WIP masterpiece slipstream

[AJ_Prime]

I think I've finished. I've based the ball socket on a diameter of 4.80mm according to Iriorne's measurements. If the ball itself it 4.80mm then it may need to be sanded down slightly and lubed if it's still too tight.

I hope the socket is alright, took me ages to get it right. It's in the same place as the reference pictures that were provided, so hopefully it's the same seeker mold you're using otherwise I've got more work to do .

The ears only stick out maybe a mm or so, but not very much so it shouldn't be too difficult to make some adjustment on the mold as Iriorne suggested.

I had to square the rear of the helmet off so that the ball socket would fit properly, but I tried to make it as little ugly as possible.

Anyway, here's some pics:



Cutaway image with ball joint in place. I have included two stems to show the 2nd position with the head folded down during transformation:



Close up of ball joint in place:



Side/Rear view:



Size comparision:



(sorry Iriorne, that's the best I could do with the image you provided for now. I didn't want to spend too much time on the reference image).

And because I was curious, here's one with colour:



Here is an animation of the head sculpt rotating so that you can get an idea of how it looks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAtaM...ature=youtu.be

And just for fun, I was playing with the chrome effect :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiCe60scG1Y

Anyway Lancalot, let me know if you're happy to go to print.

[Iriorne]

I've based the ball socket on a diameter of 4.80mm according to Iriorne's measurements. If the ball itself it 4.80mm

Sorry, the ball is actually 5.00 mm exactly. The 4.80 measurement is the width of the opening but it widens inside to accommodate the ball. Apologies for any confusion.

You might be able to get away with the smaller socket if there's enough flex in the material that the squared off sides can bend without snapping? It would definitely make sure the joint stays tight, but the part might be prone to failure due to the stress. Probably the only way to know for sure is going to be to give it a try. The other option is, as you say, to sand down the ball. It can always be built back up again with some thick super glue if necessary.

Don't worry about that render with the head texture, I just thought it might be useful to see how the proportions of the faces matched up when you were tweaking the size.

Looks great, can't wait to see an actual print.

[lancalot]

Now that look great AJ im totally happy with that ...
so now which company to print it...? Is there any in Aus?.. if not then shapeway i suppose but their shipping cost lot....

[AJ_Prime]

Iriorne - doh! My mistake, I should've checked with you about the ball joint size. Can you please tell me the width of the ball joint stem?

Lancalot - I'm stoked you like the design. Just before I print I'll need to adjust the ball socket size. I also noticed that I've inadvertently picked up a couple of vertices on the front of the face while I was manipulating vertices on the ball socket. I mustn't have turned off the ignore backfacing checkbox (facepalm). You will notice it on the bottom fin of the ear vents.

I'll try to get some time this weekend to fix these two things up.

Regarding the print, I will check out some options to find the cheapest method including shipping. Iriorne mentioned a couple of other options, I will do some research and let you know soon.

Even though I don't have that seeker mold, I might print one for myself as well considering it's my first finished work with 3D modelling. Who knows, might even be able to save on shipping if I order two and mail one to you.

[Iriorne]

The stem is 3.8 mm in diameter.

I think some of those Aus based printers I found do free quotes, so there's no risk. Shapeways is at least a known quantity in terms of materials and quality, but the $20 shipping is a real killer for small orders.

[AJ_Prime]

The stem is 3.8 mm in diameter.

I think some of those Aus based printers I found do free quotes, so there's no risk. Shapeways is at least a known quantity in terms of materials and quality, but the $20 shipping is a real killer for small orders.

Awesome, thanks dude!

[lancalot]

Even though I don't have that seeker mold, I might print one for myself as well considering it's my first finished work with 3D modelling. Who knows, might even be able to save on shipping if I order two and mail one to you.

yeah it cool with me , just keep me informed then...

[AJ_Prime]

Hi guys, progress update:

I have increased the size of the ball socket to just slightly over 5mm. That will allow for some play and if it's too loose it's easier to just put a coating on the ball joint.

I went to save the file to STL format for printing, but first applied an STL check modifier. It came up with a few errors, but I couldn't locate them. So I managed to find a program called Netfabb which highlights the errors in the model.

It turned out that 3DS had added a few vertices around the model right on top of other verts. So when you select what looks like one vert, you find 2 or more. Weird. So I just need to go around the model and weld them all together.

Earlier this week I checked out some 3d printing websites and found a couple that looked decent (in terms of variety of materials and reasonable pricing etc). I sent off quotes using their webforms, but haven't heard anything yet. Not sure if they cater to individuals or prefer more commercial orders. If I don't hear anything I'll check out shapeways (once the errors in the model have been corrected).

So shouldn't be too long now, I'll keep you informed. Hopefully will get more time this weekend to move it along.

[lancalot]

That cool man ... im not in a hurry anyways so take your time , got a few custom lining up atm ... and been to busy to get started on any of them ... thanks for the update , am pretty excited about getting this head printed.