ZBrushCentral

3d Printing Question

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi everyone…

I had some questions regarding the process for 3D printing of this sculpt.

dino4.jpg

It’s already been decimated and is currently at 534,618 polys. I made sure the geometry is closed and that all the parts are overlapping. They are now combined into one piece and I converted the geometry to a .stl file. I am wanting to output at about 10 inches high–but I could probably go smaller. All the parts look sturdy enough and the base looks good.

So my question is, do I need to do anything else?? I have seen sculpts where artists have broken up the sculpt using bolean in another 3D software (I use Lightwave) however, Lightwave crashes every time I try to open the decimated file. So, I don’t know whether that’s an option–or is it even necessary??

I have watched the tuts by Jeff Feligno but wonder whether I am missing anything. Any help or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks so much y’all.

Cheers,
James

Attachments

dino5.jpg

dino6.jpg

#2

hello James (cool name, that’s my brother’s name as well-:smiley: ). Anywho, listen, I am no world expert on 3D printing, but, below is some info that ‘might’ shine some light on this 3D printing thing (I sent this info to a friend as well)… hope it helps;

On 3D printing, most folks seem to use Shapways:
http://www.shapeways.com/support/pricing
And for preping info:
http://www.shapeways.com/upload/about
ZBrush has two plug-ins (Decimation Master and 3D Print Exporter-http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/downloadcenter/zplugins/)
If 3D Exporter does not do it for you, you can try MESHLAB (http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/) to prep the model for 3D printing .

You folks in the UK have a company by the name of MAGICMODEL:
http://www.magicmodel.co.uk/
You may want to look at that one as well.

There is also OWNAGE:
www.ownage.com
That is a company I also see folks use. They do a really good job.

And There is as well:
www.moddler.com
www.protodemon.com
Models can range from $30.00 to $2,000 dollars, depending what you need.

And for sculpting for 3D printing, here is a cool video tute by Jeff Feligno:
http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom…php?lesson=jeff

Again, I hope some of this info helps. Heck if all else fails, just ask Jeff at his post here on ZBrushCentral, I am sure he would be glad to help you out.

Best, Saul (Dragon)

#3

THANKS!! Seriously, thanks so much Dragon. I have a few feelers out there and hope that I get a good quote. I think I have all my bases covered but I just wanted to see whether anyone else had some good advice to offer. I’ll check out the links and let you know what I find out. Cheers!

James

#4

Oh, here is Jeff’s post:

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?t=147038&page=2&pp=15

He seems to use a company called ‘growit3d’. Scroll down when you get there, you can see his 3D print. Looks nice.

No prob, hope all goes well.

And yes, please let me know any info you find out. I have been researching this info for about a year now and man, this 3D printing thing just is not ‘cheap’ enough yet for the regular ‘Joe blow’ artist. But, looks very promising. Again, any info you find out, I most certainly would be interested in reading about. Again, best my friend.

#5

Oh crap, got so caught up in trying to get you info on 3D printing that I forgot to compliment you on a fine sculpt. I like the balance you have going on, from the base to the egg to the cool little dinosaur. Amazing sculpting skills you have my friend, refined-:+1:

#6

Ha! No worries. Thanks for the wealth of info–and the kind compliments. I have been working at this Zbrush thing for just a few months and while the learning curve is indeed steep, it is SO much fun. So many possibilities. Anyway, I have a few requests for quotes out there and hopefully I’ll hear something soon. We’ll see–and yes, it ain’t cheap. But I think the price will be coming down soon. I hope so anyway. I am hoping to get a few things made but I want to see that it is worth it, you know? Anyway, again, I thank you for your help. I will certainly let you know what I hear. PM me if I forget. Stay tuned!

#7

Sounds good. I will PM you. Best.