Post by Tom on Mar 27, 2024 14:07:43 GMT -5
Recently I've been looking into 3D printing in order to expand the hobby. Especially the combination of 3D scanning and printing appeals to me- to be able to make a model that doesn't exist in 1:43 (scan, scale back, print) or that doesn't exist in any scale (scan real car, edit, scale back, print in 1:43). Maybe scan an existing model and change it into a different version, or modify an aspect of an existing model that you don't like. Also I can see the fun in scanning and printing a 3D figurine of yourself to put in the display, to see if anyone will notice. Printing replacement parts for broken or incomplete models is another option.
3D scanning is getting better and better, with semi-affordable scanners accurate to 0.02 mm coming on the market. However, getting a scanner that handles large and small objects equally well is a challenge, and as a rule 3D scanners don't like shiny objects, glass or large featureless objects. Also, any 3D scan needs retouching.
A nice option is photogrammetry, taking lots of ordinary digital pictures of an object from different perspectives and having software stitch them together to make a 3D object. This seems fun to experiment with, but any decent object requires hundreds of pictures and some serious computer processing power.
There are several sites where you can download free or paid 3D models made by others.
Printing can be done very accurately. Trofeu models are 3D printed and they look great. The badly stepped prints you've seen are the result of old and inaccurate printers, bad calibration or printing too fast- accuracy improves if you slow the printer down which doesn't make it commercially viable but it's good for your own use.
There are basically two popular options: you use a filament which melts together layer by layer. There are several options for filament including those containing carbon, metal and wood. You can easily smooth these prints to get rid of imperfections, or paint them. Some are very strong, others are flexible.
The other popular option is resin-based printing, where you cure part of a container of liquid resin using light. This makes amazingly detailed models but it's more expensive and harder to do than filament-based printing and there are some serious downsides like toxic fumes. Trofeu uses this technique and their models are indistinguishable from regular resin models.
I've talked to a number of people around me who have the experience and I've been watching some YouTube on the subject. Very enlightening. For now, I have very little time or budget to devote to any hobby whatsoever, but I have several sources on standby ('just come and visit, I'll teach you how it works'). Looking forward to getting into this.
You can make this as crazy or as cheap as you want it to be. A small, basic and inaccurate 3D printer can be yours for under $100, but the sky's the upper limit. Buy an affordable printer and modify it, or go for the best. There are lots of online communities to help you. 3D scanners are affordable too, but affordable and good don't generally go together. Like the printers, spending more gets you better quality prints and less frustration which could ruin your enjoyment of the hobby. $1000 gets you a very nice printer and another $1000 gets you a good scanner. Printers able to print larger objects are naturally more expensive and take up more space.
The problem is that this is still developing at breakneck speed. Printers are getting faster, more accurate and more affordable every year and the same goes for scanners. Buy now and you might regret it in six months' time when it will either be much cheaper or replaced by something much better... there's no good moment to get into 3D printing, you're buying either crazily expensive state-of-the-art stuff or yesterday's tech at a lower price. Watch a YT video that's a year old and you're missing out on the latest and getting bad advice. A review that's three months old might show a buggy product which has already been replaced by something much better.
Also, if you're serious about this you will need a powerful computer and knowledge of 3D/CAD software. This is for the tech-savvy (or at least tech-involved) only.
This is an 1:43 motorbike that was resin printed. The accuracy is fantastic, it needs no refinishing but only paint. Sorry, terrible picture.
3D scanning is getting better and better, with semi-affordable scanners accurate to 0.02 mm coming on the market. However, getting a scanner that handles large and small objects equally well is a challenge, and as a rule 3D scanners don't like shiny objects, glass or large featureless objects. Also, any 3D scan needs retouching.
A nice option is photogrammetry, taking lots of ordinary digital pictures of an object from different perspectives and having software stitch them together to make a 3D object. This seems fun to experiment with, but any decent object requires hundreds of pictures and some serious computer processing power.
There are several sites where you can download free or paid 3D models made by others.
Printing can be done very accurately. Trofeu models are 3D printed and they look great. The badly stepped prints you've seen are the result of old and inaccurate printers, bad calibration or printing too fast- accuracy improves if you slow the printer down which doesn't make it commercially viable but it's good for your own use.
There are basically two popular options: you use a filament which melts together layer by layer. There are several options for filament including those containing carbon, metal and wood. You can easily smooth these prints to get rid of imperfections, or paint them. Some are very strong, others are flexible.
The other popular option is resin-based printing, where you cure part of a container of liquid resin using light. This makes amazingly detailed models but it's more expensive and harder to do than filament-based printing and there are some serious downsides like toxic fumes. Trofeu uses this technique and their models are indistinguishable from regular resin models.
I've talked to a number of people around me who have the experience and I've been watching some YouTube on the subject. Very enlightening. For now, I have very little time or budget to devote to any hobby whatsoever, but I have several sources on standby ('just come and visit, I'll teach you how it works'). Looking forward to getting into this.
You can make this as crazy or as cheap as you want it to be. A small, basic and inaccurate 3D printer can be yours for under $100, but the sky's the upper limit. Buy an affordable printer and modify it, or go for the best. There are lots of online communities to help you. 3D scanners are affordable too, but affordable and good don't generally go together. Like the printers, spending more gets you better quality prints and less frustration which could ruin your enjoyment of the hobby. $1000 gets you a very nice printer and another $1000 gets you a good scanner. Printers able to print larger objects are naturally more expensive and take up more space.
The problem is that this is still developing at breakneck speed. Printers are getting faster, more accurate and more affordable every year and the same goes for scanners. Buy now and you might regret it in six months' time when it will either be much cheaper or replaced by something much better... there's no good moment to get into 3D printing, you're buying either crazily expensive state-of-the-art stuff or yesterday's tech at a lower price. Watch a YT video that's a year old and you're missing out on the latest and getting bad advice. A review that's three months old might show a buggy product which has already been replaced by something much better.
Also, if you're serious about this you will need a powerful computer and knowledge of 3D/CAD software. This is for the tech-savvy (or at least tech-involved) only.
This is an 1:43 motorbike that was resin printed. The accuracy is fantastic, it needs no refinishing but only paint. Sorry, terrible picture.
