How To: Paint a 3D Printed Cube Tower

Video games are available all completely different sizes and styles – there are board video games, card video games, tile video games, role-playing video games and every part in between. One factor most of them have in widespread are cube. Rolling cube comes with some widespread unintentional hazards – they knock over items on the sport board, they fall on the ground, they roll beneath the fridge, they usually get eaten by the household pet. However with the Cube Tower, these issues are a factor of the previous!

This text will present you easy methods to paint a 3D printed cube tower – the mannequin we chosen was designed by NIXA and uploaded to the Zortrax library right here.

The unique mannequin for the 3D tower was primarily based on an actual water tower in Olsztyn, Poland inbuilt 1897 (it’s now a planetarium, and is within the metropolis the place the headquarters of Zortrax is situated). The precise tower is manufactured from masonry and reddish, rusted brick, however I’ll end this print with an superior, stony, dungeony paint job. In fact, be at liberty to complete the tower nonetheless you want; as a result of our household performs Settlers of Catan quite a bit, I needed to go for the medieval fortress really feel.

3D Printing the Cube Tower

First, we have to get our 3D printer prepared. Whereas there are a lot of choices for ending the print, I went with little or no sanding because the print decision was excessive and the main points got here out nice!

The mannequin was printed on an Ultimaker 2 printer. Listed here are the settings:

I printed 2 variations – one in clear orange PLA 3D filament and one other in silver/gray ABS filament. Whereas each turned out rather well, I went with the clear orange mannequin – you will see that out why later within the tutorial! =)

Take a look at our guides to printing with each of those supplies right here:

How you can Succeed when Printing with PLA:

http://www.matterhackers.com/articles/how-to-succeed-when-printing-in-pla

How you can Succeed when Printing with ABS:

http://www.matterhackers.com/articles/how-to-succeed-when-printing-with-abs

Portray the 3D Printed Cube Tower

As soon as you might be glad with the feel of the print utilizing your post-processing technique of alternative, it’s time to color! Listed here are two footage that gave me inspiration for the kind of coloration and design I used to be in search of:

For the gothic, medieval look on the tower, we positively need loads of stone particulars and put on and tear to face out, together with smaller particulars across the door, on the steps and the highest parapet of the tower, so as to add realism and likewise to not make all of it one coloration – booooorrrrring!

For the stone look, I took a multimedia strategy. As a result of the feel was so clean on the print, and there wasn’t an correct, sensible method to carve or etch the mortar traces into the tower, I made a decision to construct it up as a substitute. I bought foam, double-sided stickers in numerous sq. shapes from my native craft retailer – they’re sometimes utilized in scrapbooking to layer paper cutouts.

Within the first image, you’ll be able to see the preliminary phases of making use of the cutouts across the home windows and the way I organized the stickers away from the home windows. Getting the home windows dialed in ought to occur first – you’ll be able to all the time lower out the froth to slot in the nooks and crannies after that.

Within the second image, I’ve completed making use of the froth and have eliminated the adhesive backing.

I used two sizes for a wide range of the varieties of ‘stone blocks’ on the tower, so it’s not all one dimension (once more, boooorrrrrring!). Additionally they have an excellent mini-stone texture to them, which is able to assist make the paint job actually pop – double win! The one chopping of the blocks I wanted to do was to trim items that had been too large, and to bevel the blocks above the home windows – they wanted an angle lower so they might interlock and look nicer. However I’ll say, it took quite a bit longer than I initially anticipated! Additionally, I bought a bit of lazy with the larger foam squares on the underside – usually I might lower them to suit and apply them at completely different angles – however Christmas was coming!

I might positively recommend NOT eradicating the backing on the surface of the froth till you might be fully completed making use of them; as I used to be making use of extra, my hand stored getting caught to them, and a few pulled off.

For the portray, this can be very essential to get a darkish base layer down; this offers you a basis for the acrylics to stay to, in addition to a filler for all of the cracks and crevices on the print. A darkish coloration in these areas offers the phantasm of extra depth and makes your foam squares actually pop. I used a matte black spray paint – nothing fancy, however positively take the time to get the complete print lined; it would almost definitely take not less than two coats to get full protection.

For the stone surfaces, I made a decision to go along with a layered dry-brushing approach utilizing fundamental acrylic paints. The darker grey stone colours went on first to emphasise the depth of all of the little nooks and crannies. I progressively painted with lighter and lighter layers, with gentle brush strokes, to emphasise the highlights and outcroppings on the tower. I additionally went again and used a small mottling brush with grey and black on it to present the stones a greater trying texture; the ‘bricks’ had been left alone with simply the bottom coat.

By slowly making use of paint layers, the phantasm of stone and masonry will seem. If I had began with a very clean texture, I might have needed to both draw or etch the mortar traces, which might take the portray therapy in a completely completely different course, and the depth impact wouldn’t be as cool.

One of many particulars I needed to emphasise are the smaller stone trim particulars which can be darker than the remainder of the outside as a result of their surfaces are flat in relation to the solar. They choose up all of the sunshine, moisture, mud, and particles which ‘prepare dinner’ in layers and turn into darker than the remainder of the outside over time on actual stone.

For the doorway and the steps, I made a decision to make use of some earthy and woody grey/browns on the edge, in addition to some very gentle greens to focus on ‘moss’ and ‘algae’ on the steps, and as vegetation rising across the base of the tower.

Now for the rationale I printed the tower with clear orange filament! I took benefit of the void beneath the underside of the steps contained in the print and determined so as to add a lighting impact. I cannibalized a battery-operated tea gentle and drilled a gap to suit contained in the void  so as to add some dungeon atmosphere. When the lights are low, it provides a extremely cool impact to the tower!

For extra tips about easy methods to end your 3D prints, head over to this educational video the place Alec and Invoice from Punished Props present you easy methods to end your prints utilizing sanding, filling and portray:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGrRKdy6x7I

In case you are seeking to study extra about utilizing a extra chemical-based strategy to ending, (I didn’t use this technique on this venture, however you’ll be able to!) you’ll be able to take a look at this MatterHackers information with Alec: he exhibits you easy methods to end a print utilizing XTC-3D Excessive-Efficiency 3D Print Coating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChkHuFU90WE

I hope you loved this How To article on creating an superior stone-like facade on a 3D printed tower. Bear in mind, you’ll be able to all the time choose completely different colours and textures and add-ons to make the tower actually your individual. Thanks for studying! Now exit and make one thing!

Do you have got a suggestion for a weekend construct? Tell us within the feedback under or at MatterHackers.com!