The costs of the material (usually PLA) would not be so high. For a single 20cm tall figurine with a base and a few props, that would be about 100 to 200 grams of material, which costs around 30€/kg (or half of that if you buy from cheaper brands). So the material costs would probably be around 5€/$5.
The issue might be the printing time if you don't own a 3D printer as a hobby and if you have to pay for the time you use the printer. With a high level of detail (layer height < 0.10 mm), a 20cm tall figurine would consist of more than 2000 layers and would probably take more than 24 hours to print, depending on the complexity of the pose, the amount of supports, etc. Using variable layer height could cut that time in half but it would still be significant.
That would be the biggest hurdle for me. I am rather good at optimizing 3D prints, but I am terrible at painting. It is not that hard in theory but it takes a lot of time, good eyes and a steady hand if you want to paint fine details with the tip of a brush. If you want to do it well, then you have to:
start by lightly sanding your model with a fine-grit sandpaper to get a smooth surface,
spray it with some primer,
apply a first layer of white or black undercoat to the areas that you will paint in the lightest or darkest colors,
paint over that with the desired colors, preferably in multiple thin layers, letting the paint dry every time,
and finally apply a clear coat (matte or glossy) so that your painted model lasts for a long time.
That could take between a few hours and a few days, depending on the level of detail that you are aiming for. It is a labor of love, unlikely to be affordable if you intend to sell the result.
It is not that hard once you get used to it. Some hints:
Free floating hair is bad, but hair that is close to the body or tied in a bun works well. Even a ponytail can work well, with a small amount of supports in its lowest part.
Same for the clothes: skin-tight clothes work best. Bikinis, hotpants, leggings, t-shirts, tank tops, jeans are all fine. Avoid shirt collars, loose sleeves, shirts or jackets with open sides, etc. Skirts and miniskirts can be challenging but are doable if you only need supports for the lowest part and if the folds are not too complex.
The pose requires a bit of thinking. In general, any body part that is connected to the ground and mostly vertical from there will work fine. If someone is standing, then the legs, waist and torso will be easy to print. The arms require a bit more thinking but you can reduce or even eliminate the need for supports if you avoid having too many horizontal areas. Any angle above 45 degrees usually works fine without supports. Below the spoiler, I have tried to illustrate that with four poses for the arm in which I highlighted in red the areas that would need some supports.
It is relatively easy to pose a model for 3D printing, as long as you keep in mind that a filament printer is printing layer by layer from the bottom up and that you should try to minimize the areas that do not have anything under them.
And even if you do not optimize the pose, this is not a big problem anyway: some additional supports will usually solve the problem. This will waste a bit more material and you will need to spend a bit more time cleaning up your figurine later, but adding supports can be better than being forced to use some awkward poses.
I agree. Except for very simple models using only a few colors, it would be very difficult to turn a profit. I doubt that many players would be ready to spend several hundred euros or dollars to buy a 3D printed figurine that required several days of work. The cost of the raw material would only be a small fraction of the total. Most of the costs would come for the time spent printing, removing supports and cleaning up, sanding, painting, coating, etc.
That being said, even if I suck at painting, I would be curious to try 3D printing one of the girls from My Dorm if a suitable 3D model (.obj or .stl or .blend) was available. The Daz license allows 3D printing for free if it is for personal, non-commercial use.
Don't forget the expedition risks and costs, when shipping to other countries there is a non-indifferent probability to lose the pack or damage the action figure (a good packing is essential for reduce this) and insured shipment has a considerable cost, especially with some currency exchanges and distances.
I had once a small business with some friends for these products, we bought a 3D printer and sold our finished printed objects in all world. I was in charge for the painting, it was hard and required a lot of time and patience (but for me it was fun) and with the use of good dyes and primers we have never had any complaints for my part. But how tiring was the personalized 3D modeling part, the shipments and the many inconveniences that followed...
It was mostly a joke, but as they said, it can be done. Just it's not easy if you don't have a good supply chain, customer service and professional workes to assist you. Maybe one day it will happen, if we have the possibility to translate these games in the real world with fairs and physical stands (like comicon) where merchandising can be sold for avid fans who have made their way there...
