Staples Starts to Sell 3D Printer

Staples is entering the world of 3D printing by offering a low cost 3D Printer.

Helbrecht Pattern Land Raider

This 3D model has been a round for a bit but it is so deserving more publicity!

More on 3D Printing, the Law and GW

Wired Magazine has a good article updating the legal case of Games Workshop vs. Thomas Valenty.  Of course, the big bad company vs. the little guy is a scenario we have seen before with GW jealousy protecting its IP.  And GW ha every right to.  The question is when does Games Workshop step over the line and try and assert rights it doesn't have.

I have done a previous article on 3D printing and the law (and you can see all the articles I wrote on 3D printing here).

The relevant part is that Michael Weinberg, a senior staff attorney with Public Knowledge, a group that advocates for consumers’ digital rights, isn’t even sure Valenty infringed on Warhammer’s copyrighted designs, because Games Workshop is accusing him of creating miniatures in the style of the game, and you can’t copyright style.

The questions involved in Games Workshops case against Chapterhouse Studios also show GW potentially over-reaching in its interpretation of the law.  And while Chapterhouse certainly were sloppy and careless in their use of GW trademarks/copyrights, and may suffer because of it, GW also seems to like to assert more rights than are apparent in the law.  But then again, that is a legal tactic, always ask for the moon and let the judge/jury cut you back.

The 3D litigation is potentially a losing issue for GW because once 3D printers are ubiquitous and everyone is making their own models, GW will have to adjust its business model.  They may even decide to sell their kits' 3D files so you actually print out your models if you have a 3D printer.  As it is, players are getting tired of the ridiculous price increases and are looking for alternatives.  The hobby has to get cheaper, because the economy just doesn't justify GW's price increases and players are all getting tired and looking for alternatives.

So a lot of issues at play here.  

Loken.

3D Printing, Pirate Bay and the future of gaming

3D printing has been thrust front and center with the incredible advances in technology over the last couple of years. Add to this the intellectual property fights that Games Workshop has undertaken, and the ability to "print" out models from 3D files and it spells out a coming storm that may well change the face of gaming.

If you don't know about 3D printing, make sure you read our previous articles on the matter.

From 40K Nation member Doran Bouchard:

The Pirate Bay is offering users the chance to download and print out real objects using 3D printers in what the pirate site is hailing as 'the future. Among the new "physibles" uploaded to the Pirate Bay are plans for a Warhammer 40k dreadnought that got taken down in December with a DMCA request by Games Workshop"

ThePirateBay.org announced via its blog, first reported by GigaOM, that users can now search in a new category called "Physibles". Physibles, as the blog explains, are mock-up files that allow a 3D printer to create a physical object.

"We believe that the next step in copying will be made from digital form into physical form. It will be physical objects. Or as we decided to call them: Physibles. Data objects that are able (and feasible) to become physical. We believe that things like three dimensional printers, scanners and such are just the first step. We believe that in the nearby future you will print your spare sparts for your vehicles. You will download your sneakers within 20 years."

Just think, in the nearby future, you will be able to print out a whole army of models.  Or even dice to play 40k with.

The Pirate Bay, a site well known due to accusations of it aiding and abetting copyright infringement, took a philanthropic approach to the announcement, saying that it would likely change the world in a matter of years. I am sure that as the materials and scanning tech come into maturity it will have not only the power to revolutionize the world, but also to change the way this hobby is fundamentally structured in a business sense.

A wide range of 3D printers were shown off at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, including one from MakerBot Industries — the MakerBot Replicator — available for US$1749.

http://store.makerbot.com/replicator-404.html

https://thepiratebay.org/torrent/6978241/Tabletop_Wargaming_Robot_Model

Custom Minis - 3D printing of custom accessories for 40K

Custom Minis is a one man operation that uses 3D printing by Shapeways (a  leader in 3d printing for the masses) to produce custom Space Marine shoulder pads and Dreadnought Weapons and more.

From the Custom Minis website:

Custom Minis is a new company thriving to meet the demands of our customers by creating customizable miniatures through the use of 3D and Rapid Prototyping.

Custom Minis specializes in creating custom bits and models for a variety of games and hobbies. With the creation of advanced technology we can create almost any design our customers could ever dream of and can create a physical piece that you can then use to play with. 

The Custom Minis product list is here.  He does comissions as well and it would be interesting to see how he can do with your design, so give him a try and let us know how it goes.

Alec

3D Printing for Warhammer 40K - Part II

This continues our conversation on 3D printing with 3DYeti!  Here is an overview of the technology:

This is a great article on the different types of 3D Printing:

http://replicatorinc.com/blog/2009/02/4-types-of-3d-printing/

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. It is the means of cutting and routing a material to create a precise object. It is not 3d printing, but can get similar results in some instances. The limitation is that the object is "found" within the material it is cutting. With 3d printing, the object is being generating freely, allowing for more complicated designs, non linear engineering, and even built in moving parts or gearing.

