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3D Printed Nuva Cube


Infrared

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My precious...     Tahu     Gali     Pohatu     Lewa     Kopaka     Onua

 
Recently I had the opportunity to use some 3D printers, and I decided to use them to make the Nuva Cube. The cube is made of PLS, has a length/width/height of 2 inches, and is composed of four 1 7/8" x 1/8" x 2" and two 2" x 1/8" x 2" faces each glued onto one of the sides of a 1 3/4" cube (rather, that's the dimensions of the computer model… as you can tell, the technology is still pretty finicky, and the measurements don't always come out right). I designed it in Tinkercad and glued all the pieces save one together, but the actual printing was done by someone who actually knew what he was doing. :P (The piece I didn't glue was the one on the bottom of Lewa's face since I wasn't there when it finished printing and it was the last piece not yet glued on.) I also have to give credit to fearmaker782 of deviantArt as I frequently referred back to his own System Nuva Cube during the design process since each face is set up on a clear 8 x 8 grid.

 

Unfortunately I don't have access to the model anymore, but if anyone is interested I could recreate the model fairly easily and post a link to it. Thoughts?

Edited by Infrared
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Looking nice, but the smoothness and texture is looking a bit weird which as you say could be a result of the printing process. You could try some putty to fill in the gaps and smooth it out with sanding afterward.

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"I could have been a Protector but then I took a stud to the feet."

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Looking nice, but the smoothness and texture is looking a bit weird which as you say could be a result of the printing process. You could try some putty to fill in the gaps and smooth it out with sanding afterward.

Thanks! Yeah, the texture is very inconsistent because the technology is still very new, or it could have been something to do with the algorithm the printer used (I don't know since I didn't actually set up the printer, but that might explain why you can see hexagons on Tahu's symbol and you can't on the others). Putty is a very interesting idea, actually; however, at the same time I think it's cool that it's rough because it shows you the shortcomings of the technology. Certainly it would look better if I fixed it up a bit, but it'll make an interesting comparison piece in a couple years when the printing process is more refined and we can look back and see how far 3D printing has come. Maybe I can print out another cube then to see!

 

Really cool man! The only thing that could make it any better is if it shined, but maybe that's asking too much  :P

Well, it is sort of shiny if you hold it up to the light just right.... :P Unfortunately the only shiny filament I could have used was gold, and of course that's not the color of the Nuva Cube.

 

Wow, that looks real sweet. The colors look quite Bionicle-realistic, though I think some of the faces(?) might need some sanding.

Interesting... you're right, I hadn't noticed it before, but comparing them now the gray actually does look a lot like blay and the light blue looks like the new HF light blue (I guess it's called "medium azure"). In terms of sanding, see above--maybe in a few years the tech will improve to the degree sanding won't be necessary in which case this will be a very interesting piece to compare new prints to.

Edited by Infrared
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*jaws drops*

 

*clatters to the floor below*

 

*can't reattach jaw*

 

It's that awesome! I especially like the shot of the cube with Gahlok Kal. Makes me wish I had access to a 3D printer/any kind of modelling skill.

 

It's so cool when people make other Bioniverse items like this. Really brings the story to life to see the Nuva Cube outside of the comics and promo animations.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, that's really impressive!

 

A few years ago, I took a class on CAD (computer aided design) where we had access to a 3D printer that made small models out of corn starch. I used that to print out a Nuva Cube of my own at one square inch, though I decided to leave it uncolored. In addition to that, I also have a replica of the Mask of Life (specifically the one from the 2009 Mata Nui set). The teacher was so impressed by the level of detail that I put into the design that he decided to print multiple copies of it: I kept the full-scale copy, a double-scale copy was kept in the classroom for future students to see, and he kept a third that was between the two in size. To this day, both of those 3D printed items of mine are still stored in a drawer in my desk. (I can't share any pictures at this time, as I currently lack the ability to take pictures and post them online.)

 

Still, this type of 3D printed model is very impressive. How long did it take to make (both the designing and the actually printing)?

Edited by Chronicler06

Formerly known as Takanuva's Symbol, I rejoined BZPower on October 10, 2012.

These days, I am perhaps best known for my obsession with all Lego video games.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for the late responses....
 

Wow, that's really impressive!
 
A few years ago, I took a class on CAD (computer aided design) where we had access to a 3D printer that made small models out of corn starch. I used that to print out a Nuva Cube of my own at one square inch, though I decided to leave it uncolored. In addition to that, I also have a replica of the Mask of Life (specifically the one from the 2009 Mata Nui set). The teacher was so impressed by the level of detail that I put into the design that he decided to print multiple copies of it: I kept the full-scale copy, a double-scale copy was kept in the classroom for future students to see, and he kept a third that was between the two in size. To this day, both of those 3D printed items of mine are still stored in a drawer in my desk. (I can't share any pictures at this time, as I currently lack the ability to take pictures and post them online.)
 
Still, this type of 3D printed model is very impressive. How long did it take to make (both the designing and the actually printing)?

 
Thanks! If you get the chance you should definitely post your Ignika, it sounds really cool. To be honest I'm not really sure how long it took to design, but I'd guess maybe 1 and a half to 2 hours (it took me a while to come up with the idea and the browser froze at one point so I had to start over). I wasn't there for a good portion of the printing process, so I really couldn't attest to that.
 

I approve of this very much and want a cube.


Hey, thanks! If you're interested I can remake the model....

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