Question ..

For tiny 6mm models which Shapeways material is preferable ?? And as I imagine this might be an expensive option which cheaper substitute makes for a perfectly adequate tabletop figure ??

Thanks in advance for replies (if any are forthcoming ) ..

FUD is the best that Shapeways has to offer but that still leaves print lines on the model.
Knowing you, even FUD would be the very minimum you would accept in quality.

_________________
http://angelbarracks.co.uk/

E&C and I use Fine Ultra Detail; not had many problems with it.

_________________
http://www.troublemakergames.co.uk/
Epic: Hive Development Thread

Ah yes, I should amend mine so that my FUD is Frosted Ultra Detail, not Fine Ultra Detail.

Fine better then is it?
Not seen any of that.

_________________
http://angelbarracks.co.uk/

I was wondering if anyone could give me some info on a couple of Shapeways related questions:

A) Can anyone give me an idea about how suitable the Frost Ultra Detail is for actual 6mm scale game pieces? I.e. Is it more or less resilient than resin? Is it more or less resilient than standard GW plastic?

B) Can anyone give me an idea about how suitable the Fine Detail White Plastic is for 6mm scale game pieces? Is the level of detail sufficient? Are they more rugged than FUD? Is it more or less resilient than standard GW plastic?

C) And finally, in the time since FUD was introduced, has there been any better material (w.r.t. detail and durability) made available by any other consumer 3D printing service?

I have some small Stargates made from Shapeways in FUD, I base painted them black though ... but to answer most of your questions ... Shapeways FUD material is getting better in terms of both
paint-ability and resolution. Printed some
pieces with it and gave them a quick prime-and wash, looked good.

In fact, that's a new hobby angle - to make 6mm fun stuff optimized
to take advantage of 3D printing without having to worry about mass
production.

_________________
Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

The thing to remember about shapeways is that is set up for people to sell their designs, it is not set up as a place for companies to get high quality printed models.

_________________
http://angelbarracks.co.uk/

There's some pictures in this thread of the design and then the printed article (unpainted)

viewtopic.php?f=126&t=22880&start=15

In my experience FUD is pretty strong, and the level of detail is pretty good. But as with most printed objects you'll have strata running through the model at an angle which will be quite visible on flat surfaces at right angles to the plane in which the model was printed. If I did it again I'd re-orientate my model to minimise this.

_________________
You see a mousetrap, I see free cheese and a f*cking challenge

One thing I worry about is drooping or warping of thin parts like gun barrels and assorted fins. I know the blue resin from print-a-part had that problem, but the few things I have in FUD don't seem too.

Anyone had any problems of that sort with FUD?


Edit:
Someone on warseer mentioned an outfit called moddler.com, which supposedly has consumer printing at an even finer resolution than shapeways - does anyone here have any experience with them? If so, what is the quality of the material they use?

It is as good as FUD on a good day.
Shapeways seem to be inconsistent with FUD.

Moddler printed the HexHabs - Hex2Go containers that I have just released.
I needed to sand away the print lines, though it was not that difficult to do so.

I will e-mail you a decent pic if you want?

_________________
http://angelbarracks.co.uk/

We've already started our own small Shapeways store, it's a good way for people to preorder.

_________________
Tom Webb
Author Page: http://www.newtonwebb.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thewebb
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thenewtonwebb
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thenewtonwebb

Wow !!! Good to know !

_________________
Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

I've been debating setting up a shapeways store myself. If FUD has the potential to be as good as what modeler.com claims to offer, then I might as well go the route that is easiest for everyone.

Anybody have any thoughts on whether it is a good idea for me to set up my own shapeways store?

FUD is high detail, but pretty fragile. I certainly wouldn't recommend gaming with models printed in it.

_________________
http://www.troublemakergames.co.uk/
Epic: Hive Development Thread