Custom 3-D printed 1:6 scale forearm crutches?

Andrea linked me to an auction that included a pair of Power Team forearm crutches. I thought I might bid on it, but it turns out that the shipping alone would be $20.00. :p I really want more 1:6 scale mobility aids, but that price is a little steep.

This morning I realized that I have a knowledge of what actual crutches look like, a 3-D modeling program and a local 3-D printing shop, Blu-Bin. I can make my own crutches!

Here's my plan: I'll use the modeling app to create the crutches themselves, with their specific -15 degree bends at the top and their handrests at the appropriate position. The crutches will be longer at both ends than necessary so that I can cut them to fit the various heights of my dolls. The forearm cuffs I will make separately out of wire, ribbon or some flexible material and then glue on later.

This project requires no precise, symmetrical bending of wire or steel rods, as my early iterations of the walker did. I only need to do basic 3-D modeling with some cylinder primitives, then hack and glue. I'm an expert manipulator of primitives, rotary tools and glue guns, so I think that this project will probably be simpler than the walker.

3-D printed 1:6 scale crutches: measuring angles

I decided to make forearm crutches for Brandeis because her cane ain't the appropriate height. Also, as it's very lightweight, it falls over and does not bear weight.

First, I acquired a protractor from Wikipedia. I then acquired a representative photo of a forearm crutch in profile. Then I overlaid the protractor on the picture of the crutch to determine the major angles involved in its construction.

( Read more... )

Leg-o'-mutton sleeves! Feathered cape! Dramatic swoopy skirts!

 The new Dragon Keeper for V4 outfit hits all my aesthetic buttons. Well, except for pinkness and sparklitude, but I can add those. The feathered cape looks like the larger sibling of AprilYSH's Calais Ruff, seen below looking fabulous on my standard model:
( Read more... )

New faceups for fairies

Decided last night to take the colors from Flower's skirt and use them as a palette for his new faceup. Pink! Magenta! Possibly some reddish purple! With accents in lime green [color of his eyes]! I find the pink/purple/lime combination a wonderful one. I may add some swirly viny lines too...

Also decided last night that Polly's faceup will feature predominantly turquoise, with accents in white and navy blue. There will also be a lot of dots, for example, forming her eyebrows and maybe coming up and out like bubbles from the outer edges of her eyes. 

3-D printed 1:6 scale crutches: education

I just signed up to attend a free orientation at Blu-Bin tomorrow, which will give me the necessary information about their policies, parameters and products! After reading a mediocre Meetup.com review, I'm not expecting miracles, but at least I should come away knowing what file types Blu-Bin accepts, the different properties of their printed plastic, how they scale models correctly and the general cost of items.

I just got a few more ideas for things to make besides forearm crutches:

• single-footed canes
• four-footed canes
• white canes [for visually impaired people]
• below-the-knee prostheses
• below-the-elbow prostheses

I would really like to create one of the old-fashioned below-the-elbow prostheses with a functional forked hook, but that would require finding a hook. A below-the-knee prosthesis would probably be easier, since it wouldn't be articulated at the end.

The possibilities are exciting!

The perfect silly cyborg set for Dawn!

I downloaded Hivewire3D's Dawn because she was free and I wanted her odd bouffant/ponytail hair. I didn't play much with the figure and quickly left her for G1 and eventually G2F, now my preferred base. For BlackRain and SixthSense's new RuntimeDNA release, B.L.U. XR-512, however, I would either reinstall Dawn or just invest in EvilInnocence's CrossDresser to convert it to V4 and then autofit to G2F. I think I should just spring for CrossDresser -- free base program, $9.97 license to convert from any supported figure to V4 -- because it might crunch some clothes better than Wardrobe Wizard.

I probably need a tag for "robots" at this point...