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- Jakko
I have enough trouble getting a normal printer to behave !
I have enough trouble getting a normal printer to behave !
The resin printers are indeed getting cheaper and due to the advances with the type of LCD lights for curing between layers, the time for each layer is coming down to 1-2 seconds rather than 10-15. Also, water washable resin, so less IPA and therefore cost.I'm surprised we don't hear of more clubs getting together to fund one to maximise the output. I guess the truth is you need someone who is keen enough to make the printing itself their hobby for some time while they learn it.
I now have my own FDM printer which was (AMAZINGLY) a redundancy gift from my job- (better than a carriage clock!), and I use it now as a freelancer, but the data comes from the designers. I do have limited 3D CAD skills and I have made many a tool-holder and household gadget or fix (replaced the coffee percolator knob for instance- big deal...).
I am not someone who is into selling things so I do not plan to go down that route. Those who follow my builds will have seen some of the things I have 3D printed, including the circular base for my Scots Grey Charge diorama. But I must stress I have been doing this for YEARS, and even in a professional context it probably took me (and my team of younger people) 6 months to be able to get quality prints reliably most times. Admittedly that was in the early days of affordable printers- even in a business context we waited about ten years before we were confident enough to invest in a machine of our own. I do wish I could learn digital sculpting, but my old brain struggles with a new phone or change of internet provider these days, so I am not optimistic...
I DO plan eventually to get one of the new 'affordable' resin printers, but we are still talking £250-£300, plus the issue of the smell of the resin in the house, so I am waiting until I can see some in person before I dive in.
If anyone is serious I suggest they wait until Lockdown is lifted and go to one of the trade fairs to see the variety on offer, and actually understand what is involved with running one, and in the meantime there are plenty of reviewers on YouTube and such .
Would that support a model? I’m not sure I’d put my faith in it …decent landing gear
Yes that sums it up perfectly.
That would be a strong possibility Pete.You'd probably set fire to it John.
Pete
Most of the software is made for nerds by nerds. That's my realm and I'm ticked off with how unfriendly blender is. It's THE software to use for 3D modeling and it's entirely built around keyboard short cuts with mazes of menus and weird icons to work through else where. It's a mess but that's the nature of open source software much of this relies on or builds off of.To be honest, if you did CAD then you would probably be in the best position to actually make use of it, as you actually have the skills to make a 3D drawing of the parts you would want to print out. Unlike just about everyone else, who needs to develop those skills first, on software that all seems to have been designed by people who have never given a thought to usability or discoverability in their lives.
The resin printers are indeed getting cheaper and due to the advances with the type of LCD lights for curing between layers, the time for each layer is coming down to 1-2 seconds rather than 10-15. Also, water washable resin, so less IPA and therefore cost.
I guess the point of my original post (and all of the replies here have been really valuable) is that I was trying to gauge the availability of really good STL and OBJ files out there so I could download/buy and then print things like a decent set of exhaust cans for an F-15 or decent landing gear. Therefore buy once and use many times. What I’ve concluded (at least for now) is that there is little if anything out there that currently means I would not continue to use after-market resin parts. It may be I’m looking in the wrong place which, again, was what I was trying to ascertain.
Surely over the coming months/small number of years this is going to become more accessible and we will get to a place where we can print at home what we buy from Res-Kit and Aries etc?
WELL Dave i think you have hit the nail on the head with your post here as in my opinion its all been made out to be easy just load the machine with what it requires an press the go button an hey presto you have the bit you want that how it seems to me anyway i'll always use my two hands or buy the bits i need but im old fashioned i suppose its ok i suppose for the youngestes who understand an can learn quicklySoftware! I started my CAD experience with a programme called CADAM - it was a 2-D system, originally produced by Boeing this ran on a mainframe, with dedicated workstations, I had in house training for this, then this moved up to CCD, an upgrade of CADAM easy to move onto, and would work on PC's ( albeit top range machines ). The big jump came with CATIA V4, from Dassault Systems - this was a full scale 3-D software suite - it had parametrics, analysis, animation - this ran on a mainframe, again using dedicated workstations ( IBM RISC 6000 ). I dabbled with this, then went on several training courses to learn the best way to use it. The first component I actually designed was a camshaft. I did all sorts of mechanical bits & pieces, having more advanced training, before moving onto larger bits - cast iron crankcases & cylinder heads. CATIA V5 was introduced, which would run on a PC, but was a different beast to V4 - again, training. My next employer had several 3-D system, CATIA, IDEAS, Autodesk Inventor, again a bit more training.
