Tree Pendant - My Very First 3D Printed Creation

I've been doing 3D and computer graphics for 20 years and this is the first time I've ever been able to hold one of my creations in my hand. It's a real thrill for me, and the Shapeways gang did a terrific job of bringing it to life. I sculpted this in 3D-Coat and then sized it and did the final export from 3ds Max. Since this was my first experiment with 3D printing, I ordered a variety of materials to be able to get a better sense of the capabilities of the various printing methods. The results exceeded my expectations. Here's the pics I did of them.

First up is raw brass and raw silver. I'm amazed by how much of the detail was retained - even the subtle bark texture.





Here's polished nickel steel. A lot of the detail is lost but for this design the finish looks pretty cool, especially from a distance.



Finally, here's white detail plastic. The loop for the chain didn't print so I decided to antique it and make it into a pin.



Here's the plastic one after I antiqued it.

Very nice. I love seeing the material comparison. What did you use to antique the WSF?

To do the antiquing I first did a coat of gold metallic spray paint. When that was dry I made a mix of black and brown acrylic paint and water. That was brushed on small sections and then wiped back off with a paper towel so that only a bit is left behind in the crevices. When that was dry I sprayed a clear protective coat over top.

By the post it's White detail not WSF. Just don't want false impressions of materials.

Beautiful all the way around. Great work!

Thanks for the kind words. You're right. It's white detail, not WSF. Next time I do an order I'll try a WSF print for comparison and add another pic.

These are amazing Chip. Love the details on the tree. Will definitely make a social media post on this.

Thanks, Eric!

This was your first 3D model! I'm super impressed. Keep it up and continue to add products to your shop, you've got the touch!

Very nice!