Since my eventual layout will build on a nostalgic scene from my own life, I wanted to see if I could populate it with figures of people I know. So instead of working on my White Castle building or my R36 WF subway car, for the last few months I've put together a 3D-scanning system based around an XBox 360 Kinect video game sensor and 3D printer.Over the weekend I had the first test flight of the system and printed out a 1:18 scale figure. And last night I did a quick-and-dirty test to see if one could even be printed in 1:87 scale. It came out way rough, but I do have a finer-bore printer nozzle that I will be experimenting with in the days to come. And someday I'll learn how to paint.But I'm curious to see if anyone else has either a) built a similar scanning system, or b) found other suppliers of such a service for their own layouts. And just to gauge if there's any interest in this sort of thing beyond my own obsessions.
edit 1/11/18 - hopefully these pictures show up now
Can't see your pics. There are rules on posting photos to this forum in a sticky. You can't cheat on the rules.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/249194.aspx
PS They aren't my rules, I'm only a visitor.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
TheGamp:
Sounds like a logical use for 3D printing. With the right software you could design your own figures to be posed exactly the way you want them. I can see particular opportunities for hard to find figures like car or truck drivers. It would also be nice to not have every engineer posed exactly the same way, although that can be accomplished with a #11 blade too.
Keep us posted,
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
BigDaddy, thank you. I'm certainly not trying to run afoul of any rules. I'll review the sticky.
ButI'm perplexed because the pictures (Google Photos) show up for me.
There is no punishment so you are safe. I did see someone's google pics once. Maybe they were Mel's. I use gmail all the time, but I don't know why I could see them once and only once.
Links to HOSeeker.com are the same way. You can see them but no one else can. Dunno why, not my pay grade.
"I've put together a 3D-scanning system based around an XBox 360 Kinect video game sensor and 3D printer."
Holy cow!
Good job, and it sounds pretty technical...would like to hear about some details on how you did this...
Am i ever gonna be able to lay any track???
Shahomy, There seem to be a lot of support for 3D scanning with the Kinect sensor. I had the game system lying around gathering dust and thought I'd try. There's a gentleman known as The Great Fredini from the Coney Island Sideshows that has shared his turntable and vertical-motion scanner platform designs on the web. There are a couple of software packages available (I've been using Skanect). I modified Fredini's hand-cranked platform by adding a motorized belt-drive for the Kinect sensor and some software for sending it up/down/pause/speed and a self timer so I could do 3D selfies.
Thanks Gamp, i`m gonna ck it out
HO figures are pretty small, and you can do a lot with simple techniques to create unique characters. I started these with cheap unpainted figures.
I used a razor saw and glue to re-position arms. A tube of Squadron Putty made one figure a bit larger around the middle and gave others hats.
Next, just craft paint and a small brush.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I'm not expecting to suddenly make kitbashing go the way of the dinosaur or anything. I just thought it'd be fun to be able to make figures of my friends with the costuming and poses I want without going blind in the process. MB, you're not far from me. I'm going to try to do some fine tuning on my scan rig for a few hours on Saturday at the makerspace I belong to in Lowell. Let me know if you wanna give it a whirl (literally).
"What'll they think of next." That's really neat, especially the 1:18 figure, & I dig the get-up. The possibilities for 3D scanning must be endless, like doing a holiday scene with the entire family, that is if one could get them all to sit still for a scan.
Thanks and regards, Peter
Count me in as definitely interested. There's going to be so much you can do with a scanner and 3D printer. Looking forward to updates.
Thanks guys. If I make any progress I'll hunt down a new photo host first!
People have HO figures for sale on Shapeways:
http://shpws.me/ExON
I havent bought any or designed my own yet - but seems viable.
- Kevin
Check out my shapeways creations! HOn3 and railroad items for 3D printing:
https://www.shapeways.com/shops/kevin-s-model-train-detail-parts
Here's a couple I printed this weekend in 1:12 (gifts for the victi...cough...models) after i got back from the scan party I hosted in NYC. Seventeen folks volunteered to get turned into ones and zeroes. I'm not sure that even swapping to a 0.15mm nozzle on my printer will work well for 1:87, so once I've processed all the scans I'll probably group them together for Shapeways to print out in frosted extreme detail.
Wow - cool. And a little creepy at the same time :)
Today I got my first round of HO scale pals back from Shapeways. I'm having a hard time focusing the cell phone camera but you get the idea.
This is one of the more imaginative uses I've seen of 3D printing for model railroad purposes. Got any engineer/fireman-looking friends with Kromer caps and bib overalls that would model for steam locomotive crews? Some seated poses for both engineer and fireman and perhaps a couple standing or leaning out of the cab windows? I'd certainly be interested if the cost weren't outrageous, and I'm sure I wouldn't be the only taker, either.
Wayne
Thanks, Wayne. Once I conveniently ignore the costs of the hardware and electonics to build the turntable and scan rail, scan software, driving to and from NY and getting a hotel room for the night, then renting a photo studio and buying pizza and drinks to bribe a few dozen friends to pose, followed by a couple of hours editing each scan, then the plastic filament and about 10 hours apiece for 3D printing the freebies in 1/12 scale, then shipping said freebies, then a few hours more editing to make Shapeways happy at 1/87, they cost about two bucks and change a pop if you bundle 8-10 together.
Two bucks isn't at all out of line, in my opinion, especially since I have only nine more steam locomotives to build for my layout. And 8 and 10 together is enough to populate all nine cabs.
Although, on re-reading your reply, do I detect more that a hint of sarcasm?
Still, it's one of the best suggestions I've seen here involving this technology. Others have mentioned rolling stock and structures, but most of those are easily done using traditional methods and materials, and minimal technical expertise.
No, merely recounting some of the non-recurring engineering costs that ultimately make it unlikely I'll be giving Preiser a run for their money.
But it's been interesting seeing how the tech developments that inspired me to participate in this hobby are viewed by others.
TheGamp No, merely recounting some of the non-recurring engineering costs that ultimately make it unlikely I'll be giving Preiser a run for their money. But it's been interesting seeing how the tech developments that inspired me to participate in this hobby are viewed by others.
rrebell Would pay for scaned pidgeons, no realy good ones out there and alot would like to buy 20 or more at a time. You might be able to scan stuffed ones.
Would pay for scaned pidgeons, no realy good ones out there and alot would like to buy 20 or more at a time. You might be able to scan stuffed ones.
Need HO, and was thinking of shapeways, once you have the scan, you can build to any scale and as shapeways gets beter machines, they can use the same scan. Seams they are hard to find in O scale too. Seagulls would be another one. Don't get me wrong, there is stuff out there, just they are sculpted and many poorly.
That turned out really well, but I can't help but think I am looking at HO scale ghosts.
Mommy Mommy
MisterBeasleyPay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
.
This thread really is a horse of a different color!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Apologies for dredging up an old thread. I got sidetracked building an electric guitar so train stuff got backburnered, but I finally got around to painting the first of my 3D scan victims. My technique needs improvement but wanted to share.
Your previous pics were on flickr. This seems to be on Google and is not visible to the rest of us.