Another Spore model; get your own "for a fee" [update 1]

You realise of course that this could put the filthy toys industry out of business. >:)

to #1 Ryan Williams

The toy industry not only offers more than just static models, it also have copyright backings of companies with major IP.

Heck, I thought it was a cool promotion for the E3 attendants, but an open service for players is just plain awesome. I know I could definitely make room on my desk for some figurines of my to-be awesome world-conquering Spore guys.

Rock on, Wright.

I was kidding.

It's a slightly exciting prospect though, assuming the creature editor ends up being as flexible and easy to use as it looks (a pretty damn good looking Carebear was made in an old demo).

I just hope they don't stop me from having model headcrabs and goombas made! :)

Somebody should make the pictures into a 3-D model and complete the cycle.

its called 3d art to part
http://www.3darttopart.com/
fairly cheap rapid prototyping from a 3d model.

I, for one, welcome our new digitally evolved, plastic overlords...

Yeah, there's something called 3D printers =)

Our school doesn't use them yet, but I think they're gonna use them in the near future (architecture)

I thought it worked with droplets of some kind of plastic brought together and building up the model, any kind of model, as you can see.
Anyone can confirm this?
Ello wikipedia ^^;

Of course, you need the right software the printer'll recognise, prolly build in in Spore =)

There are quite a few rapid prototyping technologies. This would likely use, what is essentially an inkjet printer, but instead of ink, it squirts out resin. They do have full color versions of these printers. It's really amazing what can be made with them, including working mechanisms. If they wanted to get really fancy, they might even be able to offer articulated figurines, but I’m sure that would cost way more.

I did my workiing study at a company which used/sold those printers. That was a few years ago, but they were single colour. I can get into multicolour (just use a different coloured resin for the next layer), but the process doesn't really lend itself to 'full colour', I'd think....but tech /could/ have gotten much better in the meantime.

There's also the wetbaths: basically a bath of resin with a platform which goes down layer by layer with a laser which hardens the layer before the platform goes dopwn yet again, allowing more liquid resin to cover the top, forming the new layer when lasered.

Somehow I think this model is made with the latter machine, as the former leaves a very layered model (kinda like a stepped pyramid), which needs to be sanded down quite a bit (expensive and fidly).

You know, eventually someone out there is gonna make a world full of videogame characters within this game. I shudder to think that some kid out there is gonna have a world full of Pokemon.


Actually it would be pretty funny to see a Pikachu-type character get eaten by that Carebear that Will Wright's team made.

$20 seems pretty steep for the size I imagine this figurine to be. I'll still probably end up getting one made of my favorite spore creature.

US$20 is a lot cheaper than I was thinking, but... maybe that's because it seems so limited-edition to me. I was thinking more like US$50--no doubt as this type of thing catches on more, prices will go down.

And what about life-size figurines? :)

I used to work for the company that got this contract... I won't say who or where (not sure if it's public info), but they are using full color rapid-prototyping machines that build in very-very small layers - thing of a 3d ink-jet spitting glue onto paper like material. Diff color glues give it it's color. It's actually very simple yet very ingenious technology. Colors are very close and amazing.

Only downside is each piece needs to be individually "sealed" (epoxy) after building, and in development it is difficult to expertly do this without it showing "spots" (basically drips of epoxy).

I figured $50 per once I realized they were doing this, $20 is very reasonable. Materials/machine/labor isn't cheap - the machines have the ability to print several at a time, but runs around 1" (vertical) per hour.

I'll get mine - heck I may just go directly to the source :)