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3D-printing STO ships
paxfederatica
Member Posts: 1,496 Arc User
Eucl3D originally announced 3D-printing of your ships would be available from within STO in November. It's December now and still no announcement of that coming online. Did that get cancelled, or has there been any other news on that front since then?
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Hopefully if things didn't work out here then they'll push forward with someone else in the future. I was really excited when I first saw this, and I have a hard time believing it wouldn't be a great money maker for all parties involved.
Well its based on 3D model's of ships in game from TV/Movies, hopefully merchandising arrangements with CBS/Paramount are finalized, perhaps a licensing fee per ship's printed based on copyright owner.
If that's true, then this could be a situation where they made the announcement before securing all the necessary licenses ... which is an absolutely terrible idea, but also wouldn't surprise me tbh
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This is Cryptic, who are widely known for shooting themselves in the foot with a shotgun.
Wish Cryptic would at least give an update on where this is at.
You'd almost be better off buying a cheap printer and learning how to do it yourself. There are even guides out there that show you how to pull a mesh from a game, convert it, and print it. You just can't sell it because licensing stuff. Another option is you can design it yourself (you'd have to learn to 3d model because you can't use protected property) and have a site like shapeways print it for you. But depending on the size and complexity of the model, and what finish or material you want it printed with, you're still better off buying your own printer.
I plugged one of my designers into their site one time just to see the pricing, and depending on what settings I picked I could easily jack the price into the thousands of dollars. For something I can hide in my hand.
Could be causing them more headaches then they anticipated.
I'm not sure licensing is the issue.. could be, but at this point I'm thinking its more of a technical issue.
Would they really do that ? Put out a press release without talking to their contacts a CBS ?
That would be a strange way to conduct business. I suppose it's a possibility though.. One would think they know better, then to get too far ahead of themselves..
I mean, it's almost asking to be sued.. or at the very least a cease and desist order.
My Foundry missions | My STO Wiki page | My Twitter home page
If CBS milks the most out of this effort then the prices for these models are going to sky rocket to unobtainable levels. Why because that's CBS and they've become rotten to the core. All they see is $, $$, $$$ and more $$$$. They've gone so far from Gene Roddenberry's original vision I don't see Star Trek anymore... All I see is a politically correct, money grabber.
That's par for the course when it comes to printing. With FFF printers (the most common type, a.k.a. filament printers) the only way to increase the detail would be to increase the scale of the models, or use a very low layer height with a super small nozzle (which would make the price skyrocket due to the increased print time). Or go with SLA/DLP/resin printers, which would also dramatically increase the price due to the cost of the printers, materials, and post processing. Then there's stuff like the Mcor printers that actually glue layers of pre-colored paper together to make your object, but those printers are pricey! They make incredible prints though.
A ) they're got serious issues with the 'tree ring' pattern the process was leaving in the saucers sections because they're not grinding out any kind of beveling between the layers or polishing them in any way before painting - to the point they're now deliberately fuzzing their images to hide the issue.
B ) after the announcement the vast majority of posters here proudly announced they'd never pay anything close to enough to make the process worth pursuing. This audience is a dry well not worth servicing when it comes to physical collectibles... or tries very hard to appear that way.
Actually, in a bitter twist of irony, seeking '$, $$, $$$ and more $$$$' is following Gene Roddenberry's original vision to the letter.
That "tree ring" pattern is just something that comes with the territory of printing. The only way around it is to print at ultra high quality, 0.1mm layer height or lower (which as said before, vastly increases the print time, which in turn would drive the prices through the roof), or print in a material like ABS that allows sanding or smoothing with acetone vapor or some of the gimmick products out there. Most prints are done using PLA, which is easy to print with and can be easily used in cheaper printers, but allows for almost no post processing as it can't be easily sanded and smoothing products don't work on it.
In order to get a good print that most people would be satisfied with, it would have to be done in ABS, which requires a more expensive printer (needs a heated bed, and preferably an enclosed print area unless you really know what you're doing), and after that every print would require hours upon hours of post processing (support removal, sanding, more sanding, more sanding, painting, sealing). It all falls back to what I said earlier, it would be far more efficient and cost effective to just mold and cast. Printing for profit just isn't very profitable unless you have very gullible customers with really deep pockets.
The whole thing sounds like someone had a neat and cool idea, but really had no idea what it entails. It makes sense though, the way printers are marketed they make it sound like it's so easy. Just hit print, and presto, cool things happen. That just isn't how it works. There's a LOT of work involved, and that's after you spend days, weeks, or months learning how to use the damn things.
So it's definitely doable. I think, if anything, if there's a delay it's simply because Eucl3D is figuring out how to meet all of their demands.
And I hope they do, I'd absolutely love to have a model of the USS Novosibirsk on display, and as a Cryptic-created Nimbus class vessel it's not like I have any substitute options. It's not a vessel I can just buy any old Star Trek model of and re-paint, she currently only exists within the digital world of STO.
There's also the issue that humanoid characters are comparatively complex and mostly vertically aligned things - both of which hide the tree ring'ing of the cutting process while the broad smooth hulls of Fed designs are just about perfect for showcasing the problem.
I do hope they get it sorted out. I'd like an Eclipse and Tal Shiar Adapted Destroyer and I'm trying to go in eyes open about both the issues and the costs.
https://eucl3d.com/
welll thats disappointing.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
Damn.
Cryptic, I really and truly hope you guys are already looking for other people who can deliver this service.
Just... damn.