Displaying the Models

I've been putting some thought recently into how I might go about displaying my models once they are all done. Its a little early to be thinking about this given there are still several weeks left until the deadline but I feel its an important part of the project. After putting so much time and effort into my models I want to be able to show them off in the best way possible.

I'm also thinking about the Uni Degree Show at the end of this academic year. I'd like my project to be part of that degree show so people can see what I've accomplished over the last few months and what I'm capable of doing following my completion of the course. Unfortunately I think they may be some risks in being able to properly show off my work in the degree show, mainly down to how easy it might be for them to go 'walk abouts' as the show is open to the general public. I want to be able to have my models on show, along with some nice photographs of the progress and final product, but this means I need a secure way of showing off the models without them getting pinched!

So I've been looking into some lockable display cases. Most are massive, even the counter-top varieties tend to be on the large side and I don't want my relatively small models sitting in a huge case as it will make them seem even smaller.

Here is one that I think would suit nicely.

It seems to be a perfect size and isn't expensive, offering everything I need to safely display my models. It can be found HERE.

Putting my models into a display case does however mean people will have a limited view of the models, I therefore think it will be advantageous to have something like a rotating stand for each model to stand on. There are a variety of rotating bases available on the internet in various sizes, so I have plenty to choose from.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about.

Its very basic and pretty self explanatory but I think it will a good edition to my display allowing the models to been from every angle.

In addition to my other ideas of displaying my work I was considering making a simple plaque to go within my display box. While uploading my latest model to print with Shapeways I noticed how cheap it was to get things printed in ceramics. Its amazingly cheap! So I was thinking about making a very basic model with the text "Chaos Orks by Luke Evans" or maybe just "Chaos Orks" or something like that and have it printed in ceramic. I could actually colour this in 3Ds Max and have it printed in colour or paint it myself later. I haven't decided if I'm going to do this yet but I think it might be a nice addition to the display which will help give the whole display a more complete, professional look and help grab people's attention without distracting from the main models.

I very quickly made this example plaque up in 3ds Max to visualize the type of thing I'm thinking about. Its really quite basic and should be very cheap to do in ceramic. The colours shown here aren't the ones I would use and depending on the printing requirements of ceramic the lettering might need to be much larger but for now its just an idea.

Tracker Model Completed

I finished the Tracker unit the other day and started the process of uploading and fixing any errors that came up with the website tool. Unsurprisingly I had several 'wall thickness' issues just like before, but thankfully they were minor issues rather than anything substantial. My attempts to model the character and smaller details with the minimum thickness requirements in mind had worked and there was nothing on the model that was too thin! Yay! 

I was really pleased about this, it meant I had effectively addressed all the problems I'd had previously meeting requirements and meant I didn't have to fumble around trying to rescale or alter parts of the model that could have caused problems or undesirable changes to the way it looked. I also didn't had to scale up the model at all (which I had to do last time) which increases the price of printing massively.

The majority of the issues I had was with sections of the shirt being too thin. Within 3DsMax I found this was because while building the model I had accidentally grabbed the mesh behind the shirt (the Ork's body) and pulled it forwards. This meant the wall was much thinner in those sections. This was easy to fix as I just moved the internal mesh backwards.

Another minor issue I had was with a band on the Ork's arm. The band itself was fine but in one section the Ork's arm dipped inwards following its musculature, resulting in the band not interesting the arm mesh at this specific point, making it too thin. Again this was very easy to fix by just raising the mesh at this point so it properly intersected.

The only other problem I had with the mesh was due to the way I had broken it up. Breaking the mesh is not really necessary but I have chosen to do it as it will make painting in all the details much easier. While building the model I was very careful to ensure the arms, head and backpack would be detachable and purposefully made the geometry easy and clean to break at these points. This meant that once I was done modelling I could pull these parts away from the main body and use a very simple sprew to connect them (ensuring there was no floating parts as is required to print).

