No words

Launching Celtic3d

I have been quite excited about the possibilities of 3d printing combined with my existing modelling work in Blender.  It would be possible to set up a virtual factory where items could be offered for sale and be printed on-demand.  At work I have been investigating cloud computing and how to deploy robust, scalable systems at low cost.  It seemed time to bring all these things together.


The idea:  Create a "virtual factory" where people could browse an online shop, purchase items that would result in an order being sent to a 3d printing bureau and the finished item sent direct to the customer.

The basic steps involved:

1. Set up an e-commerce site to present products and take orders. (this is my day-job so no excuses for not getting this bit right).
• register a domain.
• select a host.
• connect with payment services.
• research and put in place regulatory (privacy) controls and T&Cs for the site.
• connect to an e-mail service for customer notifications
• sort out storage and backup, spam filtering etc.. 
2. Target a market
3. Produce some 3d designs to test that market
4. Select and sign-up with on-line 3d printing bureaus
5. Order some test prints to test quality and provide additional product photos for the site.
6. Open the shop

So I did.   Take a look at celtic3d.com and let me know what you think?

 

 

Making things in the real world

Some further experiments with creating objects in Blender for 3D Printing.

I am quickly coming to realise that it is as realistic to give someone a sewing machine and expect them to be able to churn out frocks by the armful in the first week, as it is to expect the equivalent with a 3D Printer.  There is quite a learning curve.

There are lots of sites like Thingiverse  where you can download objects to print.  I upgraded my printer with a tool caddy (which I customised in Blender), a handy cable clip, and a better bracket for the filament tubes.

Downloaded objects are ideal to get the basic operation of the printer worked out,  but I am looking to combine all those hours learning Blender and put my modelling skills to some use.

It is very satisfying to take an idea from a blank screen and  take it all the way from concept, design, modelling, slicing and print, to end up with a physical result in your hand.

Some early experiments.

Blender has an excellent add-in to create gears which comes bundled with the basic install but you need to enable the "Extra Objects" add-in via User Preferences.   When you add a gear, you can specify radius, number of teeth, pressure angles, skew and so on.  All that is needed is to fill in the centre to make the mesh manifold (fully enclosed) and figure out how you will connect them to some sort of frame or shaft.

Taking some inspiration from snap together kids toys, I found it very easy to make a split-pin with a small lip that the gears could snap onto.  Not very strong,  but very effective if there are is no strain or shear to worry about.

Taking an old model I created - cyber-Cameron,  I had to do a bit of work to join the separate parts of the model into one block and to make sure the result was manifold.  I found the boolean modifier in Blender ideal for this,  creating a union from the separate parts.

The original cyber-Cameron

Printed in PLA material

Post processed (painted)

Blender also has a useful 3D Print Toolbox (which comes by default but needs to be enabled via User Preferences).  In a complex or messy mesh, the 3D Toolbox is really handy to diagnose and zoom in on a range of issues that could impact the print process. Thin walls, non-flat polygons, intersecting faces and so-on.   It also includes an exporter that exports in .OBJ or .STL formats ready to import into whatever software you are using for slicing.

Slicing is the process of translating your model into the precise movements and settings your printer uses to create your print.   I am using Simplify 3D and so far am very impressed with it.

I have found it tricky to make sure precise dimensions are preserved when using .STL files.  Apparently, there is no scale information in the .STL format.  So you have to be very careful that your software is not trying to be too helpful and make some assumptions for you about the units you are using.   I found that 1 Blender Unit = 1 mm works.  I would prefer to switch to metric units inside Blender and have everything work, but inside Blender 1 Blender Unit = 1 meter at a scale of 1:1.    It is not hard to divide and multiply by 1,000,  but this can be quite confusing.

Modeled from a reference photo in Blender

As an exercise in modelling specifically to print,  I chose a Gordon Highlander cap badge.   Some bad habits had to be unlearned to deal with intersecting faces and hidden holes that I would normally not bother cleaning up.  I also had to think about how the object would be printed and there was a flat backplane to provide support during the print process.

