Designing a 3D Printable Model of a Dutch Windmill

I needed a new design project to stretch my skills so I went out to the Flames of War group on Facebook and solicited some ideas with the prize being a copy of the idea.   Here is the dialog from the ideation through the shipping of the kit to the ideator (new word)!

March 22 at 10:29am

As many of you will know I am one of those 3D Printing evangelists but with a specific interest in the modeling side of FoW. I have a number of models (and a bunch of assorted bling) that I have been selling on eBay for the benefit of charity but now I need a new design challenge!

Attached are photos of some designs that I have done: a Bailey Bridge, a Field Wagon, a Well, and most recently the Stone and Steel Wall. I can't do vehicles or people/animals but I can do the more architectural kind of things.

With the attached as examples I am interested in some ideas. If I design to your idea I will send you a copy for free. As usual anything that I design will be available on Thingiverse with the rest of my stuff.

Windmills are poorly represented. The eastern front and parts of Europe were dominated by them and should be a far more common feature. Something that infantry can fit inside would be good with removable roofs.

Like · Reply · 2 · March 22 at 10:42am · Edited

Will Kostelecky Assuming that I am successful you will get your self a wind mill!

Like · Reply · 1 · March 22 at 6:47pm

Idea Guy Will thank you so much! Windmills are really poorly represented. There are some available but few allow models to be placed inside.

Like · Reply · March 24 at 2:40pm

Will Kostelecky The top part will lift off and there should be room for a large base inside.......it is a good idea for a design. Doubt that it will be cost effective to sell but folks with a printer should enjoy it.

Like · Reply · 1 · March 24 at 2:42pm

Idea Guy  Excellent. I was in a windmill in the Canary Islands last year and thought "why are there so few 15mm scale windmills?" You can get some but most are solid resin with no internal space for troops.

Like · Reply · March 24 at 2:43pm

Will Kostelecky Not that it matters but are you in the UK? Obviously easier to ship you the product when I finally finish (long way to go yet)!

Like · Reply · March 24 at 2:46pm

Idea Guy  Yes I am in the UK.

Like · Reply · March 24 at 2:55

Will Kostelecky Not sayin' that I am going to do it...

Like · Reply · 4 · March 22 at 1:11pm

Will Kostelecky I am going to shoot for a rendition of the windmill that I pictured above. Not sure if I will be able to make it work in scale but will give it a shot. Not sure how long it will take either!

Like · Reply · 4 · March 22 at 6:46pm

Another Guy  Here's a pic of a windmill and an UFO in my friend's game room, ha ha ha.

Like · Reply · March 23 at 3:44am

Will Kostelecky Have started...not much but a start. The assembled model will be to the left and each component to the right in printing position. I am going with as many pieces printed as possible under the assumption that this piece is likely to only attract folks with their own printer as it will take a long time to print!

Like · Reply · 1 · March 23 at 6:20pm

Will Kostelecky Couple more hours in...

Like · Reply · 3 · March 24 at 11:47am

Will Kostelecky Some liberties taken but there are so many of these things that I think any design would bear a resemblance to one somewhere! My story is that I saw the one that I am designing just outside of Oisterwijk on a drive through the Netherlands one summer. Honest.

Like · Reply · 2 · March 24 at 11:50am · Edited

Will Kostelecky First test prints started for lower part of wind mill. Doing them in 50% of 1:100 scale for expediency

Like · Reply · 6 · March 24 at 2:26pm

Will Kostelecky First print for fit tests showed some issues but went well none the less. Railings did not scale down to the 50% size of the test print though.

Like · Reply · 3 · March 24 at 6:08pm

Another Guy  Railings could either be printed solid or simply left off and done with etched brass or similar.

Even so, looking very sharp!

Like · Reply · March 24 at 6:59pm

Will Kostelecky Another Guy The railings will look much better when printed 1:100 but could also be sub-ed out as desired. Bigger issue is that I miss-calculated scale size of door and windows!