The costs of the material (usually PLA) would not be so high. For a single 20cm tall figurine with a base and a few props, that would be about 100 to 200 grams of material, which costs around 30€/kg (or half of that if you buy from cheaper brands). So the material costs would probably be around 5€/$5.
The issue might be the printing time if you don't own a 3D printer as a hobby and if you have to pay for the time you use the printer. With a high level of detail (layer height < 0.10 mm), a 20cm tall figurine would consist of more than 2000 layers and would probably take more than 24 hours to print, depending on the complexity of the pose, the amount of supports, etc. Using variable layer height could cut that time in half but it would still be significant.
That would be the biggest hurdle for me. I am rather good at optimizing 3D prints, but I am terrible at painting. It is not that hard in theory but it takes a lot of time, good eyes and a steady hand if you want to paint fine details with the tip of a brush. If you want to do it well, then you have to:
start by lightly sanding your model with a fine-grit sandpaper to get a smooth surface,
spray it with some primer,
apply a first layer of white or black undercoat to the areas that you will paint in the lightest or darkest colors,
paint over that with the desired colors, preferably in multiple thin layers, letting the paint dry every time,
and finally apply a clear coat (matte or glossy) so that your painted model lasts for a long time.
That could take between a few hours and a few days, depending on the level of detail that you are aiming for. It is a labor of love, unlikely to be affordable if you intend to sell the result.
It is not that hard once you get used to it. Some hints:
Free floating hair is bad, but hair that is close to the body or tied in a bun works well. Even a ponytail can work well, with a small amount of supports in its lowest part.
Same for the clothes: skin-tight clothes work best. Bikinis, hotpants, leggings, t-shirts, tank tops, jeans are all fine. Avoid shirt collars, loose sleeves, shirts or jackets with open sides, etc. Skirts and miniskirts can be challenging but are doable if you only need supports for the lowest part and if the folds are not too complex.
The pose requires a bit of thinking. In general, any body part that is connected to the ground and mostly vertical from there will work fine. If someone is standing, then the legs, waist and torso will be easy to print. The arms require a bit more thinking but you can reduce or even eliminate the need for supports if you avoid having too many horizontal areas. Any angle above 45 degrees usually works fine without supports. Below the spoiler, I have tried to illustrate that with four poses for the arm in which I highlighted in red the areas that would need some supports.
It is relatively easy to pose a model for 3D printing, as long as you keep in mind that a filament printer is printing layer by layer from the bottom up and that you should try to minimize the areas that do not have anything under them.
And even if you do not optimize the pose, this is not a big problem anyway: some additional supports will usually solve the problem. This will waste a bit more material and you will need to spend a bit more time cleaning up your figurine later, but adding supports can be better than being forced to use some awkward poses.
EDIT: here is an example of a pose that would not need any supports, except maybe around the head.
I agree. Except for very simple models using only a few colors, it would be very difficult to turn a profit. I doubt that many players would be ready to spend several hundred euros or dollars to buy a 3D printed figurine that required several days of work. The cost of the raw material would only be a small fraction of the total. Most of the costs would come for the time spent printing, removing supports and cleaning up, sanding, painting, coating, etc.
That being said, even if I suck at painting, I would be curious to try 3D printing one of the girls from My Dorm if a suitable 3D model (.obj or .stl or .blend) was available. The Daz license allows 3D printing for free if it is for personal, non-commercial use.
Thanks for the insights into a world I mostly know nothing about!
The only thing I ever 3d printed was a pizza. Edible pizza. It was at an alimentary fair my company collaborated. It was edible. It tasted "good". It didn't taste like pizza.
Once that said, I'm also curious about how a 3D-printed figure would look, so I made a fast export to OBJ of Erika (I was working on her for the next update).
I don't know if it will work for you, but here you have the file
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I guess the pose isn't the best one, her right elbow and her chin will need support, for example.