Again I used the boolean modifier to create a single manifold mesh, combining all the seperate parts that were used diring the modelling process.  I wanted a model approximately 2x larger than a normal cap badge,  (perhaps I will mount it and put it on my wall), so I was not worried about accurate scale for this model, just that it matched the reference photo.

The model imported into Simplify3D for Slicing

In the slicer,  I had quite a few failed attempts before I got the right balance between adequate support, adequate adhesion to the print bed and print settings.  I managed to jam a nozzle and spent ages leveling my print bed.  There were a couple of issues with thin walls and areas difficult to support that I had to go back into Blender to fix.  Perhaps one day 3D printing will be like printing a page, but that day seems a way off just yet.

Eventually, after a 4.5 hour print time, I ended up with a really nice object.  There are a couple of wee holes in the top layer, but a bit of modeling filler will patch that up.  Next time I will increase the number of top layers during printing to fix.

The result

Why a Gordon Highlander badge?  I served in the TA during the '90s in 2/51 D Company Peterhead and later in Aberdeen.

I am not making the object file for the badge available.  For anyone who wants a Gordon Highlander badge, I would rather you take a look at the online shop for the Gordon Highlander Museum. Proceeds from their shop go to the upkeep of the Museum.  

Print!

Just passed my 50th Birthday, what a surprise I got from my family, a 3D printer! 

A Flashforge Creator Pro.

So, to work.

The test model in Blender is a wee monkey called Suzanne,  she seemed a good place to start learning how to use my new printer.

There are a couple of issues with the default model to fix.  The model has to be "manifold", and Suzanne's eyes are free floating and covering up holes in the mesh.  It is a simple task to fix that, creating some additional loops in the eyes and merging vertices to close up the holes.  Adding a couple of additional edge loops to retain sharp definition where the eyes join the rest of the mesh and adding a sub-surf modifier to smooth things out.

Checked the resulting mesh with the 3D Printing utilities in Blender and exported it as an .STL file.

Next, loading it into Simply 3D to calculate the slicing and supports needed for a 3D Print.

And then transfer it to the printer using the SD card the nice folks from Flashforge included in the bundle. 

Note:  Printing direct via commands streamed over USB does not work for me,  could be an issue with Simply 3D or with Windows 10.  

And then print it.

Voila.

Edinburgh Airport is getting busy these days

Our MPs returning from the front.  We counted 56 out, and counted 56 back.

Forth Bridge

Still work in-progress, but coming together.

This is the Forth Bridge, a cantilever bridge built for rail traffic in 1890.

The 1st draft gets the basic shape sorted out,  I need to go back and add grunge and textures.

2d draft -  worked on the textures and a better water surface.   I managed to figure out a simple way of adding some mist to the background - I added a very large cube with a volumetric scattering material in the background rather than fiddling with the unintended near-field effects of applying mist to the whole scene.

  

Clouds - part 2

So,  creating a cloud-scape was fun.  But I need some cloud graphics for a presentation at work.

1st some abstract shapes in PhotoShop.  Nothing too difficult here.  I like the way it looks a bit like a rubber duck.

 And then taking the same abstract shape into Blender and doing some modelling and a bit of UV mapping.

Clouds

I've been falling behind my goal of creating something worth posting at least once per month.  Making up for it with this scene of a cloudscape.  All created in Blender,  with a couple of minor issues sorted out in Photoshop.

1st attempt

Having slept on the 1st attempt,  I went back to tweaking and have an updated version below...

...and a cartoon cloud to add to PowerPoint slides at work.

Salvation Army Citadel, Aberdeen

The Salvation Army Citadel, an iconic building on Castlegate,  which can be seen the length of Union Steet in Aberdeen.

I have been wanting to model this building for a while. Apparently, the building it'self is based on the design for Balmoral Castle.  It certainly makes an impression.

There are a lot of iconic buildings in Aberdeen,  what to choose for the next project?

A wireframe of the model.

A google streetview of the location

Something a bit different

Interactive 3D test <&br>