Boulder Creek
  • Home
  • Tutorials
    • Professional Tools >
      • Laser Cutting
      • 3D Printing
      • Static Grass Applicator
      • Paint Shaker
      • Scan N Cut
    • Video Tutorials
    • Articles
    • Modular Layout
  • Goodies
    • Competition Entry & Results
    • Blog
    • YouTube Top 10
    • Product and Reviews
    • Downloads
    • Gallery
    • Fan Artwork
    • Spot Me Challenge
    • MRH
  • Patrons
    • Become a Patron
    • Members Only
  • Store
  • Contact

I 3D Printed my House - Realistic Scenery Vol.19

22/9/2019

1 Comment

 
It's amazing how far 3D printing has come in the past few years! So much so that I can 3D print an ultra realistic model of my house!
Picture
In Realistic Scenery Vol.19 I use a resin based printer, the Anet N4, to 3D print a highly realistic replica of the house I'm currently living in.
To actually design the house I used a free web based program called TinkerCAD, it's really easy to use and for basic type shapes like a house it does the job perfectly.
Here is the video tutorial on YouTube if you'd like to follow along:
A lot of people ask how  make my models look so realistic and to help answer those questions here are some of my secret tips for making model look realistic...
Picture
  • First is perspective when taking photos: If you watch the tutorial video you'll notice that when I start carving the foam to create the contours of the scene I make the very front edge slope down. This was intentionally done so that when it was time to take the photos I would get a feeling of being lower to the ground and less likely to have the edge of the diorama being visible in the photo and it gives you a better sense of being part of the scene.

  • Next is color and texture: I always choose colors that look pale or faded, even when selecting the grass and tree materials. I almost always use the fall or late summer colors of grass and when it comes to trees I look for olive colors. The woodlands scenics burnt grass course foam is a good start. Although remember to keep in mind the lighting in which your model will be displayed, I photograph my models outside so even the slightest hint of color stands out quite a lot more compared to having that same model under room lighting.

  • Take your model outside: By taking your model outside to take photos you'll get a very nice sunlight color, it is the sun after all, and something else you'll get is prefect shadows. The effects of the shadows cast by the sun are some of the most realistic effects you can get.

  • Last but not least - placement of shadows: It sounds a little strange with no context but what I mean is orientate your model to control where the shadows fall. As an example I deliberately orientated the model in most of the photos to have a portion of the tree shadow being cast over the roof, it just adds another layer of complexity and adds even more realism.
Picture
Those are just some of the techniques I use when taking the photos of the models, obviously there is quite a lot more with regards to equipment but that can be for another blog post.
For those of you who have made it to the end I have a little treat for you in the form of a photo:
bonus photo
1 Comment

Amazing 3D printed details - tutorial

29/4/2018

0 Comments

 
​To be honest, 3D printing HO scale details using my old 3D printer used to leave me disappointed… But not anymore! Now that I have an Anycubic resin 3D printer I’m constantly amazed every time a print finishes!
​A little while ago I put together the Anet A8 kit 3D printer and while I was very happy with what it could do, when it came to making very small details for my HO scale layout I was usually disappointed, most of the details I printed required a lot of post processing like gap filling and sanding and the really small things didn't print at all.
Picture
Picture
Some larger items like this water tank turned out looking great and other larger details look fantastic as well when printed on the Anet A8 however when it comes to tiny details that's where I was running into limitations with FDM printers.
​Another problem I would often run into was when I printed with PLA plastic it was difficult to sand so I often printed using ABS plastic (what lego is made from), it sands much easier but is much more challenging to print with. I found that I had to be selective with what I did and didn't chose to use the printer for, the resin used for DLP printers sand very easily.
Picture
Picture
​Printing using the Anycubic Photon was much easier, sure there is a bit of post processing in terms of cleaning excess resin but the finished result is light years ahead of regular FDM printers.
​Here is a selection of items I’ve printed with great results as well as a small building from Steve who’s models are available to buy from Shapeways if you wanted to pick up a great Australian style building for yourself, here is the link to his Shapeways page:
Steves Shapeways Models
As I gradually progress and print more models I'll gradually post them on the Anycubic review page and I'll also make a selection of models that will be free to download once I've made and printed them to check quality and results.
To read the full Anycubic Photon review you can click here:
Anycubic Photon Review
0 Comments

Resin 3D Printing

20/4/2018

3 Comments

 
The only real limitation when using regular FDM 3D printers for building and designing scale models is surface finish, you can often clearly see the layer lines and removing them by using putty and sanding is often more work than its worth...... STEP IN RESIN PRINTING
3D printing has exploded in popularity over the past 5 years and it continues to grow. 
Picture
Picture
This is the Anycubic Photon DLP 3D resin printer, I recently bought it through AliExpress however it can be found on just about any of the major platforms like Amazon and eBay. It's relatively cheap in comparison to similar printers and if you're making high detailed scale models then I definitely recommend this printer.

All of the models are printed in 1:87th scale.... (ho scale)

So far I've made a bunch of different models while I test and film the tutorial video I'm working on and so far I'm more than impressed.
There are some small limitations and imperfections that I'll talk more about when I write my comprehensive review all of which can be dealt with or minimized with careful planning and object design and none of which have deterred me from using this awesome little printer.
Picture
Picture
This printer will make many more appearances in future videos especially for making very small details to compliment other models. 
Also after I finish filming the 3D printer video tutorial I'll be working on a resin mold making and casting tutorial on making and casting this shipping container (Also made using the resin 3D printer). 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Be sure to stay tuned as the filming process has just been completed and I'll be posting the tutorial video in about 4 days time.
I'm very excited for the future of model building especially when products and tools like these 3D printer are being developed and improved upon ever few months.
3 Comments

    Categories

    All
    3D Printing
    Laser Cutting
    Making Trees
    Night Scenes
    Realistic Scenery Updates
    Structures
    Useful Tools
    Working With Water

    Archives

    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    RSS Feed

Boulder Creek Railroad is a fan funded website and YouTube channel, all your support is greatly appreciated
  • Home
  • Tutorials
    • Professional Tools >
      • Laser Cutting
      • 3D Printing
      • Static Grass Applicator
      • Paint Shaker
      • Scan N Cut
    • Video Tutorials
    • Articles
    • Modular Layout
  • Goodies
    • Competition Entry & Results
    • Blog
    • YouTube Top 10
    • Product and Reviews
    • Downloads
    • Gallery
    • Fan Artwork
    • Spot Me Challenge
    • MRH
  • Patrons
    • Become a Patron
    • Members Only
  • Store
  • Contact