Long time without posting some new prints, but I run out of resin and I had, again, issues with the french customs. FormLabs should definitely add an USPS option for resin and resin tanks.
Then here are two "large prints, 120mm for the Venus and 135mm for the creature guy, printed in 50 microns. Both of them had their own custom supports, made with ZBrush. On complex mesh with details, I’m trying, as soon as it’s big models, to build my own supports. It’s a little bit time consuming to produce, but you can save so much resin and also printing time) when doing this way…
But it also lead to failed prints because you underestimated some important things like the peeling which applied a lot of force on the print and which can break some parts. Anyway, check the Preform screencapture on a model, with automatic support and custom support… and check the amount of resin needed to print the model. At the price of the resin, spending an hour worth it…
The little duck and chickens are for a board game I’m currently creating. They have been printed in 25 microns.
Some of my models should be visible at the 3D Printer World Expo at the Pixologic booth. I’ll also do a presentation there, where I’ll explain how to prepare your models with ZBrush.
Another result of custom supports. It’s not visible, but it’s a failed print (the strange stuff on the head partially broken because I underestimated the force of the peeling process.
Also a screenshot of the small chickens. The base diameter is 20mm.
You’ve supplied some really good pictures and feedback. I may have missed this (i didnt read all your comments) but the picture you put on jan 19 where you have “the guy” with what looks like supports you put in yourself and the computer put, how did you develop your own supports?
Do you have a different system that generates this?
Hey Thomas, Great prints! (And models Question - on the screenshot you posted on the ‘creature guy’ I noticed you have him oriented head down, with the flat surface being the last thing printed. I would have thought you would have wanted him he other way around because you would need less supports and lose less detail on the face and head areas. Is there any special reason you chose this orientation to place your supports? Perhaps something to do with the peeling process and how it applies the force? It would be great to find out. Thanks in advance!
@David Abeskaron: It’s 100% manual support. I did these supports with the ZBrush ZSphere function. But I need to work also with Preform because ZBrush doesn’t have a slicer or a tool to show the location of the overhang. Then I define first the most interesting position to minimize the overhang, but also where I prefer putting support which wouldn’t kill the details and then in ZBrush, I create my supports.
These supports are from two type: the ones which are needed to make the print “growing” (typically where you have overhang, or where the print need to start) and supports which are dedicated to give some strength to the whole print while printing (because of the peeling process). Then I need to have small supports for “growing” and larger support for the “resistance” of the print.
@Isaac Katz: this position minimized the overhang areas, especially on the front part of the model, where I would like to avoid sanding some parts. Also, I have some small sculpting details in the ears, then printing in the over side would have mean supports in them.
Another reason is also to reduce the suction effect because I hollowed the model.
I took some clean photos today, but I need to finish first some 3d models before taking care of them.
Here are some photos of the last prints in better quality:
The ducks and chickens for the board game. The cows are in the printer and I hope finishing the pigs tonight. Then tomorrow the board and having enough time to paint all of that this week end.
The Venus, in fact an old model I did. based on a Venus head found in france. It’s a project I worked with a museum to reconstruct the face and for a show on national french tv. More about the project here: http://pixologic.com/interview/artist-in-action/venus-zbrush/1/
The big ears creature which is a personal project. Custom supports and hollowed model. Few ml of resin in fact for 135mm!
The Alistaile figure, with her legs. It’s a 320mm figure, printed in 25 microns
some photos of the chocolates. The ZChocolate has been a success, the fish too except I underestimated the thickness of the tail which broke. The Mo aï head totally broke when unmolding it.
Some sanding is still required, but I’m really happy to produce all of these models even if sometimes some surprises can happen
It’s been a while that I didn’t posted, mainly because of the lack of time and some, well, space issues at home, where my printer is located… A lot of frustration
A current work in progress, in fact, a deviation from another project: “Nya-Nya”
The hairs and cat-ears have been sculpted really quickly then it has been printed also quickly at the lowest resolution. It lacks some sanding, but I wanted to visualize the shape before moving forward…
I have to admit that the Form1+ is far more faster than the Form1… but it is also far more noisy than before ;p
I’m starting a side project of Japanese figurine which should be really interesting, and I hope… big!
