Friends,
I keep hearing from well-meaning friends and customers who urge me to move into 3D printing, and I keep trying to explain that I do not want to do this. So, for the sake of those who may have an interest in MY OPINION on this matter, I offer the following:
First, let me stress that this is just MY OPINION! It is mine, and is not meant to reflect on anyone or any other company in any way. I hope we can all understand this?
With that said, let me get this part out of the way up front:
3D printing is F-A-R superior to ANYTHING I can do in resin!
There, I said it. I hope those who champion 3D have heard me. If you want a ‘Marvin the Martian, shrink reyed down’ miniature of the real deal, then I will never be able to touch 3D. I’m not ashamed to admit this, either. I have seen a lot of the stuff being offered in the flesh and I am absolutely amazed by it. So, please, go 3D all the way. I get it. Just understand:
I DO NOT CONSIDER 3D TO BE MODELING!
To me, modeling is as much (if not more) about the assembly and the correction of incorrect and addition of missing details. To me, modeling is about the build. The finish is just about presentation. I’d be just as happy to display my build in the raw (no paint or primer) as I would be with a perfectly weathered finish. This is because I am a builder, not a painter.
Now, it is a sorry commentary on the state of our hobby that I feel it necessary to state this next part, but such is our reality:
I HAVE NO BEEF WITH PAINTERS!
Many of you guys can paint far better than I ever will, and I am truly in awe of your work — honest. But I am just drawn to those who can build more than paint. And I do not consider 3D to be building. You are simply removing finished sub-assemblies from their runners, fixing them in place and painting. In fact, as kits have become more of what we used to cry for in the past, most modelers have become more aggravated with the number of parts and the effort necessary to complete their construction. Not me. That’s where I find the enjoyment: in the build!
ONE MORE THING
Just as I do not consider 3D to be modeling, I do not consider 3D designers to be modelers. Again, THIS IS MY OPINION. However, I have good reason for it. I took art classes from kindergarten through the 10th grade. Originally, the goal was to become a commercial artist. Later, I worked toward a mechanical engineering degree. The first semester required mechanical drafting. I was good at it, VERY GOOD! But it was not art, at least, not like the ‘art’ I had studied most of my youth. 3D is nothing more than drafting with a computer. YES! I know there are tricks to how you draw it and how to align it for printing, but there are similar tricks to mechanical drafting. The point is, I can teach almost ANYONE to do these things. So — TO ME — there is no ‘art’ here.
FINALLY
Again, IN MY OPINION, 3D lacks soul. Maybe it is my faith, or maybe it is my ability to see the mechanical patterns (i.e. ‘wraps’) in some prints. I do not honestly know. All I know for sure is that most 3D prints look ‘dead’ to me.
CONCLUSION
So, when I consider everything I just mentioned, I conclude that 3D simply is not for ME. YES! This will put TMD — as it is now — out of business. So??? As Barns told Elias, “Everybody got to die sometime.” Same thing applies to TMD. All I can tell you is that I will not get into 3D, and this is why. Do with it what you will.
Joe