3D Printing Figurines
Here's something I'm experimenting with a bit at the moment. Most of you probably already know about that fancy 3d printing tech that's getting more and more popular these days. So, I decided to do a bit of 3d modeling work and make my own figurine, yay!
While 3d printing is generally somewhat expensive (3d printing is also referred to as rapid prototyping, fyi), it turns out that it's actually quite affordable, with prices going near those of commercial figurines (depending on your 3d print supplier, of course).
Of course, for mass production this would be much more expensive than the traditional production methods, and it's probably not very profitable, but the plus side is that no matter how much detail you put in your figurine, the production cost per unit remains exactly the same.
Now, this figurine I printed in simple white, but since color printing is already available, my next 3d printed figurine will obviously be printed in color (with just as much detail in the color as I like). :)
This was printed at Shapeways, by the way (http://www.shapeways.com/model/164604/figurine__hana___17cm_.html). Very nice people. ;)
very cool,this is like making a figure with no mistakes.dream come true it is.
There is a chance on printing errors, but if you work with a good 3d print company and it's not a structural issue with your model, they'll just reprint it.
The hair especially is tricky to get right. Separated fingers on the hands can also give issues.
wow o_o damn, need to learn 3D modeling first I bet? XD
Yeah, you'll have to learn 3d modeling. Or find someone who's nice enough to make your design for you in 3d. ;)
It's also very useful to do some research on the strengths and weaknesses of the different 3d printing materials as well (some just break on detail points), and try to find a good 3d printing company where you can print in the right quality at a reasonable price.
There are also some DIY (open source) 3d printers on the market (MakerBot, RepRap), but unfortunately they're not at the same level of quality *yet*.
looks a little like nerf, what kind of material is that?
also looks great, i should pic up 3d modelling
It's Polyamide PA 2200 (Nylon 12).
ok, sounds solid^^ it kind of looks a little like styrofoam tho, i guess because of the "printing preocess". you have to use sandpaper on it afterwards, right?
It's printed using powder and lasers. Lasers are cool.
From what I've heard it can't be polished, unfortunately, but supposedly there is some stuff that you can spray over it that works to make it smooth and shiny.
What is pretty interesting, though, is that I've found that this material is very nice to paint on with watercolors (it's a porous material, so it pulls in the water). =)
interesting, i would have expected it to actually repell water... and yeah Laz0rs kick ass^^
That is REALLY cool *A*
Awesome! I've been thinking about doing this myself but haven't found the time to finish a model for it. I can't wait to see how your color print turns out!
When I first heard of 3d printing I wondered about how a figure would turn out. Most interesting to see that someone has given it a go.
Looking forward to seeing your coloured one when you get around to it.
very nice! it's good for first prototype and after that with other materials to give more detail and make some good finish product ^c^
This is really cool. I like the snow like surface, very dreamy too.
The sculpt/figure is very good. I likey. :D
the texture looks similar to the "turn your character into a figure!" things Blizzard made ...FigurePrints?..
The day would definitely come when 3D printers become normal and frequently used everyday machines. I don't think it's that far off if we keep pushing the technology.
Not a bad price, all told. The resolution, or whatever the rapid prototyping equivalent word is, isn't quite high enough for my exacting tastes, but it's exciting to see how close to consumer level this technology is getting!
wow thats cool!
Coooool.
Hm.... this offers certain.... possibilities..... (^_-)
how long do you have to wait for it to finish printing? very cool.
IMO, the real thing to do here would be to use this as a master and recast it, and then clean up the copy and use that as a final figure or as a new master for a series of recasts.
wow! i wonder what kind of figure i would make with such technology^^ though i prefer making mine hand made, it still looks cool^^
checked the link n the 3d work looks great!
Hi Kaetemi!
Congratulations for your 3dprint girl!
We're an italian company that promotes the use of rapid prototyping technologies for character design, industrial design, art&architecture.
Have a look to our website (www.protocube.it), we would like to know your impression!
We can print colour models, so if you're interested you can ask us for a free quote.
bye,
alberto
This is a very nice sculpt. You will definitely get a much better surface quality if you use a different 3d printing process. At Moddler (www.moddler.com), one of our specialties is high quality, high resolution creatures and characters. Check out some of the samples in our portfolio section.
Good luck on your future work!