Animals made in 3D by miniNature

koniminiatures wrote:

I like that mother & calf pair very, very much; enough to seriously consider purchasing one, despite my reservations for the 3D-printed models (I'm none too keen on the surface finish they seem to often get, that's all). Really lovely!

Just a note on the surface finish, miniNature offers the pair in several materials being strong and flexible, polished strong and flexible and the detail plastics.  Based on my experiences I have ordered all three of these types of plastic and can give a review of each if that is helpful.

White strong and flexible (WSF)
This is a hard nylon plastic which has a somewhat grainy finish, it can be painted but it is very absorbent. Not bad at all though, in person the models are much smoother feeling than pictures would indicate.

Polished White strong and flexible
This is the same as WSF but it has been put into a tumbler with ceramic beads and the end result is a very nice smooth finish.  The surface is not grainy and feels more like a commercial product.  Takes paint readily and only cost a few dollars more.  It is too bad there is a size limit though as models over 15cm long can not be put in the tumbler, bigger models can't be polished.

Detail plastic
These are the mot expensive plastics but the end result preserves more detail than WSF and the finish is already smooth.  These are a acrylic plastic that can be primed then painted easily.

I hope this helps those who are thinking about 3D printed models.

Thanks Lea for your compliments!

And thank you Andrew for this great explanation of the Shapeways materials! I think you're totally right.  

Quote :

Just a note on the surface finish, miniNature offers the pair in several materials being strong and flexible, polished strong and flexible and the detail plastics.  Based on my experiences I have ordered all three of these types of plastic and can give a review of each if that is helpful.

White strong and flexible (WSF)
This is a hard nylon plastic which has a somewhat grainy finish, it can be painted but it is very absorbent.  Not bad at all though, in person the models are much smoother feeling than pictures would indicate.

Polished White strong and flexible
This is the same as WSF but it has been put into a tumbler with ceramic beads and the end result is a very nice smooth finish.  The surface is not grainy and feels more like a commercial product.  Takes paint readily and only cost a few dollars more.  It is too bad there is a size limit though as models over 15cm long can not be put in the tumbler, bigger models can't be polished.

Detail plastic
These are the mot expensive plastics but the end result preserves more detail than WSF and the finish is already smooth.  These are a acrylic plastic that can be primed then painted easily.

Here's some photos showing the differences between the 3 material choices. I had some samples sent to me recently. Just taken with iphone so not as clear as they could be but it may help those deciding what option to get.


front view with WSF on left then Polished WSF and finally Detail plastic on right.


side view in same order


White, Soft & Flexible - grainy finish, not as flexible as the name suggests


White, Soft & Flexible - polished. Better detail than the unpolished version, especially around the eye and you can also see better definition in the toes etc


Detail Plastic - superior quality in my opinion. Worth the extra few dollars.

Stijn, i'm happy you put the Watusi's on your site. I just ordered the Mother & Calf and the Juvenile. The first cow i allready have, painted it 2 weeks ago: looks really stunning!!! Like Minizoo explains, the detail Plastic has a very good quality: you notice this especially after painting!

mreyder wrote:

Stijn, i'm happy you put the Watusi's on your site. I just ordered the Mother & Calf and the Juvenile. The first cow i allready have, painted it 2 weeks ago: looks really stunning!!! Like Minizoo explains, the detail Plastic has a very good quality: you notice this especially after painting!

Great to hear you're happy with your first watusi model Michel! I love to see some photos of your painted model!   

Nice again     

It's been a while, so I want to give you all an update.

I've tried to find an other method to make my models hollow. The other method was not efficient and accurate. I'm glad to tell that I found a better method. Now I can reduce the amount of material in the models, so they are cheaper.
I've already updated all the watusis in 1/22 and I did it for the Elephants in 1/45, 1/32 and 1/22.
Most models turned between 25% and 33% cheaper, but for example the 1/22 Elephant is 58,7% cheaper  
So when you want a specific model, that isn't updated yet, let me know, so I can place that model high on my to-dolist.

I also want to show you a progress screen of one new watusi model:


I hope you'll like it.  

great site i'm tempted to get a set of the watusis but i'm no good at painting do they come painted as well?
thanks

i like the new Watusi very much Stijn!!!

It's again a long time ago, but I'm back with new models.   

stecal wrote:

great site i'm tempted to get a set of the watusis but i'm no good at painting do they come painted as well?
thanks

Thanks Stecal. Unfortunately you can't order the models painted, but maybe you can ask some of the great painting artists on this forum, to do the painting for you.

