Looking to start to create models… any help. Appreciated

[Jedi Bailinkski]

So long time from my last post. I’ve been out of the hobby for years. Finally at a point I can get back in. I’d like to learn to 3d print and light my own models and would appreciate any point in the right direction to get started.

 

[Astyanax]

I learned 3D-printing from YouTube. My first printer was the very affordable Voxelab Aquila. The process of assembling the printer taught me a lot, as did the first few YouTube setup videos.

Once I was pretty efficient with it, about a year later I upgraded to resin, and the Elegoo Saturn 2. I LOVE this printer.

Looking back, would I have approached it any differently? Nope, I made great progress in two years with just a few YouTube videos and a couple forums when I got stuck. EDIT: One thing I would have done differently was get started with resin sooner than I did. I was apprehensive about making the transition from filament to liquid; it wasn't a huge leap.

Good luck!

 

[Jedi Bailinkski]

I learned 3D-printing from YouTube. My first printer was the very affordable Voxelab Aquila. The process of assembling the printer taught me a lot, as did the first few YouTube setup videos.

Once I was pretty efficient with it, about a year later I upgraded to resin, and the Elegoo Saturn 2. I LOVE this printer.

Looking back, would I have approached it any differently? Nope, I made great progress in two years with just a few YouTube videos and a couple forums when I got stuck.

Good luck!

This one?

Voxelab Aquila X2 3D Printer, Upgraded FDM 3D Printers for Beginners with Resume Printing, Filament Detection, Auto Filaments Feed/Re... Amazon.com

 

[Astyanax]

This one?
Voxelab Aquila X2 3D Printer, Upgraded FDM 3D Printers for Beginners with Resume Printing, Filament Detection, Auto Filaments Feed/Re... Amazon.com

The one I got was before the newer models came out, which was the plain vanilla Aquila. Looking at them now, it appears that yes, the X2 is the logical successor to that model. It appears to be close enough that even most of the Aquila setup videos will be close enough for the X2.

This was my favorite channel for learning the Aquila, because this guy was learning too:

https://www.youtube.com/@3DPrintSOS/search?query=aquila

And these were the first two starter videos that got me off the ground:

At this price point, this is a great printer to learn on, because you can make all your mistakes now, beat it up, replace parts, and then invest in a better one later on, knowing what features are important to you. But even with that, this filament printer will be great for starter objects. If you plan to make props with it (more than just brackets, tools, stands, etc.), understand that you are in for a lot of sanding, filling, and priming. But it can be done. Don't expect to get super finely detailed stuff out of it. It can handle lightsaber and blaster parts, no problem, though.

The first things you are likely to make are parts for the printer itself! It's a great way to learn!

If you want a printer that can go right into finely-detailed miniatures and props that sand easily, you should drop all this and start with an SLA (resin) printer. It's a bit of a steeper learning curve and double the cost to get started. But let me know and I can give you suggestions on that too. IMO, starting with FDM (filament) printing is a better place to learn the ropes. It's cheaper and more forgiving. I made tons of things that are useful in the garage and around the house! And yes, a couple props too.

Those should get you pretty far if you have any technical skills whatsoever. IMO, maintaining this kind of printer would require the same kinds of skills as replacing a computer part, such as a video card or hard drive. If you can do that, you can do this. If not, let me know and we'll talk alternatives. Since you're a hobbyist on the RPF, I'm sure you'll do fine. But feel free to reach out to me directly if you have questions (although keeping it here might be more useful to other readers). It's a fun ride!

 

[Jedi Bailinkski]

I’ll give the x2 a try first. Thanks!

 

[Astyanax]

I guess there's one thing I should point out before you go too far...3D printing (outputting a model) and 3D Modeling (creating a model in 3D space) are two very different disciplines. Like in paper props, you have your creators with Illustrator and/or Photoshop, and you have the rest of us who print them out, clean them up, dirty them up, etc.

