Has anybody used a stereolithography service to create a real 3D statue of their Poser models?  The sites I've found tend to not have prices listed for the work.

Carrara used to list a vendor who did this. The prices were realistic but pretty daunting. If remember correctly, a 6" model of a single figure was $100+. When you consider the technology involved, this isn't gouging, it's just the reality of the marketplace.

I've used it and I would not recommend it. This is waaay hi end application. Results are not pristine, either. Laser cures on the resin are not perfect. It's best use seems to be machine parts and skull recreations for medical purposes. Scale is the real issue. A 20" stereo lith costs over 1 mill$...lol with your quotes in mind...hence no price estimates. Laser scanning with pc driven automated die grinders are better suited for statuary. This is almost 96% accurate, now. There is a firm in New Jersey, USA that can carve directly into marble. Johnson Artelier

Attached Link: http://www.rolanddga.com/products/3D/modelers/

I have one printer on site at work that actually creates 3d plastic models from something called Solidworks. I thought it carved from a solid block of plastic, but it actually lays down layers..I think it's cool, but it's also $50,000..;)

Once upon a time (maybe a year or 2 ago), someone came out with something that did carve plastic , ran about $100 or so. But I don't remember the name.

I remember once I was in a shop selling aquarium supplies, and looking at the little figure ornaments to go in the tank, and thinking "I could make a nice one of those in Poser" before I realised the problems in printing it out!

When I was last in Japan I saw a demo of a machine for "printing" 3D models by carving plastic, but prices were of the order of "If you have to ask you can't afford it". It's the same with any technology - remember how expensive the first colour photocopies were? Now anyone can afford one. But in the case of 3D printing, the market is so highly specialized I don't think they will come down in price that much, because there will never be the volume of sales needed. 

Yeah, but if you can wait patiently for a couple of years, it'll probably get a lot cheaper.  In the mid 60's a computer cost several hundred thousand dollars, and fill an entire office floor.  Today you can get the same thing to fit on your destop, do exponentially more functions, and cost between $500 to $1,000.
The same story with most other NEW electronic technology, (remember what VCR's use to cost, compare that with DVD player today).
Be patient, soon this will b e affordable for all of us, possible as an add-on device for the home computer.
David P. Hoadley

..the other direction, Then there are the "classic" ways. Search out a product called "Sculpey" (spelling)? Using your Vicky as a virtual model, you can build her and put it in the oven and bake it to a hard finish. Then sand it, paint... for about 50$ A lot more fun than watching laser flicker. Infinitely better for your skills and soul.

I have. 3DArtToPart.com is great for this. I've had them make statues for me in the past and they're making one for me now of one of my products here.  LEGO also has some sweet mills but most folks won't get the pleasure of using them. I got lucky though on a training visit and they made one out of a model of mine for me. So, try the site I linked to. They tend to give quick estimates and the lowest price they'll go is $45 I think but that depends on the materials used, the size of the model and how difficult it is to mill (if they have to do cleanup on your model).

Attached Link: http://www.e-frontier.com/go/STL

I've provided two EF links I found, one using lasers to carve out an image inside a crystal.

http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1819/1/414

rreynolds, I doubt there's enough "data" in a 4" model to be worth your while. Sorry but, these super low prices just cannot be real or quality is slipshod. If it's another china export trick then, yes. Super high editions, such as 3000 or more. 3-6$ @ for (6" figurines)resin castings but x 3000+ shipping and packaging= 12,000-20,000US from China. Some US companies "absorb" the loss a few times for R&D in new tech but, you have to be in the right place at the right time....Remember, these Co's have a salaried accountant who writes up these quotes...15minutes @ 40 an hour. One gallon of hi Q resin is over $100.00. A hi salaried technition... Overhead on the building, An hourly on the pricey equipment... Promo pricing is another thing to watch out for. Most Co's will "lowball" the 1st to get the client and "blast" you on the second model. If these prices are accurate, get it now. They won't be doing it long... Big diff between Hi and Low res, too. Just read the scan of "David" weighed in at 60gigs...yeow. The 1st, or prototype is the most expensive. If you can do it yourself, you can make it happen.

Quote - I have. 3DArtToPart.com is great for this. I've had them make statues for me in the past and they're making one for me now of one of my products here.  In the past two days, I've sent two object files to them.  In both cases they contacted me to explain that, before they could give a quote, the hair would have to be fixed (in both cases they said that the thickness was minimal and would not print).  Although I really appreciate the fact that they gave me this warning, instead of just blindly giving me a quotation, I'm at a loss as to what to do to fix the hair situation.  I'm assuming that it's because the hair is transmapped.  Any suggestions?

You'd have to go to nontransmapped hair, like the old Long Conform Curls that came with Poser (under Clothing-Conforming, P4-Female)

To see what the obj for your transmapped hair looks like, go to the material editor, change the transparency to 0, select all, and apply all to turn it solid.  Things like bangs will be a solid plane.  Transmapped hair may not look very good as an object and you'll have to use the curls, mentioned above.

Not even Michaelangelo managed to sculpt transmapped hair!

We use StereoLithography all the time in my business (automotive design) to make prototype parts. The results are great, but the expense is very high. I'd be surprised to see anyone using that sort of machinery to produce a 6" tall figure for $150. Makes me wonder.......

Gordon

I think it's likely to remain a niche product. How many people really need to print 3D objects (compared to the number who need to print pages of text, photos, etc)? Without big volume production, the prices aren't likely to drop that much. Maybe when we all have holographic cameras the demand will be higher.

Still, it would be fun if I ever get to produce my Poser-based range of aquarium ornaments. Naked Vicky in a fishtank with a sword, anyone?

This is a site that 3D World magazine used for a competition prize. A 20cm electro-plated model of your 3d model worth about £750 was the first prize.

http://www.3dmodelprinting.com/

The details of the competition (which has ended)  can be seen here.

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/competitions/win_3d_prints_from_your_models

Attached Link: http://www.computersculpture.com/index.html

Their milling machines start at about $600. And the SensAble modeling arms sure look like fun.

Great links Man if I were in my twenties and was wodering what do to for a career, had some friennds with a little capitol,,, I would be ALL over this tech. Think about just the museum collections.. Rare art antiquities (digital cataloging)... Forensics... Most of this is easily "mobile" or out of a truck, tech. No warehouse required!

So far, I've sent three OBJ files to get quotations.  In each case, there's been a problem.  The first two were transmapped hair related.  These guys were great in explaining that, because there were certain sections of the hair that had zero thickness, the printer would not be able to distinguish where to start and stop.  The result would have been as extreme as having the head literally fall apart.  Surprisingly, the last attempt, which was my own RobbyBobby character in chaps and vest, would not work because the said chaps and vest are single sided meshes...again, no thickness...no print.  That one surprised me and now I'm wondering if I'd run across that same problem with other clothing items.  So, the next attempt, which should have been last night, but I had problems starting up Poser for some reason, will be NRBNTNSANH (Naked RobbyBobby, No Temple, No Sword And No Hair).

So there's life yet for the good old Poser 4 hair models!

You could always get it hand sculpted by a talented clay sculptor. This can be turned into a resin hard casting and you can get more than one from the resulting rubber mould. An SLA will cost the same (lots of $) for each duplicate item.
http://market.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2652015

Graeme

Then it would be the sculptor's work and not yours.

Hi

If you pay he/she and they agree to assign all rights, which most sculptors will, then it is yours.

The link is to our post advertising our various other services in the products forum. I neglected to mention that bit. Sorry.

It isn't a cheap alternative for one item. But if you really want that sculpture of your own model then it may interest somebody, and multiple castings become much cheaper, so you can give them to your friends, or sell them of course.

Regards

Graeme