3D Printing Newbie's Diary

[Brian..]

Thinking of taking the plunge? So am I, only I'm cack-handed and clueless. I don't have a tenth of John's or Marco's skills but incompetence has never stopped me. So I hope you may find my modest diary of my struggles interesting. If this doesn't put you off, then nothing will. My ambition has always been to bring alive those wonderful B-Movie and pulp robots. I can't build them myself so if I can get a printer to build them then that will be great. If I can ever get them to move then that's a bonus. If I make a pig's ear of it, then so what?

 

Week 1. I started by choosing software to hone my design skills. Like John said, if you can't use the software don't buy a printer. So I tried Tinkercad, an on-line freebie. It was not a good experience. I found it slow and clunky, and you need the eyes of hawk to see the bits you're supposed to click on.  Tried Sketchup, which suits me more, but it was hard to get things the right size. Finally saw John's recommendation of Designspark Mechanical and Bingo! This is the one for me. Free, fast, and accurate. Amazingly it doesn't have a mirror facility, so making right and left arms, for example, will need some extra work.

 

In the process I've discovered that it's astonishingly easy to design some vintage parts, such as the butterfly switch from the Horikawa robots. (Printing them to a high enough standard is another matter.)

 

So to learn the program I'm making a copy of one of my favourite robots, the Humanoid from The Robot Versus the Aztec Mummy. It's a steep learning curve and having struggled for hours to make a particular shape you suddenly discover a hidden tool that does it in seconds. It's a great simple robot shape for starters: a big box, some tubes and a cylinder. But it also has some fiddly bits and lots of lovely rivets. You can't have enough rivets.

 

 

After a morning's effing and blinding I have a start: I can add the visor frame and top bit later. Well, that's cheered me up because it looks half decent. The slight variations in size and proportion (the dome is perhaps too tall) are easily adjustable. I haven't a clue about how practical it is to print this shape, but unless you can draw them, there's no point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brian..]

Getting decent pictures of the Humanoid has been difficult. The black and white movie is poor quality and the robot only appears for a couple of minutes. So I grab some screen shots, then find a poster with a good image. Love those hands. You can paste a picture into Designspark Mechanical then draw the parts on top, so you get the proportions correct. That's a wonderful feature. The hands look difficult:

 

 

 

 

More of a bend on the thumb, perhaps. This also shows the weakness of the program: how do I make the other hand? Not too big a problem:  but I have to use another program.

 

Almost there. With no dimensions you have to go by "It looks right", but I'm pleased with the results so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tinplate6]

Brian; you're a better man than I am...looks like you're off to a roaring start.

 

May I make a comment?  Just an observation on my part; based on poster, perhaps the torso could be a bit shorter, and the feet a bit broader? Everything else looks spot on!  

 

So, not that it is evident in the photos, but does this "humanoid" have a human face, or a robot one?

[Brian..]

He has a human face. Yes, looks a bit off, Brady. But that's one of the problems of using stills. It looks right from one view but wrong from another:

 

 

Meanwhile I tried designing those replacement parts. The rough shapes here took about 30 minutes but you don't need the original part.   Just overlay a photo and copy. You only need one major measurement to scale it. Getting the right plastic will be the problem, but things are moving fast. There's also a fairly simple way of producing pot metal parts such as the notoriously fragile Television Spaceman's cam gear.

 

Mr Mercury's ear and a Horikawa butterfly switch:

 

 

 

I couldn't resist roughing in the shape of a familiar one. It's a great program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brian..]

Getting off the subject a bit, I had an idea. Instead of fiddling around trying to get a motor inside an awkward shape robot, why not build a simple box housing for the motor?Then this can be fitted into any future design. You only need to work on one snug fit, then build future projects around the box. If possible, the internal leg structure with its ratchet feet can also be included to save a ton of work. Of course it would help to have access to a ready supply of the same motors.

 

Here's a motor and set of legs from new robot sitting round. I'll give it a try. I think it has legs.  

 

 

 

[Tinplate6]

Bravo Brian!  

 

Wow, with you, John, and Marco building new robot designs, the sky's the limit! Full speed ahead!

 

 

[Martian Gil]

that's going to be fantastic!
I've never seen the movie, but I need to search for it now - yes, lots of rivets & fiddly bits - and a great light!

Kudos!
 

[Brian..]

Thanks, gents, but this is all pie-in-the-sky, until I can print something. Here's my structure box for housing the motor: Big tolerances on those holes because there's no need to be too exact. I think it may be possible to add snap fit fittings but that's beyond me at the moment.

 

 

 

[Brian..]

Curved surfaces are the very devil to get right. Anyone recognise this pulp robot? Just the body for now.

 

 

[Tinplate6]

Brian; I recognized the robot right away, but the name/illustration escapes me. It would make a peach of a toy though! 

 

 

[Brian..]

It's the Scoops Robot, the first English robot in a comic book. I've always thought it would be a beautiful, unique piece but how could you animate that leggy beast? A static model would be neat, though.  Lots of lovely rivets! The "belt" is just an artefact thrown up by the program.

 

[Tinplate6]

Brian, who says collectible robots have to move?

 

As long as the details are good, and it's a decent size, I'd buy it.

[Lunik]

Great talent, Brian, and nice program features. 

Makes me curious.

[marco]

Wow Brian... Just got back from vacation and I see a LOT happend at your end :-) 
I am impressed !

Very cool to see you moving along with the design program. Its the hardest part.. printing is not the hardest part but designing the parts and make them ready for the printer.
You have to think 4 steps ahead when you design the parts but once you know the way to do this.. the possibilities are endless !

If you have made the final design for your parts than I am willing to do some testprints for you if you want, just let me know

Cheers Marco

[Brian..]

That's very generous of you, Marco, but I am waiting for delivery of a printer as we speak. I'm enjoying the designing stage but I have a horrible feeling that the printing part is going to bite. I may take you up on your offer.