Like · Reply · March 24 at 9:01pm

Will Kostelecky Slight design change set me back (added some height to the base and rescaled the door) but have finished the design for the bit at the top of the windmill that rotates. Have also measured for the fan blades. Estimate that the final product will take 24+ hours of print time.

Like · Reply · 3 · March 25 at 5:35pm

Will Kostelecky Starting to print for first 1:100 sized assembly... The parts you see with the sails are the top of the windmill which rotates on the wheels for pointing into the wind.

Like · Reply · 6 · March 26 at 3:24pm

Another Guy  That looks amazing smile emoticon

Unlike · Reply · 2 · March 26 at 4:55pm

Will Kostelecky In case anyone wonders about all these posts...they will get melded into a blog article later!

Like · Reply · 2 · March 26 at 5:00pm

Another Guy Absolutely brilliant

Like · Reply · 1 · March 26 at 9:15pm

Another Guy I'm already imagining where my flower bowls (ISYN) might go 😮

Like · Reply · March 26 at 9:47pm

Will Kostelecky Could have a first assembly tomorrow evening. Have to print the largest piece (six hours). Still some bits that need a physical fit to fine tune though.

Like · Reply · 1 · March 26 at 9:53pm

Idea Guy wow its looking like a real show stopper. Pride of the table that will be for sure.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · March 26 at 10:37pm

Will Kostelecky First assembly - 1 of 3

Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 1:54pm

Another Guy  Trying to like this again...and again...

Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 1:55pm

Another Guy  The thing isn't giving me the 'love' option but I would if I could.

Absolutely stunning

Like · Reply · Yesterday at 3:19pm

Will Kostelecky First assembly - 2 of 3

Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 1:55pm

Will Kostelecky First assembly - 3 of 3. Some things need fixing, some expected and some less so. In this photo I am going to ditch printing the platform as a single piece in favor of printing the supports as add on pieces as they will look so much better. The sai...See More

Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 1:58pm

Will Kostelecky The good news is that every part of this model should be printable on any well tuned printer (some of my designs require a smaller than average nozzle). The bad news is that no one is going to want to buy one from me given the print time and what I would charge! I will likely eBay a copy or two after I send Idea Guy his idea man rendition!

Like · Reply · 4 · Yesterday at 2:01pm

Intersection of 3D Printing and Modeling - Another Diorama - Conclusion

This post concludes the the story that I started a while back under the same title.

I have declared the diorama complete though I know there are several things that really are NOT complete or should be re-done.  That said it is close enough for purposes of what I am demonstrating and I risk getting side tracked and not back to it if I don't declare it done!

There are two stories told by this diorama with the first and foremost being to show how much 3D Printed stuff can be shoved into one small diorama!  The second story told is that of a forward headquarters with a Tiger II and an anti aircraft gun guarding it.  I wanted bling you get bling.

Pretty much everything you see is printed other than the Battlefront models of the anti aircraft gun, it's trailer, and all the figures.   The tank is a print of a model by Marco Bergman from Thingiverse.  The building is a design that I purchased.  Everything else I designed either for this diorama or as part of my bling collection that is for sale on eBay and available in the public domain on Thingiverse under a creative commons Attribution non Commercial Use license.

1. Diorama base including cobble stones and sidewalk (which I mostly buried)!
2. Dragons teeth*
3. Ruined building (purchased)
4. Sandbags (customize-able on need)
5. Lumber steps
6. Ladder
7. Ammo crates*
8. Tiger II from Thingiverse (m_bergman collection)

A. Field HW furniture*
B. Ammo crates custom for this diorama
C. Lumber platform custom for this diorama
D. Large crates*
E. Barrels and Jerry Cans*

*Part of my bling collection that is for sale on eBay and available in the public domain on Thingiverse under a creative commons Attribution non Commercial Use license.