Don't forget the expedition risks and costs, when shipping to other countries there is a non-indifferent probability to lose the pack or damage the action figure (a good packing is essential for reduce this) and insured shipment has a considerable cost, especially with some currency exchanges and distances.
I had once a small business with some friends for these products, we bought a 3D printer and sold our finished printed objects in all world. I was in charge for the painting, it was hard and required a lot of time and patience (but for me it was fun) and with the use of good dyes and primers we have never had any complaints for my part. But how tiring was the personalized 3D modeling part, the shipments and the many inconveniences that followed...
It was mostly a joke, but as they said, it can be done. Just it's not easy if you don't have a good supply chain, customer service and professional workes to assist you. Maybe one day it will happen, if we have the possibility to translate these games in the real world with fairs and physical stands (like comicon) where merchandising can be sold for avid fans who have made their way there...
The only thing you can do without great work and time is to offer STL files. The customer decides what size he would like to have, he orders (organizes) printing himself, paints himself as he likes (or how he is able). And you already have a model of your favorite character.
I don't know if it will work for you, but here you have the file Mega
I guess the pose isn't the best one, her right elbow and her chin will need support, for example.
Pose is not bad. Suitable for printing in a position lying on the back. I don't know what the real size of the character is. Will he enter the printing field.
Could you do Scarlett in such a pose?
I would like her to sit on the shelf at the computer.
Once that said, I'm also curious about how a 3D-printed figure would look, so I made a fast export to OBJ of Erika (I was working on her for the next update).
Thanks! It looks like Daz exports a rather messy mesh. It took a surprisingly long time for the algorithm to automatically repair the 68k invalid triangles, but eventually I got a model that was ready for slicing (18 cm tall). I expect that the hair will fail because it is made of thin strands that cannot be supported in a good way, but I am curious to see how bad it will be. I just hope that the hair will not mess up the whole head and cause a print failure.
With Erika lying down, most of her body does not touch the print bed so the model needs supports almost everywhere: back, legs, arms, etc. The estimated print time is 6 hours 13 minutes with a variable layer height around 0.15 mm.
With Erika standing up, the supports are only needed around a few places: feet, elbow, and a few other places. This requires less supports, but they are much taller. So the print takes one hour longer.
In both cases the amount of material needed is only 40 grams. I am printing it now with some relatively cheap AmazonBasics red PLA filament (15-20 €/kg) because that's what I had loaded in the printer. Even after taking into account the electricity costs and after amortizing the costs of the printer, that's still only around 2 €. I am considering trying to print the model in both positions: standing up and lying down. It depends on how bad the hair will be. Anyway, I will let you know the results and maybe post a photo or two (probably tomorrow, don't hold your breath).
Thanks! It looks like Daz exports a rather messy mesh. It took a surprisingly long time for the algorithm to automatically repair the 68k invalid triangles, but eventually I got a model that was ready for slicing (18 cm tall). I expect that the hair will fail because it is made of thin strands that cannot be supported in a good way, but I am curious to see how bad it will be. I just hope that the hair will not mess up the whole head and cause a print failure.
With Erika lying down, most of her body does not touch the print bed so the model needs supports almost everywhere: back, legs, arms, etc. The estimated print time is 6 hours 13 minutes with a variable layer height around 0.15 mm.
With Erika standing up, the supports are only needed around a few places: feet, elbow, and a few other places. This requires less supports, but they are much taller. So the print takes one hour longer.
In both cases the amount of material needed is only 40 grams. I am printing it now with some relatively cheap AmazonBasics red PLA filament (15-20 €/kg) because that's what I had loaded in the printer. Even after taking into account the electricity costs and after amortizing the costs of the printer, that's still only around 2 €. I am considering trying to print the model in both positions: standing up and lying down. It depends on how bad the hair will be. Anyway, I will let you know the results and maybe post a photo or two (probably tomorrow, don't hold your breath).
Pose is not bad. Suitable for printing in a position lying on the back. I don't know what the real size of the character is. Will he enter the printing field.
Could you do Scarlett in such a pose? View attachment 4553710
I would like her to sit on the shelf at the computer.
