How to 3D Print Miniatures: A Complete Guide for Beginners

[Admin]

Learn the various key settings for 3D printing miniatures and the most appropriate 3D printing technology to use.

How to 3D Print Miniatures: A Complete Guide for Beginners : Read more

 

[bit_user]

Cool stuff! I used to paint mini figures, a long time ago. It'd be neat if you could now rip 3D assets from your favorite game and 3D print them...

 

[evildave_666]

This is a horribly incomplete introduction for resin printing.

1. The section on hollowing doesn't mention that hollowed prints MUST have drainage holes and be cured internally or else the model will eventually burst, spilling toxic uncured resin everywhere.

2. The section on supports uses examples with the base of the miniature parallel to the build plate, which will most likely cause the miniature to be ripped off the supports during printing.

 

[TRN42]

Dear gods. Look, throwing premium features like hollowing 3d into the 'tutorial' on resin, and then not mentioning any of the considerations like the contact area with the FEP, nor the post processing washing and curing is frankly irresponsible. Not to mention the note about 'adding holes if you like' with absolutely no mention that if you don't on a hollow model, that the model will contain some amount of uncured liquid resin which can cause the model to burst and spill liquid resin all over the place, potentially ruining not only that model, but all other near it, and anything else the resin touches.

Not to mention, who still uses grid infill on FDM printers these days? Much less enables supports everywhere? I mean, obviously the author had to be reasonably capable to have produced the models in the pictures sourced from tom's hardware, but pretty much none of the best practices of 3d printing are present, nor are important details disclosed. I almost feel obligated to write and illustrate a replacement guide given how dangerous following this cavalier catastrophe would end up being.

And while I know to certain pedants, the resin is normally technically not toxic, it's not in any way shape or form good for you. Skin contact can block pours with liquid resin that then hardens, which can cause severe damage to the skin as sweat and bacteria builds behind it like some super zit.

Oh, I'm slightly mistaken. The wash and cure step is mentioned, in the tale end of the FDM printing section. Which is quite possibly the absolute worst place for it.

Frankly, this is Tom's Hardware. I'd expect high quality highly technical material free of defect or oversights. An article on the pros and cons of nozzle styles, materials, geometries, and design evolutions is more what I'd expect than a frankly shoddy tutorial on 3d printing badly where following the steps exactly as written would produce absolutely nothing. But perhaps, this isn't the same Tom's Hardware I read when I was in school. I suppose it hasn't been in a long time, which is why I stopped doing more than checking the front page once a blue moon.

 

[Tutor2]

Thank you so much for this guide. It's so helpful especially to us beginners.