This in itself didn't actually cause problems, but it was the sharpness of some of the angles caused by 'capping' the ends that became to thin. Thankfully this was relatively easy to fix. I was able to simply extrude some of the faces in these problem areas out slightly to reduce the sharpness of the angle. I am fully aware doing this will prevent the parts fitting back together perfectly but I don't think it will be difficult to shave the extruded parts down or cut them off entirely.

This shows the slight addition to the mesh I needed to make to prevent the wall being too thin around the break off point of the arm.

These images show the final model that I uploaded to Shapeways to print, including the very basic sprews holding the parts together that I will cut off when I'm ready to stick the model back together.

Overall I am extremely happy with this model. I think it looks really good and I was able to build it in the way I wanted, bearing in mind the need for chunky, thick details that are relatively simple. There were very few issues and non of them caused specifically by the way I had tried to design and make the model, just small accidents etc. I am also well on track with my time plan, actually I'm a little bit ahead, which is always good. This unit still needs his pet 'Squiggs', but these are of less importance than getting the other models done and are smaller, so I am leaving them till later once I have got the other 2 models done.

A few things to bear in mind for my next model:

• Be careful not to select parts of the mesh behind that which I am currently working on
• Make sure all smaller details  are fully interesting the main mesh, especially in parts where the model changes shape under the details
• Ensure sections of the model that are being broken off don't leave sharp angles/thin walls

I have uploaded the model to Shapeways and have an estimated delivery date of the 4th of March. So far I have been receiving the models on the expected shipping date, so with any luck I should have the model by some time next week.

Model 1 - Chaos Ork Tracker

My latest blogs have mainly been about the process of 3D printing and some of my evaluations of test sculpts, which although important in my project, are admittedly a little dull to read about. Hopefully this post will offer a bit more interesting stuff and a look at how my project is progressing in terms of actually making some stuff!

So my original plan was to make the main 'HQ' unit, theWarboss, first as he is sort of the most important. But while doing some concepts (still to come) I really got interested in the Tracker unit more. I thought it would be a good idea to start the project with something I'm excited about to really get the ball rolling and get me into it. So I started with the Tracker first. He has been sculpted in Zbrush and I made a simple column 1mm by 1mm by 3" (the height I wanted the model to be) in order to make sure all the little details where thick enough while I was modelling.

There are still a couple of little things I want to add / change about the model before its ready to print. I have decided to detach the arms and head before printing as this will make the model easier to paint later. The arms and head will be printed on a separate sprew and glued back on later.

This model is also going to have between 1 and 3 pet 'Squigs' which are basically chaos corrupted creatures which he will hold via a chain. These will be sculpted later and 3d printed separately before being painted and attached to the model.

For now though here are some 'almost finished' screen grabs of my Tracker Unit!

Frosted Ultra Detail Plastic

I've been a bit slow getting the progress of this test model up onto the blog. It actually turned up about a week ago but I've been busy getting on with sculpting my first model.

Firstly, as I have said in previous posts, the cost of choosing frosted ultra detail is dramatically higher than using the 'white strong & flexible' stuff. Having said that I feel the frosted detail is much more capable of printing finer details and has a much better overall finish.

The following are pictures I took of my head sculpt printed in frosted ultra detail plastic. From the pictures it is difficult to see the level of detail I'm talking about. The material is transparent, so many of the details couldn't be seen unless light was shining directly behind the model, which obviously made it harder to photograph. Hopefully you can see just some of the extra details that the previous material wasn't capable of getting in.

Along with the finer details this material is capable of getting in the overall finish is much better and suitable for my needs. As you can see it is a smooth plastic finish, rather than a grainy/sandy texture like the last one. This finish means the model is more suitable for painting but it also means details are more defined and the edges clearer, which will again make painting easier.

In order to see how the material would take paint, I put a light layer of grey 'base coat' from the Games Workshop range onto it (the same I used when test painting the first model). The result of which can be seen bellow.

