Hello everyone! I'm new to 3D printing, and I'm excited to get started. I've been interested for quite some time. I have a strong background in 3D modelling via Creo (Pro/Engineer) from work, which is what I used to create this simple model of a die. I output as both a an .stl file and an .obj file. The community here seems pretty cool, so I decided to post this model and see what you guys have to say! Mainly, I'm looking for if the design could be submitted and printed as-is without any issues. If there are problems, it would be awesome to know what they are and how to fix them! Thank you so much ahead of time, Adam
The interior "hollow" would be automatically removed, because there is no way to remove the support material. If you want the center to be hollow, you'd need to add some escape holes, but in this case its probably best to just remove it so the dice rolls fairly. Other than that, it looks good!
Thank you for the feedback! I uploaded the design to the site and the price was much higher than expected, so I assumed they removed the hollow center feature like you suggested. Do you have any good tips for cost reduction on a piece like this? Overall price for strong flexible plastic is 12.00, but I see dice that square in shape and only slightly smaller in shape going for 4 or 5 dollars. How does one make it to those low prices?
Not much you can do on a small, solid shape like that to reduce price other than making it even smaller. Keep in mind that even a small increase in size can have a big effect on price...
I didn't consider how increasing seemingly "small" dimensions would make the volume go up so quickly. Thank you for the advice! I'm curious though, how are some things modeled that are hollow spheres with holes on the sides? I figure a support would go in there.... do they have to print specific supports for objects? And if I may ask one more question (thank you for being so helpful), how does one submit a model that will need to be interconnected after processing? Separate models for each piece? What if it needs to be connected during construction, but able to move freely later? Like two rings together, or pins into holes that won't snap in later due to small clearance? Thank you!
Each print technology has different ways to support overhangs. Your model would work fine on FDM technology, like most home printers. Shapeways printers are mostly powder-base, so the uncured powder forms the support and is removed by pressurized air after printing. Look up the Shapeways channel on Youtube for some videos. Interlocking parts depend on the material - plastics can be interlocking, but metals cannot. Have you seen the material guidelines pages? Here's WSF guidelines. For materials that allow interlocking parts, there needs to be clearance between the parts so they don't fuse together...see the guidelines for the clearance dimensions.
This video was posted on the blog just yesterday: https://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/2225-Take-a-Tour-of- the-Shapeways-3D-Printing-Factory-in-Eindhoven-VIDEO.html
Awesome. Thank you guys so much, this has been incredibly informative. I think I'm just going to dive in. Small stuff first, then move on to more ambitious things. If you have any more tips, feel free to share, but I have really learned a lot already!