Should 3-D printing be embraced?

[Blind Pew]

Modern 3-D printing techniques allow figures to be produced in various scales, whereas before that was it. One scale, take it or leave it.
A recent re-release of an old favourite in a new, never-before-seen scale is already with us in the form of the release of the Sgt. Stelzel figure in 75mm, previously only in 54mm.
Can't hack it in 54mm? Don't worry, it can be done in 120mm - or vice-versa.
Are the days of, "I like it, but I don't fancy the scale..." over?

 

[Gary D]

Why not new sizes/scales. Nothing in writing about having to stick with traditional offers. eg. 90mm to 120mm. why not 100mm or 115mm?

 

[bigtodd]

This is just another branch of our hobby. It is awesome to get figures in multiple scales. Remember it takes time and talent to sculpt in 3D. Also if you are worried about laser scanning existing stuff it takes a very expensive scanner to get all the little details. It is still not exact and it needs to be cleaned up and edited to be printed which also takes software and talent. So again, time.

I say embrace it.

It will not replace what is being made by hand anytime soon.

I work in multiple 3d softwares all day long. I see 3d scans of everything and all sizes of stuff, small screws that go into watches to entire Boeing 777 jets. I think all the time that I should design figures and vehicles. But at the end of the day, I am sick of working on the computer and I just want to build and paint.

 

[Warren SMITH]

I think its a new and amazing form of art work and I am happy to embrace it. I have a couple of 3d figures now and they are excellent.. Its great that these sculptors work within our hobby..
As for the old scales, 120mm 90mm, 75mm even 54mm.. They are never the same scale when two manufacturers are compared side by side..
My old bug bear has always been weapons and equipment.. They should be a standard size in any scale.. but when compared between manufacturers they are not..

 

[Steve headley]

We at TFB Miniatures have embraced 3D sculpts it fits in alongside traditional sculpting and we believe it works well. Some customers still like the traditional hand sculpts. Yes the new tech allows the manufacturer more scope when it comes to scales and we can do several versions of the same figure.

The tech is getting better all the time the printers are now at a very high standard. We have invested in a printer and have to say it’s amazing what can be done. We still cast the traditional way but the prints are a joy to work with. There are some very talented sculpters who have embraced the new tech and taken it to another level. When you talk to them they tell you they can do things in 3D that were difficult in the normal hand sculpt.

As far as scales go people have their favourites and tend to stick with them. But who knows what the future holds. All I will say is 3D is here to stay embrace it enjoy it. And look forward to some of the new releases that come from the hands of these very talented 3D artists. I come from a war gaming background. And I marvel at what can be produced in 28mm even in 15mm. So very different from the old days. So the future looks bright. These are just my thoughts on the subject.

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

 

[Nap]

Hi BP

A really good question ,we all know when 3D began it's was greeted with horror and many were considering it alien to the hobby .....

Look at it now the options it's offers alongside traditional scales is beneficial to the modeller and hobby ...no matter what they have on bench

With many getting their own printers they can produce things that could only be done by scratch building or conversion

3D and beyond is the future but will IMO run alongside other normal scales ........it offers so many options to both modeller and perhaps more importantly the company's like TFB and others

As Todd says ....embrace it !

Nap

 

[Merryweather]

Yes absolutely!
It's a tool like anything else and some will master it and some will not bother. I use my 3D printer for accessories and details I would otherwise need to scratch build,and with it I can do stuff WAY better and smaller than I could by hand, plus I can print as many as I like in whatever scale I need.
For instance, I am making a diorama with Airfix 1/32 Multipose figures and if I want any different US Marine kit there's no after market stuff available in this scale. But if I buy or download a digital file made for 1/35 I can simply rescale it. I've also built a digital model of a flamethrower for them by measuring a 1/35 model.
I wish I could get to grips with digital sculpting, but I haven't knuckled down to learning it yet.
Yes we will get pirated scans sometimes, but we will have to be just as aware as we are of recasts- it's just a different way of doing the same thing.
The future is here,lets embrace it!

