Most Reliable 3DP Creators?

[Aura091]

Hey all, as I'm about to have a bit of money I can justify spending on an armor file, I was wondering which creators are A.) The most bang for your buck, and B.) Designed to the point a beginner can pick it up to try their hand at their first 3DP armor project. I'm sure this has been covered somewhere before, but I wouldn't know if there are any up-and-comers whose models are heating up like no other for whatever innovation I wouldn't know to think of. My current idea for who I'd be buying my model from is Galactic Armory, as I've seen them creating models for years now, but I'm sure I've seen others that I've forgotten.

 

[Aura091]

I'll find whatever I come up with and toss it here while they sort out their trusted buyer's section and whatnot.

(I was looking at the GA ODST, Titlewave ODST, and the Titlewave Mirage armors)

 

[BlazingForge]

Hey all, as I'm about to have a bit of money I can justify spending on an armor file, I was wondering which creators are A.) The most bang for your buck, and B.) Designed to the point a beginner can pick it up to try their hand at their first 3DP armor project. I'm sure this has been covered somewhere before, but I wouldn't know if there are any up-and-comers whose models are heating up like no other for whatever innovation I wouldn't know to think of. My current idea for who I'd be buying my model from is Galactic Armory, as I've seen them creating models for years now, but I'm sure I've seen others that I've forgotten.

I recommend Titlewavedesigns on etsy or Skookumprops!. I don't know GA's Files always seem off to me

 

[mrc0369]

Honestly I’ve had good results with GA files so far. (Clone Trooper, ODST, Helldivers) along with prop weapons. I just make sure to use Armorsmith to size the files to my body and all is good.

 

[N8TEBB]

Which armour set files are you looking into buying? All shops can have good files, and bad files. For example, I've heard good things about the chief files from Galactic Armory, but a while ago, before he re-designed them, I had heard a few complaints. The quality of the files can vary even if you're buying from a reputable seller, so I would recommend seeing if there's any information in the community regarding specific file sets.

 

[Pagemasterprops]

Which armour set files are you looking into buying? All shops can have good files, and bad files. For example, I've heard good things about the chief files from Galactic Armory, but a while ago, before he re-designed them, I had heard a few complaints. The quality of the files can vary even if you're buying from a reputable seller, so I would recommend seeing if there's any information in the community regarding specific file sets.

I can second this. I used the old Galactic Armory files for the first version of my Master Chief and had to do a ton of modifications to get it to fit right. They looked great, but were a bit chunky and awkward to wear. I used the new version of the files for some upgrades before DragonCon and they printed and wore like a dream. Armorsmith is your best friend when trying to get everything to fit and look right.

 

[SgtSaint]

to the point a beginner can pick it up to try their hand at their first 3DP armor project.

Something I mention in my "New Armorer FAQ" post is that Spartan isn't always the best choice for a new creator as their first armor because of the tolerances. I generally suggest something looser like The Mandalorian or Aliens marines because you can be pretty far off on scaling and still have a wearable cosplay instead of a full recycling bin. Then ODST. Then Spartan. Each armor gets tighter tolerances making you need to be more skilled and more accurate from 10%, to 5% to 3% without locking up your joints or otherwise keeping you from moving or wearing it for real. Its a path that uses more time and material, but wastes less since all the suits should still be usable.

==========
My regular 'new armorer' post:

If you didn't know - the 405th Reddit and Facebook and Discord server/pages are just a social media front end to the much large 405th organization. Tip of the iceberg. Head over to the proper 405th website for a vast amount of material, help, articles, resources and what will probably help you the most: Other people's build threads.

The welcome book lays out what you need to know.
https://www.405th.com/.../405th-welcome-booklet.52168/

The actual 405th website has a vast armory of files.
The Armory
And 3d model index
Free 3D Model Index

A curated list of tutorials:
https://www.405th.com/forums/threads/tutorial-index.45940/

One of many, many, many build threads.
MK-VI gen3, as Silver timeline (TV series)
https://www.405th.com/.../build-2-mk-vi-gen-3-with-some.../

Discord server:
Join the 405th Infantry Division Discord Server!

Not saying: Don't ask
Am saying: There are so many experienced armorers that have poured collective man-years into really good build threads, articles and tutorials filled with do's and don'ts and wish-I-had-knowns that you're doing yourself a disservice by not reading them. A casual afternoon of reading the tales of those that came before you would put you MONTHS further ahead, save you time, money, effort, wastage and exasperation. Not to mention after all those people's hard work making the articles it would be a shame for them to not get read.

Next build your skills. Don't use your helmet or real armor as test parts to learn on if you've never done this before, don't know sanding plastic printed parts etc. Maybe print 20 test XYZ cubes at like 60mm. Use those to learn good sanding, smoothing and painting techniques. If you can't make a flat cube look like metal then you know you aren't ready to tackle armor. Plus you have 6 sides per cube to test painting on and use as a visual record of "This is silver over gloss black" etc.

After the simple cubes move on to a "speed shape". These are commonly used to test paints on over various contours. This gives you a good model to practice sanding more complex shapes with curves and grooves on. Again, you're working up towards the complex shapes of helmets and armor. Speed Shape for paint tests by PandaProps

Helmet probably should be last, not first. Yeah yeah, everyone wants a helmet to drool over. But it's the thing everyone stares at so you want to do it AFTER you've developed a process, techniques and skills.
Personally I always recommend starting at the feet & hands then working up & in to the body.
• You're going to weather and distress the boots more than anything else... and they get looked at with the least critical eye.
• Then shins which have to ride on the boots.
• Then thighs since you have to avoid joint conflict so you can sit etc.
• See how this goes? Up from the boots, and inward from the hands to forearms to biceps to shoulders.
• By the time you get to the chest and helmet; the parts at eye level that everyone stares at, looks at first, is right there in your face in every photo - you can make them look stellar.
And if you start at the boots you're looking at parts that are only a day or two per part not 6 days per part. So you can hone your scaling skills.

If you've never done an armor build before you might want your first armor to be one without the really tight tolerances of a Spartan or Ironman. I confess I made about 3 Spartan armors to get my first one right. It was very Goldilocks of "This is too big, this is too small, this is just right" with every part. If I had known then what I learned through the process I would have made a Mandalorian (least actual armor) then an ODST then Spartan and actually gotten 2-3 good wearable costumes instead of a lot of waste. I mean, if you're going to print 3 costumes either way, might well have 3 costumes- instead of 1 + a pile of wrong-sized prints, right?

If you are new to 3d printing or considering buying your first 3d printer just so you can make an armor:
3d printers have come a long way since I started with them in 2009. But they still aren't fully plug-n-play like a department store inkjet: But some of the newest & smallest ones are getting there. There's a lot more to 3d printing than just hitting print: Like knowing your different materials and when to use them. Or knowing when more walls and less infil, or more infil and less walls is the right choice. You should expect there to be a learning curve and at $20/spool that curve comes with a cost. I'm just saying walk into 3d printing with your eyes open.
"What's your printer?" thread on the 405th forum:
What's Your Printer?
I wish I knew this about printers before buying discussion:
"I wish I knew" Tips When Starting to 3d Print
°
Jumping right to armor is really not the best way to go when beginning 3d printing. You really want to work up to something this big and specialized. Work up to things so big that a 3% goof can mean added costs, joints that lock up and you can't bend your elbow etc. Little easy things first… Things with no supports to start. Move up to props like pistols. And keep moving upward over time.
• A few settings differences can be the difference between a part too weak to be used and printing your armor so heavy it's exhausting to wear. The difference between a $10 part and a $40 part adds up to a significant difference over an entire armor.

If it's your first printer taking a hybrid approach can actually save money. Get the small bed printer for home use and see if you even like doing this. Large 500mm machines aren't cheap and take up space and fails are proportionately expensive. If you love doing it and can justify the big printer as your second or third machine, go for it. But if you want to make the smaller things at home and outsource the big stuff to a print farm like www.starbase3d.com (mine for transparency) the extra-large printers mean being able to have big armor pieces like legs/chest/back done in single-prints instead of several seams to be glued and blended into invisibility.

 

[mrc0369]

Hahaha. I wish I had a printer that size. I hate having to slice parts in to multiple pieces.

 

[Aura091]

Woow, sorry I've been away for so long. School takes a lot of time and such. I got a few similar answers in the discord about the different creators like Blazing Forge was talking about. I liked Titlewave's armors, skookum looked good but was a bit out of my price range.

On another note, SGT Saint living up to the name with that nice New Armorer's post. The printer makes me jealous, but I think if I really wanted to, I might be able to use one of the printers we have at my school. I know there's a lot to choose from.

But on to why I asked that at the time. My birthday was around the corner when I posted that, so I was looking at birthday gift list things. My girlfriend chose from a few different armour files I had there, and went with the Titlewave designs Mirage armor set after talking with someone who had enjoyed working with it. I know it might be a bit difficult to start out on, but I have designed things with human ergonomics in mind to make things work (yaaayy STEM classes), but I am going to keep the other things in mind. I'll check out what tolerances I should be wary of, but I liked the slightly open-back design of the leg armor, and I'm stoked to be able to try out making an SPI armor build to either replicate it from the books or even a little bit from the Fall of Reach movie. I'm working on a relatively small budget, but I should have everything I need to work on the props other than the paint, but I don't know which weapon I'd like to make next. Hopefully I find a nice little Magnum for free to start off with, or something similar.

 

[Aura091]

Something I mention in my "New Armorer FAQ" post is that Spartan isn't always the best choice for a new creator as their first armor because of the tolerances. I generally suggest something looser like The Mandalorian or Aliens marines because you can be pretty far off on scaling and still have a wearable cosplay instead of a full recycling bin. Then ODST. Then Spartan. Each armor gets tighter tolerances making you need to be more skilled and more accurate from 10%, to 5% to 3% without locking up your joints or otherwise keeping you from moving or wearing it for real. Its a path that uses more time and material, but wastes less since all the suits should still be usable.

==========
My regular 'new armorer' post:

If you didn't know - the 405th Reddit and Facebook and Discord server/pages are just a social media front end to the much large 405th organization. Tip of the iceberg. Head over to the proper 405th website for a vast amount of material, help, articles, resources and what will probably help you the most: Other people's build threads.

The welcome book lays out what you need to know.
https://www.405th.com/.../405th-welcome-booklet.52168/

The actual 405th website has a vast armory of files.
The Armory
And 3d model index
Free 3D Model Index

A curated list of tutorials:
https://www.405th.com/forums/threads/tutorial-index.45940/

One of many, many, many build threads.
MK-VI gen3, as Silver timeline (TV series)
https://www.405th.com/.../build-2-mk-vi-gen-3-with-some.../

Discord server:
Join the 405th Infantry Division Discord Server!

Not saying: Don't ask
Am saying: There are so many experienced armorers that have poured collective man-years into really good build threads, articles and tutorials filled with do's and don'ts and wish-I-had-knowns that you're doing yourself a disservice by not reading them. A casual afternoon of reading the tales of those that came before you would put you MONTHS further ahead, save you time, money, effort, wastage and exasperation. Not to mention after all those people's hard work making the articles it would be a shame for them to not get read.

Next build your skills. Don't use your helmet or real armor as test parts to learn on if you've never done this before, don't know sanding plastic printed parts etc. Maybe print 20 test XYZ cubes at like 60mm. Use those to learn good sanding, smoothing and painting techniques. If you can't make a flat cube look like metal then you know you aren't ready to tackle armor. Plus you have 6 sides per cube to test painting on and use as a visual record of "This is silver over gloss black" etc.

