just got a driod bionic, which seems to take way better pictures than my camera, so I'm going to try to build a photo box and get some good, HD photos of everything.

[gunmnky]

Something is wrong shaggy, it keeps double posting on me.

[Erazmus_M_Wattle]

I have been working on a 3D modelling project and originally looked at shapeways. I have a couple of questions for you.

1. Do you think the striations could be sanded off of larger parts?

2. What 3D modelling programme are you using to make your bolters?

Cheers.

[gunmnky]

I don't think so. Larger components probably could be sanded a bit, but you would need a pretty good surface area, and most miniatures are just too small to get all the nooks and crannies without marring the detail. You could probably file down the worst areas. Still, That's a lot of work if you're doing, say, 30 or so bolters.

I'm currently using Google Sketchup v8.

[Balsak_da_mighty]

Looks very cool. I am liking the combi melta weapon that you have done. Not sure if I like the big drum though. Looks a little too big. Cool stuff.

[gunmnky]

Thanks Balsak. The larger drum was actually intended for a larger version of the bolter, and is effectively a heavy bolter. It is a tad large for the smaller bolter, and I intend to make both a smaller drum magazine and larger box magazine.

Also, I noticed that the bolters were still too large and were about 3mm taller than a marine. I shorted the length of the bolter again and I'm in the process of reducing the length of the combi-attachments. It's a bit of a pain, but will reduce the overall cost and make them much more realistic compared to the original model.

I'm detailing those changes (along with updated pic) on my blog.

[Balsak_da_mighty]

Sounds good, looking forward to seeing more from you.

[Symrivven]

Thanks gunmnky for the quick reply, I'll be keeping an eye on your blog to, there's some interesting stuff there already.

[gunmnky]

You're quite welcome. Thanks for looking . I seem to be able to update it pretty regularly. Also, here are some updates on the combi-weapons:

[dwarfhold13]

I'm actually getting ready to do this with a model i'm molding. People will consider me a total dork in the lab at school, but LSU has a 3d printer for students to use for 'academic reasons'. I simply want to learn how to use the printer for my future capstone project. We also have a 3D scanner so it will be legit! Our machine prints everything in ABS plastic, which is pretty much akin to PVC. I really can't wait to use the thing. I'm glad to see the printer can handle such small details too!
Jon

[gunmnky]

I'm actually getting ready to do this with a model i'm molding. People will consider me a total dork in the lab at school, but LSU has a 3d printer for students to use for 'academic reasons'. I simply want to learn how to use the printer for my future capstone project. We also have a 3D scanner so it will be legit! Our machine prints everything in ABS plastic, which is pretty much akin to PVC. I really can't wait to use the thing. I'm glad to see the printer can handle such small details too!
Jon

Keep in mind that the machine quality as well as material used play a big role in the quality of the print. It is unlikely that PVC will make a satisfyingly detailed miniature. More than likely, you'll have a lot of detail bleed out.

It's still an interesting project, and that 3d scanner sounds VERY promising. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those. Would make the design process MUCH easier.

[dwarfhold13]

Keep in mind that the machine quality as well as material used play a big role in the quality of the print. It is unlikely that PVC will make a satisfyingly detailed miniature. More than likely, you'll have a lot of detail bleed out.

It's still an interesting project, and that 3d scanner sounds VERY promising. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those. Would make the design process MUCH easier.

Yeah, I've definitely thought about that. I've gone into the communications lab (where the printer is) and checked out some of what people are working on. As far as details on that tiny level, I can't speak for it. But! This is one of the $100k+ setups and is used for precise engineering prototyping. I've not used it yet, but I'm sure it's fairly accurate to some degree.
Here is a video I found of our setup and a run through. He says it scans to 0.007 mm! 7 one thousandths of a millimeter is pretty darn small..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjANh1xmkhU

[gunmnky]

Been working on an updated version. Here are some of the highlights:

[Sauragnmon]

Interesting theory comes to mind - if you made that rail system section slide off, you could use it to rig the Combi-weapons without having magnet situations.

[Verm1s]

Good process and review.

On the topic of plastic glue: well, what's 'plastic'? I strongly doubt the Shapeways FUD is much like polystyrene, or that poly cement would have much effect on it.
I haven't had first-hand experience with FUD, so I can't say for certain, but I still doubt it.

