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Newbie with Many Questions


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Hi folks,

 

I'm currently planning a cut and shut project turning a Hornby Gresley N2 into its predecessor the Ivatt N1. I had intended to use plasticard to form new side tanks, cab and some other detail parts and brass tube for the boiler. However, as an autocad user of 15+ years I thought I might explore the possibilities of 3d printing. I should state that my autocad experience is largely 2d (space planning) - I do do some 3d work but it's mainly limited to fairly simple shapes using autocad's standard 3d modelling tools such as extrude, revolve, subtract, union, etc and working in 3ds Max with 3d furniture models usually created by others. I've had a look at the posts in this forum and also at the shapeways website and I am aware of the need to make things hollow with holes where possible to reduce costs and have a rough idea of the types of materials available.

 

So, a barrage of questions if I may:

What are the best materials to use for largish 4mm scale parts?

The FUD mentioned by Atso in scanman's recent posting - is this the frosted ultra detail option? Would this be the best option for this?

What kind of minimum thickness can you work to with these kinds of models when doing something curved like say a cab roof or a boiler?

Are there any other obvious pitfalls or caveats to be aware of when creating 3d models in autocad to output to STL? For example are there better ways to make objects or do some types of object export better than others?

I've noticed that some models produced with these processes appear to be quite rough or have a lined appearance - is it advisable to make the model slightly larger to allow a degree of sanding down?

 

I'm sure I've got other questions I can't think of right now but I think that'll do for now!

 

Thanks in advance!

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FUD seems to be the only material that can really be used in 4mm without a lot of filing and sanding. They'd be ok for a first try though to validate your model cheaply.

 

Shapeways has minimum tolerances on the material info sheets on their website.

 

Try that Netfabb to validate your output but personally I found AutoCAD awful for doing proper 3D, it seems to have had the functionality put on as an afterthought.

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