Wishing Well 3D print

After a quick test run with an old brotosaurus model, I decided I'd have a proper go at developing a 3D model specifically for 3D printing.

My daughter had been doing an illustration of a wishing well for a project she was working on, so I took that as inspiration.  It would have a lot of physical texture, especially on the roof and stonework, so it seemed a good choice.  A quick bit of searching produced some useful reference images.

In keeping with the tactile emphasis, I decided to go with a brick-like stone base and slightly warped wooden roof tiles.  As this was for a 3D print (and also because the file would be triangulated and converted into a different format later) I didn't pay too much attention to polygon count when building the 3D model.

Finally, to check that the surfaces would produce an aesthetically-pleasing physical model, I ran off a quick visual render with three-point lighting.

Before converting the file for the 3D printer, there was one last vital job to do.  The BFB Touch 3D printer I would be using is a top-down plastic extrusion 3D printer.  That means it builds layers of plastic from the ground up, which means that every part must be supported by something below it.  In other words, you can't do overhangs, like the roof or pulley on my model.

I had deliberately designed the model to come apart into separate elements which could be printed from the ground upwards, so laid the elements out on a flat surface.  You'll also notice that I built triangular tenon joints to connect the roof to the well; the roof has matching mortise holes.  In a similar manner, the winch has holes for the pulley rod.

 

The result?  Six hours later ... the finished physical model was ready to scrape from the printer.  The base at the bottom is called a raft and the printer creates it to make it easier to remove the model without damaging it.

The pieces were carefully cut from the raft and any flashing removed with a knife.  This particular type of plastic (ABS) can curl badly when cooling, and this is apparent at the bottom corners of the roof.  However, given the well's warped, rustic look, this doesn't notice too badly.  (In the near future, we're intending to try the printer with PLA plastic, so at that stage I'll try a repeat print to see if there's much difference.)

At this stage it was apparent that the small size of the model meant that the tenon joints didn't really work, but a quick bit of cutting helped fashion a lap joint alternative.  The pulley rod was also clearly too big for the holes, so I decided to replace it with a metal one made from a paperclip.
A quick bit of superglue & cotton and ... voila!   A finished wishing well, designed by my own fair hand.

Overall, I'm very happy with this project.  The research, mental planning & 3D modelling took around 2-3 hours.  The actual print took a further 6, giving a total project time of 9 hours -- not bad for creating a model from scratch.  A quick lick of paint and it'll look as good as something that somebody has spent days making by hand!