 

[Historex Rob]

… I am making a diorama with Airfix 1/32 Multipose figures and if I want any different US Marine kit there's no after market stuff available in this scale. But if I buy or download a digital file made for 1/35 I can simply rescale it. I've also built a digital model of a flamethrower for them by measuring a 1/35 model….

I think I have noticed in one your current project threads that you have created 3D boot soles? Sets of those would be great for the Historex modelers who now have to either make them from putty or, as I do, scribe/carve them directly into the plastic.

Hint, hint.

 

[theBaron]

The question is several years, or more, too late. 3D-printing has already been embraced.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Merryweather]

I think I have noticed in one your current project threads that you have created 3D boot soles? Sets of those would be great for the Historex modelers who now have to either make them from putty or, as I do, scribe/carve them directly into the plastic.

Hint, hint.

How many do you want Rob?
I can probably help you out. Drop me a PM
Neil

 

[Rob]

One issue that 3D printing is leading to already is a confusion over IP and production rights. Previously a physical master was made and the owner of that physical item had a concrete proof of ownership. If he had the original and copies produced by someone other than him appeared on the market, they were fakes. Fairly straightforward.
Now a "master" is a piece of computer software, some are held by the creator in the same way a physical master model was, but others are sold for direct use or rented out under "licences".
The issue (already noticeable on ebay/etsy) is; who has the right to print for sale? How can you as a buyer of a 3D printed model know if the seller actually paid for a resale licence or is just running off copies of his supposedly private use copy of the master print file? Every seller just posts the same set of render images so the product is essentially identical.

I have been looking at buying some 3D printed busts and there are dozens of sellers of the same model, some are known companies who also sell models from traditional handmade masters but most are just print farms. Prices vary by about 50%.

I do not see how any company that produces 3D print files and sells them or offers a licence scheme has any way of controlling the fair use of that file once it is out in the wild, are they actually abrogating their ownership right?

 

[Steve headley]

Hi Rob when we commission a 3D Master we own the files they are given to us along with a printed copy or copies of the models. We trust that the sculptor has given us everything and that any copies that might be left on the computer are deleted leaving us with the original files to do with as we wish as the copyright is ours.

Ok you could say it’s a trust thing between us and the sculptor. We trust our sculptors and so far everything has gone according to how we hopped it would.

We use the printed master to copy our figures which are made in resin and cast in the traditional way.

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

 

[Rob]

Hi Rob when we commission a 3D Master we own the files they are given to us along with a printed copy or copies of the models. We trust that the sculpter has given us everything and that any copies that might be left on the computer are deleted leaving us with the original files to do with as we wish as the copyright is ours.

Thanks Steve, yes, seems standard, that is how I did it myself for the 1/48 models I designed and commissioned from a 3D sculptor.
The issue is more around the Patreon/Kickstarter/Cults3D type of production where 3D files are traded en masse, with little or no control over who has access to what.

 

[Steve headley]

Hi Rob yes theirs a lot of that stuff out their it’s a nightmare for the people who think they own the rights. Again it’s up to the company to get a grip on things , but that’s easier said than done. It does seem to be the fantasy gaming world where this is most prevalent.

Still it’s worth keeping an eye on how things are going and take note of people’s experience.

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

 

[elgreco]

How can you as a buyer of a 3D printed model know if the seller actually paid for a resale licence or is just running off copies of his supposedly private use copy of the master print file?

Hi Rob,
If in doubt whether a 3D printing company has a licence or not, you can always drop a line to the creator to verify the licence in question.
Kind regards,
Celine

 

[Wayneb]

The question is several years, or more, too late. 3D-printing has already been embraced.

Prost!
Brad

Not by me.....Nothing more than a 3D coloring book.

 

[MCPWilk]

54mm, 75mm, 90mm, 120mm &c. are not scales but sizes. Nominally, due to headgear, the height was from soles of feet to eye level. If you want accurate weapons, then proper scales, such as 1/32 (54mm), 1/24 (75mm), 1/20 (90mm), 1/15 (not 1/16, 120mm) etc. should be used. It is always better to start large and shrink when sculpting. Small defects/inaccuracies in smaller sizes multiply on enlargement to larger scales.

Mike