Has anyone bought files from Do3D?

Good afternoon all! I had a look for the right place to post this but I couldn't find anywhere so I hope I am in the right place.

Has anyone bought files from Do3D and printed them out? I am looking at a few of their files at the moment and would like some feedback. While they are not cheap, the files that I am looking at are priced at $250.00usd (I am in Australia so it would be more at our current rate). I want to ensure that they are a good company to deal with and that the files print well for wearing.

If anyone has feedback can they please drop me a line either here in the thread or via PM if they don't want it made public.

Thanks everyone!

Maximus

bump. ive seen people print out their models with no issues but haven't bought anything personally. im curious how 'editable' the files are, as in changing size and slicing to fit smaller print beds. some artists lock their files and it becomes a hassle with locked parts. also I assume theres some sort of disclosure agreement hence the pricing. just kind of seems a little shady they have great stuff but are really hush hush on prices unless you contact them.

The prices are expensive, the reviews for them are scant though. $199 for the Agent Venom files seem like a lot, but worth it. I guess what I'd like to know can they be trusted to provide.

It depends who you deal with .... They must have group email and no one sticks with a customer (at least not in my case)
I had issues with some files two reply's where helpful and the third was a vailed threat where I was told they'd be looking for me on social media and forums (all answers to the same question)
A friend has just binned a DO3D Iron Man because it wouldn't work for him as a costume.
The updates promised where never on time
And be prepared to pay for your file then have to answer the vetting questions "after they have your money" (as I don't use social media this made my approval drag out)
As far as slicing and printing I had no real problems

The models are usually very high-quality, but I would take the time to track down someone who has already purchased the files you want and get their feedback first. I have worked with several of their files, and in some cases the parts needed a significant amount of work (editing) to make them truly printable and/or usable for armor. Depending on the model(s) you are looking at (the specific armor, helm,etc), I also might be able to put you in touch with someone who has already used them. It's possible that their models are better optimized for printing now, but the models I went over were not all realistically ready-to-print, and after waiting a month for repaired updates we just moved on.

Also to clarify, when I say that the files were not 'ready-to-print', I mean that the actual geometry had issues, including wall thickness problems, loose parts and floating meshes, etc... I expected the files to need scaling and cutting to fit a particular printer, and that's absolutely fine and to be expected... But the initial geometry problems were issues that the average 3d printer user would not be able to easily repair on their own.

I bought from them no problem. Very good quality and they respond timely.

I have just given up with my war machine files.
They needed so much work to make them printable.
I had parts floating in mid air, walls going through other parts. It's beyond my skills to fix them.
I did contact them and waited a couple of weeks for them to fix one arm part, when I got it back it was the same.

baronvondoom said:

I have just given up with my war machine files.
They needed so much work to make them printable.
I had parts floating in mid air, walls going through other parts. It's beyond my skills to fix them.
I did contact them and waited a couple of weeks for them to fix one arm part, when I got it back it was the same.

Click to expand...

Yep that was one of the first sets of files that was sent to me. I was just brought in to the project to scale and adjust the proportion of the armor to fit this guy's digital scan, but they just weren't usable. He then reached out to Do3D, they responded pretty quickly, were courteous, and said that they would get the files cleaned up in the next few weeks.. Unfortunately, that time dragged out longer and longer, and the guy on my end gave up. I went through essentially the same scenario with 3 separate sets of armor.

Bottom line, everything I saw needed to be reworked significantly; it felt to me like someone worked up really very well-done models for game/animation, and then did a not-so-great job of trying to make them 3d printable. Do3D had originally been selling some of these models just as they were (not printable), but then they realized they could make more money by converting them to 3d-printable and selling them that way too. Great idea really, it just wasn't executed very well from what I saw earlier this year. I told my customers (I do this kind of work for a living) that I thought Do3D's prices weren't bad if the files didn't have those issues, but on the other hand you shouldn't be paying $400 for a set of armor files that aren't as easily printable as advertised.

It's completely possible they've gotten all of their files in-line by now, and everything is squared away too. :thumbsup I would love to hear that, because the modeling itself looks like top-quality work and they offer some stuff that can be pretty hard to find in ANY kind of quality for 3d printing. So, anyways that's why I'd personally try to find someone who had already bought a particular file set before jumping in myself. Just my two cents from the experiences I had :cool

Yeah I don't trust them personally after I almost got burned. Saw my friend lose nearly $200 and deal with unfriendly customer service. Blehh

Just my two cents. So yeah, for the love of god track down someone who bought the thing before you.