While painting the model I did have some problems. Some sections of the model took paint extremely well and it got an even solid coverage. Other parts however didn't take the paint well and it would slide off the material and took ages to dry, leaving an uneven and patchy finish. These sections can be seen on the pictures bellow as you can see parts of the model are still allowing light through.

I think these issues may be caused by printing residue left on the model (I didn't wash it before painting), or just the material in general can have some fluctuations in its overall surface quality. I don't think this would be a problem in the future however. Along with properly cleaning the model I would be using an 'undercoat' paint which comes in a spray can on any future models. This undercoat is what is normally used on Games Workshop models before they are painted with base colours. As the paint is used from a spray can it adheres to most materials much better and provides an even coverage from which to build up.

I think using the base coat first will prevent the painting issues I have had so far with the frosted plastic material.

It is much easier to see all the finer details on the model once it has been painted grey, and hopefully you can see how much better it is than the previous one.

Despite its increased costs I think it would be much better for me to print my future models in this material. Once I have finished sculpting my first complete model I will be able to see just how much it is going to cost, I may have to reduce the scale somewhat to counteract the increasing costs, but given this material is so much better at printing small details this hopefully won't have a noticeable impact.

Painting the Test Model

I haven't updated the blog in a little while, I have been busy doing some concepts and bits'n'bobs and haven't had much progress to update with.

So far I'm keeping up with my schedule, just about. I was planning on having all my concepts done by today and be moving onto actively modelling my first figure. As it stands I have done some concepting, not as much as I'd like, but I have stuff to work from while making my models. I'm on track with starting my first model, which I actually began making a day or so ago and I now have 2 weeks to get that done and sent for print.

I'll be updating the blog soon with some of my concepts and progress pics of the modelling as I continue to do it.

Today is also the delivery day of my 2nd test print. I was initially unhappy with the printing quality of my previous chosen material so I got the head of the model reprinted in something else, something vastly more expensive but hopefully more suitable. It should be arriving here today any time, so I'll looking forward to seeing what it looks like and posting up some pictures of it.

So a little while back I was considering ways to paint my models. I was concerned that the previous material wouldn't take painting very well as it had an almost 'sandy' texture that felt like it would just absorb paint. But there is a real possibility I will have to print in this material, even though it isn't ideal, due to costs of printing in anything preferable.

Using the Games Workshop paints I have (these will be the ones I paint my finished models in) I tested out painting my model and was surprised at the overall effect it had.

As you can (hopefully) see from the pictures, painting the model grey actually made some of the details I thought were missing show up. So after putting a basic coat of paint on the model looked surprisingly better.

There are still some issues with it however, it still has a sandy texture and I'm not sure how layering up the paint (as is needed when properly painting the models) will work. Also painting the model showed up all the little holes in the surface of the model, resulting no doubt from the type of material and the manufacturing process.

I thought this may happen, so before painting the whole model grey I covered a small section of the model in something called 'Purity Seal' which is basically a weak pva solution sold by Games Workshop. Its a thin clear liquid normally used for sealing a model once it has been painted to protect it. The area I covered with it can be seen in the first picture, highlighted by the red box. Covering the model in this effectively sealed the model, filling in the little dips and changing the texture of the surface in that area.

Hopefully you can see from the pictures that doing this made the paint take much better in that section and just looked better overall than not doing it everywhere else. This test paint has been a great way for me to see how the material takes paint and what procedure I may need to follow should I get any future models printed in this material.

I'm not going to paint this model any further than this. I think I have gone as far as I need to in order to understand what painting on the material will be like and painting it any further would just waste time.

Tough Choices

With my test model highlighting some issues with both my model and the material used I have had to do quite a bit of thinking about where to go from here.

I don't like the finish of the test model's material, I don't think it will be suitable paint and it has issues with loosing definition. I have therefore looked into the other materials offered on Shapeway's website.
The material that caught my attention is called "Frosted Ultra Detail", from the photographs provided it looks the most suitable for my needs. It appears to be capable of very fine detail with minimal definition loss, it also appears to have a more 'plasticy' finish that would be more suitable to paint.

