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Comparing 2k, 4k, 8k and 40k. Go for higher quality STL.

With how much has evolved in the past 2 years in printer and resin technology, let's see how STL's have evolved as well! Strangely the bolter not being hollowed out was a clear giveaway for the games workshop model for me!

If the starting STL is lower poly it won't really matter which printer it was printed on, in fact the higher the resolution the more it would prob highlight the lower poly's. If you'd started with a higher quality STL and then did the comparison I feel it would of been a bit more useful. Of course the difficulties of finding a 1 to 1 for a GW model would prob also be more difficult as well. Interesting idea for a video at least. I don't really see the point of the "plan", personally there are so many STL creators out there that showcase how much better 3d prints can be than GW's stuff already. Passing as a GW model is hardly a challenge IMO.

I've mentioned in the past, you are one of the main reasons I started including 3d printing into my collections. Cheap, easy to commission models, and fun when it comes to customizations. Please don't poke the bear that is GW, you might be a smaller channel, but your content is great and I'd hate to see them wreck your shit simply cause you pissed them off. Lets be real they are petty af. Love your vids Sam!

Certain slicing programs have anti-aliasing settings that can reduce the “grow lines” and edge fractals on those lines. It’s worth experimenting to get right, because if you can dial it in, it produces nearly flawless prints that don’t look printed at all

I think it would be best to just do the priming and compare to make the differences more clear. Painting tends to hide these things.

Just wanna say sam your content quality has taken a quantum leap forward in the short time you've been making content. Really great job man keep it up.

Thank you so much, I'm buying a printer after my big exams, and may have made a document which contains stl's for 4 armies, and pieces to bulk out kits planned for the future, thank you for being so inspirational.

For these small details Sam do you use antialiasing moddifier? With my Elegoo Saturn 2 8K this option gives me smooth models. Also you can "smooth" the low poly areas with ZBRush

Lots of high quality space marine backpack stls out there, you can definitely print models to the same quality as HIPS casting. I could tell as you were painting which one was GW though because it had a mold line.

Really impressive results. Can't imagine what we'll be seeing in a few more years.

In addition to using/not using hot water, your 8k is probably slightly overXP meaning your supports are stronger on it 👍

If you know Space Marines, you instantly know which head is the real deal.

Great comparisons and I'd definitely like to see around round with the highest resolution STLs you can find, unless there's a way to raise the DPI of the existing STL directly, which would also be a very interesting effort for those of us who, like you have been collecting GW-like models for several years. Thanks for the video, well done, m8.

Focusing on 2k/4k/8k doesn't really mean much. It's more about x/y resolution. An 4k printer with a 5 inch buildplate will produce the same detail as an 8k with a 10 inch buildplate. With that said IMO anything with an xy resolution of 30ish microns or less will replicate models indistinguishable from GW save any layer lines/ file differences. I had a phrozen sonic mini 8k sitting in the box for a year because the mini 4k that I was using was that good. The place where high resolution printers shine their ability to retain all the detail while still cranking up the anti-aliasing for smooth high detail prints.

With both the Leviathan and 10th Ed. Ultimate Starter being $250+, and individual characters going for $50 - $100 each, GW is pushing people to 3D printers. For the price of the two sets I mentioned, you can get a 12K printer. It is outrageous what they are charging for plastic and At the detail these are at now, I see more and more people moving to resin printing. And with other games openly sharing their STLs or making them available for a fee, it is just enhancing the reasons to print your own models.

While modeling from scratch in Blender is a bit daunting, you can import the low poly model you have and try an operation called "Sub-divide faces". As long as the stl is a manifold (no holes and only one face) that should work a treat to make all those poly faces disappear.

Did you use anti-aliasing when you printed the 4K and 8K models? The polies are visible on things like the round bits of the backpacks, and I'm wondering if AA would reduce their obviousness.

I'd be interested to see if you used Anti-Aliasing on the 4K and 8K printers if it would fix the polygons on the backpacks.

poly can be reduced with Blur/Anti-aliasing without loosing detail but its a delicate balancing act to say the least. But, finding better STL files is a much easier solution if available.

do a real test! drop them from table hight on carpet or wooden floor, see which model survives and which gets obliterated

Great video wish I was able to 3d print my own so I could give it a try too.

I saw some info saying that 8k printers create fillets in corners unless you use a more opaque resin due to finer layers and light bleed. This is probably what is strengthening your supports. Go with a darker resin to fix it. You will have to cure for longer though. I can see the polygonization easily. I also see striations (layer steps) quite conspicuously on the thigh, edge of the gorget and elsewhere. There's also a layer shift line on the shin of one leg, on both printed models. I hope you get a finer detail mesh model and attempt to place it in the store. You might have to go with a finer layer height if that's possible (it will make the support fillets worse so you will need darker resin).

This is probably the only video I can think of that I honestly wish was also filmed in 4k.

Hi so I am new at the 3-D modeling printing and I was wondering which model you recommend if it’s a resin one or the other one and all of that? It’s for fun 40k, d&d, aliens but we do want amazing quality and that it will last of for a while

I'm doing it in 2k, because I still haven't had the money to buy a 4k one, it's been working very well

When you've done sprayed with undercoat and base coat, are the print lines still visible??

what stood out for me was the details being slightly different to others the GW model Backpack sits lower and has a wider scoop on the head compared to the rest

When I settle down, I, too, want to get into 3d printing for the bits.

