3D Printing a 15 Foot Dragon – Part 2 Modeling

Transcript

Hello everybody and welcome to another video. Today is the second instalment of this miniseries, where I undertake the challenge of 3D printing a 15-foot dragon. In the previous video, we explored how the creation of the concept art helped to establish some basic design elements. Today we’ll be taking that information and translating it to a 3d printable model, from which we can then begin doing some test prints. (use different footage than the previous video) Mascot looks up at the concept art yelps and runs away.

Although I did purchase a licence of Maya many years ago, I have since switched over to Blender and have been using it for the past 5 years with great satisfaction. By using both this software and Cura I’ve found a fairly efficient workflow when creating my 3D models. I use Blender to create the models and use Cura to both print them and find issues within the mesh. Cura is very good at highlighting broken areas in the mesh and makes it easier for me to find issues which could prevent the 3d prints from succeeding. It’s for this reason that before I’ll even print, I’ll often simply open up the file to double-check that everything is in order. As witnessed by my Grey hair counter, on some occasions I do regretfully get lazy and skip this process t, and that always turns out great

So to start things off, I’ll typically look at my notes on the project and have those either printed out or on a separate screen while I work. By looking at the initial designs, I will essentially break down the shapes in my head to ones which are easier to model. Essentially I’ll look at the vertebrae design and see that the closest primitive shape is that of a cylinder and use this as my base for which I’ll create a model. This process is very similar to how professional artists will break down a subject prior to drawing the person or object. In this case, I took the cylinder and removed the bottom half so that I was left with the remainder of the mesh. From this point on, I started working on the general shape to make sure that these were as close to the design as possible. Now I did try sculpting the shape right away but quickly ran into issues using this method as you can see from the abomination that’s on your screen. The thin walls simply caused too many issues, so I continued using traditional 3d modelling techniques instead. Even though I had already drawn out a design, it’s important to still make improvements if the project allows for it, therefore I played around with the design further to see which elements could be modified to make the overall shape more interesting. When I’m happy with those portions, I can then begin adding additional details.

I’ll often use non-destructive modifier’s whenever possible, since these allow me to return to a more simplified shape. One such modifier is the mirror modifier, which allows the 3d modeller to only have to work on half of the design while the other is mirrored with software. While this workflow is very useful, it can sometimes cause problems in the geometry if not implemented properly, so it’s always a good idea to double-check the mesh as you work. Another great modifier is the solidify modifier which, although it can work great, it can …. Oh, do something like this, which is definitely not the intended result. So depending on what you’re doing, you’ll want to choose the right modifier for the job.

Once I had the main vertebrae done, I could then begin working on creating the full length of the dragon. To get the proper size requirements, I create a large cube which showed me the overall target dimensions. This was created with the 3d printer’s maximum height taken into account and the desired length. For this project, I had decided to use the CR30 since I could set up multiple prints to print all at once. I duplicated all the vertebrae and… Wow, ok little guy By using a lattice I deformed them into the shape that I wanted to achieve.

For the mechanical portions such as the jaw, I found that doing a quick sketch to get a couple of ideas out on paper was the fastest method to testing the pros and cons of each. For instance. I could have simply used some string and made some holes for the jaw to connect, but I wanted to limit the movement to just up and down as much as possible. Having a hinge would allow for this, however it would also make future repairs more difficult. I ended up choosing the hinge since I wanted to 3d print as much of the dragon as possible, and this allowed me to do so. In the end, however, a prototype always needs to be made to test out the mechanic and see what needs to be changed from the design, but that will be a story for another day. I hope you guys enjoyed the journey so far. If you want to support this channel, please feel free to check out the merch on my main website. Thank you for watching, and I hope to you again soon. Thank you and take care.

Safety Mod + Pro Version – CR10 Smart Safety Fix

Transcript

Hello everybody and welcome to another video tutorial. Today we’ll be addressing an issue which is quite common among budget friendly printers and isn’t discussed all that much. The CR10 Smart like many other 3d printers in the market today, have tinned wired connections at their terminals, so today we’ll be replacing those with ferrules. As always, what you see here represents my own opinions, and undertake this at your own risk. I’m in no way responsible if any damages that may occur.

Now, there’s a couple of reason why you might want to change the main power connections to ferrules, however the main one is for safety. Not having ferrules means that maintenance will generally be more difficult since you’ll have to deal with the wires unravelling when being placed inside the terminals. Tinned one’s on the other hand can make the strands more susceptible to vibration, loosing and corrosion, all of which are to be avoided when it comes to the main power connections. So for this reason we’ll be taking a closer look at how to replace the those connections on the CR10 Smart by Creality.

