Kerbal 3D prints!! [KSP figurines by AD-Edge] (Warning - Image-Heavy-Thread!)

[Zephram Kerman]

'Guys, the solution is simple! No struts. Who needs \'em?' ~ Jeb

[Ferrit]

The insane, doesn\'t-have-the-money-to-do-this-but-thinks-it-would-be-cool side of my brain, would love ot have a full rocket, with crew printed ot. Then add model rockets engines and... well you can see how this is going to go can\'t you?

Probably would end explosively, but hey, that\'s tradition!

[Rocketscienist]

They are really awesome!!

Will sell them?

[Kryten]

Will sell them?

That would be a pretty blatant violation of Squad\'s intellectual property, so probably not.

[AD-Edge]

They are really awesome!!

Will sell them?

Already discussed/answered within previous comments in this thread.

[AD-Edge]

Just a minor update on this little project.

I got around to transferring the source files over to my new laptop today (they were on the HDD from my laptop which died last month).

Opened it up to have a look around, the Bob and Jeb models are of course done and finalized, so next up I need to get Bill printed out, found him in the file along with the other Kerbals + one which Id forgotten Id created - the \'blue\' Kerbal crew member.

Since my most recent 3D printing order was made around about the time the new crew system was being worked on, I imagine I was planning on getting him printed along with Bill and Jeb, but only had the time to get Jeb ready. Could always get the blue crew member printed out at some point in the future as well and maybe even a female Kerbal (although hair could be hard to do considering the helmet has to fit... hmmm)

Either way, heres some pics from in the 3D program (Blender). Ive still got to sort out a pose for Bill, something neutral to go with his neutral/concerned expression I imagine. Then he should be ready for order early June to finally complete the trio ;D

[AD-Edge]

For anyone interested in how these prints were made (a relatively detailed explanation of the process) check out this \'instructable\' I finally posted on the Instructables site yesterday! http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Kerbal-Figurine-Kerbal-Space-Program/

It got featured on the front page too

http://www.instructables.com/

[Phoxtane]

Have you considered making a short animation with those models? I\'d watch it.

[GWBBQ]

Possible suggestions for Bill\'s pose:

-Arms crossed

-One hand on chin, other hand on that arm\'s elbow

-One hand on hip, other up with elbow bent as if he\'s about to lecture Jeb

-Arms crossed behind his back in concern

[AD-Edge]

Have you considered making a short animation with those models? I\'d watch it.

Funny you should mention that, I have a script written and the beginnings of a storyboard for such a thing ;D

The only issue is spare time.. and the amount of other projects I have going at the moment.

*Edit*

An earlier comment I made about the project in another thread:

I have a script written for a Kerbal related 3D animation/short, and Ive started working on some 3D assets. Not sure if Ill ever get it done however... Awfully busy this year... But if I get a whole bunch of pre-production stuff done by the end of 2012 I might be able to whip it up and have it finished by the end of 2013. Might even coincide with the official release of KSP at that rate... Hmmm...

Possible suggestions for Bill\'s pose:

-Arms crossed

-One hand on chin, other hand on that arm\'s elbow

-One hand on hip, other up with elbow bent as if he\'s about to lecture Jeb

-Arms crossed behind his back in concern

I\'ve \'prepped\' the Bill model, somewhat similar to your 3rd suggestion, just without the \'Im about to lecture you hand\'

I think I should probably get Bob reprinted too, I wasnt very happy with him having the default pose so I added a bit of variation to his model, plus his \'helmet connecting disc\' is missing the plugs which hold the helmet properly (hes the old original design, Jeb is the improved design I modified after receiving the Bob print)

[GWBBQ]

If you don\'t mind me asking, how much did these guys cost to print?

[AD-Edge]

For one full Kerbal (ie the character, helmet and visor) I think its ~$30 + postage.

3D printing is still a bit pricy since its such a new \'thing\', but its not too bad.

*Edit* Should also mention, Ive been a bit bogged down this month with Uni assignments and in particular exam revision, so I more than likely wont be making an order to complete the set of 3 Kerbals until July sometime *sadface*

[NovaSilisko]

Very nice. My only suggestion would be to squish down their torsos a bit and move their eyes lower on their heads, to be closer to the game\'s proportion.

[AD-Edge]

Thanks Nova

And yeh your right. I noticed my models were a bit wrong in terms of the proportions once Id seen the Kerbals in action in the recent EVA pictures.

Might have do do some adjusting and see how things look, they kinda lack that all important \'short, fat & cute\' Kerbal style.

[rdfox]

I can\'t wait to see when you get the money to print out life-sized versions! (Not THAT expensive... remember, they\'re about 15 inches tall.)

[witeken]

Mother of al 3D prints

OMG How could it be that I see this thread only now?

Qs: Will you make bigger models? How much does a print cost? Have you already consered buying a 3d printer yourself? From what material are those 3 little guys from? Is it heavy? Rather soft?

