Why do things always come in 3's...

[Ithoriel]

They are remarkable if a bit on the pricey side at present

Pricey!!?? To date, everything I've seen on Shapeway has been an item I didn't want at a price I would never pay even if I did want it!!

Also, I don't really want to have to design my own stuff.

Currently I see it as similar to 3D films ... a cure looking for a disease!

Laser-cut MDF terrain on the other hand has been a materials revolution I can relate to.

[Leon]

We keep an eye on the 3D tech, but I don't see it becoming competitively priced for a long time yet.  I see a lot of comparisons with desktop printers or digital cameras, but both of those have a mugh higher level of demand than 3D prints, so the price of them has come down a huge amount since they first appeared.  3D printing isn't something every household requires, so although the pricing will come down over time, it will level out at a much higher point than a printer/camera/scanner, etc.

I had a 28mm vehicle designed and printed last year, and it was a little over £500 all-in, which is very competitive.  However for the same vehicle in 10mm, we'd be looking at £250-£300 which is nowhere near viable for us.

[clibinarium]

Well, I've just got my first 3D prints back from shapeways and I gotta say I'm impressed with the potential. I have some doubts its economical or desirable for everyone to engage in (I could bake my own bread, but its too much hassle to learn and to time consuming to bother). But it terms of producing master figures I do reckon it will come to dominate.
I have never been able to produce "straight line" work, but was faced with a job where I had to learn, so I thought the time would be better spent learning some 3d design as I had that on my "to do " list. So I taught myself some basics and got the hang of it in a couple of weeks, and its really growing on me. Its not so straightforward that everyone will take to it. I imagine a lot of people who use CAD in their regular work can pick it up fast, but for the average person it takes a bit of patience and head-scratching.
For organic sculpting a much higher level of skill is required, I don't see myself getting the hang of that for some time, but for cannons, weapons etc its great; superb accuracy and the ability to make things that would be extremely difficult to do by hand. I've made some helmets, weapon heads/blades and a French Napoleonic 4pdr in 28mm do far. My next intended experiment in shrinking the gun down to 10mm to see how that turns out (very delicate is my guess).
The downside is the wait time between sending for printing and the arrival of the print, only then do you really see whats too thin, not angled right etc, which are immediately detectable when made by hand.

[John Cook]

Pricey!!?? To date, everything I've seen on Shapeway has been an item I didn't want at a price I would never pay even if I did want it!!

Also, I don't really want to have to design my own stuff.

Currently I see it as similar to 3D films ... a cure looking for a disease!

Laser-cut MDF terrain on the other hand has been a materials revolution I can relate to.

I disagree, approximately E7 or £5 for a 1:144 plane that isn't available anywhere else is not pricey in my book.  I've paid more for white metal and resin.  I admit though that there doesn't seem to be a common standard for pricing and some things are expensive, it's true.  The price will come down, it's bound to - all new technology does.
I remember people saying much the same about CDs and DVDs, mobile phones, PC's, you name it, when they first appeared.   As for designing your own stuff, well that's not mandatory for sure.  I'll bet my three pensions 3D printing will be the norm in a decade or so. 

[Ithoriel]

I disagree, approximately E7 or £5 for a 1:144 plane that isn't available anywhere else is not pricey in my book.  I've paid more for white metal and resin.  I admit though that there doesn't seem to be a common standard for pricing and some things are expensive, it's true.  The price will come down, it's bound to - all new technology does.
I remember people saying much the same about CDs and DVDs, mobile phones, PC's, you name it, when they first appeared.   As for designing your own stuff, well that's not mandatory for sure.  I'll bet my three pensions 3D printing will be the norm in a decade or so. 

Depends what you're after, of course, but £5 for a 10mm scale plane sounds pricey to me but then I'm not after anything out of the ordinary. The aircraft I have have all been half that and frankly £5 sounds low for stuff from Shapeway, at least for the stuff I've looked at.

I was enthusiastic about CDs, DVDs, mobile phones (when they came in a suitcase!) and personal computers (when they came in a suitcase too ) from the get go but home 3D printing still feels to me like a solution looking for a problem. Industrial use I see being increasingly widely used. 3D printers seem more like home bread makers to me, used regularly 'til the novelty wears off then more ornament and lifestyle statement than tool.

I may well be wrong ... wouldn't be the first time     

[John Cook]

Yes, Leon and Clib, it's the potential that's exiting, I think, and it bound to get cheaper.   I can see that price is a potential issue - I've been wargaming since the early 1960s and one thing that has never changed in all that time is that wargamers are, on the whole, a tight-fisted bunch.  
It's certainly in its infancy at the moment.   I don't see people having 3D printers at home, rather a 'Pendraken' of the future doing more or less what it does now, but not in white metal.  

[John Cook]

3D printers seem more like home bread makers to me, used regularly 'til the novelty wears off then more ornament and lifestyle statement than tool.

I may well be wrong ... wouldn't be the first time     

Blimey, I've been using my bread maker for years, in fact I'm on my second one.   I can't imagine being without it - which reminds me I have to put a loaf on for breakfast so I'll bid you Goodnight.

[fsn]

Blimey, I've been using my bread maker for years, in fact I'm on my second one.   I can't imagine being without it - which reminds me I have to put a loaf on for breakfast so I'll bid you Goodnight.

Cue "bun in oven" jokes.

I bet bread related puns will now roll in. It's a little slice of the forum that gets some people annoyed - so we have to say "easy Tiger". Well so ses-a-me; but let's toast our differences and pop over to the (much neglected) totty thread to view some baps.

[FierceKitty]

... a cure looking for a disease!

You like this idiom, don't you?

[Womble67]

1. The Pendraken van started making some funny noises around Salute time, so we got that checked and the gearbox is knackered.  It's down at the garage now getting a new gearbox fitted, just in time for Triples, but that's a bill we could have done without!

2.  Ian was happily casting away yesterday when suddenly all the power in the unit tripped out.  Looks like there's a short in the control box on that casting machine, so looks like we're going to have to get a new one fitted.  Down to two machines at one of the busiest times of the year... 

3.  Tried to log on to my laptop at home the other night, and got a 'User profile could not logon' error.  Turns out my Windows user profile is corrupt and I can't get into it.  I'm going to have to backup everything and make a new profile, but all my desktop layout, settings and Firefox browser bookmarks are probably lost.  Luckily I can still access all of the Pendraken stuff on there, but only through a second 'Parent Controlled' profile we set up for the eldest son a while back.


Loads of fun when we're so busy... 

Hi Leon sorry to hear about your problems.

Let's hope you get three good things that happen.

Take care

Andy

[Bodvoc]

How about two pals and myself come along (in a group of 3) and spend lots of money on the Pendraken stall this Sunday. 

[Leon]

How about two pals and myself come along (in a group of 3) and spend lots of money on the Pendraken stall this Sunday. 

That sounds good, although you might need an extra person, Number 4 descended today as I've got a throat infection as well...    Luckily I'm not contagious (unless anyone fancies kissing me...  )

[Techno]

Does that mean I have to sterilise the figures that Dave sent, that arrived today ?
Cheers - Phil

[fsn]

Blimey! That's what I call micro-surgery!

[Techno]

And I'll do them without anesthetic.......With the Dremmel.
None of this namby-pamby stuff, using scalpels.

Nobby......The screens, please. 
Cheers - Phil