We spent some time prototyping my son’s Halloween custom with XPS foam, and it went… alright.
I then wondered if we’d have an easier time 3D printing it.
Arrogant about the pace I’ve been making familiarizing myself with 3D modeling software, I made great progress with a top piece and bottom piece, which will be printed separately and then glued together. I designed tabs on the back for reinforcement and alignment pieces.
And then I turned my attention to the sides.
The compound angles have been brutal. Trying to fill in the space between where angular planes come together has been brutal. Trying different methods have been brutal. When looking for guidance on how to calculate the angles, the internet says “use these calculators,” but they’re all optimized for things like crown molding and wood planter boxes.
I tried building the features up. And also cutting away from solid bodies.
Maybe my mistake was to model the parts separately. I tried modeling the side component in the assembly view. I created lots of different reference planes.
Ultimately I found an approach that works okay for now. It helps that the character costume has a multi-later chestpiece, and so things don’t need to align perfectly, as long as they’re visually close enough.
I ran into issues where I could extend a part, but not rotate it.
Low on memory alerts. Overwritten equation files.
Things get easy from here. Right? RIGHT?
I’m going to keep climbing the learning curve. As with cutting dovetails, or quantum physics, this is just going to require more practice.
Once Halloween is behind us, I’ll practice on some more practical parts, mostly tool-related. The goal isn’t to master 3D modeling immediately, but to keep momentum going.
Now. Any tips for mating compound mitered and bevels parts?
As for the chestpiece above, it’s not great, but I’m proud of the progress. Hopefully it turns out well. I’m not done yet. And if doesn’t turn out well, it’s not too late to cut, glue, and paint some insulation foam boards.