[GWBBQ]

For one full Kerbal (ie the character, helmet and visor) I think its ~$30 + postage.

3D printing is still a bit pricy since its such a new \'thing\', but its not too bad.

*Edit* Should also mention, Ive been a bit bogged down this month with Uni assignments and in particular exam revision, so I more than likely wont be making an order to complete the set of 3 Kerbals until July sometime *sadface*

Hmm, a bit pricey, I was hoping they were cheap enough that I could cram a few in a model rocket and send them to Squad as a token of appreciation. I guess the color stuff is more expensive than I thought. Give it ten years or so (I\'m guessing they\'ll have an adoption curve similar to laser printers) and we\'ll all have a 3d printer at home or at least in the office.

[NovaSilisko]

I can\'t wait to see when you get the money to print out life-sized versions! (Not THAT expensive... remember, they\'re about 15 inches tall.)

Actually, they\'re 1 meter tall now.

[witeken]

Actually, they\'re 1 meter tall now.

How is the possible? The command pod is like only 1 meter. And ooh that\'s so big .

Shouldn\'t we not hold their 'official' size to approx 20 cm?

[Kreuzung]

Read a bit in the development forums. The pod was removed and C7 is making a new one. And rockets will be scaled up 2.5 times.

[semininja]

The previous \'official\' size was about 40cm, so that\'s a little large anyways...

[AD-Edge]

I can\'t wait to see when you get the money to print out life-sized versions!

Ha, I cant wait untill I have that much money either

Qs: Will you make bigger models?

How much does a print cost?

Have you already consered buying a 3d printer yourself?

From what material are those 3 little guys from? Is it heavy? Rather soft?

Not planning to make them bigger, they\'re pretty awesome/hand sized how they are now.

Answered a question about cost in an above comment.

3D printers are pretty expensive at the moment, we\'re starting to see more \'hobbiest\' ones for anywhere around $1000 and upwards, but they are pretty basic and cant print anything too big, and usually dont have the materials Im after. Thats why shapeways is so handy at the moment for those of us who aren\'t millionaires, they have a ton of materials and a bunch insanely expensive printers already bought and ready to use.

I went to a 3D printing conference in my area a few months ago, one of the local universities had some of their 3D printers up and running at the time, as a demonstration. These are about $1500 each.

SO colourful ;D

And the sounds these made as they were working away, bits moving in all directions, engines whirring and adjusting as the model gets printed... It was like something out of Star Trek.

These Kerbals are printed in a material called \'Full Colour Sandstone\' which is exactly what youd think, a sandstone material which is injected with ink as its being printed, so it comes out of the printer completely coloured with no need for painting.

They are a bit heavier than you would expect. The first 3D print I got in this material was quite a surpise to hold at first, it felt very solid, strong and heavy compared to what I expected (heavier than the plastic materials Ive also used to print objects in the past)

Its also a pretty tough material, Ive had several tumbles and drops with these guys and other prints - not a single breakage yet. Its a very hard, yet brittle material. I saw someone on youtube a while back doing some strength tests with some of his prints and a hammer, and it can take a beating. But it does shatter once it reaches that breaking point.

The texture is interesting as well, \'sandy\' is the best way to describe it. Its quite rough, an interesting texture. Previously this material was pretty poor, so I never used it. Id seen samples at other 3D meetups, and the surface would \'smudge\' if you ran your fingers across it and youd get this residue on yourself, which wasnt very nice at all.

But at the start of this year they went back and did some testing with how the material is used, and significantly improved it. Thats when I started working with Full Colour Sandstone, as I was able to start projects which I wasnt confident enough to with the material how it used to be.

Heres a factsheet for the material, if anyone wants to read more on the topic - http://www.shapeways.com/materials/fullcolor

Also Im doing some tests at the moment with the current Kerbals I have, to give them a more \'glossy\' finish. Seems to be taking several spraying sessions with a can of gloss (Im thinking the material is initially absorbing a lot), but I should soon end up with some very nice smooth/shiny Kerbals.

Hmm, a bit pricey, I was hoping they were cheap enough that I could cram a few in a model rocket and send them to Squad as a token of appreciation.

Not sure how Squad will feel about us shooting rockets at them with actual kerbals inside, but its a nice thought ;D

I guess the color stuff is more expensive than I thought. Give it ten years or so (I\'m guessing they\'ll have an adoption curve similar to laser printers) and we\'ll all have a 3d printer at home or at least in the office.

Its actually one of the most affordable materials. And yeh it will be interesting to see how 3D printing develops into the future. I know the military is already onto it in various countries, the USAF already have 3D printers on their larger planes. A part of our plane/vehicle/helicopter is broken? Lets 3D print a new one!

*Edit*

Ohh, super cool video about how printing in this material works, forgot about this:

http://youtu.be/hHxp9Ail6MY