After the simple cubes move on to a "speed shape". These are commonly used to test paints on over various contours. This gives you a good model to practice sanding more complex shapes with curves and grooves on. Again, you're working up towards the complex shapes of helmets and armor. Speed Shape for paint tests by PandaProps

Helmet probably should be last, not first. Yeah yeah, everyone wants a helmet to drool over. But it's the thing everyone stares at so you want to do it AFTER you've developed a process, techniques and skills.
Personally I always recommend starting at the feet & hands then working up & in to the body.
• You're going to weather and distress the boots more than anything else... and they get looked at with the least critical eye.
• Then shins which have to ride on the boots.
• Then thighs since you have to avoid joint conflict so you can sit etc.
• See how this goes? Up from the boots, and inward from the hands to forearms to biceps to shoulders.
• By the time you get to the chest and helmet; the parts at eye level that everyone stares at, looks at first, is right there in your face in every photo - you can make them look stellar.
And if you start at the boots you're looking at parts that are only a day or two per part not 6 days per part. So you can hone your scaling skills.

If you've never done an armor build before you might want your first armor to be one without the really tight tolerances of a Spartan or Ironman. I confess I made about 3 Spartan armors to get my first one right. It was very Goldilocks of "This is too big, this is too small, this is just right" with every part. If I had known then what I learned through the process I would have made a Mandalorian (least actual armor) then an ODST then Spartan and actually gotten 2-3 good wearable costumes instead of a lot of waste. I mean, if you're going to print 3 costumes either way, might well have 3 costumes- instead of 1 + a pile of wrong-sized prints, right?

If you are new to 3d printing or considering buying your first 3d printer just so you can make an armor:
3d printers have come a long way since I started with them in 2009. But they still aren't fully plug-n-play like a department store inkjet: But some of the newest & smallest ones are getting there. There's a lot more to 3d printing than just hitting print: Like knowing your different materials and when to use them. Or knowing when more walls and less infil, or more infil and less walls is the right choice. You should expect there to be a learning curve and at $20/spool that curve comes with a cost. I'm just saying walk into 3d printing with your eyes open.
"What's your printer?" thread on the 405th forum:
What's Your Printer?
I wish I knew this about printers before buying discussion:
"I wish I knew" Tips When Starting to 3d Print
°
Jumping right to armor is really not the best way to go when beginning 3d printing. You really want to work up to something this big and specialized. Work up to things so big that a 3% goof can mean added costs, joints that lock up and you can't bend your elbow etc. Little easy things first… Things with no supports to start. Move up to props like pistols. And keep moving upward over time.
• A few settings differences can be the difference between a part too weak to be used and printing your armor so heavy it's exhausting to wear. The difference between a $10 part and a $40 part adds up to a significant difference over an entire armor.

If it's your first printer taking a hybrid approach can actually save money. Get the small bed printer for home use and see if you even like doing this. Large 500mm machines aren't cheap and take up space and fails are proportionately expensive. If you love doing it and can justify the big printer as your second or third machine, go for it. But if you want to make the smaller things at home and outsource the big stuff to a print farm like www.starbase3d.com (mine for transparency) the extra-large printers mean being able to have big armor pieces like legs/chest/back done in single-prints instead of several seams to be glued and blended into invisibility.

I'm loving so much of this post. My reasons for creating threads was that I had hoped I was going to have the time to answer everything, but I ended up going MIA due to my schedule being out of whack because our physics department only uses 1 professor for the class I was trying to take, but its a pre-req for most of the people in majors similar to mine.

I love in particular the idea of scaling up the X-Y-Z cube to hone my skills. The last time I truly worked with what I would need to undertake might be building pinewood derby cars or rockets.

Overall, I don't know how much time I realistically will be putting into it during the year, but when I head home I might print out a few different pieces at a time just to get a feel, and maybe even using some EVA foam I bought for floor mats in the dorm to fill in the armor just right.

The mirage set is designed around someone about my height, but I'm mostly leg so it might not be just right, which is where my need for armorsmith will be at its peak. I'm planning to print out a forearm first to get an understanding of their scaling, but I might end up needing it more than likely. I can probably justify it if it's a 1 time purchase, so thats where I full stand at the moment.