3D Printed Props = Bemused?

I've seen you post here for many years Birdie and I know you're a good guy, so I tried not to read any bias into your posts. That said, it's interesting to me that you use the words "selective blindness" because that's exactly what I was thinking as I read through this thread, only not in the way you probably intended. In my time on this forum i've seen countless threads where people have said how happy they were to pick up a warped cast or a bad pull and proceeded to put a bunch of work into fixing it up and making it presentable. Sometimes these pieces have provenance, pulls from an original mold for example, sometimes they don't. Surely if these items have a market, then a 3D print that needs a bit of work to get it where it needs to be has no less of a place here?

Sluis Van Shipyards said:
What is worse is that members here will praise how great it is.
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Is this really a problem? I've seen lots of projects posted here that I could be critical about if I wanted to be an ass. I'd imagine most people are just happy to see the influx of new members using modern tools to create something they otherwise might not have.

I've browsed the Junkyard for years and i've seen numerous posts where I thought to myself ... "they're really asking money for this?" and most of them didn't have any 3D printing. If there's a buyer for it, who am I to judge? I can't help but think that if this wasen't about 3D printing, (which some people seem to just love being condescending about) this subject wouldn't be brought up here.
 
Well I kinda addressed that earlier. There's always been bad work, but this is, as I see it, a trend. You seemed to have ignored all the stuff that has been said about what a great tool 3D printing is as part of a process of different techniques, and seen it as a personal attack, which it is not. Should we not all strive to do the best work we can be be doing, rather than a shrug of 'that'll do'?

I n my time on this forum i've seen countless threads where people have said how happy they were to pick up a warped cast or a bad pull and proceeded to put a bunch of work into fixing it up and making it presentable. Sometimes these pieces have provenance, pulls from an original mold for example, sometimes they don't. Surely if these items have a market, then a 3D print that needs a bit of work to get it where it needs to be has no less of a place here?
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Of course, there has always been crappy resin casts too, but very often they were fixable in problem areas like bubbles and seam-lines. Print-lines, unfortunately, run through the whole model.
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I think I will only buy 3d printed items when it can be done in metal (I know you can get laser-sintered metal through the likes of Shapeways already) with fine, pin-sharp detail and no visible print lines at all, like a cast, at an affordable price. I’m guessing that day is still a few years off yet. But this isn’t because I have ‘a problem’ with the technology (I like to embrace new tech). It’s just that I’m not prepared to do the sanding, filling, sanding again, filling again, priming and painting which seems to be required of most 3d work currently available at a cost mortals like us can afford.
 
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Birdie said:
Well I kinda addressed that earlier. There's always been bad work, but this is, as I see it, a trend. You seemed to have ignored all the stuff that has been said about what a great tool 3D printing is as part of a process of different techniques, and seen it as a personal attack, which it is not. Should we not all strive to do the best work we can be be doing, rather than a shrug of 'that'll do'?
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You say that but I have yet to see another thread criticizing building techniques on this forum that isn't 3D printing.

What's to say that isn't someone's best work? Maybe they don't have the skills to finish it off but want to put it out there anyway either to show people what they've accomplished or to try and sell it because hey, it's a free market and why not?
 
Grey said:
You say that but I have yet to see another thread criticizing building techniques on this forum that isn't 3D printing.
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I don't think the complaints here have to do with selling 3d prints in general. It's about selling a raw (or a painted raw) 3d print as though it's a finished prop. At least, that's how I took it.
 
GhostMinion said:
I don't think the complaints here have to do with selling 3d prints in general. It's about selling a raw (or a painted raw) 3d print as though it's a finished prop. At least, that's how I took it.
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Sure and I get that, but I was also replying to SVS who said "What is worse is that members here will praise how great it is" and apparently you and Birdie agree with that. To which I will say again, is that really a problem? I just don't see anyone taking this attitude twords someone who, for example, made their first casting and showed it off.
 
Grey said:
Sure and I get that, but I was also replying to SVS who said "What is worse is that members here will praise how great it is" and apparently you and Birdie agree with that. To which I will say again, is that really a problem? I just don't see anyone taking this attitude twords someone who, for example, made their first casting and showed it off.
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Is it a problem? No.

I just don't get it, though. Selling raw prints as a ready to go prop, that is. And it does surprise me when members praise these "props" as though it's a masterpiece, and are willing to pay top end prices for them. But, as you say, if someone wants to pay for that, who am I to tell them what to buy.

I do, however, see plenty of 3d prints and kits that are sold as a 'do-it-yourself' starting point, and they are usually priced lower to reflect that. No different than warped or less than ideal casts, which often sell for less than an A grade cast. This was more the point I was getting at.
 
Grey said:
Sure and I get that, but I was also replying to SVS who said "What is worse is that members here will praise how great it is" and apparently you and Birdie agree with that. To which I will say again, is that really a problem? I just don't see anyone taking this attitude twords someone who, for example, made their first casting and showed it off.
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Isn't the RPF about learning how to learn, improve your skills and maximise the quality of your work? Are you saying that someone who has the skill to design a 3d model doesn't, or can't, learn how to sand and prime? Or that they shouldn't, because it's uncool to say, 'Hey man, great modelling, but it would be even better if you put some work into the finish?'

Are you doing them any favours by not encouraging them to learn other skills? I just don't understand that mindset, and I don't believe that is what the RPF should be about. It certainly didn't use to be.
 
GhostMinion said:
Is it a problem? No.

I just don't get it, though. Selling raw prints as a ready to go prop, that is. And it does surprise me when members praise these "props" as though it's a masterpiece, and are willing to pay top end prices for them. But, as you say, if someone wants to pay for that, who am I to tell them what to buy.

I do, however, see plenty of 3d prints and kits that are sold as a 'do-it-yourself' starting point, and they are usually priced lower to reflect that. No different than warped or less than ideal casts, which often sell for less than an A grade cast. This was more the point I was getting at.
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That's fair. The OP said "selling and/or showing off 3d printed props that are covered in print lines" and I mostly took an issue with the second part, like it's such a bad thing that they're showing it off and other people are excited for them. Maybe the buyers in those circumstances saw something they liked and bought it before looking to see what else was out there, who can really say? I personally would not buy something in that state unless it was at a much cheaper price as you said but i'm not going to complain about the people making them.

I work in web design and I remember my first paying freelance gig. To look back at it now I would call it borderline junk but at the time I thought I was doing great work, and the fact that someone out there was willing to pay me to do it inspired me to keep putting myself out there.
 
Also, just to clarify my stance here (not that anybody seems confused, just felt the need to do so), I love 3d printing, and ALL the props I make are 3d printed. I am in no way knocking people who 3d print. I know that some folks do knock it (again, not saying anybody here, but in general) and that's their business. I myself love the technology, and have no shame in modeling and printing my props/helmets.

Just wanted to make that clear, in case anybody thought otherwise. :)
 
I have my own thread for giving away 3D models of props. That wouldn't be possible with traditional molds and casting.

That being said, yes, they need cleaned up properly before painting. Even if you used resin casting, it often needs cleaned up first.
That's just part of the process, either way.
 
Birdie said:
Okay, this is something that's been bemusing me for a long time, I just wanted to know how other members feel. Time and time again, and more and more prevalently, I see others members selling and/or showing off 3d printed props that are covered in print lines. To me, this looks horrible, and is something no-one would have got away with in the dark times before printing without negative comment. These days it seems like there is a selective blindness to the quality of 3d printed props that look like papercraft.

Now I know that 3d prints can be cleaned up to look nice, but it seems many sellers are just churning stuff out from home printers and selling as is for the same price that a 'clean' resin cast would have gone for back in the day, and no-one bats an eyelid. Am I the only one to be disillusioned/mystified by this pattern?
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Exhibit A:
cowl.jpg

This was posted as being ready to send out to it's new owner (not here, another site)
 
I completely agree. If people are just printing parts in a colored filament and shipping them out it kinda ticks me off. But if you have a higher quality printer then it becomes less of a problem.
 