Last one for today or I will need to start selling them
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Scarlett's current hairstyle, being strand-based, didn't export well (or at all). I can't see it in my Obj viewer (Scarlett.obj).
I applied the original hairstyle (I think it's better for 3D printing than the second one with the bangs) and re-exported (Scarlett2.obj).
Can you try them?
Special Render (L) - Alexia - Free Version
Continuing the Valentine's theme, some people like a jacuzzi full of flowers. With that Jacuzzi, neither flowers, champagne, nor even water are necessary.
Alexia is the only gift I need for Valentine's Day. She is more intoxicating than champagne, refreshing than water, and beautiful than flowers.
Enjoy the Full HD render (4K for subscribers).
Special Render (L) - Alexia - Free Version
Continuing the Valentine's theme, some people like a jacuzzi full of flowers. With that Jacuzzi, neither flowers, champagne, nor even water are necessary.
Alexia is the only gift I need for Valentine's Day. She is more intoxicating than champagne, refreshing than water, and beautiful than flowers.
Enjoy the Full HD render (4K for subscribers). View attachment 4555106
You know I use Roman Numerals to number the Special Renders, right?
Alexia is L (and not only for the size of the Yeti, she would be the #40, then)
I've been waiting for #51 for a very special render. Only one lady can be numbered LI.
Clearly you never heard of our Portuguese Bocage. With a large part of his Poetry being explicitly sexual and iconoclastic. No clue if there is any translation of his work. A translation is available on Project Gutenberg.
You know I use Roman Numerals to number the Special Renders, right?
Alexia is L (and not only for the size of the Yeti, she would be the #40, then)
I've been waiting for #51 for a very special render. Only one lady can be numbered LI.
Clearly you never heard of our Portuguese Bocage. With a large part of his Poetry being explicitly sexual and iconoclastic. No clue if there is any translation of his work. A translation is available on Project Gutenberg.
Never heard of him indeed, but it's an interesting page to read. Would totally search more for.... science, of course, what else? We are distinguished gentleman here. Right?
Never heard of him indeed, but it's an interesting page to read. Would totally search more for.... science, of course, what else? We are distinguished gentleman here. Right?
I found it an interesting read. I read all his work when I was 15 or 16, the voracity with which I changed pages was... interesting... He was a bit of Romantic Hero, in the sense that in spite of all his natural talents, he failed miserably in almost anything he tried. Some analysts tend to diagnose him with ADHD. To me, it makes perfect sense. If only they had penicillin then...
You know I use Roman Numerals to number the Special Renders, right?
Alexia is L (and not only for the size of the Yeti, she would be the #40, then)
I've been waiting for #51 for a very special render. Only one lady can be numbered LI.
um, Trope L is 50. XL is 40.
L = 50
LX = 50 + 10 = 60 (10 after50)
XL = 50 -10 = 40 (10 before 50)
Roman Numerals by 10s:
X, XX, XXX, XL, L, LX, LXX, LXXX, XC, C
(One of the rules of Roman Numerals is you can't repeat a symbol more than 3 times.
So while ther may only be one LI there is also one XLI (Extra Love/Extra Large Interest)
um, Trope L is 50. XL is 40.
L = 50
LX = 50 + 10 = 60
XL = 50 -10 = 40
Roman Numerals by 10s:
X, XX, XXX, XL, L, LX, LXX, LXXX, XC, C
(One of the rules of Roman Numerals is you can't repeat a symbol more than 3 times.
So while ther may only be one LI there is also one XLI (Extra Love/Extra Large Interest)
um, Trope L is 50. XL is 40.
L = 50
LX = 50 + 10 = 60
XL = 50 -10 = 40
Roman Numerals by 10s:
X, XX, XXX, XL, L, LX, LXX, LXXX, XC, C
(One of the rules of Roman Numerals is you can't repeat a symbol more than 3 times.
I know. I was joking that if I should reference the Yeti, I would make Alexia #40 (XL) and not #50 (L), joking about the sizes of outfits.
That render is #50 in the Special Series, so it's L
The next render (#51) will be a very special LI (51, but also Love Interest)
