I have just ordered some “chain binders” in 1/24 scale… If they arrive in time, I will have them at York for viewing. Very excited to try increasing scale to 1/12, 1/10 or 1/8. Plan to order as soon as I’m satisfied with 1/24 example. Cost under $20.00.
I would like to see those. I would like to get some.
well, not everything goes, as one hopes.
i tried out the scanner, that is incorporated into the printer.
seemingly this device, using two laser beams, has its problems to catch all the existing surfaces.
the company advises, not to scan items, that are smaller then 1" by 1"
i tried it anyway.
first i tried a figure of a jolly, fat engineer. the scanner made some fragments, that looked as if made by a chimp, or by a modern artist.
in the net i found the advice, that scanners don’t like shiny surfaces. so i painted that guy in watercolors. the type of paint, first graders use in school.
the result was much better, but showed many holes specially in the legs.
the printed result was that shown in the pic. with playdoh i can certainly make better figures.
then i scanned a southern belle. she did not need any paint.
the result:
not exactly, what i hoped for. (but it is at least a base, giving me proportions and size to finish and detail with green stuff or something similar)
as can be seen above in this thread, i had already printed figures, that only need some refining, but are basicly ok.
so it must be the scanner. others have published scanned figures, that look better.
at the moment i am collecting information about foto scanning, and preparing a little foto studio set up.
Korm, you would be better off drawing your own. I had heard that the 3D scanners haven’t come as far as the 3D printers, and what you are showing here is dramatic proof of that.
My order came from Shapeways. A little bit of a problem. They are “Chain Binders”, but the wrong style, mechanical instead of ratchet and I’m not sure the right scale. They seem extremely small and fragile. I’m in communication with the company now trying to figure out what went wrong. Stay tuned.
Oh, but the snap binders are the type I was interested in. Ratchet binders were a luxury when I was a truck driver.
David Maynard said:
Korm, you would be better off drawing your own. …
hey! me, doing it myself?
i am lazy. that’s why i buy mashines to work for me.
but it can’t be, that scanning doesn’t work in general. i have seen hundreds of scans, prepared to print on the net, and those figures i printed so far, where in their majority scanned.
at least i will not give up! … yet…
Maybe if you paint the figures flat black, or flat white, before you scan them. The colours may be throwing off the scanner.
Edit for another idea.
What colour is the laser? Maybe if you painted the figures in the opposite colour, in flat, it would help the laser to see them better.
For example, if the laser is red, paint them a rich green colour.
You might want to go in the other direction with something that makes 3D figures for you on the computer side then spits out the files.
I’ve also used this one as a starting point, along with Blender, another freebie.
Martin, thank you. all three sites are new to me.
David, black, as does white, leaves just holes in the scan.
i had painted the fat engineer in a dark, matte beige. that made the scan somewhat better.
yes, the laser is red. later today i will try, how it scans the engineer if he’s green. should i try a darker, or a brighter green?
Korm,
I apologize for entering into your postings, I took the title of “3D Adventures” to be more generic. I’ve started my own thread to stay out of what you are pursuing
Good Luck! with your adventure. You seem to be having better success than mine. 
Korm, you are trying to pick a green that is the exact opposite of the red laser. Since it’s not a dark red, or a pink, I would suggest a medium to slightly darker green green. Not a blue green, not a brownish green, but a medium pure green.
Ric Golding said:
Korm,
I apologize for entering into your postings, I took the title of “3D Adventures” to be more generic. I’ve started my own thread to stay out of what you are pursuing
Good Luck! with your adventure. You seem to be having better success than mine.
Thread Pirate!
Ric, you can apologize all you want, but you were welcome. (i am a firm believer in thread-thrifts…)
David, so a medium green it will be. hold your breath, till i give notice, how it works.
the other David, …
so, i made my engeineer into an irish.
to help the scanner to see the parts, where the family jewels are hidden, i used an old european method, i put him on a stake. (goes back to Count Vlad Drakhùl during the first intent of invasion by the musulmans)
on the right is how he looked, when i imported the scan into netfabb for repairing the holes.
i printed the figure twice. one, as scanned, one scanned and then “smoothed” (the one on the right side)
FAILED - is the most fitting word.
if you look on the left of the last pic, there i added some formerly printed things, that were from files found on the internet.
the comparison lets me conclude, while the printer is just borderline usable for things in 1:30, the included scanner is simply not able to capture small details.
actions to take:
-
learn about the method to “scan” using dozens of pics.
-
start to learn pouring resinfigures.
-
start mentioning here and there to the wife, how usefull a better printer would be.
Well, at least the figure is solid…
Korm Kormsen said:
David Maynard said:
but it can’t be, that scanning doesn’t work in general. i have seen hundreds of scans, prepared to print on the net, and those figures i printed so far, where in their majority scanned.
at least i will not give up! … yet…
Yes, there is one scanner available that is head and shoulders above the rest of what you can buy. Unfortunately, it sells for $2-3K.
I haven’t bought a 3d printer/scanner because I realize that with results like you guys are getting, it would just frustrate me, and I really can’t justify ~$4-5K for something that I would use to turn out a few nice pieces for myself.
its the same for me. 2k$s plus postage around half the world… not for me.
but, the number of printable files on the net is growing daily, and i still hope, that the photoscanning might work better.
and, as a last resort, i might learn how to make my own virtual figures.
well, i said, that i hope to learn, to make my own virtual figures.
i did.
it was easy. using a free program named “makehuman” i made some nice figures. (spent more than an hour each on modifying facial features…) out came some nice figures.
before i would learn even another program, that would allow me, to bend these “virtuals” in different poses, i decided to print a test-run.
here they are:
-
four figures in 1:32, as they came out of the printer.
-
the same roughly freed from the support material. (crippling some in the process)
then i thought, that slightly bigger figures might look better. so i made:
- the 1:32 figure plus the same one scaled for 1:22.5 and 1:20.3
my 3D adventure…
novels and hollywood (not you, Dave!) had conditioned me, to expect adventures to end lucky … always…
but with a toothpick and some playdoo i can make better figures, than i can with a 3D printer. period.
maybe, i will try to make some animals with a printer, but for human figures it will be making in clay or putty and/or cutting existing figures for combining parts (call me Frankenstein, har har)
… and, when and if the ordered silicone and resin will come, i will try to copy bought and selfmade figures.
so, what will i use my 3D printer for?
structures. - but my coffeestirrer buildings look nicer, than the (so far) printed ones.
windows! - but, as i have seen in the forums, resin poured windows are more than satisfactory.
untill now i made just one thing with a printer, that came out better, than i could do otherwise:
the tender-body for my trains. … hmmm… thinking… i need 8 tenders. hmmm… $800 for the printer plus another nearly $800 for transport and customs… a tender body for about $200 each…
who said, that hobbies do not need to be expensive??
Nice set of Zombies you have there Korm.