On the topic of newbies scrambling for a copy of sketchup: I can't help but think you're barking up the wrong tree, just a bit. 3D printing is already a big part of miniature sculpt production, but I don't think it'll be entirely the brave new world of hobbyist power, creativity, and cottage industries that seems to be the general impression. Not much more than when (widely-available) putty was pretty much the only option.
Symmetry and undos are advantages (trad sculpting already has an undo, though: it's called a knife), and there's no doubt it's a great system for straight-edged mechanical objects. But I think the more organic you go - if branching out beyond square gun bits - the less you'll be able to rely on the medium to do (some of) the work for you, and the more you'll have to fall back on and develop your own skill. And how many were willing to do that with putty? I have a feeling it could surprise some people, how difficult it might be to replicate even Space Marine powered armour, without much experience.

Not to discourage anyone, but it might help to keep in mind the fact it's not a magic wand.

On a related note:

hire a 3d modeler in college for peanuts and a couple pizzas

Y'know what you get if you pay peanuts? I'm not getting how cheap it to produce masters, though. What makes it cheaper than a packet of milliput and a wax 5, or paying a trad sculptor?

[gunmnky]

Sorry for the very late reply. I've been out of modeling for a while.

Interesting theory comes to mind - if you made that rail system section slide off, you could use it to rig the Combi-weapons without having magnet situations.

Only if it wasn't painted . It would take a lot of modeling to get nicely painted parts without ruining the paint job or getting stuck. Still, an idea worth looking into.

Good process and review.

On the topic of plastic glue: well, what's 'plastic'? I strongly doubt the Shapeways FUD is much like polystyrene, or that poly cement would have much effect on it.
I haven't had first-hand experience with FUD, so I can't say for certain, but I still doubt it.

On the topic of newbies scrambling for a copy of sketchup: I can't help but think you're barking up the wrong tree, just a bit. 3D printing is already a big part of miniature sculpt production, but I don't think it'll be entirely the brave new world of hobbyist power, creativity, and cottage industries that seems to be the general impression. Not much more than when (widely-available) putty was pretty much the only option.
Symmetry and undos are advantages (trad sculpting already has an undo, though: it's called a knife), and there's no doubt it's a great system for straight-edged mechanical objects. But I think the more organic you go - if branching out beyond square gun bits - the less you'll be able to rely on the medium to do (some of) the work for you, and the more you'll have to fall back on and develop your own skill. And how many were willing to do that with putty? I have a feeling it could surprise some people, how difficult it might be to replicate even Space Marine powered armour, without much experience.

Not to discourage anyone, but it might help to keep in mind the fact it's not a magic wand.

On a related note:



Y'know what you get if you pay peanuts? I'm not getting how cheap it to produce masters, though. What makes it cheaper than a packet of milliput and a wax 5, or paying a trad sculptor?

I'm not sure what FUD is, to be honest. I assume it's not styrene as it's a UV cured powder and not a thermoplastic. Still, it's always fun to mix chemicals and see what happens .

It's not about empowerment, but ease of production. I'm currently learning organic modeling. Let me tell you, it's a hundred times easier than putty. For one thing, you don't have to worry about it drying out, the moisture level, finger prints, or anything else that made me give up. It also allows me to make one base that can be quickly changed to make a great variety of models. Even if you want to use a sculpt as a base, you have to cast it first (and hope you don't lose the original, as sometimes happens).

Another aspect is the use of a .stl file to mill an injection mold. You can go straight from design to production without worrying about your casting medium. You can even run off investment models for spin molds that require a physical object.

I'm finding that organic modeling has a bit of a curve, but it's not as bad as I expected:



I've had a fair bit of luck replicating it on my first try (though it looked like the love child of a monkey and Mr. Clean) and a pretty decent second try without any reference material.

Now, my point still stands that this will not do away with either hand sculpting or casting, ever. But it does open the door for a lot of small companies to compete with larger corporations like Games Workshop or Privateer Press without the cost of a studio or an expensive army of artists.

As for college kids, you would be surprised what art students and even self taught artists can do. Heck, I never thought I'd be able to do anything like the above, or even this:



I'd probably be willing to continue to learn for a modest paycheck. At least I'd be getting paid to do something I enjoy