I’m looking into 3D-printing some props for a cosplay and stumbled upon a pretty handy listing on Etsy (if I’m not allowed to post the link, I’ll edit it out).

Now, I’m a complete beginner to 3D printing and know barely anything, so I’ve got a couple of questions.

  1. How safe is it to buy files off Etsy? Apparently, STL files are a little too large to be uploaded to Etsy, so upon making the purchase I’d get sent a txt file that includes a download link to the required files. Is that trustworthy?

  2. Are there any file types that I should steer clear off for commercial 3D printing places? I’ve got a place to go in my city, I think, but I’m not sure if there are any limitations to which file types can be printed at all.

  3. How likely is it that the arm prop won’t fit? The listing does not specify if there are different sizes, and I’m not sure if they are even needed in the first place. In case it wouldn’t fit out of the box, how difficult is it to scale the file to fit my arm proper?

  4. How expensive would printing be? Probably hard to answer unless I know where I’m going and what they are charging, but I’d imagine the cost of material is probably not too high, right?

  5. I think the seller also has the same files over on Cults 3D. Would buying there be preferable to Etsy for any reason (apart from pricing)?

That should be it. I hope my post is an ok fit for here - I’ll post somewhere else if it isn’t.

Thank you guys in advance!

  • jogaklaa@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    2 days ago

    1. & 5. I’ve never bought them off Etsy before, but it should be perfectly safe, especially with the reviews the store you’re looking at has. The main concern is how long the link will be available for. If you can I would get them off cults, they host the files and 3D files is their entire business. I’ve used them before and have had good luck with the files. Doing a quick Google I’m not seeing this user on cults though so you’re probably stuck with Etsy, but that should be fine.

    2. The easiest file type for printing is .STL and pretty much any print file will already be in that format. You should be good considering this was made to be 3D printed on an Ender 3.

    3. Only the arm piece I’d be worried about not fitting on a print bed, it seems a bit long. Bit the listing does say it fits an ender and specifies the volume of that printer which is a pretty standard volume. You’ll want/need multiple print batches to get everything done but you’d want to do that anyways.

    4. I think most professional places charge based on time and material used. I honestly couldn’t say how much that would be. I think a decent amount of the online print shops have a quote estimate to give you an idea. You also might live in an area with a library/community maker space with printer you could rent, they tend to only charge for material (kilo is $15~20) but it might be a little harder for a good quality print of the bigger pieces. They’d also have people there you could talk to about the whole process which is always nice.

    One other thing you haven’t mentioned is post processing a 3D print. It’ll be a good amount of priming and sanding for that so be ready for hours of that.

  • einkorn@feddit.orgEnglish
    3·
    2 days ago
    1. I have not personally purchased files off Etsy, but the way you describe it this has clearly the potential for a scam.
    2. I am not aware of any current attacks on 3D printers or the software ecosystem around it using prepared files. In any case, you should research what file formats the service you want to use accepts.
    3. Since we all a little different, as you say it is unlikely to be a good fit straight out of the box. How easy it is to adjust the model depends on the type of files the model maker provides. STLs are basically finished models meant to be directly used in a slicer software to create the necessary machine code for production. Many slicers have basic capacities to scale or stretch models, but for complex geometry this is hardly sufficient for adaptations. For example, this maker included a project file for Fusion360 that is able to be easily adjusted via parameters. However, AFAIK it is not common for commercial makers to include a project file, because that’s effectivly like giving away the construction blueprint for your product. Depending on the makers willingness they might provide you with an model tailered to your messurments.
    4. That depends entirely on the volume and complexity of the model. Of course the model itself uses material but also support structure to hold the model while printing adds to the price.
    5. As Cults3D as a commercial provider handels hosting of the files I’m personally much more inclined to buy there instead of Etsy with the promise to receive a link to the actuall files.
  • IMALlama@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    1 and 5: Either should be fine, especially if the seller is reputable and has reviews. Many sells will have a store on multiple sites, but in some cases people will resell other people’s work. See if you can track down the original creator to support them 2: I suspect everyone will want STLs they won’t have to do any processing on. What do I mean? Well, I could give you a STL for a piece that’s massively too large and would need to be split into pieces or a different STL that will be impossible to print well. I suspect print services won’t want to deal with this, will charge for it, and/or you might not be happy with the final outcome 3: If you’re paying someone to print the parts, they will likely have larger format printers. However, this might cost some $$ 5: It depends how thick the designs are and how strong you want them to be (more perimeters = stronger), but keep in mind that you’re also paying for machine time and potentially processing (eg surface finishing, support removal, etc). To get a feel for a quote without buying this design, find some cosplay armor on something like printables and use that for quotes

  • Rikudou_Sage@lemmings.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago
    1. Sounds sketchy, but if the same seller is on Cults3D as well, might not be a scam.
    2. Really depends on the printer / slicer. STL is the most universal, OBJ is also very supported. 3MF is usually tuned to a specific printer family, but you can easily extract a STL from that.
    3. That really depends how similar in size your arm is to the author. Scaling it up or down is usually easy, unless there are some tiny parts and you’re scaling down. Also if you have massive hands, the printer might not be large enough. Or the printer in general might not be large enough for that model, that depends on the printer you’ll be using.
    4. The material itself will be pretty cheap, though any service will obviously add a markup.
    5. I’d personally prefer Cults3D.
  • Darrell_Winfield@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    I haven’t purchased files to print at all, so I can’t answer about Etsy or Cults3D. However, I can speak to other aspects and hopefully drive up engagement to get someone who can help more in here.

    1: Dunno

    2: You’re probably fine to print most things. Probably nothing like nudity or sex toys (don’t print sex toys in general, but that’s a different topic), and then a lot will shy away from guns. Cosplay guns might be tolerated.

    3: This is a complex question. You need to know your print volume. All prints can scale, but if it’s wearable you probably aren’t going to be wanting to scale. Most creators, including that in your link, will piece out larger prints to accommodate this. I would reach out to the creator telling them your print bed size and intended use, and they might be able to adjust the sizes/pieces for you.

    4: filament is usually $20-30/kg. I can get a LOT of prints out of 1kg. And usually the creator or slicer will tell you the estimated grams.

    5: Can’t speak to this one. I think I recall some negative opinions towards Cults3D back in the reddit days, but I forget why.