Unfortunately however this material is much more expensive to print in. My test model for example cost approximately 63 Euros in the 'White Strong & Flexible' material, but 210 Euros in Frosted Ultra Detail. This is a huge difference and is leading me towards some tough decisions.

In order to see what this material is like and what its capable of I have ordered a print of the head from my test model. At 20 Euros this is a lower cost way of finding out if it can print in better detail than the previous material.

If 'Frosted Ultra Detail Plastic' is noticeably better than the previous material I may well choose to have it printed in that. The increased costs however mean I will only be able to get 1 or 2 models printed rather than the 3 I was aiming for.

Alternatively I may have to scale my models up significantly in order to get details into the model, which would again result in increased printing costs.

My estimated shipping date for the 2nd test model is Feb 14th.

Hopefully when the 2nd model turns up I will be able to make a desicion on what material to use and therefore how many models I will be able to make. In the meantime I am continuing with my concepts and I will test how the 1st model takes being painted.

Completed Test Model - Evaluation

Turns out the test model was finished 3D printing 2 days earlier than the expected date, it was shipped out on the 4th Feb not the 6th and actually turned up today. It seems that Shapeways has a site in the Netherlands, so anyone purchasing from Europe is likely to have the model processed and shipped from there, rather than their USA base.

This is fantastic news for my expected completion dates as it takes no where near as long for models to arrive than I was anticipating. The test model arrived at my door almost 1 and a half weeks earlier than I was expecting it to!

Evaluating the model
Production Time / Shipping

This might not seem like an important factor to evaluate but it has some crucial implications for my work process and time management. Although I can't assume all future models will be turned around so quickly I now know that my models are likely to come from the Netherlands and not the USA, this means it shouldn't take as long for my models to turn up meaning I have more time to reprint models should something go wrong etc. I also now know that the models are packaged and delivered in a way which is unlikely to cause damage in transit, which has addressed some concerns I had about delicate models being damaged on route.

Material

The material I got the test model printed in is called "White Strong & Flexible", I originally chose this as its meant to be capable of printing high levels of detail and it is structurally strong. It also has the lowest requirements for printing detail (eg. 0.2mm for raised/imbedded details).

I am however unsatisfied with the finish it provides.

It is difficult to see from the photographs but the material has a very rough, powdery finish. Something that I think will be unsuitable to paint as I think the paint will just be absorbed into the model. I have considered trying to seal the model using a weak mix of something like PVA glue. This is something I will be experimenting with over the next few days. If I cannot find a way to effectively seal the model and make it suitable to paint I may not be able to use this material at all.

Details / Definition

One of the most important aspects of my model is the level of detail it has. I already know that I am limited by the process of 3D printing as to how much detail I can expect to get into the model and the minimum size this detailing can be.
Having met these requirements however, I was expecting a much better clarity when the model arrived.

I was unimpressed and honestly disheartened by the detail my 3D printed model actually had. Certain aspects are pretty good, such as the chains etc. But the majority of the model has lost almost all of the detail I had put into it. All the surface detail has gone although it may not have been deep enough in the first place.

There are a few factors I think are having an impact on the quality of the print. These include;
The way I made the model - I had to touch up several parts to make it suitable to print, however I only changed bits which were flagged up as too thin, I didn't make any alterations to surface detail which may have just been too small to print.
The material - Although capable of high detail levels the material prints in such a way that rounds off and minimizes detail, edges are rounded off and loose definition.

Moving Forward

I believe some issues can be fixed from better building of the model. Now I have a better idea of the printing process I know I need to make details bigger and more defined in order for them to print but this isn't necessarily going to give the definition I want.

Increasing the overall size of the model would no doubt lead to better printing but it also increases the cost dramatically.

Choosing a different material may increase the quality of print and is the next logical step to take as I'm not even sure I'd want this material even if it did have all the detail I wanted.