Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Laerise [PIE]]

Hello everyone.

It occured to me today that you can actually make reasonably sized and priced ship models by using the triexporter and widely avaiable 3d printing services.
While this is still a bad alternative when compared to the avaiable ship models CCP offers in their online shop, this is currently the only way to get ones hands on non-battleships at all.

Since I am a terrible noobie in regards to the 3d output you can get from the triexporter ( .x (x file), .obj (object file), .3ds (3ds file) and .my (my files  ) ) I would like to ask if anyone here has a good hand with things like Maya.
I'm specifically trying to figure out:

1.) how to get one of those things running. I tried Blender and Wings3d and both didn't even load on my machine (win7).
2.) how to hollow the shipmodel out. That'll cut on the price or allow a bigger model for the same price.

Cheers and thanks in advance,
Lae



Add.: Since this is for personal use only and since there are no comparable products avaiable this is legal under german law. I do not know if this is the case for everyone else, so, please, if you decide to help me (and everyone else who might want to try this), make sure you don't get into trouble beforehand.

[Milo Caman]

I recall someone making a Tempest like this. I'll see if I can dig up a link.

EDIT: Scratch that it was a Maelstrom

[Source]

[Crucifire]

Some really beautiful models in that album, further back there is a Firetail that is my favorite.

[Laerise [PIE]]

Wow, that Maelstrom is huge, must've been incredibly expensive 

[Lyn Farel]

The .obj and .3ds (the latter is a 3DSMax native file format) should work perfectly fine with 3DSMax. I can help with 3DSMax, I use it quite intensively.

What do you mean by "2.) how to hollow the shipmodel out. That'll cut on the price or allow a bigger model for the same price." ?

[Matariki Rain]

If anyone runs a 3D sugar printer I'd love some frigate models for cake decoration.

(I don't really need more "stuff" in my life, hence the move to transient and disposable/consumable art.)

[Laerise [PIE]]

The .obj and .3ds (the latter is a 3DSMax native file format) should work perfectly fine with 3DSMax. I can help with 3DSMax, I use it quite intensively.

What do you mean by "2.) how to hollow the shipmodel out. That'll cut on the price or allow a bigger model for the same price." ?

Since I am really horrible at explaining things I don't really have a clue about I'll give you a link to a tutorial where they explain what I'm looking for    http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/exporting-from-maya-with-collada-3dprinting

[Lyn Farel]

Well it depends the file format asked by the 3D printer. If it accepts the file formats you already get while exporting your 3D models out of eve game files (3DS, OBJ, most likely standards in the 3D industry), then you don't really have to use any 3D software like maya or 3DS, just import them in your 3D printing thing. But if it asks for different file formats you will just have to import the first ones in a 3D soft, then export them into the new file format (asked by the printer). Apparently on your link its "collada". I don't really like collada (crappy textures, not always working), so if the printer accepts 3DS or OBJ formats, the better (and in any case, the less you have to import/export in another format, the less you will encounter bugs and weirds things).

[Saede Riordan]

I want a machariel model, and a cynabal model, and a hurricane model, and a maelstrom model, and an abaddon model...and a bunch of others.

[Laerise [PIE]]

It does accept 3ds and obj - as I said though, the main problem is that the output from triexporter seems to be "solid" ships, meaning they use a lot more m³ of material.
Since the printing services calculate the price by m³ printed hollwing out the model will significantly cut the cost.

[Saikoyu]

Actually, I don't think that Mael was that expensive, its made of paper.  I think all of those models in that gallery are papercraft, which uses software to convert a 3D model into a paper fold and cut out model, which would be much cheaper than what you are talking about I think Laerise.  As an example, I know some guy is making a huge model of the Sulaco, it will be about 3-4 feet long when he is finished.  I'll try and remember to edit this to include the link when I get home. 

[Lyn Farel]

It does accept 3ds and obj - as I said though, the main problem is that the output from triexporter seems to be "solid" ships, meaning they use a lot more m³ of material.
Since the printing services calculate the price by m³ printed hollwing out the model will significantly cut the cost.

I am not sure to understand.

A 3D object is a mesh with a texture applied on it. There is nothing solid nor any matter inside. And its virtually vertex coordinates put together to form the mesh and another set of coordinates (UVW) to tell the texture how to be applied on it. If the triexporter exports in .3ds and .obj, then you will have a lot of stuff included inside, depending of what the triexporter actually exports in the process. You can eventually end with the mesh (sounds quite the basics), the textures, maybe some animations, the unit system (meters, etc), and other complicated stuff related to 3D files.

[Kybernetes Moros]

I believe he means the physical model produced by the process -- a hollow model uses less material than a solid one, and so is (in theory) less expensive.

[Lyn Farel]

Well isn't there an option with the printer to tell him that you want a hollowed model or a filled one as the output ?

[Anyanka Funk]

This guy has a bunch of the ship model files (.stl) for 3d printing with makerbot and I guess he makes the models too.