Looking for CAD/3D printing advice

[Islacrusez]

Please don't take this to email, such advice is invaluable for all those who might wish to dabble in 3D!

[BlackEd]

I've been making molds and casting resin for a year and a half now.  In my experience, the molds I make get all the detail.   The molds will pick up the wood grain on a piece of balsa wood, for example.

The Goblin Pump Wagons that I cast were made by Capt Piett.  I disassembled the finished original into castable pieces and made a mold.

I've found that casting in resin using a pressure chamber gets all the detail of the mold and eliminates the air bubbles.  The result is light and durable.  When I have dropped a Pump Wagon, most of the time nothing happens.  If it does break, it is at the joints where the super glue is holding the model together.

Like everyone else here, I am curious about what you are making.  Can we see a screen shot or something? 

I would be willing to make RTV molds of the printed pieces.  I'm in the USA.

[andydorman]

This is what I'm working on - some kind of large land bug thing... Pretty much a practice piece at the moment while I figure out the software. I don't even know exactly how to export a graphic yet so I've just taken a screengrab.

I've got some tanks on the go as well but I'm happy that they'll come good once I put the time in. As I was saying, modelling these kind of organic shapes throws up a whole load of more issues. My hope is if I can model something like this fairly quickly and effectively it should improve my skills with more basic stuff...

[Stormwind]

Love the look of it. =)

[BlackEd]

That does look good!

[andydorman]

Thanks guys - the plan is to make it in 6mm scale, or something like it at least. I could probably do with a hand deciding how to cast it though.

At the moment I'm thinking spilt the body in half lengthways, with the tail left on one half and cast the head and two pairs of arms (still to be modelled) separately. I want to avoid casting the legs separately as well if I can help it. That would let me swap out arms if I wanted to.

[MALEK95120]

If you’re not into CAD software, you can use Sculpteo. I just recently tried this new app for 3D printing iPhone 5 cases. My material is a rubber-like TPE filament from 3D2print. I’m so glad with the result, the softness and flexibility of the material fits perfectly to my gadget and the software is very efficient. Other software like ZBrush, Google Sketchup, 3Dtin and OpenSCAD also allows a quick download, easy installation and faster way of creating your 3D design.

[Stormwind]

Definitely eager to see updated space bugs - so it's great to see these things.

[marell le fou]

Nice project. I wish you will produce an entire army