Nice to see you here Thomas! Still running polyloop?
I see your getting some really nice prints from Z-brush, I had moved most of my work from Amapi to MOI, doing more mechanical stuff than sculptures.
You should check out making some silicone molds of your work and doing some cold castings of them. The process is pretty easy and results are really nice.
Yeah, it’s nice to have some news from you, it’s been a while! I’m still running Polyloop, but to be honest, it’s dying. I don’t really have the time to manage it and since the end of Eovia, well, the forum lost of its personnality.
MoI is a fantastic software and I think you did the good choice. And for me, well, you saw that, it’s ZBrush
For the silicon mold, yeah, I know, I need to look at that, but right now, I’m lacking some rooms to do that, even small ones. But I’ll definitly doing it!
I guess you are a Form1 owner? I need to check what you posted!
You always did outstanding sculptures figured you might migrate to Zbrush, Got my Form1 middle of last month, still learning a bunch here. I do use 3d Coat but tricky to do anything precise in it so I have been roughing out models in that, doing some retopo and converting the retopo to nurbs for MOI. Anything such as simple text extrusions I do straight in MOI.
Here is a quick shot of some stuff, the brass piece is cold cast but was printed before I got my Form1. Wish I had the Form1 when I had that job, surface would have been smoother and you wouldn’t see any build lines. That particular model was printed at 16 micron and printed flat and still had fine lines that showed in the mold.
Cold casting doesn’t take a whole lot of space and the resins have almost no odor.
It seems that I forgot to post some of my work here. Then I’ll try to fix that in these following days.
By the way, I’ve been lucky to have for reviewing a Form2, then I can do some comparison between my Form1+ and the Form2. So far, I love so much the Form2. The printing quality is way above the Form1+ when it comes to smooth surfaces and details accuracy. Since I’m in ZBrush models, I’m really looking at small details.
Also, no failed prints so far, I think the whiper (wiper?) system is a great addition in case of small support errors which can be clean in between two layers. Note: Preform need to be improved on that… I’m always checking layer by layers before starting a print and I always fixing a bunch of support errors. But when you know it, it can be easily fixed.
I’m testing as well the new gray resin V3. It’s just beautiful. The mat aspect gives a lot to the final result and it improves the quality of the details and surface aspect. The downside is that you need to clean in the IPA separately your models or the chock between them during the IPA shaking process will be visible. Not a big deal at all. Then for me, it will be my number 1 resin now
Some images:
I’m currently working on creating from scratch an Imperial Star Destroyer, the Avenger from StarWars episode V, at the 1/1600 scale (then 100cm long). It will be a long work for me, but I really want to do it. Then I started to print some parts, like the Shield generators and the Turbolasers as well as other parts like main engine. What I love is that I’ll be able to avoid tons of sanding with the Gray V3 resin, even at 50 microns.
I am also reprinting a figurine I made for a tradeshow. The original has been partially broken and I had only few days to build and print it, then most parts have been printed in 100 microns for speed sake.
Then I reworked a bit the model and enhanced some details and the Form2 is currently printing it at 25 microns.
Here is the 3D model. This is the original version, not the reworked version. I only edited the small details to increase their contrast. Then no major changes.
Question - on the screenshot you posted on the ‘creature guy’ I noticed you have him oriented head down, with the flat surface being the last thing printed. I would have thought you would have wanted him he other way around because you would need less supports and lose less detail on the face and head areas. Is there any special reason you chose this orientation to place your supports? Perhaps something to do with the peeling process and how it applies the force? It would be great to find out. Thanks in advance!
A lot of frustration 
