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Dumpshock Forums _ General Gaming _ 3-D printers

Posted by: PBTHHHHT May 7 2007, 06:56 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07copy.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin about 3-D printers (rapid prototyping) that will be more accessible to the public. It means probably that it'll be easier to make your custom miniature fig in the future. Hmmm... I just can't wait to make some of my own figs. Oh here's another site, http://www.desktopfactory.com/, which says they're the cheapest on the market right now and supposed to start selling later this year.

Very interesting stuff for the miniatures in gaming. You know, the first good program/interface to make 3D models for scifi/fantasy miniatures will make a killing.

Posted by: eidolon May 7 2007, 10:10 PM

I want one of these, but we're talking serious drops in pricing before I'd even consider buying. I wouldn't be getting anything back from owning it, except personal use/geekery, so we're talking a hundred-ish bucks. Looking at the $9,900 mentioned in the article, I expect to be waiting for a long time.

Posted by: PBTHHHHT May 7 2007, 10:19 PM

Give it time, eventually it'll drop a bit more depending on manufacturing process line and demand. Some of the technology that uses chemicals and such I think are not ideal for home use. The one they mentioned using nylon beads has potential since it's relatively safe (as opposed to deposition techniques that uses the chemicals, or the chemical bath with scanning laser). Anyway, it's just interesting and it's getting within reach for the masses. Custom miniatures is what I'm hoping for in which people are able to make figs that fit accordingly to their characters.

Posted by: Fix-it May 8 2007, 01:07 AM

by the time those make it to the home, we'll have holography already.

Posted by: bibliophile20 May 8 2007, 01:33 AM

QUOTE (eidolon)

Thing is, I would be using it for things other than geekery; I make jewelry as a hobby/side business, and being able to make custom, unique pendants/beads/etc, or even just making a plastic pattern to cast from sounds like a dream come true.

Add to that that my mother works for a jeweler, and that I've inherited alot of his older equipment, if he gets one of these I can probably buy it off of him when he goes to upgrade

Posted by: ShieldT May 8 2007, 02:52 AM

Hey cool. Apparently http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/11/spore-figurines-at-e3/ at the E3 Expo, the people who tried out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btsj4-NyBpo there had copies of their own creations sent to their house...

Which is pretty awesome, considering some of the stuff you can come up with

Sure hope it's still an option when the game's released...

PBTHHHHT - Spore's definitely a good modeling program for fantasy creatures but, as far as I know, it's sadly lacking in the proper armor/weapons proper figurines need.

Posted by: Smilin_Jack May 8 2007, 03:07 AM

If you're really attached to a character and want a customized model, you could use http://www.3dmodelprinting.com/publish/3d_model_printing_service_bureau_costs.html guys.

Now granted, the price is steep for an RPG model - but its a hell of a lot cheaper than $9,900.

----

That said, 3D Printers are really friggin cool. The aerospace firm I worked at a couple of years back had the chance to beta test one while I was there. That thing got abused to hell and back by all the engineers printing out all their custom toys in order to 'test' it.

Posted by: Dentris May 8 2007, 11:34 AM

This technology is already used by engineers for years now. The main problems with this tech is the cost, and the fact the prototypes are made only of polymer. Future 3D-printers are supposed to be as affordable than your normal printer and be able to "print" any kind of appliances, from toasters to toys.

Posted by: PBTHHHHT May 8 2007, 04:24 PM

Dentris: I know that this technology has been in use for years, that's what they say in the articles. Dentris, read the article and also read the patents, they're supposed to make the models. Rapid prototyping won't make a working toaster, it'll make the shell of the toaster. Really, just read the article, you didn't say anything the article didn't say.

eidelon, ShieldT: If you look closer in the article, they mention that a 5k model will be coming soon and they hope to get the price down to a thousand dollars. Yeah, that low.

Posted by: eidolon May 9 2007, 01:57 PM

QUOTE (bibliophile20 @ May 7 2007, 07:33 PM)

Oh yeah. If you're using it in any kind of endeavor that makes you money, it'd be totally worth it a lot sooner.

The way I see it though, for the purposes I'd use it for (making my own minis, replacing broken plastic fan knobs), it'd have to be inkjet printer cheap before I'd plunk money down on one.

And you might think that it'd be an easy move to go from "I make my own miniatures" to "I make miniatures, cast them and sell them", but by the time doing so with one of these would be feasible, everyone will be doing it. Add prepainted plastics to the mix, and thinking that I'd ever get any kind of ROI from it is just foolish. So it would remain solidly in the realm of personal hobby use.

QUOTE (PBTHHHHT)

eidelon, ShieldT: If you look closer in the article, they mention that a 5k model will be coming soon and they hope to get the price down to a thousand dollars. Yeah, that low.

Tai gui. It's cool that they're forecasting that, because it means that a couple of years after that, we'll finally start seeing them move toward affordable. Hopefully.

Posted by: Lindt May 9 2007, 07:26 PM

I had the pleasure getting to use one of those for a while. I had half a chess set before the class ended.

There are a few that use a metallic base instead of a plastic one, though those are even more expensive.

Posted by: Mongoose May 19 2007, 01:54 AM

There's many different material bases. I've heard of corn starch solutions deposited in layers by an inkjet type device, and even home-brew versions that use a modified hot melt glue gun.

CNC milling (subtractive cutting) is still a more affordable option, but obviously can't achieve the same details. Its great for furniture and stuff, though.