3D Printing

I know Vader has one; not too sure if 'crunch has one yet or not, but I've finally made the plunge and ordered a 3D printer.

What's nice about this is that, after seeing on in action last year, the mrs was probably wanting one more than I was (and that's saying something). She was completely into the ability and freedom to make whatever you want, and the cheap costs involved. Even with the model that was being displayed, which runs between $700 and a thousand, she was "we can get one if you want, this is really cool, do you want one". And while I have been wanting one, I kept telling her to wait, prices will come down while quality goes up, and I wanted to make sure the one we get we can use for a while.

Basically wanted something inexpensive, user friendly, and could print nice quality stuff. I really wanted to get a delta style printer... those are neat, but from what I've been reading, they aren't the best as far as "beginner" printers go. I also really love the resin bath type printers; just watching those in action blows my mind (but they sure as hell aren't cheap). Guess a flat bed was my only real option.

While there were cheap models out there, the stuff I was looking at tended to be in the $500 range, and that was still a bit too high for me. But then I found out that there were preassembled plug-n-play models, and then there were do-it-yourself kits, which greatly reduced the price. And then I saw it: a video on Youtube that demonstrated how you can get layerless or smooth printing on a very cheap printer. Watched another video on that printer. Then some printer review videos. Read some reviews at this point, and there does seem to be a mix of great to average reviews, with a handful of bad.

The bad reviews tended to focus on the bed itself. Some beds are warped (general fix is attach a sheet of 1/4 glass), while other bed issues are that after a few prints, you may have to readjust the level. Attaching glass isn't a problem for me, and checking level is no big deal; it's a manual adjusted bed, and that just seems like something you'd have to do anyway. With the bad reviews, I should add that each one stated that customer service was excellent and quick to respond, which in itself is a great bonus.

So then, the printer I went with is the Creality Ender 3, and it sells for $220 on eBay or $235 on Amazon; both are with free shipping. I went with Amazon as it also bundled with both white and black filament for $280. Note that while the free shipping is a normal thing on eBay (through filter search), with Amazon the standard shipping for this was $23 with a delivery between 3 - 5 days; the free shipping (for products over a certain price) had a delivery of 5 - 7 days. I don't think I've ever had an Amazon delivery take the high end of the expected shipment, so five days is of no concern to me. As my primary need for a 3D printer is for crafting (cosplay and gaming), I think I'll definitely get my money's worth out of it.

free files

Started collecting links and sites that have downloadable print files.

1. Thingiverse - If you can think of it, chances are it's already here. Be creative in your wording for the search feature if you are after 40K stuff! As an example, a Tau Fire Warrior is called a "Space Commie of Fire". Have pulled a lot of files from this place.

2. Desktop Hero - think of it as a free version of Hero Forge. The site is in beta, and there is {currently} a kickstarter for the next stage of this site, but you can go on it now and be amazed by the multitude of user created content. And there's a big plus: every item is adjustable! Scale, posing / position, whatever. Have printed a few figures from here, and I'm not disappointed at all.

pay files

Cheaper to print your own than to buy them outright! Most of these places do have free files or free sample packs. I haven't really checked them out yet.

Fat Dragon Games

Ill Gotten Games

Hero's Hoard

3D Hexes

Maker Fun

Game Decor

Terrainify

Printable Scenery