ZBrushCentral

Computer Models In The 'Real' Real World...

Community
#1

Hi gang!
I am presently cutting gems, and carving some gemstone pieces to finance a new ‘Rapid Prototyping’ business I am setting up…
There was a topic posted here a while back, referring to ‘real world’ computer modelling, and as one who is no longer satisfied with pieces being trapped in the computer monitor, I am intending to buy a ‘Stereolithographic Printer’ to put my work out in a tangible form…This is not cheap, and in fact the equipment I will be purchasing costs $32,000.00 US… :cool:

I received a sample model today, and thought some of you might like to see it…I should have taken pics of the palm, but didn’t, so you’ll have to trust me when I say that every wrinkle, muscle, and fold is exactly duplicated in this model…BTW, for reference, this model is about 5.5" tall, and the equipment I’m buying has a ‘build box’ of 10" X 8" X 8".
I hope you enjoy the pics!

[img]http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/uploaded_from_zbc/200306/user_image-1054783521rxn.jpg[/img] [img]http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/uploaded_from_zbc/200306/user_image-1054783567rdu.jpg[/img]

This equipment is ALSO capable of producing molds from a computer model, which use a trick ceramic powder, and you can cast metal directly into this printed mold, all the way up to steel temps… :cool:

Now THAT is computer models in the ‘real’ world! :smiley:

#2

Michael,
Good to see a post from you! What a great investment! I have long yearned for a stereolithographic printer ever since I first saw one back in '91 when I was a student of Engineering! Looks like you are on a road to some major fun! I will be looking forward to future developments from you! Thanks for sharing with us your very exciting endeavor!
Take care man,
Michael

#3

Hi Stone
With that you can make now some Michelangelo Master Cutter Pieces :cool:
Pilou

#4

sweet mother of god, that is the coolest thing I have ever seen, I saw somthing like that in Jurassic park, but I thought that they were not real. Your gonna gonna be the most popular person in Ladner when word gets out that you have one of those babies

#5

Wauuu !! Great Michael !!!
1^ nice to see you here;
2^ the rapid prototype machine is a great think!!! :eek:

#6

Thanx for your interest guys!

Hitch: According to the company rep, there is only one of these machines in the entire Province of British Columbia, and as far as he and others in the company know, it is only used for iindustrial prototyping…I will therefore be pioneering the artistic use of this technology in my part of the world. I intend to use it to produce computer-generated Investment Casting models, (I’ve taught Lost-wax casting…), and this machine can produce 50 or so at a time…Since they sell to the industry for $200.00 to $300.00 each, that will help recover the equipment costs fairly quickly!

As an example, this ring design could actually be produced, and since I could supply a rendered image of the finished product, (and in fact have shown some of my jewellery clients this facility, generating a great deal of excitement), sales are pretty easily come by!

Of course, my MAIN reason for acquiring this is to get things out of the virtual, and into the real world, so my pieces aren’t just ‘pretty pictures’…
:wink:

#7

So here’s a ‘palm shot’…I think this shows how good the resolution is…
And note this:
This is a frame taken from a video, so the quality sux, compared to the actuality of the model… :wink:

#8

cool stuff,this full body scan came on a lightwave cd byweb pageto see the process. and another
cool link

web page

#9

Nice model Dude! Thanks for posting that…
The difference here is that this machine works directly from computer models…You can use a 3D scanner to imput the data, but you can take a ZBrush/LightWave/3D Studio/Maya, whatever file you can produce, and build it directly…You don’t need to scan the data in, but you can. My workflow is from ZBrush into LightWave, or I work in Cinema 4D XL, and as long as you can get an .STL file together, this machine can duplicate it…

(And guess what? It’s made by ZCorp… :wink: :smiley: )

Here’s a link to the machine I will be purchasing, and if you click on the video demo, you can see how it works…
http://www.zcorp.com/products/printersdetail.asp?ID=1

Incidentally, the ball bearing model they show is a working model, and it’s printed in ONE piece! :smiley:

#10

just watched the demo movie a must see!!!

