Jump to content
 
  • entries
    61
  • comments
    524
  • views
    89,609

2mmFS 3D Modelling - Ready to place order at last


Ian Smith

1,604 views

After the reasonable success of the GWR Outside Framed Van that I received from Shapeways, I am now ready to place another order. The images below (from the Shapeways site) show all of the components that I have put up there. What I intend to do now is compile a single .STL file containing all of the various wagons that I want in a single file to minimise the FUD surcharge of 5 Euros per file.

 

blogentry-12089-0-57302500-1336682352.jpg

GWR Outside Framed Van with Steel Solebars

 

blogentry-12089-0-78073900-1336682363.jpg

GWR Outside Framed Van with Wooden Solebars

 

blogentry-12089-0-43832700-1336682376.jpg

GWR Outside Framed Cattle Wagon (diag W2) with Steel Solebars

 

blogentry-12089-0-24631600-1336682396.jpg

GWR Outside Framed Cattle Wagon (diag W2) with Wooden Solebars

 

blogentry-12089-0-00224600-1336682411.jpg

GWR Outside Framed Brake Van (diag AA16)

 

blogentry-12089-0-37284400-1336682421.jpg

Springs and "J" Hangers with Grease and OK Oil Axleboxes for AA16 Brake Van

 

blogentry-12089-0-83741900-1336682430.jpg

Springs with Grease and OK Oil Axleboxes for Cattle Wagons and Vans

 

Until I see the results I do not know if the Springs and Axleboxes will print (even in FUD), which is why I've put a few spares on the sprues.

 

The models were all drawn in Google SketchUp, and saved as .STL files using a suitable Plugin. The resultant files have been passed through NetFabb to fix any problems (hopefully the resultant "repaired" files will be alright. Because all of the individual files have uploaded to Shapeways successfully I am hopeful that I can put the models I want in a combined file using NetFabb, and when uploaded will also present no problems.

 

Ian

  • Like 4

16 Comments


Recommended Comments

These look fantastic Ian, the springs look like they might be a bit marginal thickness wise, but there is no harm in pushing the boundaries, especially when they will only comprise a few pence worth of the overall order....

 

I am going to have a go at some wagon body designs myself! (scurries away to find something unusual that does not appear 'off the shelf'... )

Link to comment
  • RMweb Gold

Very impressive. Will you be making these available to others?

Don

Link to comment

Very nice models Ian. Has anyone thought of creating an RMWEB database of 3D models that would be available to all its members. Just seems like a good idea to me.

Link to comment

Ian,

Can the items be scaled to 4mm?

Are *.stl files available for any of the items?

Noel

Noel,

I see no reason why the items could not be scaled to 4mm (or any other scale for that matter), although I do know that all 3 wagons I've modelled are (or at least were) available as white metal kits in 4mm (I've got some).

 

These look fantastic Ian, the springs look like they might be a bit marginal thickness wise, but there is no harm in pushing the boundaries, especially when they will only comprise a few pence worth of the overall order....

Will,

That's exactly what I thought, which is why I've put more than enough on the sprue - they may not turn out but if they do all well and good - as you say they will amount to a small portion of the overall cost (and hopefully the axleboxes at least would be salvagable).

 

Very impressive. Will you be making these available to others?

Don

Don,

I see no reason why not. I was going to bundle one of each of them in a single .STL file for myself and if the results are successful I was going to make the individual wagons publicly available, and would on request make up some bundles to meet others requirements.

 

Ian

Link to comment

I see no reason why not. I was going to bundle one of each of them in a single .STL file for myself and if the results are successful I was going to make the individual wagons publicly available.

 

Unless you changed your shapeways store some of these were available. I'll wait until you've finished to place an order. I've got some stuff uploaded waiting for me to flex that flexible friend.

Link to comment

Richard,

 

I think I made all of the models publicly available to start with, but I decided to remove that until I had them printed up myself - I didn't think it would be right to make something available to others when I hadn't proved that they were OK first. I've also made some (hopefully) improvements to the original models.

 

Ian

Link to comment

Hello Ian.

 

Looks good, I will be interested in seeing how these come out.

 

I have tried that NetFabb program to check my work but I cant seem to be able to save the file other than a NetFabb file. Any ideas?

 

Missy :)

Link to comment

Not the best kind of data for working on.

 

I was given to understand that *.STL files are accepted by Shapeways from

packages like Google's Sketch-Up.

 

Ian, would you be willing to post a tutorial using say readily available Sketch-Up

to produce the J-hanger spring?

Link to comment

I have tried that NetFabb program to check my work but I cant seem to be able to save the file other than a NetFabb file. Any ideas?

Missy :)

Missy,

 

I am using Netfabb Studio (which I've just discovered to my disappointment cannot merge separate .STL files into a new one! - You need the full blooded version for that :-( ), but like you I am using it to check the STL files that I am exporting from a different package. To get an STL file from Netfabb Studio, use Part>Export Part>as STL (ASCII) from the main menu.

 

I was given to understand that *.STL files are accepted by Shapeways from

packages like Google's Sketch-Up.

 

Dazzler Fan,

 

Shapeways can accept STL file straight from Sketchup and indeed the DAE files (which don't need an extra Sketchup plugin) too, however I found that a couple of my earlier models had detail bits missing (bolt heads) that I thought may have been a result of the SketchUp plugin.

I downloaded a copy of Netfabb just to check the STL files (and repair them as necessary - the STL files I'm getting out of Sketchup always need to be repaired according to Netfabb), however I still get the occasional missing elements (but this could be down to whatever Shapeways use to generate the 3D image that you can see on their website), however just to be on the safe side I end up redrawing the offending part and going through the process of repairing it again in Netfabb and then uploading it again (as a new file to Shapeways - uploading as a revision to the initial version doesn't seem to generate a re-rendered image so I can't tell if my redraw was successful).

 

Someone will probably tell me that if the STL file is OK in Netfabb then it will be OK in print - I'm just wary! As an example, the original set of Springs with J hangers had the J hangers completely separate from the Spring when viewed on the Shapeways image - so I decided to re-draw the connecting link and revised the J hangers in the process.

 

would you be willing to post a tutorial using say readily available Sketch-Up to produce the J-hanger spring?

I really don't think I am qualified to produce a tutorial on anything to do with SketchUp! :-)

I originally tried to draw it as a J shaped cylinder but had to give up and draw it in octagonal format - the U shaped piece was somewhat challenging :-) - but since it's only 0.3mm across I decided that if it works the subterfuge wouldn't be noticable ;-)

 

Ian

Link to comment

Ian,

Isn't 0.3 mm given as the minimum thickness !

 

Noel

 

Noel,

 

Yes, 0.3mm is on the very margins of what may be possible. In fact I really don't know if any of the spring detail will actually come out in printing, which is why I'm not going to make anything available publicly until I've seen what I get back.

 

I did think long and hard about what I could do to beef up the whole of the spring detail, but decided in the end that if they don't turn out then it won't be the end of the world - I'll just have to put in an order with Shop 2 :-)

 

The thing was that I really didn't want something that will be clearly over-scale either so I've drawn it up as near as I can to look realistic, half-expecting to have some failures (which is also why I've put a couple more on the sprues than I need!)

 

Ian

Link to comment

Ian

 

This project is very interesting to scratch builders.

 

I see you share the stage with Bill Bedford at Shapeways.

 

Checking STL files with Netfabb is available free on Cloud(Beta) (http://cloud.netfabb.com/)

 

With the deposit method of the Reprap system, the current smallest extruder is 0.3mm -

I do not know tolerances that can be achieved with the sintering method from powders.

 

Some of the corrupt file problem may be this: There is a bug in Java (code) that does not deal correctly

with STL files. The fix is at - (http://www.kwartzlab...rmat-converter/).

Don't ask Kwartzlab questions on how to link it - with their own software, they don't want to know.

 

Noel

Link to comment
...Some of the corrupt file problem may be this: There is a bug in Java that does not deal correctly

with STL files. The fix is at - (http://www.kwartzlab...rmat-converter/).

Just to clarify, this is not a bug "in Java", it is a bug in a program written in the Java language, specifically in a poorly-written parser, as is made clear (at least to those who understand it) in the post at the bottom of that page.

 

Apologies for drifting off-topic in the interests of accuracy, now back to Ian's lovely wagons.

 

Nick

Link to comment

Nick,

 

Thank you.

 

I apologise for not being more specific, I took it as read that it was in the code,

and not the language.

 

Noel

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...