The CR10 Smart is designed with a Creality Wifi Box within, and for this reason there are a couple of additional terminals that need to be updated. Unlike the CR10 V3, the electrical components are within the base of the machine, therefore we’ll need to open this up in order to get access to the electronics. With the base open, we can already see some terminals on the main motherboard. As you can see from this diagram, we’ll need to replace the ones in these two locations. Like most budget machines on the market today, this FDM printer has tinned wires at the main power and hotbed output. The second set of terminals comes from the connection hub, which allows the connection between the motherboard and the internal Wi-Fi box components.

To make things easier to keep track of, we’ll only remove one wire at a time by unscrewing the screw at the top of the terminal. With wire cutters, you’ll remove the part that tinned before beginning to prep the wire for the ferrule. In order to have proper contact with the ferrule, well need to strip the tip of the wire by using one of the two methods. If you have wires strippers, you can use those to strip the wire connection, if you don’t, you can use your wire cutter to do the same thing by gently adding pressure until you’ve cut through the outer protective layer. You’ll then be able to remove the coating by holding the cutter’s partially open while pulling that part away. When choosing a ferrule, you want to choose one that just barely fits onto the wire to help ensure a proper connection when crimped. By making sure to twist the wires first, you’ll have an easier time inserting them into the ferrules. If you have a ferrule crimping tool, you can use that to crimp the connection, if not you can use a pair of pliers’ to do the same thing. Always test the connection before putting it back into the terminal.

In the end, you should only have to replace 6 wire connections at 3 different terminals. By only disconnecting one connection at a time, you’ll be able to keep track of what connections need to be changed next. This is the method I generally recommend so that you don’t end up mixing your connections. When you re-attach the connection, make sure to double-check that it’s properly secured before moving on to the next one. Once you’ve finished upgrading the terminal connections, you can then put back together the machine and do a quick test print to make sure everything is working correctly.

I hope this video has helped some of you out and if there’s a video you’d like to suggest, please leave a comment down below. I hope you guys enjoyed this video and I hope to see you guys soon.

CR-10 Smart – Manual Bed Levelling Fix

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Hello everybody and welcome to another mod video. In today’s video, we’ll be modifying the CR10 Smart to no longer require auto bed levelling in order to function correctly. At the same time, we will be adding insulation beneath the build plate to help speed up the heating process. As always, do this mod at your own risk, and I’m in no way responsible if any damages may occur. Now, in most cases, you shouldn’t need to go to these types of lengths to get your machine to work correctly. As of making this video, there are quite a few problems with the CR10 Smart and many users have had to resort to time-consuming mods to rectify the situation. One such issue is the implementation of the auto bed levelling, which doesn’t seem to function properly for numerous users. So before we begin, we’ll need a couple of items prior to doing this modification on our machines. The first will be the levelling nuts with either silicone levelling columns or springs. I have tested both, so I can say that either will work for this purpose. Which ever option you choose, make sure that you have the screws to go along with the kit, since the one’s which are on the machine are too short. The second item on the list is the cork board that we’ll be using to help insulate the build plate, and this needs to be approximately 1 inch in thickness to help reduce the need for adhesives. In my case I order a pack of 12×12 inch sheets which were 3/8 inch in thickness and this allowed me to stack them on top of each other until I had the correct thickness. With the components at the ready, we can now begin by removing the glass bed from the build surface. You can do this by opening up the retainer tabs and sliding out the glass. There are 16 screws that are holding the build plate in place, so we’ll unscrew those, so we can begin prepping the heating platform. Since the existing holes are threaded, will first need to open these up to allow the screw to move freely. Using an 11/64 bit, you’ll widen the hole size every so slightly for the 4 corners that we’ll be mounting the adjustment knobs. I put some paper around all the components to help protect the remainder of the electronics from any metal debris, as well as using some lubricant to facilitate the drilling process. After cleaning up the area with a vacuum to make sure that nothing was left over, I could then begin cutting the cork material to fit the build plate. To make things easier, I cut the corners out to make sure I had enough room for the springs and the silicone columns. I placed the build plate on top of the cork to figure out where I should cut these portions from. Additionally, I created holes in a couple of the layers for where the bolts could fit through. To figure out the location of the bolts, I simply pressed the cork downwards to indent them onto the surface and used that for a cutting reference. Corkboard has a high temperature resistance which is why we’ll be using it for this project, and in this case I didn’t want to use an option which required adhesive material since it would be difficult to remove or make repairs in the future. In order to keep the screws from moving around, I decided to use some springs, which I cut down into spring lock washers. The nice thing about using the springs is that these can have a very small footprint and shouldn’t cause the screw to stick out afterwards. Placing the Cork sheets into place, we can then line up the heated build plate followed by our spring lock washers and screws. If you’re using the silicone columns, the indented portion is supposed to be on top. It’s very important that you screw the levelling nuts so that the Z-endstop can be triggered, otherwise the hot end will crash into the build plate. The way this sensor works is that it waits for the Z end stop to trigger before turning on. When you manually level the bed, you’re going to go to “Settings” + “Level” and wait for the machine to finish probing the centre of the bed. After, you’ll adjust the offset so that it’s close but not touching the build plate by selecting each corner until it’s they are all the same. Now, for some reason I had to adjust the Z-offset a second time, but I had no issues with the overall levelling of the machine. Something very essential with this mod is that the screen is set too high up, and therefore the build plate tends to crash and lift above it when it passes too far forwards. You’ll want to 3d print this part so that you can mount in on the appropriate angle. With the modification completed, you can do a test print to see if everything is working correctly. I generally prefer to use a test similar to what you see here, since it allows me to check for any printing irregularities. I hope that this upgrade has helped some of you out, and I hope to see you guys again soon. Thank you and take care.