#11

If you REALLY want to have your mind blown Gary, you should send for the CD video…
It shows the process in real life, and if you do, you’ll think you’re watching movie special effects, but it’s all really happening! :cool:

There are also a lot of different additives that you can ‘infiltrate’ the models with. These range from 2 part epoxies, to Cyanoacrylates, to ones that turn your models into flexible rubber!

#12

Hi SC,
welcome back…with another marvelous idea.
Can you post some more info about these Prototyping Machine ? (Link or so…)

Thank You

cameyo

#13

Hi Cameyo Go there ! :cool:
There is also a rustic demo flash video :slight_smile:
Pilou

#14

Hi Stone
Little trivial question :slight_smile:

What happen for this sort of object ?
I am anxious for the sphere inside :smiley:
It’s forbidden or permit by the Magic Machine ?
And if it’s forbidden does exist a prog for verify or it’s just human action ?
Pilou

#15

Hey Frenchy!
That object would present NO problems at all…The object is printed in layers, and the layers in the ‘Z’ axis, (In this case, the Z-Axis is the vertical one…), can be set from .003" to .010" in print depth. The machine basically prints a layer of binder on the surface of the powder on the build platform, and then moves the build platform down by the above increment for the next printing…
Since the powder supports the piece, hollw parts are no problem…
In fact, as I pointed out above, on the link to the ZCorp site, the model they show of a ball-bearing is printed in one piece, and actually functions!
On the disk that the company will send upon request, they show a model of a temple, with a statue inside… :slight_smile:
So, the answer, Frenchy, is that that piece could be easily printed, and when you were done, the ball would be free to move around inside. You can also do as many things at once as will fit in the ‘build box’, so for instance, purely as an example, you could do a chess set all at once, and if you wanted to add some jewellery pieces or small sculptures, and they fit into the build box around your chess pieces, you could print them at the same time… :smiley:

The only restriction to any model is that you have to be able to remove the excess powder, which is done with an included vacuum system…So, you can do a hollow sphere, provided you leave a little hole for the powder removal…

#16

So Entierely Magic indeed :cool:
Pilou

#17

It CERTAINLY is Frenchy! :smiley:

And Cameyo?

Here’s the perfect Rapid Prototyping link for an Engineer…This is the entire ‘Rapid Prototyping Family Tree’…! This covers all the methods. I chose Stereolithography for reasons I’ll go into if you want, but there are other methods available, and some very ODD technologies indeed! :cool:
http://ltk.hut.fi/~koukka/RP/rptree.html#SL

#18

Rapid Prototyping is interesting stuff indeed.

In Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel “Contact” scientists are given plans to build a machine via an alien message. In one part of the novel it describes how parts of the machine were “grown” in tanks “layer by layer”. Kind of prophetic? :smiley:

#19

:+1: :+1: :+1: congraz on being able to invest into a specialized djinn, SC :smiley: i couldnt believe my eyes when i saw my first ad about this kind of stuff a few years ago - it looked like national lampoon had sneaked in some parody via buying one page :stuck_out_tongue:

i am considering to order a superneato bonsai tree (incl. 3d-tool) :smiley:

  • juandel
#20

Hey Ju-Ju Man, that’s JUST the sort of thing I would love to do for people with this technology! Think about a ZBrush piece, in your hand, with airbrushing, and REAL metal parts, done with electroplating…(Yes…A little silver lacquer, and you can electroplate, and electroform on these!)

WingedOne…

Let’s not start ‘Alien’ rumours, huh? :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
We stonecutters are already considered strange enough, without that…(But then again…Thinking of what I wrote to Juandel, regarding electroplated parts…Hmmm…Circuitry printed in each layer…Build Box, 10" X 8" X 8"…Resolution of .003" to .010"…

That’s it! This is getting a bit weird… :eek: :wink: :rolleyes: :cool: :smiley: