BQ23-7 Build Thread

[ljudice]

At this point, Shapeways is really only good for testing objects before you pay have to them done by someone else.

Jason

I think that's a little harsh, and I'm not trying to defend my amateurish efforts on Shapeways....  I think there are a lot of projects where FUD or other processes can be very useful for making finished models.  It's just that you have to factor in the resolution and artifact issue up front.  Or model materials that are rough, like concrete and use it to your advantage....

- Lou

[wcfn100]

I think that's a little harsh,

Not for the product I've received.  Perhaps they could have been redone, but I have yet to get anything from Shapeways that I'd even consider using.  Unfortunately my designs have contained small overhangs on flat surfaces (think window ledges) which seems to be a real problem for this process.

Jason

[Chris333]

Yeah this is not what I want:


I've seen stuff that was better, but just about everything seems to have one side that looks just like my photo.

[wcfn100]

Yeah this is not what I want:


I've seen stuff that was better, but just about everything seems to have one side that looks just like my photo.

Yep.


Jason

[u18b]

Back to the loco at hand.

Companies offered all kinds of locomotives that nobody ever bought.  Cab configuration, cylinders, trucks etc.

The Q cab was offered by GE on about every loco they offered- but only these 10 sold.

However, that doesn't mean we can't have fun modeling.

I have long thought it would be pretty cool to have a BQ18-7.   

[sizemore]

Yeah this is not what I want:


I've seen stuff that was better, but just about everything seems to have one side that looks just like my photo.

Hey its coated in Zimmeritt!


The S.

[John]

will that sand down?

[Chris333]

I'm sure it would sand down, but there is a lot of rib and rivet detail to work around. Plus lots of tight areas to get into.

This is also FUD:


Most of the outside edges are pretty smooth and the bad areas are inside. It is just like rolling the dice. I could have probably asked Shapeways to make me new EBT hoppers and tried again...

[wazzou]

Yeah this is not what I want:


I've seen stuff that was better, but just about everything seems to have one side that looks just like my photo.

Maybe get a better camera...something with more megapixels to take less grainy photos.   

[ljudice]

That hopper looks like those PRR ore cars that were sprayed with foam.

My point is that there are materials that can be rendered into useful models - if they have flat surfaces that can be easily sanded - or if you can use the grain in the model itself.

[jmlaboda]

"I'm not sure what you are reading but Mark's Prefactory Machine has a resolution of .04mm.  There's nothing from Shapeways that can even come close to the detail and/or quality."

With the announcement, recently, of some heavy investment in Shapeways we can hope, at least, that things will yet get better, and, hopefully, a lot better.  I know that there are some companies able to do better resolution (don't know their names but maybe Bryan can fill in the pieces) and with this influx of BIG BUCKS hopefully Shapeways will be able to step up the quality on what is available.  While I have seen some models I possibly would be interested in the fact that the banding is so evident at times I would rather wait for someone else to come out with something better than to pop for a shell that may not be usable without a great deal of work.  I have patience but do not need anything new in my life to teach me more patience.

[wcfn100]

Or model materials that are rough, like concrete and use it to your advantage....

- Lou

You think there's much of a market for box car shells made out of concrete? 


Jason

[VonRyan]

Shapeways is far cheaper than investing in tooling for injection or even resin casting.
Plus, it is a great way to either make or get a hold of things that no manufacture will ever do.
Despite all the worse-case scenarios, a lot of things that Shapeways produces don't come out looking like they are heavily coated in Zimmerit. Some don't even need more than the mandatory bestine bath before they are ready for the paint shop (or at least assembly before paint).



-Cody F.

[wazzou]

But with a higher resolution, one can use the resulting model as the master for Resin castings.

[DKS]

My point is that there are materials that can be rendered into useful models - if they have flat surfaces that can be easily sanded - or if you can use the grain in the model itself.

Depends on how you define "useful." IMO, Jason is not being harsh--I have likewise not seen much of anything other than concrete culverts from Shapeways that I'd use on my layout. Utilizing RP's design strengths unfortunately results in models that are difficult if not impossible to improve with sanding or other surface preparation. I've been working with other shops trying to leverage RP for rolling stock and structure kit production, and after investing a lot of time and money in unacceptable results, ultimately we'd have been better off beating our heads against a wall.

You get what you pay for. Shapeways is (fairly) affordable, but almost useless for anything except one-off pet projects where you can (hopefully) live with the shortcomings. Higher-end RP shops (e.g. Fineline) might produce acceptable materials, but cost an arm and a leg. So if you're after production-quality models, you're either stuck with a lot of hand-work, or paying through the nose for a master you hope can be cast (which is not always the case). Or... as we've learned the hard way, making masters using more traditional methods.

Sadly, some RP fanboys take any objective objection to RP modelwork as a personal affront. We're not trying to be insulting. RP just is simply not yet at the cost versus quality point to make it practical to produce models that rival injection quality, and for every borderline great RP project used to argue the case for RP (which often involve a lot of handwork to compensate for RP's natural flaws), there are any number of better examples done using more traditional methods. RP may yet get there; it's just not there yet.

Shapeways is far cheaper than investing in tooling for injection or even resin casting.

Cheaper than injection tooling, absolutely--and indeed, that's exactly why RP exists, not as a means of production. Cheaper than resin casting? I'm not so sure about that. For resin, all you need is one good master, which can be produced using any number of different traditional or non-traditional techniques--or any combination thereof--selected for best results as well as cost-effectiveness, then pay a fraction of the cost for each piece produced. Whereas for RP, you pay full price for every single piece you order, with zero cost savings for mass production.