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3D PRINTED HOUSE MODEL
We initially got into 3D printing in order to 3D print our own miniatures. Our earliest 3D printing enterprise was selling miniatures on Etsy. Today, we are going to reconnect with our root by 3D modeling & batch 3D printing a tiny pet house to sell on Etsy once again!
The rough house shape was quickly modeled out. Then, a cylinder was stretched to the desired length & duplicated in an array. Where the logs overlapped, we were careful to make sure that the steepest overhang was no steeper than 45 degrees.
The cylinder array was mirrored across the Y-axis and then duplicated & rotated 90 degrees on the Z-axis to create the cabin walls.
Extra materials on the wall were trimmed off. A single roof tile was 3D modeled & then arrayed both along the X-axis as well as the Y-axis to complete the roof assembly.
The window & door spaces were trimmed away. The window details were 3D modeled & then boolean in place, almost like working with digital wood. Except everything inside a computer happened at the speed of thought.
Since this print was designed for coarse resolution FDM batch 3D printing, the house was hollowed out to 2.4mm thickness. Then, the door & floor were cut out.
Our logo was inscribed into the interior wall of the hamster house to add branding without destroying the overall aesthetics of the wooden cabin.
The design was optimized in such a way as to fit 4 complete copies onto a single build plate & to consume exactly 1 roll of filament.
Supports were used in the doorway to print the 90 degrees overhang. Brims were used to increase contact with the build plate to prevent warping.
Both the support as well as the brim could be easily ripped off. In fact, doing so was quite satisfying.
Since the model was printed in matte PLA, the roof could be painted dark green & the windows could be painted sky blue without the need for primer. You could use expensive hobby paints made just for miniatures or model kits. But cheap craft paint worked just as well.
After the base coat was thoroughly dried, an oil wash was applied over the entire model using cheap artist oil paint diluted with boiled linseed oil. The excess was then wiped off so that only the corners & crevices were subtly darkened.
The green roof was dry brushed with lime green and the wooden logs were dry brushed with offwhite to bring out even more contrast between the darkest dark & the lightest light.
Since everything inside a computer happens very quickly (and thus cost-effectively), multiple other designs were quickly 3D modeled to create an entire line of novelty pet houses!
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