[BFG] - Designing new ship types - 3d printing madness

[Malika]

I understand what you mean though, it's just that sadly enough I can make some test models for cheap. I mean, my scratchbuilding skills aren't good enough to build this design from plastic bits, and printing multiple versions is just going to be very..very expensive.

I am tempted to finish this design, and then CNC a large version of it (30 to 50cm long or something), just to have it as a show model. Need to figure out how intensive that's gonna be for the CNC machine, and if I'll be allowed to do this for free! 

[Islacrusez]

Looking at that design, perhaps you might get away with modifying it slightly so that each face can be made up of thin sheets, and having those then photo-etched or laser-cut?

[Blindhorizon]

I understand what you mean though, it's just that sadly enough I can make some test models for cheap. I mean, my scratchbuilding skills aren't good enough to build this design from plastic bits, and printing multiple versions is just going to be very..very expensive.

I am tempted to finish this design, and then CNC a large version of it (30 to 50cm long or something), just to have it as a show model. Need to figure out how intensive that's gonna be for the CNC machine, and if I'll be allowed to do this for free! 

A cnc machine can cut flat pieces right? if you took a piece of plastic 1mm thick you could have the cnc machine cut shapes out of the plastic?

[Malika]

Oh that might be an idea as well! So that I have the machine cut the separate layers, and that I then put them together. That would be quite intense! 

Thing is that the CNC we have can cut in 3d as well, so not just flat pieces, which is very interesting for this sort of thing.

[Blindhorizon]

So cut the basic shape of the ship, i mean the raw flat sides with just the shape underneath. then cut the different layers of detail and glue them on. You could even cut the different pieces to have it cast,  cut the nose and nose detail. cut the middle and middle detail and then cut the rear and rear detail. you then have your 3 different pieces to cast then glue together.

[Malika]

I was thinking for the bigger version to cut it in three pieces like that, front/middle/rear. For the smaller one I was thinking of just cutting it in two, namely top and bottom. That way it should be relatively easy for the CNC to do it since I'll still have flat surfaces to work with.

I'm just wondering if you'll still be able to see something that's 0.5mm or even 0.1mm. Most of the details on my ship are 0.5mm, with 0.25mm accents here and there. Wouldn't these need to be a bit bigger, like 1mm details and accents of 0.5mm?

[Malika]

In the meanwhile...



Started working on the prow, meaning that the main design is almost finished. Just need to build the front plate of the prow, and add some additional details to the distortion engine and exhausts area...

Need to brainstorm a bit on the size of the model. On one hand I'd love to have it in BFG scale (max. length 10cm). However, the idea of making it bigger, as a sort of center piece and then design smaller fighters is also very tempting...

[Islacrusez]

Anything down to 0.5mm is still pretty big; 0.1mm is about as small as you need to go. Some of the detail I'm scratchbuilding is 0.5mm wide cuts, and the material is probably only 0.1mm thick, if that. I assure you it can all still be seen. Whether or not that detail would survive machining or casting is another matter.


The reason I suggest using a laser-cutting and photo-etching is because you'll get a much higher resolution than any physical tool you can put on a milling machine or similar. Photo-etching especially. There are problems with the approach, obviously, and they largely have to be resolved in the design stage - you don't want to end up with 1x1mm pieces that you have to glue into precise positions, so you'd do better to design them attached to another piece on the same layer.

[Malika]

I was thinking that on such a scale I could probably cut the hull parts of the ship in 10 (front, back, left, right, top, bottom, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right different plates, each one side of the hull. These plates could be done by a laser cutter or CNC that can do that kinda cutting.

But I'm getting very...very...very tempted to just do this ship as a larger model, and then design smaller craft such as fighters etc. Kinda like the Star Wars miniatures game. Not sure at the moment though, need some brainstorming!

[horizon]

The design of the ship looks good. Good luck with the technical aspect of it.

Welcome, once again.

[Malika]

Almost finished...

[Malika]

By the way, somebody over at the Anargo forums posted this:


Really want to play with that now...

[Blindhorizon]

I was going to draw something just like that, i was watching startrek and it reminded me of it.

[Malika]

Really curious about your drawing.

Been adding a lot of additional details to the ship, will show them tomorrow. Need to try some stuff out for the turrets, so they'll show up in a couple of days.

[Malika]

I'll hope to have the new turrets and a first version of a drop pod ready later this week.

In the meantime...