Alternative way of getting your designs made, if you do not want to learn a cad programme.

[BSTrains]

I recently bought a 3d printer, but did not want to waste my first test prints on something I would not use, nor do how to design.  My solution was to outsource the design using a well known freelancer website. I may have been lucky, but I had I really good experience having my idea made into a printable stl file in very short time for a great price. Here is the printed result (its a Gardner8L3 engine that would fit into a static Dapol drewrey shunter model)

[Nimbus]

For me, the greatest challenge is acquiring sufficient accurate dimensional data of the prototype object.

How did you get the information for the Gardner?

 

The Nim.

[BSTrains]

That is a perennial problem but certainly in 4mm scale, accuracy  does not need to be perfect, just good enough which often can be achieved with decent photographs. However on this occasion I was able to find a low res general arrangement drawing of the marine version of this engine with dimensions via an internet search. In practice it is very easy to get away with only the bare minimum of information and extrapolate it into a good enough model, in fact I found enough info on this engine online to produce an even more detailed model if I wished. By way of example the image below is of a Compressor that will go into the same model. it was made from just one photograph of the real thing in situ on a BR class 03. All I need to do, is to scale it to match the rest of the model when I print it.

Edited December 25, 2020 by BSTrains

[animotion]

What did they charge for doing the artwork. Here is one of my locos that I did the cad work on ready for the printer and some printed items from my printer.

Edited January 2, 2021 by animotion

[ScRSG]

I have wondered for a while whether the designs that people make, and the printable files may become a market in themselves. I am well past the stage of learning a new software package but would be quite happy to buy and operate the printer if such files were made (Commercially?) available. 

[bradfordbuffer]

4 hours ago, ScRSG said:

I have wondered for a while whether the designs that people make, and the printable files may become a market in themselves. I am well past the stage of learning a new software package but would be quite happy to buy and operate the printer if such files were made (Commercially?) available. 

As thay say in Hollywood....Me too

 

The company who do the 3d printed 02 in different scales sell o 16t coal wagon in gauge 1...

It's a start...

I model in 3mm 14.2 gauge br blue so probably only 20 to 30 other modelers doing the same so this is possibly the way forward as limited return on time effort for designer / manufacturer! 

If a designer developed a let's say a wagon for home printing and only sold 1 or 2 files.... yes modelers sharing between them selfs if he sold 20 to 30 then that's money in bank for them to pay for there time..

I dont have the expertise that some people have on this forum to design and draw on CAD and the like...but I have a wallet that often takes a hit.

Who will take plunge first?

[Tricky-CRS]

On 25/12/2020 at 13:33, BSTrains said:

I recently bought a 3d printer, but did not want to waste my first test prints on something I would not use, nor do how to design.  My solution was to outsource the design using a well known freelancer website. I may have been lucky, but I had I really good experience having my idea made into a printable stl file in very short time for a great price. Here is the printed result (its a Gardner8L3 engine that would fit into a static Dapol drewrey shunter model)

 

 

Please could you advise which site you used and if possible roughly how much this cost? 

 

Would you use the same designer again, were they UK based and would you recommend them?

[Rods_of_Revolution]

One such "well known freelancer website" is Fiverr. There are hundreds of people on there doing CAD work for reasonable prices. Choose someone with good reviews and a skill set that supports 3D printing, and you'll likely receive good service.

 

As someone who has done professional CAD work, I'll give some advice to assist in getting successful CAD work done.

 

Make sure you give the designer as much detail and information as possible. 2D sketches with dimensions, photographs, descriptions. If there is something that isn't clear, the designer will try and extrapolate from the information they do have and potentially make an error, which you might have to pay extra to have corrected. Usually some revisions will be inlcuded in the price, but if you need more, you'll have to pay. Also, don't forget, explain things which may seem obvious to railway modellers, but not to someone with no knowledge of railways; For example, a designer may make a funnel a solid piece with no hole in the top, if they don't have photos showing the top of the funnel, it may not be obvious to them that it should have a hole in.

 

Secondly, makes sure you know what file type you want and what material/3D printing technology you wish to use. If you want a part designed to print in Shapeway's FUD material, tell the designer that at the start; Then they will know the design limitations that are placed on the model they produce. If you don't tell them, you may waste money on a poor 3D print, and then have to pay to have the model fixed and for a second 3D print, a costly excercise!

 

It's also worth remembering that you're paying for design work as well as CAD work. If you can't use CAD software, but you can do "back of the envelope sketches," you can design the part yourself and convey that information to the person doing the CAD. It's so much quicker and easier to draw up a part in CAD software if you have all of the dimensions required. If a designer has to start guessing, extrapolating and emailing the client with 101 questions, the project time will grow quickly.

 

Hope this information is of some use.

 

All the best,

 

Jack