3D Printing a 15 Foot Dragon – Part 1 Concept

Transcript

Hello everybody and welcome to another video. Today is the first part of a miniseries in which I will be 3d printing a several feet long dragon. Being the intensive project it is, we’ll see if I can complete this in a reasonable amount of time and find out how long it ends up taking. I’m also wondering just how many new grey hairs I will be collecting by the end of this project. I’ll keep a counter at the top right. For today, we’ll be focusing on the conceptual art portions, which will include the basic design and mechanics as the overall aesthetics.

When beginning this project, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to create, but I did have some important requirements to consider. At the time, I had just gotten my CR30 3D printmill and wanted to do an in dept test of its capabilities. Compared to most 3d printers, this one was better suited for small scale production because of its ability to continuously print It also meant, however, that I needed to find a method in which to test those capabilities. So using an untested machine for a time intensive project, seemed like a good idea at the time? This project needed to be printed within the confines of the print volume, and portions needed to be repeatable to utilize the repeat function of the machine. I began brainstorming some ideas to figure out how I would be approaching this creation. I started looking up different types of mythological creatures which were serpentine in nature to get a better idea of which one I would focus on. Likewise, I could do a giant worm like creature or perhaps something more along the lines of a centipede, however in the end I decided to go with an Easter Dragon since I believe it to be the most interesting of ideas. Somehow, I didn’t believe that many people would want to click on a video showcasing a giant caterpillar. I guess we’ll see if that was a mistake or not.

Like any project I start, I had to go searching from some reference materials. In most cases, if I’m just doing a quick piece, then a simple google search will work just fine. For more technical projects like this one, I prefer to create an inspiration board, which normally includes a couple of notes. These boards help establish the mood of the design and help focus your ideas into a consistent design language. I can also include technical specifications to keep in mind when I’m creating the design. Hey Wake up little guy, this part is probably the most important part when creating a concept. Now I did decide early on that I wanted to do a steampunk styled piece, so I started referencing industrial base mechanical objects for this purpose along with animals or bugs which could have some dragon like features. Referencing actual animals and anatomy is in general good practice, since most mythology is based off such creatures to begin with. With reference materials on hand, I could then begin working out the conceptual art for this piece.

All concept art should start off with simple thumbnails, since this greatly reducing overall production time. By not wasting time on a full illustration, I could begin exploring basic concepts like the silhouette and proportions of the creature without investing too much time overall. After having done a couple of these, I eventually settled on this design, which I decided to full flesh out into a full concept and model sheet. Since I knew I would still need to make changes latter on, I decided to go ahead and focus on the plate design since this would be crucial for creating the rest of the aesthetics. I knew that the end of the tail was most likely not going to be printed, so I left that portion a little more open to interpretation. After all this work, here’s the rough the concept model sheet for the design along with the rough dimensions. And yes, you are reading this correctly, it does say 15ft and those measurements don’t include the head or tail.

So with the preliminary portions all completed, I can now begin 3d modelling and refining the design further, but that will be a story for another day. I hope you guys enjoyed the first part of this journey and I hope to see you guys soon. Thank you and take care.

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