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!

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.

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...

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:

​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.

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.

​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:

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. 

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.

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.

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). 

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.