Lindsey Bollhoefer is a 3D designer and artist utilizing her artistic talents to carry fantasy literature and anime into the actual world with 3D printing.
Our August 2018 Hacker of the Month is the proprietor and designer behind Lindy Design Lab, based mostly in Melbourne, Florida. Lindsey makes use of a number of varieties of media to get wonderful outcomes for her cosplay and prop manufacturing enterprise and pastime. Up till 2016, she was utilizing typical cosplay supplies for her builds; EVA foam, Kydex, wooden, material, and leather-based. As soon as she was launched to 3D printing by a pal, she was hooked! Together with her background in AutoCAD and 3D modeling, she was capable of transition into 3D printing so as to add one other artistic instrument to her arsenal. Now, she primarily makes use of Fusion 360 and MeshMixer to design the 3D fashions that she prints on her Ultimaker 2+. Lindsey will get most of her artistic inspiration from sci-fi, anime, and fantasy.
How did Lindsey get began in 3D printing? I’ll let her inform you: “3D printing is cool! It is mesmerizing and thrilling to look at one thing rising that beforehand existed solely in your thoughts and in digital kind. The precise initiatives I design and print usually are impressed by issues that I get pleasure from such because the Lord of the Rings movie interpretation of Tolkien’s Center Earth and the Fullmetal Alchemist anime sequence. It is much more attention-grabbing and difficult to create one thing impressed by a personality with which I am initially much less acquainted, as was the case with Matrim Cauthon’s Ashandarei.”
Witch King Gauntlets
“A variety of years had handed since studying any Wheel of Time books, so I researched, looking for to grasp the character earlier than designing something. That was an extended however fulfilling course of which even concerned translating phrases as faithfully as attainable to an incomplete fantasy language! The 3D printed detailing for the Ashandarei plus my 3D printable interpretation of his Fox Head Medallion exist due to this era of immersion within the character’s lore. As thrilling as 3D printing will be, for me it is a instrument that helps me make cool issues based mostly on related analysis and considerate design work.”
The Matrim Cauthon Ashandarei from Wheel of Time
She has created some spectacular items for cosplay not simply from The Wheel of Time sequence, but additionally costumes and props from Fullmetal Alchemist, The Lord of the Rings, and Physician Who. The number of supplies she considers for every product is wide-reaching, and he or she selects the supplies that can most faithfully assist her recreate a specific piece.
Witch King Pauldrons in Progress
For her Witch King gauntlets, she utilized 3D printing and Cheetah versatile filament by Ninjatek to get the segments of the gloves to maneuver extra simply as soon as a hand was contained in the glove the armor was affixed to. 3D printing sure elements additionally permit her to get the next degree of consistency that might be exhausting to attain with different supplies.
Lindsey has additionally used PETG for inflexible armor functions, and most just lately she has been working with matte fiber HTPLA which is robust, light-weight, and tremendous clear to print with. It additionally doesn’t put on down the nozzle like glass-fiber or carbon-fiber strengthened filaments. She has just lately up to date her model of the Edward Elric Automail with HTPLA, which printed extraordinarily effectively!
The Automail Arm from Fullmetal Alchemist
Lindsey additionally enjoys the flexibleness that the digital design course of provides her: “When making one thing new I modify my thoughts quite a bit till the design lastly feels proper and features accurately. Digital modeling fits that artistic course of completely – I do not waste supplies on preliminary iterations, and the completed mannequin goes on to the prototyping stage by way of 3D printing. The flexibility to design one thing as soon as then 3D print a number of variations is highly effective. I can change the dimensions or element to go well with totally different wants with out having to assemble and retailer a bunch of molds or patterns.”
After all, 3D printing weapons, armor and props means a number of ending work! “Any gaps get stuffed utilizing a 3D pen, after which every part will get sanded with the Dremel. I’ve discovered that versatile filaments work greatest with acrylic paints and an acrylic paint sealer. The end on inflexible filaments will get additional refined with layers of excessive construct primer and extra sanding earlier than getting base coated in spray paint, weathered with acrylics then prime coated with automotive enamel.”
A fox head medallion from Wheel of Time
As Lindsey explains, the facility of 3D printing isn’t only for props and armor: “I hope that the mission tutorials I share spark some concepts whereas offering a sensible thought of what it takes to make completed props utilizing 3D modeling and printing. Designing and ending a posh, customized half can take a number of time, even after constructing the technical abilities required for constructing the digital mannequin and getting it to print out effectively. Leaping in with practical expectations for what the instruments can do would possibly simply make the method much less irritating for anybody new to 3D printing.”
“Additionally, it is good being able to unravel on a regular basis issues with high-quality 3D printed elements. For instance, when my mom wanted a specialised wall bracket which was overpriced and aesthetically unappealing, I designed my very own answer and printed it in Cheetah filament, creating an excellent sturdy half that obtained the job achieved and regarded cool. One other time my dad and I each wanted a protecting telephone case which was on backorder. After a couple of iterations we every had a case that match completely, dealt with effectively and supplied some much-needed affect cushioning.”
Ringwraith Boots
We sit up for extra anime and fantasy literature impressed items by Lindsey sooner or later and extra wonderful tutorials!
Go to Lindsey’s YouTube channel and subscribe right here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCN213CAC4VJvXjaHE-cxlA
You may as well go to Lindsey’s web site for extra info, and phone her immediately for questions or commissions:
Wish to be our subsequent Hacker of the Month? E mail chris.morgan@matterhackers.com, and inform us about your 3D printed creation – you may be featured in our subsequent publication. Hacker of the Month wins 3 free spools of PRO Sequence PLA or ABS filament to additional their pursuit of 3D printing greatness.
