3D Printing an ODST helmet whole?

[Alriar]

Good morning, everyone.
I've done prints before, but usually much smaller ones like weapons and smaller handheld props. I'm trying to get into armor making, starting by attempting to print an ODST helmet, but I'm struggling with support. I'm using a CR-10S, which has a 300x300 build plate, so I can print the helmet whole, but my concern comes down to support placement and knowing which pieces need support and which don't. Has anyone ever printed an ODST helmet whole or even any helmet? Looking for a little guidance.

Any help is appreciated. I hate Cura

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Hi Alriar, welcome to the 405th!

Firstly, have you done an overhang test, to check how well your printer can handle overhangs? Before doing a big thing like a helmet, I'd also do some tests to make sure I'm happy with how the supports print (including how well the break off from the model), if you haven't already.

I like to use tree supports. It takes longer to slice usually, but the result can often save on print time and filament. On top of that, because the supports can branch off into different directions, they can reach places the default supports can not when the "Touching Buildplate" Support Placement option is set.

For the most part, I let it automatically place supports. However, if there are some spots where it looks like the overhang is too steep, or if there's an overhang detail you want to better preserve, you may also want to add them in yourself (unfortunately it's been a while since I've used Cura and I can't quite remember how to do that).

 

[Alriar]

Hi Alriar, welcome to the 405th!

Firstly, have you done an overhang test, to check how well your printer can handle overhangs? Before doing a big thing like a helmet, I'd also do some tests to make sure I'm happy with how the supports print (including how well the break off from the model), if you haven't already.

I like to use tree supports. It takes longer to slice usually, but the result can often save on print time and filament. On top of that, because the supports can branch off into different directions, they can reach places the default supports can not when the "Touching Buildplate" Support Placement option is set.

For the most part, I let it automatically place supports. However, if there are some spots where it looks like the overhang is too steep, or if there's an overhang detail you want to better preserve, you may also want to add them in yourself (unfortunately it's been a while since I've used Cura and I can't quite remember how to do that).

Thanks for the warm welcome! I have done an overhang test and she seems to handle up to 70 degrees relatively well. I'll definitely check out the tree supports. I will say that's really my only gripe with CR printers. I'm not a huge fan of Cura, but there don't seem to be many alternatives. I was originally looking at getting into IdeaMaker, but I guess it isn't compatible with my printer. That seems to be the biggest problem I run into. I appreciate the input!

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Cura certainly does have its quirks. Have you had a look into PrusaSlicer? It's what many other slicers are based off nowadays, and you can setup custom printer profiles, so it'll work on Creality gear too!

PrusaSlicer | Original Prusa 3D printers directly from Josef Prusa

FeaturesVideo GuidesMore featuresBuilt-in shape galleryAdaptive infills - Lightning and support cubicThe Arachne perimeter generatorHiDPI support – Co...

www.prusa3d.com

I use BambuLab now (I have a CR10s but now just use the P1P) and I'm fairly certain it's based off of Prusa's software.

 

[Expendable]

I printed mine upside-down. It worked pretty well, except for the crazy amount of sanding required to clean up the mess. My support material stuck too well in some spots, and the model had a bunch of loose filament where it in others...

 

[God of War]

Good morning, everyone.
I've done prints before, but usually much smaller ones like weapons and smaller handheld props. I'm trying to get into armor making, starting by attempting to print an ODST helmet, but I'm struggling with support. I'm using a CR-10S, which has a 300x300 build plate, so I can print the helmet whole, but my concern comes down to support placement and knowing which pieces need support and which don't. Has anyone ever printed an ODST helmet whole or even any helmet? Looking for a little guidance.

Any help is appreciated. I hate Cura

View attachment 350417View attachment 350418

that looks so cool >:3

 

[ItsRaven]

I printed my helmet like that picture.
I also used almost 2 rolls of filament because it was filled with supports. The outside portion required barely anything except for the visor area.

Edit: this answer was probably not the most helpful, but i dont have much else to provide sorry

 

[Hype]

I would definitely recommend testing out PrusaSlicer like PlanetAlexander mentioned. All of what Prusa does is open source, so lots of other slicers use them as a template. I have a Bambu P1S and its slicer, Bambu Studio, is directly based on PrusaSlicer. PrusaSlicer is also based on Slic3r, but that has been unsupported for a long time.

Printing a helmet in one piece is a great way to avoid seams, but you are going to be introducing other issues. If you print the neck hole down you are going to be using a lot of supports, more filament, take more time, and introduce a higher possibility of failure as the print gets larger/longer. Also depending on your settings you may have issues removing the supports or have lots of scarring. Scarring is a non-issue because it's inside the helmet and will be covered with padding. Printing the neck hole up will reduce the amount of supports and filament used and speed up the print, but now the entire top of your helmet will need supports, which will introduce scarring. You will need to sand it much more to get it looking good. Of course settings and how well-tuned your printer is will have varying degrees of effects on these issues.

Personally, I print my helmets cut up because my print bed is just slightly too small to print a helmet whole. Even if I did have a big enough bed, I might still have cut up the helmet for a few reasons. Setting the orientation of different parts of the helmet helps improve quality. Printing in several parts also helps me avoid wasting a filament if a full helmet experiences a print failure. I also don't have too much trouble hiding seams, and my printer doesn't warp my prints much between parts.