Please reach out to me if you are doing some scenery and want to explore using some 3D Printed parts.  I am interested in working with some experienced scenery folks on their projects as a way of learning.  My design skills are not where I would like them to be but I can try!

Painting Tanks - Side by Side - Final Final

I am declaring these tanks to be done for the purposes of this side by side series of articles.  I do need to add a figure to the Battlefront model and I also want to install the 3D Printed model into a diorama I am trying to finish.

All of the observations that I made from step to step of the process are captured at the end of this page.  So what tank wins?  I like the feel of the Battlefront model and I did like the way the paint felt going on to it.   The Battlefront model is also a lot more detailed than the 3D print but as 3D printable models mature more and more detail will inevitably be added.

The Tiger II might not be the best example to use for a side by side comparison.  I think there are other printed tanks that show better agains their cast or injected molded brethren.  If I were a gamer and building an army that needed Tiger II's I might well get the Battlefront models for these iconic beasts.  On the other hand if I needed T-34's the 3D printed version would be more than just fine as would a Panther for that matter (but maybe not a Jagdpanther because of the sloped top).  Trucks and support vehicles seem like a no brainer.

In any case I would want to print my tanks at the best possible resolution that time allows.  No less than 100 microns and ideally maybe 80.  Beyond that I think that the time needed for the print is getting silly.  Super ideally, with a 250 micron nozzle rather than a more standard 400 micron.  I think that I would also want to hollow the bases out and stick some weights in!

Finally, a note about print lines.  They will exist in 3D Prints into the fore seeable future given the nature of current printing technologies.  There is no denying those lines when you are painting a model but from 18 inches away, and depending on the model, they start to become invisible and the two things that you notice about the model are the quality of your painting workmanship ... and the details of the model itself.  I think it is these details that make the Tiger II model stand out from the more austere 3D Print.  Those details, however, are not missing because they can not be printed but rather because of the time it takes to design them into the source model.  I wonder if as more and more people start to get into 3D printing whether these tank models, which are in the public domain, will start to evolve?

Final Images Side by Side - Click on a Image for Larger Version

Summary of Side by Side Observations

Attribute	3D Printed Model	Battleground Model
Details	Significantly fewer details but the ones that are there are very crisp	Lots and lots of details to the point of almost too many as there is only so small that one can paint!
Painting Details	The larger more crisp details help with the painting, but,	The paint just seems to go on to the Battlefront model which I assume is due the the more dense materials.
Modd'ing	I think that 3D Models, like the one that I printed here, will start to evolve as users make their own modifications to them	Just as modd'ing the design for a 3D Printed tank requires some skills, so does modifying a model such as the one above.  Possible but not easy!
Painting Primer and Base Coat	Extruded plastic has a very difference feel than does metal and resin castings.  Not unpleasantly different but different.	When I declared myself done with the base coat it was a uniform shade of Panther Yellow of the same tone as the 3D Print.  Between then and when this picture was taken the color changed a little.  Not sure what gives!
Assembly	None required	Took some time.
Heft	It is light!  This could easily be remedied using some lead weights or something in the hull and maybe even bottom of the turret though this will require some additional work.	Not light!  Feels like a tank.
Proportions	One of these tanks is not...	...scaled right!
Cleanup	A lot of work goes into cleaning up the support material.  I find that the higher the resolution the harder the cleanup job.	Fair amount of cleanup here as well especially for the parts from the sprue.  Also need to wash parts in prep for painting.
Assembly	None required	Additional work is required but having these add on parts adds depth and detail to the model.  Figuring out where things go and how they fit was a little harder than I expected.  That is my excuse for installing the barrel off by 90 degrees

Previous Posts in the Painting Tanks thread:

Painting Tanks - Side by Side - Complete ... but for Final Touches
Painting Tanks - Side by Side - Camouflage On and Detailing Underway
Side by Side - Primed, Base Coated, and Ready for Camo
Side by Side - Ready to Start Painting
Side by Side - 3D Print vs Battlefront Model
First Blood

Hand to Hand Combat with Support Material

Prologue

My blog has been largely 3D Printing for over two years now and for the past months it has been 3D Printing as pertains to tanks.  My primary interest is in the 3D Printing but tanks are a fun proxy for more boring calibration prints!  Much if not all of what I write, however, should be applicable to printing in general...it does not have to be for tanks.