OK, this was serious commercial business, but the time needed to become proficient, working full-time, was quite alarming - months, not weeks, and this for people who were already proficient with earlier systems ( Indeed some guys never made the progression ).
I inwardly smile, when I read people glibly saying they can knock up 3-D CAD files for modelling! It's like comparing a paint-by-numbers piece to the Mona Lisa!
Dave
Blender has low user-friendliness? No!Most of the software is made for nerds by nerds. That's my realm and I'm ticked off with how unfriendly blender is.
Don’t forget what’s probably the stupidest decision made by anyone in software development in the last 30 years or so: left-click doesn’t select the thing your mouse pointer is over. Unlike in, oh, just about 100% of other software released since the Xerox Alto.It's THE software to use for 3D modeling and it's entirely built around keyboard short cuts with mazes of menus and weird icons to work through else where.
I’ve seen it used for the outside of large models of remote-controlled ships. These are not intended to be seen up close, so it kind of works, but I wouldn’t want to use it for the kind of models I build (mainly 1:35 and 1:72 military vehicles, the occasional 1:72 aircraft and the odd odd subject).Resin is the only way to go for model making unless you're looking to make internal skeletons for things on a FDM printer than cover it completely afterwards.
Like I said earlier, this is one of my main reasons for not having bought a resin printer.Resin is an annoying material to work with
It's not fair to say 3D printing does all the work for you. It depends what you're printing. Eagle models started making 3D printing videos recently and prints entire kits on par with garage kits or some injection modeled kits. It's a lot of hassle to do but you can get niche kits you couldn't get other wise. 3D printing limitations stop you from printing entire models and popping them off the build plate ready to print. Even 28mm miniatures require you to fix scaring where supports connected the model to the build plate (can't print onto thing air). There is quite a bit of effort going into planning how to print the model so it's a bit more difficult than ordering a can of coke from a vending machine.WELL OK GUYS ive read through this whole thread an i admit that i understand point .99% of it so for me way to complex an for me scratch building with my own two hands is the way to go for me an either that or buying the kit an done with it as this is modeling is suppose to be a hobby to enjoy an 3D building in just my opinion the machine is doin all the building an not you so for me no thanks an i think the only thing ive got built in 3D is my water tank for my steam unit but this is just my opinion
chris
It sounds like you have a wonderful knowledge of history most people can't even scratch the surface of. I only know the modern practical software and I can cover that quickly to help people understand how it works.Software! I started my CAD experience with a programme called CADAM - it was a 2-D system, originally produced by Boeing this ran on a mainframe, with dedicated workstations, I had in house training for this, then this moved up to CCD, an upgrade of CADAM easy to move onto, and would work on PC's ( albeit top range machines ). The big jump came with CATIA V4, from Dassault Systems - this was a full scale 3-D software suite - it had parametrics, analysis, animation - this ran on a mainframe, again using dedicated workstations ( IBM RISC 6000 ). I dabbled with this, then went on several training courses to learn the best way to use it. The first component I actually designed was a camshaft. I did all sorts of mechanical bits & pieces, having more advanced training, before moving onto larger bits - cast iron crankcases & cylinder heads. CATIA V5 was introduced, which would run on a PC, but was a different beast to V4 - again, training. My next employer had several 3-D system, CATIA, IDEAS, Autodesk Inventor, again a bit more training.
OK, this was serious commercial business, but the time needed to become proficient, working full-time, was quite alarming - months, not weeks, and this for people who were already proficient with earlier systems ( Indeed some guys never made the progression ).
I inwardly smile, when I read people glibly saying they can knock up 3-D CAD files for modelling! It's like comparing a paint-by-numbers piece to the Mona Lisa!
Dave
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