What makes a 3d model printable?

[chauncy]

I presently have a Bambu A1 and a Anycubic Photon and am really trying to understand this 3d stuff. I've printed off of Thingverse and other sites but really want to get into the weeds a little bit.

So I've come across a site, Wire Wheel Club which has this beautiful 1957 Jaguar XKSS. http://www.wirewheelsclub.com/product/1957-jaguar-xkss/. It seems very nice, but it says it's not ready to print.

This is all the info I could find.

Polygons: 800.000

File Format: BLEND, MAX, FBX, OBJ

UVW mapping: Yes

Rigged model: No

3D print ready: No

 

What is needed for such a model? is it printed fully/ one piece? Does it just need slicing?

How would you go about processing such a model to get it ready for printing? I'm finding all this info overwhelming.

I've made too many free things that were just a waste of time and honestly, Bootneck gotten me interested after watching his Land Rover build. I wanna be like Mike!

 

[gamblor916]

It looks like those linked models are for games and renders. That usually means anything not visible won't be modeled and there will be holes and loose polys galore. If you know how to edit 3d models then it's a great starting point but you can't just drop it into a slicer and expect it to print.

[chauncy]

That’s what I thought myself. So what should I look for in a model? My short trip down this rabbit hole has me so confused. So if I understand you correctly, my 10 euro? (I’m American) purchase just would have given me a 3D representation that I’d have to take apart to print. Would the editing software be Fusion, Blender or the like? 
I’m presently trying to start to learn Fusion, but my old brain hasn’t fired up those synapses yet as they’ve been unused for a long time, and every time I learn something new I lose something old. Usually important like, where I put my car keys.

[bootneck]

Hi Chauncy,

 

I have just downloaded that file and it looks like an unfinished model, without any detail; especially on the wheels.  I would agree with gamblor19 that it is basic design for renders and gaming, where the wire wheels and gizmos are just pictures/pixels added on the screen.

 

I think that you could do better by looking at files that have an STL suffix, such as these on CGtrader.

 

cheers,
Mike

[dnl42]

3 hours ago, chauncy said:

I’m presently trying to start to learn Fusion

I heartily recommend Arnold Rowntree's tutorial videos.

[bootneck]

21 minutes ago, dnl42 said:

I heartily recommend Arnold Rowntree's tutorial videos.

Absolutely!  That is how I started with CAD.  He makes working with Fusion 360 so easy to produce things.

 

Mike

[Stu_davros]

If you are looking for printable cars then you might have a look at this guy: https://www.cgtrader.com/designers/Andrey-Bezrodny

I've bought a few of his cars and they print really well.

He has a ton of American cars and each is scaled to whichever scale you choose.

I've printed an Aston Martin Valour in 24th and it looks pretty good.

[dnl42]

2 hours ago, Stu_davros said:

I've printed an Aston Martin Valour in 24th and it looks pretty good.

That made me look at the Aston offerings. There are fine DB4s, but I was hoping for an engine. 

[chauncy]

Thanks Mike, I’ll watch his videos and see if I can get some of it to stick. How long would you say it took you to get comfortable with fusion? 
Stu, I started looking and there is some nice stuff there. 

[ICMF]

There's a ~5 minute discussion about modifying video game assets for 3D printing in the following video (should be queued up; if not, it's around the 3:30 mark).  Doesn't detail the nuts and bolts of *how*, but it should give you a rough idea of the effort involved in the job. 

 

 

[ESzczesniak]

It’s a very basic definition, but the model has to be a “continuous closed mesh with defined volume”. 
 

Non-contiguous meshes will leaves holes that will either enter the parts “cavity” and make zero volume, or have softened with “zero” thickness. 
 

An open mesh has edges somewhere with undefined thicknesses. 
 

And an undefined volume

means some edge or surface is open. 
 

 

Technically, if these criteria are met, it’s “printable”. But orientation and support will make life a lot easier. 
 

A part will print best with few islands. These are areas that do not touch the build plate or existing structure at any given “layer”. Supports can be used to print these, but these introduce surface quality issues or area for “sag”.