Monday, July 30, 2012

More Mini-Tools


Added a couple of hammers and a chisel to the Mini-Tool section of my shapeways store.

Claw Hammer Pendant
5lb. Sledge Hammer

I'd like to get every standard trade in here. So, I'm thinking there should be a saw to go with these hammers. A trowel for the masons.
What else? Help me out here...
Paint brush and... Come on, what else.
Some wire cutters?... Pipe Wrench?...
I don't want to forget anyone. Speak up if I forgot your trade. Labor day is coming, and I want the collection to be near complete by then.

10 comments:

  1. Hi! Just got here through your shapeways post, you write nicely! I'm curious to see what else you're going to make. I'd say, with all the techies on shapeways, a computer mouse would be indispensable ;).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by!
      I appreciate the compliment. Also, I like the idea of the mouse. It seems so obvious now that you've said it.
      It's probably not far fetched to assume that computers are one of the most frequently used tools today.Yet, I totally overlooked them :D
      Just out of curiosity, What software do you use for your Shapie works?

      Delete
    2. I'm using Blender. It's not really a decision based on what works best for me though, I started using it because it is free, buying a license for other programs seems quite the expense if you want to use it commercially (what I plan on doing in the future). I'm quite happy with it though, I can work better with it than with Rhino, which I tried at school. Of course, if I ever have the funds, Autodesk inventor or Solidworks would be my tool of choice.

      Delete
  2. I only use inventor because it's what my employer had invested in.
    I punch out and hang around after hours to do experiments. They don't mind because I am learning, and that benefits them. I downloaded blender to try at home but the interface is pretty intimidating. I haven't went out followed any tutorials, but i plan to soon. Inventor & Solid works is good for manufacturing scenarios and moving parts, which i really like. But, i want to do some more organic stuff too. I'm hoping blender will fill in that gap for me. In your experience with blender, do you find it is difficult to learn or find learning resources?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can imagine your employer is happy to see you learning after hours :).
      Blender has a rather steep learning curve, it takes a while before the interface starts to make sense. Once I got used to it though, I became quite fond of it. Key with blender is that you need to use loads of keyboard shortkeys, once you've memorized those it works really fast, but in the beginning I definitely needed a cheat sheet!
      Because it is open source, finding tutorials is pretty easy, and there is an active community to ask questions to. I have made a few organic models so far, but it often requires some (or a lot of) retopology, which may take some time (especially in the beginning), but I think that will be the same with other programs.

      Delete
  3. Oh btw, I just followed your forum conversation about not being able to order models and selling them: if I may be so bold, I'd really try to order at least one model if I were you. The problem with 3D printing and the different materials is that a render is in no way a guaranteed good outcome. I just got my first designs in (yay!) and the difference between the print and the render is big, and the difference between the different materials is big as well. As a potential buyer I would never buy something unless you have a guarantee that it does indeed come out the way you see on the picture.

    With your designs, I'd say silver would probably be the best option, and I know that that is really expensive (which is why I haven't ordered it yet, I first want to have a better grasp at 3D modeling), but if you would for example order only one of your designs in WSF, Stainless steel and Sterling silver, you could show the pictures and potential buyers would have a grasp of how detailed the outcome will be. It would really be too bad if you'd miss sales, because your models are very nice!

    See this forum thread: http://www.shapeays.com/forum/index.php?t=msg&goto=33827&&srch=selling+no+photos#msg_33827

    Also, another thing: it seems (no experience myself yet) that just opening a shop on shapeways does not get you a lot of exposure, or even any sales. I talked to a guy who has had a shop for over half a year, who has many items listed, several of which are definitely good selling material in my opinion, with most of them tried and tested, with photographs, and I was shocked to hear that he had had only one sale.

    For my future shop, I'm setting up a website, facebook page, twitter account, youtube channel, I will post things on the forum, try to publish them on behance.com, and things like that. In the future I also plan to use Etsy.com, and other of those selling channels. Just to increase traffic and hopefully lead people to my shop. Shapeways simply has too few potential buyers browsing around on the site, it seems, so all the help you can get is welcome. Of course, this blog is also a good start :)

    Okay, -rant over- ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. oh, this is the correct link: http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=msg&th=6290&start=0&

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the link. It looks like the two of us are on similar paths. I've done some light promoting on facebook. But, i don't plan to do anything serious until i order some samples. I can't afford the silver. But, i'm less worried about the detail in silver than i am in the stainless steel. I spent quite a bit of time researching the stainless through other peoples "it arrived" posts. As well as browsing a few other shapies stores. michael muller's store has great photos. He makes some really nice stuff.
    Nothing i've done so far deviates from the design guidelines and most do not approach the minimums just a precaution. Once i get some samples i can move forward with more confidence. However, as much as i would like to offer silver. The price point is too high. a $30 setup fee, sadly, is unrealistic in my opinion :/
    I'll be researching dyes after i order the samples so that i'm prepared to add color to items. WSF in my opinion is an unfinished product, and will need post production processes before it really feels like an finished product. But, unfortunately that means having another venue for selling (ebay/etsy as you mentioned).
    I primarily decided to offer them in WSF for hobbyists who want to paint them themselves. When i do order my samples i plan to make them symetrical so that no matter which way they orient the model in the printer i should see the worst stepping possible on at least one face of the model. I'll post my results here and in the forums. But that may be weeks from now.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Here is the link to Mr. Muellers store.
    http://www.shapeways.com/shops/pookas

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ah, I thought that the level of detail would be too high for stainless steel. But looking at Mueller's shop I suppose it would be possible indeed (good to know ;) ). I fully agree with you, I love his designs and presentation style. Also, I had imagined your designs to be about half the size they actually are, but thinking of it now, that would be perfect for females (small earrings or so), while your designs are aimed at guys of course. I think the rough look of the stainless steel would match perfectly there. Please forget what I said about the silver ;).
    I myself do plan to create one or two pieces in silver before the holiday season, but my shop will be more aimed at women and it's also part of 'The Big Plan', trying to have low, mid and high price range products around that time. Working in a high end retail store, I keep getting surprised at how much people sometimes pay for things they like, so I decided to take that risk. But... not right now, the thought of spending that much on one design still freaks me out.

    About the quality of the WSF, I was actually positively surprised, the polished white feels nice and smooth (not mentos smooth as advertised, but still nice though), and the colored/unpolished ones are not as grainy as expected. I actually consider them wearable for rings. See: http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=msg&th=10418&start=0&
    I do think the surface will look better on simple designs than on detailed ones though. Too bad they can't do any additional post production at Shapeways, it would make selling a lot easier.

    Looks like we're on similar paths indeed, I'm looking forward to seeing your designs in reality!

    ReplyDelete