Printed Armies - 3D printed CnC stuff

[Kalle Bowo]

Hey folks,

Kalle Bowo here. Some of you might still know me as the guy who worked on the graphics for the Renegade mod "CnC Reborn" or who dressed up in his Nod uniform at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany (the Avatar, yes, that's actually me, 10 years ago ^^). I thought you might be interested in my latest CnC related project. Since I bought a 3D printer this year I started building a miniature base inspired by Tiberian Dawn and Renegade.

 

If you want to see more, you can visit my website www.printed-armies.com

 

And if you want to stay in touch, you can follow me on Facebook and Instagram. I heard social media is kind of the new thing ...

 

here are some examples of what I did so far, enjoy

 

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2016 by Kalle Bowo

[moonsense715]

Hi!

I was a fan of your Reborn PT icons 10 years ago

And wow you've got amazing stuff there. Great job!

Aaaand that is totally the nod base from C&C_Field!

[Raap]

I have no idea how this conjuration magic 3D printing stuff works, I've never had the [staff of Divine Supremacy] budget for just testing gimmicks like that. Looks great though!

[Einstein]

Awesome stuff! Welcome (back) to the community!

[NodGuy]

I remember you, and your amazing skins and costumes! Excited to see your recent work, and I hope to see Reborn / Tiberian Sun models one day.

Edited November 1, 2016 by NodGuy

[Kalle Bowo]

Welcome (back) to the community!

 

 

 

Aaaand that is totally the Nod base from C&C_Field!

 

Indeed!

 

 

I remember you, and your amazing skins and costumes! Excited to see your recent work, and I hope to see Reborn / Tiberian Sun models one day.

 

Since I still got all the 3D files from the days working on Reborn on my PC, you will totally see that stuff one day ^^ But just to make it clear, the printing doesn't work that way "extract 3D file from game -> throw it at the printer -> success!!". I basically have to model all the stuff completely from scratch. But having resource material in 3D helps of course to speed up the process, since I got already the right proportions.

 

By the way, want to see the latest stuff I'm working on? ^^

 

[GeneralCamo]

3d Printing Stuff

Excellent to see someone actually doing some 3d printing of these models. Just out of curiosity: What material are these printed in?

 

I have no idea how this conjuration magic 3D printing stuff works, I've never had the [staff of Divine Supremacy] budget for just testing gimmicks like that. Looks great though!

Depends on the Printer. Kalle Bowo is using an Ultimaker 2+, which is a Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Printer, which basically uses spools of filament (which can contain different material) pushed through a heated extruder to form models. There are also resin-based printers which uses a UV laser to cure liquid resin into a formed model and powder-bed printers which uses a laser to melt powder (similar to filament but usually much more expensive) to form models. There are other more exotic types of printers, but those are generally not used in the current consumer-grade and most of the industrial-grade 3d printer market.

[VERTi60]

Besides the set, I also like the webpage you have. Did you made your own css or are using a template?

[NodGuy]

 

I remember you, and your amazing skins and costumes! Excited to see your recent work, and I hope to see Reborn / Tiberian Sun models one day.

 

 

Since I still got all the 3D files from the days working on Reborn on my PC, you will totally see that stuff one day ^^ But just to make it clear, the printing doesn't work that way "extract 3D file from game -> throw it at the printer -> success!!". I basically have to model all the stuff completely from scratch. But having resource material in 3D helps of course to speed up the process, since I got already the right proportions.

This I know, which makes me appreciate your work even more.

[Kalle Bowo]

Just out of curiosity: What material are these printed in?

 

I'm printing with PLA. I really like this greyish / silverish look. I tried also white PLA and a cheaper silver PLA so far but both don't look even close as good. I mean one day I will also paint all these models but at the moment it's just nice if they can look really nice even without being painted ^^

 

 

Besides the set, I also like the webpage you have. Did you made your own css or are using a template?

 

I used to be a web designer, but than I took an arrow to the knee ... well, I bought a template on themeforest called Hyper X and made all the design adjustments on my own.