Hello all,

We wanted to clarify a few things with the RPF members.
First, we apologize for the inconvenience if you encountered any issue with our 3D files, please contact info@do3d.com.
We will promise that we will get back to you in a timely manner.

@laellee, baronvondoom, and Billy the Hero, we have repaired all known issues with War Machines.
If you provide your proof of purchase via email, we will send you the up-to-date files.

Some of known issues with our older models (made years ago) have been fixed and repaired already.
Therefore, these problems are not happening with our latest releases & current models.

Please note that we only support our end users who can provide a proof of purchase. If you are a hired printing service provider/agent by the end users, be sure to copy the end user in the email so we can pull the order info quickly.

I bought a star wars first order prop from them. The files are good and they usually answer emails pretty fast. You do have to separate and cut most pieces yourself (for example on that prop the main barrel is a huge one piece thing), but you can do that quickly on meshmixer.

The model itself is not very screen accurate, for example the handle is very "boxy" and not rounded like it should be. I'd say the price isnt bad, because I know the hard work it goes into 3D modeling, but at the same time you can find cheaper better quality models on cgtrader and other sites like that (for props I mean, they dont have full 3d costumes)

All and all, I'd say try to find someone who has bought and used the file, dont buy files you didnt see pictures of them printed, and dont buy them if you dont know how to cut and prep for 3d printing. Other than that, they are fine.

Here is a picture of the prop (not finished painting it yet)

johnojodo said:

And be prepared to pay for your file then have to answer the vetting questions "after they have your money" (as I don't use social media this made my approval drag out) As far as slicing and printing I had no real problems

Click to expand...

This alone is a deal breaker, and should be for most people.

This isn't the first time that I have heard about having to go through a vetting process before they give you something you paid for. This should be transparent and agreed to up front before you give them your money. Of course it is their choice how they conduct business, but a policy like that would make me look elsewhere.

There are a lot of quality 3D Modelers out there. Talented hobbyists and professionals alike, you shouldn't have trouble finding someone you can work with that will give you exactly what you want.

We want to make sure that buyers are absolutely aware of the fact that we only provide 3D printable models (digital download). Therefore, NO printed/physical props will be shipped from us. We usually deliver the download links within a few minutes if it is purchased within our working hours 9 am - Midnight U.S. time but if not you will get the files the next day.

Yes, there are many other 3D artists out there who can help you. We are very happy that there are more choices so please feel free to work with them and we wish you the best with all projects you are working on.

However, if the opportunity is given to us, we wanted to let you know that we will always do our best at improving our quality and services. Thank you.

FirstAvenger said:

This alone is a deal breaker, and should be for most people.

This isn't the first time that I have heard about having to go through a vetting process before they give you something you paid for. This should be transparent and agreed to up front before you give them your money. Of course it is their choice how they conduct business, but a policy like that would make me look elsewhere.

There are a lot of quality 3D Modelers out there. Talented hobbyists and professionals alike, you shouldn't have trouble finding someone you can work with that will give you exactly what you want.

Click to expand...

If anyone is thinking of purchasing a model from Do3D, they should be aware of what they can expect. If they already have made the model and it is available on their site, it is reasonable to assume that it will print out as described above. Meaning this: If it is already on the shelf, there is only a limited risk by purchasing it and having it work for you.

That said, I would like to report that I did NOT purchase an item off the shelf, and instead contacted Do3D to create a model from scratch.
I received a quick response to my inquiry with little useful information, if any. I asked a question, and received a question in return. This was a red flag, but not a deal killer.

Upon the assurances of other users, I felt it was worth the risk to inquire about a custom model of a Terminator Endoskeleton. I was immediately sent a Paypal link and a Price, with the a quote of 20 days to complete.

Reader's Digest version:


I paypal'd the money and waited. 20 days went by and NO word from Do3D. OK, I waited until the end of the month to ask for an update. I received a quick response saying that it was a complicated model, and to please give them an additional 30 days.

I never expected a complete model in 20 days, so a delay was not unexpected. 30 additional days is not unreasonable, so I waited. That 30 days passed last week, and I didn't hear from them. I waited until Friday to write and request an update. I don't think it is unreasonable to get an update on progress once the due date has come and gone. I got NO response. Up until now, their response had been within an hour.

I emailed them again this morning asking again for an update. I would like to hear anything in regards to progress, or even the slightest effort. I got a response within an hour, saying "We are checking on the status. We will get back to you as soon as possible."

At this point, my review of their service is: I will provide a review when I see their service. at this point I can only comment of their communication skills, and they get an A- for promptness, and a D- for content. The responses that I have received, I had to request, and they provided NO actual information that would imply any level of trust or competency.


I know nothing of this business other than there is a webpage. I have no knowledge of the artists skill or number. Meaning that it could be one person running a webpage and farms out the jobs to local artists, or could be a 3D modeling firm that takes on side jobs. There does not seem to be any effort on anyone's part to boost confidence in their ability.

Once they have your money (which is paid in FULL, upfront) I didn't get the idea that anything was being done with it.


For the record, I never thought a complete Endo was going to be done from scratch, and would be finished and ready to go in 20 days. I expected it to take a few months. I also understand that having to answer everyone's emails can take up all your time to the point nothing gets worked on. As such, I did not bombard them with emails. I just feel that a well written form letter covering the policies and expectations, would be invaluable to their business interests. For example: The Disclaimer at the end of each email contains more actual information than all of their emails combined.


To be updated as information is received...

UPDATE: as of 6 minutes ago, a refund was issued via Paypal. No explanation attached, only that the full amount was refunded. There has been no word from Do3D, but the refund was issued 4 minute after this review was posted.

Hello,

We already sent the full refund on this order.
We apologize for the inconvenience but this project will take about 15 days more because we underestimated the amount of work on this. As we updated you in screenshots via email modeling is 98% done but the problem is, as you requested, we are checking that every parts are fitting and rigged so that this model can be printed as a full scale articulated statue.

We will still finish it up and give you an update on this model when it is ready. Please contact us via email if you have any additional questions.

clonesix said:

If anyone is thinking of purchasing a model from Do3D, they should be aware of what they can expect. If they already have made the model and it is available on their site, it is reasonable to assume that it will print out as described above. Meaning this: If it is already on the shelf, there is only a limited risk by purchasing it and having it work for you.

That said, I would like to report that I did NOT purchase an item off the shelf, and instead contacted Do3D to create a model from scratch.
I received a quick response to my inquiry with little useful information, if any. I asked a question, and received a question in return. This was a red flag, but not a deal killer.

Upon the assurances of other users, I felt it was worth the risk to inquire about a custom model of a Terminator Endoskeleton. I was immediately sent a Paypal link and a Price, with the a quote of 20 days to complete.

Reader's Digest version:


I paypal'd the money and waited. 20 days went by and NO word from Do3D. OK, I waited until the end of the month to ask for an update. I received a quick response saying that it was a complicated model, and to please give them an additional 30 days.

I never expected a complete model in 20 days, so a delay was not unexpected. 30 additional days is not unreasonable, so I waited. That 30 days passed last week, and I didn't hear from them. I waited until Friday to write and request an update. I don't think it is unreasonable to get an update on progress once the due date has come and gone. I got NO response. Up until now, their response had been within an hour.

I emailed them again this morning asking again for an update. I would like to hear anything in regards to progress, or even the slightest effort. I got a response within an hour, saying "We are checking on the status. We will get back to you as soon as possible."

At this point, my review of their service is: I will provide a review when I see their service. at this point I can only comment of their communication skills, and they get an A- for promptness, and a D- for content. The responses that I have received, I had to request, and they provided NO actual information that would imply any level of trust or competency.


I know nothing of this business other than there is a webpage. I have no knowledge of the artists skill or number. Meaning that it could be one person running a webpage and farms out the jobs to local artists, or could be a 3D modeling firm that takes on side jobs. There does not seem to be any effort on anyone's part to boost confidence in their ability.

Once they have your money (which is paid in FULL, upfront) I didn't get the idea that anything was being done with it.


For the record, I never thought a complete Endo was going to be done from scratch, and would be finished and ready to go in 20 days. I expected it to take a few months. I also understand that having to answer everyone's emails can take up all your time to the point nothing gets worked on. As such, I did not bombard them with emails. I just feel that a well written form letter covering the policies and expectations, would be invaluable to their business interests. For example: The Disclaimer at the end of each email contains more actual information than all of their emails combined.


To be updated as information is received...

Click to expand...

@ Do3D, If I had known that you pay higher attention to this forum than emails, I would have used this site as the communication service.

This serves to clarify my point that your business model lacks a communication medium that conveys trust and confidence in your business practices. Thank you for the full refund, and if a time comes when you have a completed Endoskeleton model on your site, I will be happy to contact you then.

I just recently contacted Do3D about one of their items. Does anyone remember how long it took for the initial reply back? The only option I'm seeing is their contact email. I also feel the FAQ is something to be desired.