The skill of 3D modeling requires some real diligence and learning the proper software. I do not have that skill. I solely print what other people design. The good news is that there are literally MILLIONS of free, cheap, and expensive 3D models already out there for printing. For the most part, we don't need to reinvent the wheel here, unless you're designing something that no one else has made available, like a spaceship from Foundation or something.

So with that said, if your primary goal is to print things YOU are designing, I recommend learning the modeling software at the same time you're learning 3D printing. PunishedProps' course is probably a good starting point there. Bill Doran is one of us.

 

[Jedi Bailinkski]

I have dabbled in creating 3d models, but I am out of my depth. I’ll most likely print from established models for the foreseeable future, but keep my mind open to new skills down the road.

 

[Astyanax]

I have dabbled in creating 3d models, but I am out of my depth. I’ll most likely print from established models for the foreseeable future, but keep my mind open to new skills down the road.

That is exactly the same boat I'm in. And for what it's worth, I'm very happy with what I've been able to produce so far!

 

[Analyzer]

as far as lighting models, you can start off with basic "connect LEDS to batteries" approach and then branch out into creating circuits if you want more fancy effects

You can also just start off with pre-wired LEDs. They already have the resistors built in for various voltages depending on what battery source you want to use

A nice place to start is a place like this Buy Battery Powered & Small LED Lights | Evan Designs

If you want to roll your own so to speak you can use calculators like this to figure out you wiring/resistors

LED series parallel array wizard

most LEDs are around 2 to 3 volt depending on color

Here is an example of the results it spits out using 6 typical 3V LEDs hooked up to a 9 volt battery for example

 

[TazMan2000]

If you're planning on buying a 3D printer, you need to determine what your interests are and what sizes of models you are going to print. There is a bit of a learning curve on either FDM or Resin printers (Personally a bigger learning curve with Resin). Both have their benefits and drawbacks.

Any FDM printer's inherent drawback is easily visible layer lines. You can fill and sand them, but post processing can take a lot of time and effort. Generally, FDM printers are a bit cheaper to get started with, and much easier to learn, but I find that most people get smaller printers than they need and regret it later when they want to print something larger. Smaller FDM printers usually can print a bit faster and better quality than larger ones.

Resin printers are getting more popular and larger, but this technology brings about a bunch of risks and problems. The resin is toxic and some have very irritating odours. Most resins have to be cleaned up with alcohol (a few can clean up with water) and require a UV lamp to complete curing, so that is another cost. There are also print problems...model orientation and shrinkage than can cause frustration since the printed pieces may not fit together because of disbonding from the print surface or other issues. The benefit of these printers, however, clearly is the quality. The layer lines are much thinner and much easier to postprocess. In some cases with certain printers, post processing can be eliminated altogether.

YouTube is a valuable resource for reviews of 3D printers but it can be overwhelming at times. There are so many reviewers/printers out there, and the users have so many different interests. Some reviewers may be interested in tools, repair items, display pieces, etc... so their reviews may not mesh with your needs or interests, so be wary of one review saying "this is the best printer for you".

TazMan2000

 

[TazMan2000]

Tinkercad also has free STL modelling section. It's a bit simplistic, but if you take your time you can really create something amazing. There is also a section for simple electronic design with prebuilt circuits that you can modify and test out with real time simulation.

TazMan2000

 

[Jedi Bailinkski]

I have been watching a ton of YouTube and I am leaning towards the bambu x1c. A bit more expensive, but I think the learning curve will be easier. If anyone has one, I’d love to hear thoughts.

 

[Astyanax]

Interesting choice. I agree with TazMan2000 , and for that kind of money, I think you'll get much more bang for the buck by going resin, because your post-processing work (aka sanding and filling) will be significantly diminished. Steeper learning curve, yes, but so much easier to get something useful.

I guess it comes down what kind of props you want to build. What's on your list of things to print?

 

[TazMan2000]

I have been watching a ton of YouTube and I am leaning towards the bambu x1c. A bit more expensive, but I think the learning curve will be easier. If anyone has one, I’d love to hear thoughts.