The printer I have is FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling). A spool of 3mm ABS filament is extruded out of a hotend heated to 220-225c. The extruder moves up and down along the z axis and the platform that is printed on moves along the x and y axis. The model I design gets sliced horizontally in the printers software. This breaks up the model and tells the printer at what points it should be extruding, and what outline to follow. After a complete layer is printed, the extruder moves up slightly and the next layer is laid down. This goes on until the print is complete. There is a cool down period for the plastic to come to a more solid state, and than the object is free to be taken off of the print platform.

For the 40k models, I found reference photos online and just eyeballed the details. At one point, I had access to a Leman Russ Model, and a Sentinel model. I was able to take general measurements off of them to ensure scale. I made them to look like their namesakes, but they are by no means carbon copies. I had to modify details, or come up with my own that could be printed correctly. You need to avoid overhangs greater than about 45 degrees or you need to design support structures that you plan to remove after the object is printed. Everything is printed in a layer. If you are print a lower case "r" the arm of the letter will fail without a support. If you do not model a support for it the printer will extrude the extent of it into open air. You can't just model to your hearts content and hope for the best when it prints. Care needs to be given to the medium in which you are printing. You can't have details that are thinner than the filaments printed width, because they just won't print.

I've been modeling in 3d for over 12 years. There are plenty of tutorials online for how to model in 3d.

Makerbot 3D Printers

(Pictured above)

My Makerbot Thing-o-matic kit was purchased for $1,499.  (Note the price has come down to $ 1,099 for the new Mk 7)  You can also see the complete Makerbot store here.

Prusa Mendel 3D Printers

Prusa Mendel is the name of an open source 3d printer. The Mendel design brought reprap into a stage where it could be built by anyone. The reason why it is important to note that it is an open source project is because the creators hold no patents. Everyone on the planet is free to create one, and the plans are openly available in the internet. Information on the reprap project can be found here: http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap

I printed some Prusa Mendel parts for my out of state brother. He purchased $400ish worth of off the shelf parts and built a 3d printer for himself. We are working on plans to build a 3d printer that will cost us $300 in off the shelf parts. It will get me a comparable Mendel style printer. We'll see how that goes. 

There are many derivatives, but they are all basically the same. 3 axis, moved by stepper motors typically,manipulating a heated extrude through a set of commands given by a computer whose end result is a physical copy of a digital design.

Going for an industrial style printer that is not FDM can lead to far greater surface accuracy and smoothness. The top of the line ones even print in full color. Those get more into the $25,000-75,000 range. One example of a company offering these printers would be zcorp: http://www.zcorp.com/en/Products/3D-Printers/spage.aspx

3D Printing for Warhammer 40K - Part I

Nice Leman Russ eh?  Well it isn't a GW kit.  It is a 3D printed version.  A small number of talented modelers are designing and printing, gaming miniatures using contract 3D printing services, like Shapeways.  These companies have expensive high-resolution SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) rapid prototyping machines. Miniatures produced by SLS can look almost as good as those made by traditional sculpting and casting methods, and depending on the particular artist and design, sometimes better. 

These Warhammer 40K designs are from Thingiverse ( a community for 3D modeling) user 3dYeti, who is an Apocalypse 40K forum member.

These models use hobby-scale desktop FDM/FFF (Fused Deposition Modeling, which is a trademarked term / Fused Filament Fabrication, which is not) printers.   There are a bunch of manufacturers of these:

MakerBot

MakerGear

Ultimaker

Shown uppermost is a print of 3dYeti’s 7-part Leman Russ tank, and below that, two prints of his Imperial Guard sentinel, at different scales and in different colors.

Here is a 3D printer at work:

From Thomas, aka 3dYeti:

I am a professional 3d artist. I had been keeping my eye on 3d printing when the reprap project came about a few years ago. Reprap is an open source project for the construction and operation of 3d printers. I purchased a 3d printer kit this fall. I assembled it and had been toying around with modeling things and printing them out. It dawned on me that I could incorporate another hobby of mine from my childhood. I played tabletop wargames through my teens. I enjoyed the model making and painting mostly. I have a younger brother that plays IG. I figured I'd try modeling and printing some minis. I started with the Sentinel, and when that turned out so well, I started working on the Leman Russ. Months went by, and another brother of mine suggested I post them to thingiverse. GW caught wind and sent thingiverse a DMCA. Its not as big of a deal as some are making it out to be. I am in no way affected. I still plan to develop 28mm scaled vehicles. The single unit models won't print as well as the larger units/vehicles. I don't feel like rocking any boats, so I won't be openly distributing my 3d files.

My current print area is about 10cm cubed. I will be building a second mendel style printer that will have a build volume of about 20cm cubed.

I own a Makerbot Thing-o-Matic. I model in 3ds max. I am fluent in the Adobe suite, and other graphics applications. 

More tomorrow!

Alec