Gotta remember "A good paintjob adds detail to a bad mini, But a bad paintjob can forever ruin a great mini"

Sam, I hope you know this but, just in case, and for your audience, resolution is only half the picture. Its about how many pixels the screen fits into a given area, also called the XY Accuracy. A 6" 2k screen has as many pixels per sq cm as a 4k 10" screen, so they produce the same results. The original Mars (2k) and the original Saturn (4k) have basically the same XY accuracy. If you're comparing two printers with the same build volume the one with higher resolution is better but if the screen is bigger you have to think about more than just resolution. This is why the best printer currently available is the Phrozen sonic mini 8k at 22 micron xy accuracy (compared to something like the Saturn 2's 28 micron or the original Saturn or Mars's 50 Micron) though it is be about to be eclipsed by the Saturn 3 or Anycubic M5s at about 19 micron both of which have Saturn like screen sizes, but 12k screens.

It's going to get to the point where GW will have to lower prices because people will start making their own models.

i got myself my first 3d printer just this month its the elegoo saturn s cant wait to actually start printing

I don't think you should continue with your secret plan it doesn't accomplish much, 3D artist is pushing the SM template father than the GW has in the past few years, I even seen Crab Marines. A better test is to find a busy Park/Street and ask people what models are better and why. Then tell them the price. People Drop Jaws its funny to see the avg person trip balls over the price of a plastic model lol

the bravest man on youtube right here. He gets those emails from GW and sends them straight to spam, god bless you

Good video! Have you run an exposure test with your 8k printer and the resin your using? You may be over exposing your prints and thats why the supports are harder to get off. Also, siraya tech makes a great 8k resin.

higher quality stl would go a long ways, thinner support attachment points(what your using on this model seems really heavy, with my saturn 2 i do the majority of my work with .2 and .3mm tips for supports and just a few.5mm tips to anchor the bottom of the feet and major assemblies) and just a question what are you using for aa settings and layer height? usually run 8xaa on sharpen details and 30 um(pairs well with the 28um pixel size to help reduce stair stepping)

Great video. Certain things on all 3D printed models are a dead give away though. I’ve not seen an stl so far where the backpack or the helmet look right.

I 3D print just for the huge variety of models not just Game Workshop inspired models but models from any creator that has interesting models

You can alter support density in Chitubox if doing your own, i think the default is 50%. The issue with many presupported stl files is the supports are read as part of the model and are the same density.

If you use a rotary tool with a nylon brush, or MAYBE the brass brush (careful with that one), you can smooth out the low-poly lines.

Are you using the Cones of Calibration to make sure your exposure settings are right? It's the exposure calibration that doesn't rely on human perception, it has a pass-fail design, and I think you may want to use it to get your exposures correct.

I guessed all three correct the give away on the 4k is the right (from the marines perspective) grieve there appears to be a layer shift and on the 8k model the layer shift is on the left grieve. It was difficult to find it even with the model in full sized for the HD screen. I'd imagine that layer shift would be hard to see before painting so it might be difficult to hide unless it was fixed then repainted.

Are you using anti aliasing? That can help a bit with the polygons as it smooths things out a bit. It can be a pain to get your settings adjusted for it, but it can be worth it on printers with smaller pixel sizes.

I'm not sure what it says about me... but... I really want to know where you got that roll out rubber tray at 1:06 from!

Thanks for this video and tips I was able to print out a batch of these guys. I dont mind buying them but I want to master my painting skills on resin prints to golden demon level before dropping the cash on the real figures so they have paint job I can be proud to display.

I would really like to see this same experiment with a higher quality STL and also printing with various resins, is 8k resin worth it? Does normal resin in an 8k printer compare to GW?

This was a great video. I like how you compared the three models, but it was obvious to me which ones were 3D printed. You could still see the lines. However, that being said, from across the table, no one would be able to tell them apart. We've even seen instances where GW used 3d-printed models for their Warhammer World dioramas. 3D printing is that good!...but still distinguishable, in my opinion.

I will tell you how they will know its 3D printed and its not based off the looks it will be because of the weight. You can 100% feel the difference in weight from a mold injected plastic GW space marine versus a much heavier dense resin 3D print. The only way to test your theory is too not allow the GW shop owner to hold the piece and that's unlikely. BUT if you placed the space marine in a small display case and handed it to them, they won't detect the weight difference.

Hey im just researching 3d printers as i want to get in to printing mainly for warhammer what would be the ideal printer with a 600cad limit ?

If the supports are tougher in the 8k you can probably lower the exposure time a bit and get even more detail

You can tell the difference in the rounded parts for sure, this is only because the camera is so close you pick it up, in real life is so tiny that you wouldn't notice it.

Can I suggest a easier and cleaner post print process: make sure you have all your protective stuff on. have a sealable lid container filled with 91-99 iso. Once the print plate has dripped the excess back into the vat, take the plate with print on it and dip the entire thing in the alcohol and swirl it around for a bit. Now that almost all the resin is gone, scrape the print from the plate. Once its off the plate, you can wipe the plate clean with the alcohol still on the plate..put it back on the printer. Then place all the prints (with supports still on) into a ultrasonic bath filled with more alcohol (clean ..it will stay clean for a while since you are prewashing with the first container). Run it for a minute or two. Once they come out of the ulrasonic bath, you can use some compressed air or a fan to completely evaporate the alcohol. Now place the entire print with supports and all into your curing station for 2-4 minutes. now that they are cured the supports will easily snap off and almost all of the prints can be cleaned by hand with no tools necessary. You will have flawless prints using this method..very few if any marks from supports and no shiny or white spots from uncured resin

Where do you get the STLs?

Where do you get your stl files from

The difference between the models is huge! And it's easy to see. