Hi guys. I missed the kickstarter so I’ll have to wait a bit longer to get my hands on the Form 1… but before I buy one (or several) I really need to know what the maximum level of detail available as I plan to use the Form 1 to print my own 28-30mm tabletop miniatures.
Has anyone tried to print out something like this at the highest possible resolution level?
http://www.shapeways.com/shops/gangwar
If anyone has already printed anything similar, could you please share a photo or two?
Also, what is the max pixel count the Form 1 software can handle? I will be using ZBRUSH for sculpting.
Cheers
-J
x-y minimum feature size is 300 microns (the diameter of the laser beam spot), beam spot itself can be moved with “few microns” resolution. z resolution thinnest layer is 25 microns.
There are some macro shots of the rook and poseidon that capture small scale detail fairly well. http://formlabs.com/products/our-printer
Yeah I saw those. I can see the details in the musculature, but it’s a bit hard to see details in the face. I was thinking that it might be just the actual 3D model itself not having enough definition. Which is why I’m asking for more examples before I invest heavily into the Form 1.
My experience is that figurines print very well on the Form1, as surface detail is very accurately rendered, and FDM machines don’t come close to the level of detail! Check this thread at http://support.formlabs.com/entries/23773897-Behold-the-Mighty-Owl-Size-detail-test for another example print.
Yeah… if you have a look at the comments in that post you’ll see my name all over it at the bottom there 
@Justin: Are you planning on using Form 1 for prototyping and making masters of your own designs or more for replicating your own existing miniatures? I guess if its the latter, you’ll be just as constrained by the lack of really high precision scanning equipment in the consumer segment.
Interestingly, during the campaign I got the impression from the Form 1 KS comments, the B9C KS comments, and the comments of some of the miniatures projects on KS that there are more than just a few backers interested in using stereolithography machines to create or replicate miniatures. I actually ended up writing a data scraping program to try to see whether there was any correlation. The output can be seen here: https://gist.github.com/jashsu/7705963e4f22848f9880
No Jason, I can build, rig, and Zbrush my own models for print. So it’s the former. There are a small percentage of miniature wargamers who work in the VFX/Games industry that are lucky enough to possess the skill to create high detailed models (hey, we make monsters and superheroes).
So yes, I’d like to use the Form 1 to create my own miniatures. I have several already built and waiting to be printed. I am waiting to see if the Form 1 has the detail I need before purchasing it.
@Justin, Do you have an example .STL you can send me? I’m test driving a Form1 now for a review and would love to try push it’s limits WRT to accuracy at that scale. I’m joseph.flaherty@gmail.com, you can see more about me at http://twitter.com/josephflaherty.
Joseph if you get a chance please post some macro photos of what those minis look like with the 25microns layers. I know there are a couple of us planning on printing minis if the small prints look good enough. I can’t wait to see how the Form1 stands up to shapeways detailed and ultra detailed.
Hey Justin - if you’re *still* waiting, shoot me a sample file and I’ll print it and take some pics for you. form1 at dev on board dot com
Cheers,
Steve
Thanks Steve. I think we’ll be ok. We can see the quality levels from the other threads now. Now we just have to wait for our Form1s to get here… however the bloody hell more that’s going to take!
I hear ya! Was super surprised when I got the shipping notice for mine last week. If you guys want to get a jump on production, let me know - be glad to pump those guys out for you while you wait.
No, that would involve you signing a whole lot of paperwork. But thank you for the offer. However, when did you pre-order your printer? Just so we can gauge a rough time estimate as to our own delivery date.
I’m not scared of paperwork - I’m the NDA/Non-Compete king! 
Seriously though, I have an LLC setup and can make that work if you want to go that route.
I was a Kickstarter backer, in the March delivery tier.
Would love to see some pictures of this and know how it turned out.
Hi Michael
Picking up from our conversation last night, here are some prints I made at 35mm. I didn’t do as much post processing as I should have but it gives you an idea.
