/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>9387885
>First of all, how much skill is required to create a piece? How much work do you have to put in? I'm not lazy, but I'm very bad at crafting and creating stuff in general
3D Printing takes just as much effort as other forms of crafting because you need to know how to model as well as craft, and model properly, meaning usually quads preferred if not tris, and all watertight. So you need that skill.
Pic related, prints dont come out smooth, they come out layered so you needa sand it down to smooth or use an acetone "bath"

>Secondly, I how much should I expect to cash out to get a decent printer?
The price will change depending on the size of the print bed. Desktop, cheap sized printers usually only have like a 10" by 10" print bed, meaning the maximum size you can print is 10x10x20ish inches, depending on the height of the printer. You want a large print bed for large props, and those printers are usually around 1000+

>Lastly, how much do the materials that you use cost?
You get the plastic filament in rolls. The rolls are around 40 bucks, and how much you can get out of it depends on how well you model/set up.
For example, a pyramid with the flat side down will use less filament than a pyramid pointy side down, because the pointy-side-down print will require "support material" (usually little strips of filament under stuff that overhangs the base size of the print) and support material will use up more filament.
So costs vary a LOT depending on how you model, what you model, and the effectiveness of your printing skills.

I recommend reading the pages on ShapeWays regarding details to think about before printing to familiarise yourself with some of the terms and issues before you run off and buy a printer.
3D printing is super satisfying though and I love using it for props that need to be super thin but sturdy or some props when I'm too lazy to sculpt. (I'm a 3D modeller by trade so it's super quick and easy for me.)