3D-print at low costs again - Mallory, how to realize it

LOL! The live chat with TurboSquid customer service is really strange in my Firefox browser:

I started a chat. A guy from customer service answered but I couldn't send any response:

Me: If I manipulate a bought 3d-model in a wide way (make it printable, split it into parts and use my own connection technology to offer a construction kit, am I allowed to offer such a construction kit for money?

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Wit:
Hello.
Me: Hi
Wit: That may not be possible since you are limited to 5 copies of an physical object created from the model file.
I can forward your question to our designated agent anyway to give you more detailed answer.
Do you have an account with us?

No way to answer ... I gave up.
And tbh I don't care that much any longer for that. To sell complete figures of the original model is clearly forbidden. But I made something different of it. A construction kit with my own knowledge and technology. It is by far no longer a copy of the original. Send me a PM if you want your own Tyrion on your desktop.

 

After the good experiances with that Tyrion Lannister figure I went back to the entire project: Mallory.
I decided to start from scratch again and call it "final prototype". I scaled Mallory down to 60% (~300 mm length instead of 500 mm) to decrease printing time. The reason was to learn more about if and how my new technology works and to test the tricky parts (head, hair, arms, pistol) wich I didn't try so far.
This is the result starting at Sunday evening and spending the complete Tuesday with the head:

Many parts! Printing Mallory's lower arse (13th part) right now.

I love my gum connectors so much!

 

Slowly a raw concept for my book appears:
Three models:

1. Mallory as a very special figure, designed on demand (costly)
   
2. Tyrion as a figure bought from a market place (low-cost)
3. functional Pitbull vehicle as an example for model makers (to bring game content to RL)

All examples are larger than the usual printing space of low-cost printers (200x200x180 mm).

 

Well, after years of absence "Poser 10" arrived today. My last official version was "Poser 4" way back in the past and an illegal "Poser 7". Both died with my old ThinkPad laptop during a red wine flooding years ago. Currently we are at "Poser 11" wich costs several hundred Euro. So I decided to buy the previous one for 80 Euro. The reason for this step was that I want to make my own figures. That means: I have to learn Poser and all the methods to make dynamic clothes and implement them into Poser. 853 pages of Poser's reference manual and tons of online advices wait ...
I'm afraid Mallory and Pitbull must wait a bit. Not to speak of a book!

 

Currently I use Rhino only. Oh and 3ds Max until November 2018. My purpose is making 3d models for printing. I tested DAZ - but it's a bit confusing in my eyes. I prefer simple solutions. And Poser isn't fun. It's a tool. I'll check it out. My modeler Eugene uses ZBrush. Nothing for me ... I better pay him for 10 hours of good work instead of spending 100 hours with doubtful success with ZBrush. As mentioned above: you should know what you want. And I add: you should know what you do.

 

Today I got Mallory complete for the very first time! All parts printed and connected with the famous gum snappers:

I dealt with head and hair during the last days but couldn't find a good solution. The idea was to print her hair from gum-PLA. But whatever I did, it looked shitty.

Finally I decided to combine head and hair and print it as two parts.
All parts are printed without suspension to avoid extensive finishs. Except her left arm.

The size of the figure is a bit to small. The appropriate size would be something around 400 mm length. But for now I'm happy with this 300 mm figure and will paint and assemble it. This all took too much time and effort. At the other hand I've learned a lot again. A good basis for other projects. But I need to do something completely different after this.

 

What I've learned this time:
1. Split parts wich have a structured underside AND upside:


2. Split angled parts to get more or less straight vertical single parts:
--->

3. If one part has filigree structures at its end, put atleast one other part at its side for the print wich is slightly higher. Else the heat of the nozzle would melt the small tips and you earn a deformed lump only:


4. Code the single parts for assembly. It'll facilitate the final works dramatically:




5. While skilling in 3d-technology limit yourself to smaller figures to decrease wasted time, material and effort because of failures:


6. Always adjust the printer accurate before you start with a new part:


7. Avoid giant parts to minimize the risk of mega desasters:


8. Finally: There is really no reason to pay more than $400 for a 3d-printer.

 

Good luck with your first steps in CAD!
And thank you for the praise of the figure. The cut in the face and all other cuts will vanish through assembly with stiff connectors and glue and after paint.

 

Today I printed tons of stiff connectors and the left arm again as two parts without suspension. This time following my own rule to split parts with downside and upside. Than I assembled the arms, the body and the head. The inclined holes for the connectors causes serious problems. I have to optimize this for future projects. Some cuts arn't closed and I use some filler to repair them. It's drying atm. Tomorrow I will sand the parts a bit and paint them with primer.

 

Painting takes some time because I have to wait until it's dry each time

 

Slowly ...

Another benefit from my flexible connectors: I can use one of them and an accident part of the big Mallory as mount for painting her little sister



While I was at the paint job I gave my old Mena Oris statue a paint with clear coat:

That was a good idea