I do a LOT of 3D printing, and I honestly don't get the point that the OP is trying to make. 3D printing and layer lines isn't the problem, the problem is sloppy workmanship and lazy sellers, and you get that with any medium. Seems like the OP is just trying to make 3D printing into a scapegoat.

Personally, I use 3D printing to make a lot of props for collection, and I would never put something on my shelf with visible layer lines, or that was not 100% perfect.
 
I'm not reading it that way at all. The main grievance is clearly the level of surface finish and what people charge for said unfinished work, not at all having an issue with 3D printing.

I have the same grievance when I see 3D prints presented as finished, but still full of print lines and poor gluing and filling still visible. When watching youtube videos where someone makes a printed prop there are 10 videos - where they start painting before doing any real prep-work to the surface finish and the end result always looks poor - for each 1 video where you wouldn't be able to tell it's a printed piece and not a resin or fiberglass prop. The difference being in what work is put into the prep-work of the piece before you actually start the finishing touches such as painting.

I have the same issue with resin and fiberglass parts where the surface finish looks really crappy... and presented off as being finished and charging a premium for sloppy, lazy work.

The issue is prep-work contra cost.
 
Kokanee said:
I do a LOT of 3D printing, and I honestly don't get the point that the OP is trying to make. 3D printing and layer lines isn't the problem, the problem is sloppy workmanship and lazy sellers, and you get that with any medium. Seems like the OP is just trying to make 3D printing into a scapegoat.
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You are either not reading what I'm posting, or you are willfully ignoring it. How many times do I have to repeat that I don't have a problem with 3D printing, but how it's being used by many. Read all the other posts. Check out that freakin' helmet. Read what Too Much Garlic said. Clearly I'm not the only one seeing a common problem.
 
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Birdie said:
You are either not reading what I'm posting, or you are willfully ignoring it. How many times do I have to repeat that I don't have a problem with 3D printing, but how it's being used by many. Read all the other posts. Check out that freakin' helmet. Read what Too Much Garlic said. Clearly I'm not the only one seeing a pattern.
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You seem really combative
 
Its not that I expect a finished prop when I buy something printed. I want the person that printed It. to have done the foot work to get the best possible dimensions to said prop posible. And I see that coming In to play now. but when someone sends me something that's supposed to be a trigger of a real world gun and it looks like a cut out sheet of cardboard in trigger Shape two dimensionally. lol then I have a problem. because I know the dimensions of the said prop were spoon fed to the creator of said prop.

My friend Joe. now I will buy his prints all day long if I had the cash. I know he does the foot work .to an extent that I would hope everyone would do. trying to quote Joe but may get it wrong. we are the ones that count the paint streaks on the prop pictures. and go to great lengths to replicate that .

now how am I supposed to do that if i have to cut up a print to even get it close to screen accurate. accuracy to the screen used prop is my gripe. and there's some that just don't care.
That's all.
We are the RPF not the that will do forum...
 
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Grey said:
Sure and I get that, but I was also replying to SVS who said "What is worse is that members here will praise how great it is" and apparently you and Birdie agree with that. To which I will say again, is that really a problem? I just don't see anyone taking this attitude twords someone who, for example, made their first casting and showed it off.
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First, I forgot the OP said for sale, I was talking just 3D printed props in general. I'm not picking on just 3D printed props, I wouldn't like anything that was sloppily done. It's also one thing to be an inexperienced builder and another thing to just think you can print off a prop and it's finished. I tend to think there are more people who think a 3D printer is a "Prop Replica Printer" that you feed a 3D model into and it's prints out a finished prop. That's not how it works. The RPF has always been very encouraging (with maybe some bad examples, I don't know) of new or inexperienced people, so I'm not advocating bashing someone who just learned something at all.
 
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