Is The Hole Big Enough For Powder to Come Out?

Hello everyone! After creating my first item for the shop, I made the dragon model hollow inside. I also made a hole strategically placed (at least anatomically) where the powder can come out of. Since this is my very first model intended for 3D printing, I'd just like to know if the hole is big enough. Is the size just right, too big, or too small? I'd appreciate any advice especially from those who have successfully 3D printed using similar methods.

The Powder Hole:



Desiring Dragon Whole Body:




The current measurements are: inches -> 6.06x, 11.28y, 6.77z (using the "z is up, model must face -y" idea).

I hope one powder hole is enough for this type of model, or should I add more?

Oh and some extra questions:

1. I intend to color the dragon and I've read that the only material that supports this is Sandstone. Should I upload separate models if I want to sell both colored and uncolored versions?

2. My other idea is for my dear customers to be able to purchase the uncolored version and then paint it on their own however they want to, similar to how hobbyists purchase figurines on the internet and paint it. Is this possible with the uncolored version of the model? What's the best material I could advice my guests to use if they want to color the dragon on their own, and maybe what kind of paint should they use?

Thanks in advance for any tips and advice!

full color sanstone:
Min Escape Hole: One hole: 25mm, Two holes: 15mm, Four holes: 10mm

1. you can have one model and let customer choose which material (if design meets requirements for the material) they like it.
2. don't know yet

Thanks! I think I'll go ahead and add maybe 3 more holes. It seems that sandstone would be a little hard to use as a material for the dragon hmm.

While those hole suggestions are correct on the Sandstone material page, this is from Shapeways design tutorial for creating hollow models:

"If you want your object to be truly hollow (i.e.: containing air, not plastic), you'll need to add a few holes in the object wall. These holes will allow us to remove the support or excess material. They should be at least 2mm wide and I recommend you add two or three - more if you have a complex shape that could be more difficult to clean."

25mm or even 4 at 10mm seems huge to me... having said that I'm not sure I would hollow out a Sandstone model anyway, unless the walls were left really thick.

Glenn