Westlake Publishing Forums

Elegoo makes some very good printers. Offering a non-proprietary "very powerful and completely free slicer" seems generous and a clever way to promote their printers, a very rare approach. -- Russ

When I had ChatGPT generate more text-to-image content the next day, after a few minutes I received a notification that I had reached my daily limit and wouldn't be able to generate any more images in the free version for another 24 hours...
The same thing happened the next day... but this time I received an offer for a free one-month trial with all the features of the Pro version unlocked, which I could cancel at any time! Otherwise, a monthly fee of €23.00 applies.
That sounded tempting, because another 24-hour wait is quite a long time ;-)

For other projects, such as a harbor crane, fire station, Kemna Gigant roller, ... I'd really like to have a few custom figures that stand out from the little Preiser figures!

So I started with firemen (hose crew, attack crew, driver, engineer, fire chief, ...)

The initial request was:

Create a high-resolution file of a German firefighter from around 1955 wearing a classic black steel fire helmet with a leather neck guard.
The file is to be printed at a scale of 1:22.5 using a resin printer.
The original figure with the helmet is 180 cm tall.


After several changes to the request, I received the hose crew:

Feuerwehr_Mann_001 (fspg2)

generated with ChatGPT

Here, too, it is striking that the three men were given the same face.


Then the firefighter was depicted alone with the fire hose:

Feuerwehr_Mann_002 (fspg2)

generated with ChatGPT


The next command then generated the figure without a hose, with a similar hand position, so that the printed figure could later be fitted with its own hose and a nozzle.

Feuerwehr_Mann_003 (fspg2)

generated with ChatGPT


After that, I asked about the "best" slicers for resin printing:
https://3druck.com/programme/slicer-resin-harz-3d-drucker-28101482/

or an English-language page:
https://all3dp.com/2/sla-slicer-resin-printer/


I experimented with the rather powerful Chitubox and was amazed at how well the new feature, ChituGlyph, generated a 3D object from a JPG file.
 
Unlike TRIPO3D, it was virtually flawless. However, I could only create two files without incurring additional monthly costs (7.9 § / 8.9 €).

The alignment and automatic support structure generation can still be significantly improved manually!

Feuerwehr_Mann_004 (fspg2)

Figure created with ChituGlyph




All in all, you have to decide whether the monthly cost of around €20.00 for the full versions of Chitubox or LycheeSlicer is worth it!!!


However, there is also a very powerful and completely free slicer: ElegooSatelLite
https://www.elegoo.com/pages/satellite-3d-slicer

Here's a video where you can switch the audio track to different languages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXBL2o3pODw

My first experiments were almost self-explanatory!
The automatic support structure was adjusted in no time:


Feuerwehr_Mann_005 (fspg2)

edited with ELEGOO SatelLite


Feuerwehr_Mann_006 (fspg2)


edited with ELEGOO SatelLite

Quote from: lab-dad on May 24, 2026, 05:37:55 PMCan you list what materials you use for the components?
Or is it mostly _________. 

Mj

This thread has 42 pages, so go have a real good look at pages 23 - 36 - and 38, there are photo's there showing the unpainted models, where you can clearly see what materials I have used.

The timber is Tasmanian Myrtle ( Nothofagus cunninghamii  ) the reason I use that timber is because it has virtually NO knot holes or pore holes in it, both of these WILL ruin the finished surface on a model  when painted.

Using something like Radiata Pine is asking for a shit finish, as the pore holes are way out of scale and the knot holes look hideous, so carefull selection of a very fine grained timber is a must.

I make virtually ALL the nuts and bolts, ocassionaly I might have to buy a store bought nut or bolt, but only very ocassionaly.
The small 12BA coachbolts are made from 2.4mm TOBIN BRONZE rods and the square nuts are made from 2mm square brass rod, then drilled and tapped to 12BA.

The axles are normally made from square KEYSTEEL, sometines I just have to make an axle from brass, as there might not be anything available to suit that particular shaped axle, think of a "cranked axle" here.

What looks like steel tyres, is actually steel turned from bits of mild steel hollow bar, when they have been turned to the correct internal and external sizes, I then stick them on top of an electric hotplate to turn them BLUE. Then I attack the surface that runs on the ground with 180 wet and dry to give just that surface of the tyre, the look as though it's been run on the ground.

All the smaller bits on the model that are meant to be steel, well I cheat a bit and make all those bits from brass, as they are going to be painted and nobody will ever know what's under that coat of jam, eh.

Wheels are started just like a Wheelwright would make a full sized wheel, I start with the centre bit called a nave/hub, add a brass axle box into it so the wheel can NEVER sieze onto the steel axle, then when it's the correct shape, I start on the spokes, then mill the holes for the spokes to be driven into the nave/hub. When I get the wheel to the spider stage, I then cheat a bit more and make the fellies as a one piece out of sheet Acrylic, of the approriate thickness. A bit unconventional, but it is only a model and when painted nobody can tell what it's made from, eh.

The way I paint my models is my choice, I use the type of paint that the old timers would have used - ENAMEL PAINT - bought from the local hardware store, it gives the model a finish as though you just 'shrank' a full sized vehicle.

The choice is yours to make, on what you use and how you do it.

If you want to get into this horse drawn stuff, then go buy one or two of the booklets by John Thompson, about making model horse drawn stuff. OK, it's written by a pommy, BUT, it does not matter whether your a yank, or a pommy, the way you make horse drawn vehicles is universally the same world wide.

Can you list what materials you use for the components?
Or is it mostly _________. 

Mj

I can't wait to see what you wizards do with it!
I hope Chuck Doan sees this.
Mj

Did I miss the Jack in the box?
MJinTN

Quote from: finescalerr on May 24, 2026, 01:01:35 PMDon't worry, Volker. Nobody builds dollhouses in 1:22.5 scale. -- Russ

You're surely right (at least i don't know of anyone), but that's not a question of scale.

Don't worry, Volker. Nobody builds dollhouses in 1:22.5 scale. -- Russ

These are impressive renders. I think the challenge comes when you apply paint to the print-outs.

Its worth checking out the work of hyper-realist artist Ron Mueck. In my mind the detail and emotion he incorparates in his figures/sculptures is the equivalent of what we are seeing here with machinery and landscapes.

Volker, I understand your concerns about veering into doll-house territory, but with a careful and critical eye, which you have in spades, it is something that you will continue to avoid.

Another example of exquisite scale building which avoids doll-house comparisons is the Thorne Rooms in the Art Institue of Chicago Thorne Rooms Link

Yours compares very nicely to these museum examples.