[GeneralCamo]

While the fumes are an issue (therefore ventilation will be needed), you could try printing in ABS rather than PLA. The main advantage of ABS (besides its higher mechanical strength) is the ability to manipulate it with Acetone. You could bond with it, or you can use a process typically called an Acetone Vapor Bath to create nice and smooth surfaces:

Might be useful if you plan on selling this somehow, since I'm sure quite a few of these models would benefit from it. And it just looks nice in General!

[delta]

PLA is supposed to be biodegradable right? Does that mean your models will melt over time?

 

 

Also how does 3D printing work...you just give the printer a model, some material, and it builds whatever shape you want?

[Kalle Bowo]

While the fumes are an issue (therefore ventilation will be needed), you could try printing in ABS rather than PLA. The main advantage of ABS (besides its higher mechanical strength) is the ability to manipulate it with Acetone. You could bond with it, or you can use a process typically called an Acetone Vapor Bath to create nice and smooth surfaces.

 

[...]

 

Might be useful if you plan on selling this somehow, since I'm sure quite a few of these models would benefit from it. And it just looks nice in General!

 

Yeah I heard about that stuff. But I think my models are quite too small and detailed and would rather suffer from the procedure than actually benefit. I am also already quite happy with the results of the Ultimaker. The layer hight is set to 0.1 mm, which is quite fine already. Plus I've heard the procedure is actually not that good for your health, which wouldn't be beneficial if I would be mass producing these miniatures.

 

 

PLA is supposed to be biodegradable right? Does that mean your models will melt over time?

 

 

Also how does 3D printing work...you just give the printer a model, some material, and it builds whatever shape you want?

 

Yes, the material I'm using is biodegradable. But so far I haven't noticed that my models melt away I guess if I would throw them in the garden, leaving them exposed to 'wind and weather', that wouldn't be beneficial. But so far, they look just fine sitting here on my desk.

 

About the printing process: You either get a 3D model (from a game, download it somewhere etc), load it up with a so called slicer application (I'm using Cura, the standard from Ultimaker) which basically converts the vectors of the 3D model into the different layers, from bottom to the top, which will guide the print head. In this step you can tweak all kinds of settings, like the layer hight (the more layers, the more details), temperature, speed etc. and afterwards you export the data as a so called GCode to a SD card, put it in the printer, turn on the printer, select a model and wait a couple of hours until the model is finished.

 

But.

 

Not everything can be printed as you might imagine it. First of all models from games are barely printable out of the box. They are optimized for gaming (therefore have usually few polygons = your model will look edgy), the geometry isn't closed, normals are inverted, all kinds of problems. I figured out the only way to get proper results is to model everything from scratch, giving you full control over every detail. If something doesn't work in the printing process, you will know why it doesn't work.

 

In general the printer works additive from bottom to the top. Going upwards up until a 45° angle gives you still nice results, but everything in between 45° and 5° just doesn't result in smooth surface areas. Printing additively also means you can't print stuff that's floating in the air. You could tell Cura to print so called support structures underneath otherwise floating objects. But you have to remove them manually afterwards which results in an unclean surface area as well. That's why I like to cut the models into different printable pieces and glue them back together afterwards. Moreover the slicing software works also as a kind of previsualization. You can actually see how your model will turn out. Here you can already see if certain details are too small or if they clump together, if they are streched somehow etc. Which means now it's back again to your 3D modeling program to work on those details again. So it's a back and forth until you're happy with this previsualization and actually start printing. And normally you will see a couple of details you are still not happy with only after you hold the printed model in your hand. I mean In the end it's molten plastic, it behaves still a bit different than the software predicts. That means it's a constant loop of rapid prototyping until you are finally happy with your model. Let's use the Construction Yard as an example.

 

Step 01: Decide on a model you want to make.

 

 

 

Step 02: Gather as much as possible reference materials.

 

 

 

Step 03: Modeling. Keep in mind that floating stuff isn't possible. And if you don't want to use support structures, you need to disassamble those critical areas, such as the crane.

