I've been thinking about sculpting my own 3d models for print and selling them but I was wondering if any pros could give me some insight. I've been a character artist in the video game industry for quite some time now but sideshow type work has become a dream of mine in the last couple years since I started collecting. My idea was to buy a 3d printer and start small with custom heads. I know a lot of guys sculpt by hand but I was wondering how clean the sculpts come out of the 3d printer and how much detail you can actually get. Any information on this would be great!
Even if printing at 0.1mm (like the best printers do) it will still give you a rough surface most of the time, it depends on the angle, materials used, etc. Expect some sanding or even use of modelling clay to smooth out the surfaces. It's in the nature of the plastic as it melts, the surfaces never get smooth, it may look like it but once you paint it you'll know what I mean...
Other than that, 3D printing is a painful thing the first few months, especially if you're not an engineer, 90% of the work is in the computer and 10% understanding your machine.
I printed this at 0.1 to 02.mm, the face took about 12 hours to print alone and the entire figure has been sculpted by hand on top of the 3D printing. Many many hours of work. I'm an artist, not a sculptor. Real sculpting is still the real deal imo, 3D printing is fun to experiment with but if you get into this just to make money it takes a lot of research, planning and work. Perfectly printed 1/6 scale heads won't pop out of your machine... it's a nice thought, and the manufacturers want you to believe it does... but the truth is that it's a lot of headache
I've been looking into the same thing. I've been looking at Makerbots, but trying to decide which one to get. Material costs, etc. are something else I need to get a good idea on.
