3D Printing no longer just for Rapid Prototyping

[P3nT4gR4m]

A lot of the guys at zbrush central have been printing out their stuff for a while now. I'm pretty sure file format isn't that big of an issue.

[Telarus]

Thanks Jerry, Pickle! I'll start reading up.

A lot of the guys at zbrush central have been printing out their stuff for a while now. I'm pretty sure file format isn't that big of an issue.

Ha! excellent. Thanks Pent.

I found the 'Mouse Jeweler's' thread... some cool work there, and very much the workflow I'm looking towards (but I won't be casting silver or gold).

Know of any other good ones?

[Bruno]

Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express 4.0, (Formerly CoCreate Modeling Personal Edition ) is free, and exports VRML and STL.

http://www.ptc.com/products/creo-elements-direct/modeling-express/#1

I've just installed it. Hopefully, I'll have some time to look at it next weekend.

[Don Coyote]

The toughness of things made ia 3d printing can be controlled by how close the machine is told to make each pass.



Somewhere in a box in California is the shattered remains of my drink cup grabbing claw. Of which I no longer have the 3d model of. :

In other news, I found the thumbdrive with my cad files. 

[Bruno]

This is the software "package" I have decided to go with:


http://www.cnc4free.org/

Heightmap from grayscale bitmaps created in gimp (free), 3d mesh generated in gmax (free). Relief from bitmaps can be applied to models also created in gmax.

He also tells how to convert between filetypes with MeshLab and generate toolpaths with CNC_Toolkit. (all of which is free)

[Don Coyote]

This is the software "package" I have decided to go with:


http://www.cnc4free.org/

Heightmap from grayscale bitmaps created in gimp (free), 3d mesh generated in gmax (free). Relief from bitmaps can be applied to models also created in gmax.

He also tells how to convert between filetypes with MeshLab and generate toolpaths with CNC_Toolkit. (all of which is free)

Quoted for later followup.

[Bruno]

I've noticed that no-one seems to be using gMax for 3D design in the MakerBot community, and I don't know why that is.

Here's what I found in the MakerBot Wiki:

http://wiki.makerbot.com/how-to-print

Free 3D Modeling Software

    Google SketchUp (requires the freeware plugin to export STL)
    Blender (GPL)
    Art of Illusion (GPL)
    TopMod3D (GPL)
    Wings3D (GPL)
    StructureSynth (GPL)
    OpenSCAD (GPL)
    Heekscad


Non-free 3D Modeling Software

    Alibre
    AC3D
    Maya
    Rhino3D
    Solidworks
    form Z
    AutoQ3D
    FabLab ModelMaker stl output for Fab@school (untested on Makerbot)

I'm going to finish what I've started with the cnc4free tutorial, then have a look at some of this other software. (the free stuff)

[Triple Zero]

http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/20/is-printing-a-gun-the-same-as-buying-a-gun/

very interesting. apparently there is one piece you need a permit for, and the rest of the pieces you can order anywhere without a permit do assemble your own gun?

but assuming they outlaw or "block" this particular piece, what's to stop anyone from uploading an "obfuscated" piece, that you just need to saw off a few bits in order to get the illegal bit?

now I don't know anything about guns, or the laws applying to them in the USA, so maybe I'm very wrong about this but I'm sure you'll correct me.

[Elder Iptuous]

yes.  all guns have some particular part that is 'the gun' and the rest are just parts.  this differs from gun to gun.  some its the lower reciever, some the upper, some the trigger group, some even the barrel.
some weapons that were controlled under the NFA of '34 differ from specific gun to specific gun.  for instance, some Uzis have the reciever as the registered component, and some the bolt..
further, there is an ATF ruling (actually an 'opinion letter') that states that the registered part is only the registered part after it is more than 80% complete.  (which is a vague and debatable point to say the least)
so you can purchase a casting of an AR15 lower reciever (which is the registered part) with some of the milling done to it, but is 'shy of 80%'
another interesting anectdote:  they ATF have declared to be a machine gun 'any firearm capable of firing more than one projectile with a single pull of the trigger', and also includes or 'any parts designed and intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun'.  at one point they had investigated a semiautomatic rifle with a shoestring tied around the charging handle and looped around the back of the trigger guard to the trigger.  this caused the rifle to fire repeatedly, and so the determined that the shoestring was a machine gun, and registered it as such.  supposedly, it is still on the books, and is still out there floating around as a post-may dealer sample.  (they have since given another ruling that a shoestring is only a machine gun when installed on a semiautomatic rifle that it renders to fire fully automatically.  this seems odd however in comparison to drop in auto-sears for guns such as the HKs, or auto trips like the Lighting Link for the AR15...)

Oh....
this thread is about 3d printing, isn't it?
um..... oh! on Thingyverse.com somone posted an AR15 magazine model, and a bunch of members flipped out in nice hoplophobic fashion....

[Triple Zero]

This guy designed a 17x17x17 rubix cube, and made it with a 3D printer. Still cost about $2-3k because it's got like 1800 tiny plastic parts. Also, 10 hours to assemble

http://www.shapeways.com/model/64058/over_the_top___17x17x17____3500.html
http://oskarvandeventer.nl/index_media17.html (scroll down a bit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q-370MhcDw&feature=player_embedded (simple demonstration)

Nobody has actually solved a well-scrambled one yet.

[Disco Pickle]

That material he used is desperately in need of a gloss finish.

[Triple Zero]

I saw some pics on which it was quite glossy.

Which makes me believe there are at least three versions.

The first one, which was done by an Austrian dude (from Oskar's design, who didn't have the funds to print it), which didn't even turn and kinda fell apart when you tried

And a second and a third both which seem to work, one of which is more glossy than the other.

BTW if you ever wonder what a really REALLY thick Dutch accent sounds like, check the videos. This guy is worse than some of our politicians

[Bruno]

http://my3dscanner.com/index.php

My3DScanner is a free on-line service that creates 3D models directly from ordinary digital photographs.

Take photos of any object or scene, upload them to this site and receive dense, color, 3D point cloud data completely free of charge.

This service automatically generates mesh from point cloud data and creates 3D polygonal model.

Time to buy a new camera.
Any suggestions in the <$100 range?

[Elder Iptuous]

sweet!
nannywall blocks the site. 
Does it appear to look good?

[Bruno]

It looks pretty good to me.

Funny thing is, I should really just model (in gmax) the thing I want to scan with it.

I can't tell if I'm being lazy, or adventurous. I guess that mainly depends on how easy it turns out to be.