As for the videos I've seen, most are not very positive regarding this particular printer. The printer does seem to have some built in smarts to sense how it is printing, but I'm thinking it's not reliable enough at this time. Like Scotty's saying in STIII, "The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."

I sincerely don't know why people have such a big problem with manual bed levelling. I have an auto leveller now and it is more problematic than on my old Creality CR10S. Sure, on my old printer, it took a bit of time to put a piece of paper between the nozzle and the bed and adjust the tension, but once you get the bed levelled, it's going to stay like that for a long time.

On my current printer, the nozzle takes several readings on the print surface and calculates an average of what it thinks the nozzle height should be. But that doesn't mean the bed is level. Then I have to adjust the thickness of the first layer by telling the firmware to decrease or increase the nozzle height. But it's still a tiny bit thicker on one side of my build plate than on the other. That's not what I wanted.

But that Bambu has an enclosed build area that, most likely could print PVC prints without much issue.

TazMan2000

 

[Astyanax]

Again, I concur with TazMan2000 . I have no problems whatsoever with manual leveling, in either FDM or SLA.

The enclosed aspect of the Bambu does beg a very important question: WHERE will you be printing? If in the house, then I think you're on the right track; SLA printing is much more smelly, but I have no problems in the garage with a simple painter's mask and nitrile gloves; I've gotten my cleaning and curing down to a pretty fast process.

 

[Jedi Bailinkski]

Interesting choice. I agree with TazMan2000 , and for that kind of money, I think you'll get much more bang for the buck by going resin, because your post-processing work (aka sanding and filling) will be significantly diminished. Steeper learning curve, yes, but so much easier to get something useful.

I guess it comes down what kind of props you want to build. What's on your list of things to print?

I’d like to get the point I can print up some things like Star Wars ships or Battlestar Galactica ships and add some lighting to it. Maybe even print some vehicles for my Joe’s that I can light up for cools displays.

 

[Astyanax]

I’d like to get the point I can print up some things like Star Wars ships or Battlestar Galactica ships and add some lighting to it. Maybe even print some vehicles for my Joe’s that I can light up for cools displays.

Thank you, very helpful. In that case I REALLY think you want an 8K SLA (resin) printer. You will be in sanding and filling hell otherwise, if you're expecting nice details on ships. Panel lines? Ugh!

My Saturn 2 8K can do fine ship details no problem. A coat of filler primer and my layer lines are gone. For cleaning and curing, Elegoo makes a 2-in-1 unit for $150.

Don't be too daunted! Resin printers are less "fiddly" and more "goopy"!

 

[Jedi Bailinkski]

Again, I concur with TazMan2000 . I have no problems whatsoever with manual leveling, in either FDM or SLA.

The enclosed aspect of the Bambu does beg a very important question: WHERE will you be printing? If in the house, then I think you're on the right track; SLA printing is much more smelly, but I have no problems in the garage with a simple painter's mask and nitrile gloves; I've gotten my cleaning and curing down to a pretty fast process.

To begin with I’m planning on setting up in the 3 season room to start. Next summer I plan on building a small office building to keep it out of the house.

 

[Astyanax]

To begin with I’m planning on setting up in the 3 season room to start. Next summer I plan on building a small office building to keep it out of the house.

Smells will be a concern with resin, then. If you can put together good ventilation and do your cleaning and curing outdoors, that will help.

 

[Jedi Bailinkski]

Thank you, very helpful. In that case I REALLY think you want an 8K SLA (resin) printer. You will be in sanding and filling hell otherwise, if you're expecting nice details on ships. Panel lines? Ugh!

My Saturn 2 8K can do fine ship details no problem. A coat of filler primer and my layer lines are gone. For cleaning and curing, Elegoo makes a 2-in-1 unit for $150.

Don't be too daunted! Resin printers are less "fiddly" and more "goopy"!

I guess I have more videos to watch before I pull the trigger.