 

 

 

Step 04: Previsualize in Cura. See critical areas, go back to your 3D software, work on those areas. Repeat until you are happy.

 

 

 

Step 05: Export GCode, print this thing, wait a couple of hours and hope everything turns out fine.

 

 

 

Step 06: Glue the parts back together.

 

[Killing_You]

Holy crap... Kalle Bowo... I had heard the legends...

[Kalle Bowo]

Holy crap... Kalle Bowo... I had heard the legends...

 

The elders told of his return ...

[delta]

Hrm...so when you made the Construction Yard (or anything else) is it a solid chunk of PLA, or is it hollow on the inside?

[Kalle Bowo]

It's not solid. It doesn't have to be solid. It's filled with this grid pattern, which is called "infill" and is calculated by the slicer software. Default settings are 20% infill, which means the grid pattern consists of 20% PLA and 80% air.

 

This doesn't sound like much, but I think the models are already quite durable. I didn't try to break one on purpose, but they don't seem that fragile to be honest. And I mean in the end they are just miniatures, you put them somewhere and look at them. Having a 20% plastic grid inside makes them already stronger than all the models of tanks and planes and whatsoever that you buy for instance from Revell, which are all hollow. These will actually break more easily than my models.

[FRAYDO]

Legit af. I very much enjoy this.

[devilslayersbane]

Do you ever take requests?

[Kalle Bowo]

Do you ever take requests?

 

At leats not until now. Some people already asked for the TW Mammoth Tank, one dude wanted the Soviet Nuclear Silo from RA2 ... but I'm really feeling like finishing the TD stuff first, so I got a complete collection, a finished project. But I put these wishes on a list for later.

 

The tricky thing with jumping from game to game is also the scale of the objects. I want to build everything that way that every piece from every game fits together with the all the other pieces from the other games.

 

By the way, why do you ask?

[devilslayersbane]

I may have some models that could be 3d printed, if you're interested. Some of them are off the wall, but some of them look really nice.

[OWA]

Incredible stuff as always! If you ever want to make some Red Alert 2 stuff, feel free to poke us for models to convert. We stick to a super-high standard of accuracy in RA2:AR.

[Kalle Bowo]

I may have some models that could be 3d printed, if you're interested. Some of them are off the wall, but some of them look really nice.

 

I'd say maybe upload them somewhere, send me the link and I will have a look if they are printable out of the box or if they need much work.

 

 

Incredible stuff as always! If you ever want to make some Red Alert 2 stuff, feel free to poke us for models to convert. We stick to a super-high standard of accuracy in RA2:AR.

 

Thanks for the compliment and also for the offer. Your models look nice, indeed! I will ping you when I'm approaching AR2 for printing

[Nodlied]

Incredible stuff as always! If you ever want to make some Red Alert 2 stuff, feel free to poke us for models to convert. We stick to a super-high standard of accuracy in RA2:AR.

To be fair, there is a model that isn't really accurate. (Not including the placeholders.)

[Wallywood]

Welcome back Kalle Bowo!!! Also let me know if you start making some TS/FS models

[Kalle Bowo]

Welcome back Kalle Bowo!!! Also let me know if you start making some TS/FS models

 

Thanks! I will probably start with TS next year. I'm so close to finishing the TD set. Only the civilian hospital, GDI's Advanced Comm Center and Nod's Bio Research Lab are on the list. But I somehow just don't find the time at the moment. And then there's already Christmas next month ... curses ! ^^

[FRAYDO]

Indeed, it is Christmas next month! And I think Santa Kalle Bowo should send us all 3D printed presents!

[Kalle Bowo]

Do I look like this or what?!

 

 

[NodGuy]

Brotherhood. Unity. Presents.

[Kalle Bowo]

Happy new year, folks! I'm back and working on something bigger this time, the GDI Titan. Modeling is nearly done. Afterwards I need to cut it into printable parts. Stay tuned!

cheers,
Kalle