Piracy prevention?

[Ferris]

So sorry to hear about your bad experience CGS, but I think you dismiss the technology too easily.

Firstly, the cost of 3D prints is directly related to printed volume. Using it for a large-scale figure is the least attractive entry into this field.
Secondly, the figure you refer to seems to have been digitally designed by someone else. I'm not sure if the £750 you spent was more than you'd have to spend on a 'putty sculpt', but even so, there are other ways to get a digital master that you could keep in your own control, and even cheaper, see below.

To make things concrete, there is already one company that sells individually 3D-printed figures (so no rubber moulds and resin), have a look here: http://reedoak.com/#!/Figures-figurines/c/13281234/offset=0&sort=normal
Their prices are a bit higher than current top-range conventional figures, but not by much.
The next technology update could already be the one that makes this production model feasible, and render recasters obsolete.
Note that their digital masters are the result of 3D scanning real people. Undoubtedly there is a lot of work in post-processing the digital data and making it print-ready, but I doubt it will be more work than conventionally sculpting a master and making moulds. And the result is spectacular, in my view!

I really hope this way of making figures takes off, because I am stunned by the realism of the drapery, faces, poses and...well everything really.

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[Ferris]

The metal parts on our busts where copied in resin by the recasters.

We had a recent figure by Pathos designed and printed. The quality was absolutely terrible both in design and printing. A 200mm figure and a 120mm figure, the same piece, cost £750 to design and £750 to print. It was a complete failure and even more annoying as Andreas would not make any effort to rectify the piece. Without going over everything the piece can never be released as it is unusable, ironic as pathos has also disappeared, not surprised after fleecing some £1500. My point to show us that the costs to print were a huge part of the production price and not viable to offer prints to customers, even if the quality had been good enough.

Oops, wanted to quote in the message above....but now it's a separate post. Never mind.

 

[CGS military figures]

It's ok Adrian, we are working with another TOP company now to produce another piece in 3d so I am not dismissing it , because of the bad experience we actually wanted to do it even more to show we can use the technology. Printing costs (not design)for this piece are roughly the same
I only wanted to give a guide to the costs to print the piece and how it equates to forming the overall price of a piece, for us anyway, of course people can make their own conclusions to the future.
Kind regards

 

[Pathos Miniatures]

Graham i find your post really offensive .

So to clear things out i am uploading the 3d design and some 3d print photos so that everyone will see what you mean by saying

The quality was absolutely terrible both in design and printing

You were responsible for the concept of the figure and not me.so if you do not like it blame yourself .
The fact is that your ignorance regarding 3d is responsible for this outcome...

 

[tomifune]

This type of repetitive thread!. ..It will all end in tears!

Have we not learnt our lesson in the past! as to how this type of thread ends up?



Mark.

Well played!

Bob

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Well played!

Bob

Oh dear! .. Here we go! .. Helmet time.


Mark.

 

[mick3272]

Oh dear! .. Here we go! .. Helmet time.


Mark.

Is that Helmet or Hamlet time
Mick

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Helmet & Hamlet! .. One might as well enjoy themselves when grief is expected.


Mark.

 

[mick3272]

Hamlet, the video is duff.

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Grrrrr!




One has to work!!!

 

[theBaron]

...and render recasters obsolete...

Recasters, in the literal sense, perhaps, people making molds of others' work and casting copies. But it won't be the end of piracy, I'm afraid. I expect them to make use of new technologies, as those technologies emerge, especially if they can produce copies at low cost and sell them at a price that undercuts the originals but still makes a profit for them.

Even in the model I've predicted in other threads about the technology, that 3D printing tools become cheap enough that every model can own them, and makers sell patterns as files, someone will figure out how to hack the security of those files and copy and sell them cheaper than the originals, but at a profit.

Prost!
Brad

 

[CGS military figures]

Graham i find your post really offensive .

So to clear things out i am uploading the 3d design and some 3d print photos so that everyone will see what you mean by saying

You were responsible for the concept of the figure and not me.so if you do not like it blame yourself .
The fact is that your ignorance regarding 3d is responsible for this outcome...

I expected such a response, the fact I showed numerous people the piece and thet agreed shows I am not talking out of turn. I messaged you and asked for things to be rectified, you responded by saying there was nothing you can do. While I can take some responsibility for the initial design, I will not for the lack of definition, the parts being printed so finely they are bent and the layering of the piece. The parts also do not fit together. I will now post images. These problems that showed after printing, you were aware of the printing capabilities and you knew this was my first time. None if these issues I could possibly have known from just a digital render.


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[CGS military figures]

I expected such a response, if you are offended it is not as much as I am being over a £1500 out of pocket, you even asked for more money and like a fool I paid.
Also the fact I showed numerous people the piece and they all agreed, shows I am not talking out of turn. I messaged you and asked for things to be rectified, you responded by saying there was nothing you can do.

While I can take some responsibility for the initial design, I picked the subject and constantly said your sculptor had the anatomy wrong. I was prepared to rework the piece even though I paid you and your sculptor for the design complete, he sculpted it and you printed it.

I will not take responsibility for the lack of definition, the parts being printed so finely they are bent and the layering of the piece. The parts also do not fit together. I will now post images. These problems all showed after printing, you were aware of the printing capabilities and you knew this was my first time. None of these issues I could possibly have known from just a digital render. To put the blame on me after I paid you to fulfil all stages from sculpt to print is ludicrous. Even the basic body and legs have a huge gap when joined. You cannot accept that you produced bad work and left me with the outcome. Please also remember I have every email (as I expect do you)from both sides which show exactly how this project progressed.

 

[Babelfish]

Polite request guys (Gra and Pathos): Can I please ask you to carry on this conversation between yourselves in private either via PMs or e-mail. Because regardless of the rights & wrongs, a public forum is not the place for this. Many thanks.

I think that based on past experience many of us can probably see where this thread is headed, and as much as I dislike locking down threads, I'm going to call time on this one now before it gets uglier.

- Steve