has anyone had a poser model made into a real model using some sort of rapid prototyping? I know there are all sorts of companies that do this, but I havent seen the results anywhere (other than the images on the sites that actually do it). The reason I am asking is I have model who is interested in being made into an action figure, since Nagus and I are working on making a poser twin of her I thought maybe having the result turned into a real model. So has anyone done it, do you have pictures, and what did it cost you all told (if you dont mind saying)? Someday I hope these machines get cheap enough to sit on your desktop, because my workspace just isnt cluttered enough...

I know Dark Whisper got one as a gift of his Heavies character, I think, but the problem is the cost.. you are looking at spending a few grand on ONE rapid prototype. (Last one I actually looked at for someone else was $3000-$8,000 for each copy.), if I remember right...

Probably better to get it sculpted conventionaly from some srt student... finding one with tradional skills will be tough though. Not to sound racist but you could ask around Chinatown. At university I met all these artists with amazing skills they learned at art school in Bejing.

There is a company that does custom action figures, but they are sculpted, and they still charge like $1000 and up for them. Sculptors usually charge $30-$50 an hour, and if you figure they need to spend 20-40 hour total, you're looking at $600-$2000 for the sculpting. Theres just something about the real 3d medium that commands higher prices.

Maybe you can offer cheaper prototypes? Looks like the roland only runs around $3000 or so. How much other stuff did you have to buy for it? Also, what are the prototypes made from?

I don't think I know enough about the machine to offer services .... I did buy a dozen or so various milling bits. I've mostly been scanning things so far, but I have routed out a few things in wood (redwood, maple, rosewood) and stone (calcite, otherwise known as Mexican onyx). It's got a very tiny motor so it machines very slowly, but it does get the job done. It's about the size of a laser printer. When I replace the harddrive in my laptop next week (which I use to run the machine) I may have to try a poser figure.

How long does it take to create a prototype (and how large is it?) Thanks for the info, BTW...

Back before Christmas, I contacted a few companies about turning some of my mech robots into plastic toys. Their first response was that they don't make "toys"- they make "machined prototypes". And, as such, the prices match the description... they quoted me a price of about $150 for a 1 inch prototype. How big is an inch? Basically the width of your thumb. If I wanted something a little larger (6 inches or more), the price would be around $1,500 or more. In other words, it's a neat novelty, but it's designed for companies who are serious about making physical prototypes... and not us Poser users. :( --John

Yep, but the prototyper mentioned about sells for only $3000.. since the pricing on th emachines is dropping, we might see services pop up that offer them cheaper now. I remember when copiers were NOT a consumer product, and also when scanners and color printers were also astronomically priced...

"I remember when copiers were NOT a consumer product..." Or VCRs, microwaves, etc. etc. etc. I wonder if Daz has staked out a legal position on this--could you do plastic Vicky? My guess is probably not. Even sending the data to the proto company would probably be, should be violating the EULA. What they should do is get into the business themselves. What I want is one of those giant "ink jets" that can put an image on the side of a building :-)

A few years ago, I saw something for AutoCAD that made small, prototyped parts and it only cost about $1200. Unfortunately, I've completely forgotten the name of it and all other details. I don't remember what dimensions it offered either. But anyway, this brings to mind NC machines. It might be possible to translate a model into a format that a CAD program could then translate into NC code. I don't expect you could get anything made any cheaper with an NC machine, but you could talk to your local machine shops and see if you can strike up a friendship with some of the old-timers, i.e. the retired and semi-retired. You just never know. I got my own home gym built one time in a somewhat similar way -- by striking up a friendship with an old-timer machinist and a couple of welders -- and for dimes on the dollar.

a few months back, Neftis described her expereince in making a 12" high version of her character and felt the price was not too unreasonable, and there were links to the site -- it was in this forum so a search should evenutally pull it up.

Some sites to check out: http://www.3darttopart.com/ http://www.toybuilders.com/ How expensive the prototyping process will be depends on a number of factors like what material the prototype will be made from, whether you're getting just the object iself or if you're also getting an accompanying master mold, and how much labour is required to clean up a submitted 3D file. You can keep costs substantially down by opting to have prototypes made in less durable materials (instead of a variety of plastics/metals etc), doing the majority of the 3D file clean-up yourself, and doing your own master molds if you have the intent to produce multiples. I'm interested in doing some rapid prototyping myself eventually, but I just haven't created anything I feel is special enough to warrant it yet.