Introduction

So what about support material?   There are some models that absolutely require it and tanks are one of those things.  When I started printing tanks it was on a Makerbot clone and I was printing in ABS.  Once I got my Ultimaker I started to print in PLA and that is where some frustration started to manifest itself.   PLA supports are more challenging to remove than ABS supports...at least with the default settings in Simplify3D.   I presume that this is because of their different thermal properties.  Hot PLA laying down on top of warm PLA causes more fusing than the same thing happening with ABS...?

Battles with ABS and the Ultimaker

In any case I decided that the solution was to print ABS on my Ultimaker 2.  How hard can it be?  Well I have spent a lot of time trying, to the extent of even designing a special cooling system, and I just can not get as good a result with ABS as I can with PLA.  Don't get me wrong, the Ultimaker 2 can print really nice models in ABS, just not at the high resolution and high detail level that I want for tanks!

Simple Solution

I am not sure why it took me so long to figure this out...but...default settings are not always the way to go!  I use Simplify3D as my slicer and while there are a number of things about it that drive me mad it is a good product with one of its strengths being support material.  So I happily accepted default settings.  Not optimum!  So here are the changes that I made:

Default Settings

My Settings

Note that the above profile is for a 100 micron resolution print so adjustments might be different for other resolutions.  First, infill percentage for the support material from 30% to 12%. Second, an additional layer of separation top and bottom.  Third, inflation distance from 0 to as much as a millimeter.  This extra distance takes time to print but makes it easier to pull the support material off the model.  Another note...I will assume that you are already printing at the lowest possible temperature at which that you can till extrude?!?!

High Tech (and Expensive) Frosting on the Cake

The above makes for PLA prints that can be cleaned up pretty easily.  Much improved over the previous state.  So what could be even better?  How about a specialty filament that is supposed to combine the best aspects of both PLA and ABS but without some of the downsides of either?

Enter a reel of Colorfabb Ngen which is "produced with with Amphora™ AM3300 polymer and uses specific colorFabb developed color concentrates for good opaque quality and highest possible brightness. Eastman Amphora™ AM3300 3D polymer is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range."

It better be good as it costs 40 euros for a 750g reel!   That is twice what I am paying for an already upgraded filament.  While I am not prepared to comment yet on its performance other than for support removal...it is brilliant in that ball park!  It pulls off the model easily and leaves little if any scarring.  I am really impressed.  It is still work to remove the support but the product is really sharp.

Tools Needed for Support Removal

Here are my essential tools for support removal.  Small pair of pliers.  In the case of this pair I have actually used a dremel to file down the pointed end so it is even more narrow!   Xacto knife with a new blade being a help.  Some dentist tools.  Not sure what they are really called but that is what they remind me of.  Some files and sandpaper are good for final detailing but the below is what is needed to get the major cleanup done.

Adjusting Support Placement

Last but not least there are a couple things to be aware of when running your slicer.  Below is a screenshot from Cura.  Note the fill amount...that is where I got the idea to lower the S3D default. "Distance Z" is what I mentioned and what I used was two layers so it would be 0.2.   The other adjustment on this form is the "Overhang Angle" which can be adjusted if parts of your tank are not being supported when they should be.  Use the layers view as you change this value.

If you have sprung for a copy of Simplify3D then I would always check support layout using the manual support tool.  There are many vehicles that can benefit from some manual placement or from changing the support resolution setting.  Here is an example:

As Generated

With a Manual Support Added