And now the new models. I add 3 watusis (1 I showed already) on my site. The herd is complete for now and now I'll focus on new species  
The grazing female watusi:



A standing calf:



And the bull of the herd:





I've also made an overview of the complete herd:


Hopefully you'll like them, and I hope I can show you soon some new animal species!  

Very nice    

They are fantastic! I am truly amazed by your talent

I'm sure you mentioned it already, and I apologize for asking again, what program are you using? I am learning Blender but really don't like it.

Thanks Andreas and LeeAnn!

Animal_Figures_4U wrote:

They are fantastic! I am truly amazed by your talent

I'm sure you mentioned it already, and I apologize for asking again, what program are you using? I am learning Blender but really don't like it.

I use ZBrush. It's a total different kind of 3D modeling than Blender. It feels more like working with clay, using your mouse.
There is also a free basic version of ZBrush, called Sculptris. Another program in the same category as ZBrush is Autodesk Mudbox.

Thanks! That's what I'm looking for, a feel of working with clay rather than square meshes that I need to open hundreds of windows until it looks different than a square I'll have to check out Sculptris.

I like to show you one of the models I started a long time ago, but never finished. I started some marine mammals because it was a good basic starter in 3D animation. Now I give it some pose and I think it's soon available on my site:

Love it!

miniNature wrote:

It's again a long time ago, but I'm back with new models.   

stecal wrote:

great site i'm tempted to get a set of the watusis but i'm no good at painting do they come painted as well?
thanks

Thanks Stecal. Unfortunately you can't order the models painted, but maybe you can ask some of the great painting artists on this forum, to do the painting for you. 

Stecal, I have painted several models designed by Andrew and printed via shapeways for LittleBear. if you want you can PM me for details.

How long time will be available the 1:22 watusi bull? I would like to buy one, I think in autumn.

Bacardi King wrote:

How long time will be available the 1:22 watusi bull? I would like to buy one, I think in autumn.

I have no plans to remove the models of te site, so these models will be available in autumn for sure  

Hi all,

it's been a while and I have some news
Maybe you've noticed it already in Andrews 3D printing topic, but Shapeways increased the prizes enormously.
I've saved money for a while, to buy my own 3D Printer. Now, the printer is a fact and right here on my desk. I've the Form1+ printer, that's printing in a similiar detail as the most detailed and expensive Shapeways plastic printer. However, I can print my models now for a similar or maybe cheaper price than the cheapest Shapeways plastic.

It will take some time till my new shop is running, but I like to show you a preview. On Shapeways I could only print my Dik-Dik model in 1/12. Now, with my printer I can also print the Dik-Dik in 1/22 and 1/32 . Here on the picture you can see my first testprints of the Dik-Diks. The 1/12 on the right, the 1/22 in the middle (still with some suportpoints on his body, and the 1/32 on the left, with the complete supportstructure still attached. (Sorry for the bad quality of the picture. I need a better camera for this small models.)



Hopefully I can show you soon some (better) pictures of my other models and start selling them for a proper price. And also I hope to finish some new animals soon.

Those are amazing, I've been following the Form 1 printers since the company started. The prints of the Dik-dik look very nice in quality, what resolution did you print them at?

Also, is the plastic brittle or semi flexible like PVC? Overall is the printer hard to work with and maintain? Thanks, I'm interested in this printer myself.

elephas_maximus wrote:

Those are amazing, I've been following the Form 1 printers since the company started.  The prints of the Dik-dik look very nice in quality, what resolution did you print them at?

Also, is the plastic brittle or semi flexible like PVC?  Overall is the printer hard to work with and maintain?  Thanks, I'm interested in this printer myself.

Thanks Andrew! These are print in 25 microns, but I did also test with 100 microns and it turns out not that bad. You'll see the layers, but maybe with larger models that will be painted, it's maybe smooth.

When I wobble with the legs, they are a bit flexible. I think I compare this with figures of modelling figure brands like Preiser.

It's simple to work with. You can download the software (PreForm) for free on their site and try to place your models in this program and add some supports. Sometimes a print went wrong, by don't sticking at the buildplatform, but I think I resolved this problem. You need to clean the models in pure alcohol afterwards and dry them in ultraviolet light. When you clean the buildplatform with some toiletpaper afterwards, wear latex gloves and clean the mirror when it's dusty with compressed air, I think everything should be fine.

I am suitably impressed. Bravo!

Fantastic news I was saving money to buy your Dik-dik on Shapeways... I will wait to buy yours

Great to hear:)