"Scanning for Printing" Topic

A friend of mine has a 60mm size machine gun he wants to get scanned so he can 3D print it.

He has taken it to two places that do that and they say they can't scan it because it's too small.

It's basically an M60 machine gun with the bipod down and about 1 1/2 inches long.

He is in Taylorsville, Utah, which is in the Salt Lake City metro area.

Any suggestions?

Mike Bunkermeister Creek

Just curious, what is wrong with available 3D models?

M60 machine gun Vietnam war period – On Cults3D

That's the first thing I thought of: use a different models.

I watched some videos of scanning miniatures and that tech needs more time. Flat out: it doesn't work without "cleanup" and if you can do that you could just sculpt a model.

Scanning smaller objects only possible with highend scanners, unpayable…Other scan solutions will take to much cleanups, so its easier to create new model, or take what the community of designers will provide. And there is a couple in very good quality. Figures, equipment, weapons etc, etc.

My brother knows about that stuff, and says the current non- super professional scanners cannot handle the small detail. When he needs something of that scale he goes to someone with a ultra high professional scanner that allows him to use it on a professional courtesy basis. For something like an M60 you are probably far better off using an stl that has already been designed for printing at that scale.

Based on my experience you're better off modeling it yourself.

3D scanners are still problematic. I haven't heard anyone sing the praises, and I've heard people who are frustrated. I've played with scans from museum web sites, and they are often problematic.

3D modeling is much easier than you think. Sure, Blender is tough, but TinkerCAD is easy-peasy. Anyone with a 3D printer should spend the forty five minutes it takes to get handy with it, since it will let you make all kinds of useful things around the house.

So I don't want to be a fun-ruiner, but my suggestion on how to do that is not to do that.

The original is a 1960 ish toy and my friend wanted to copy it to go with his collection. He has been unable to find one since they are rather rare. There is a prone 60mm Tim Mee figure that has the M60 as a separate piece. The figure is fairly common but the MG is like hens teeth.

Thanks for the replies.

Mike

Scan a full size one and shrink it down digitally?
:-)

How many photos do you have? Any with a ruler in the background?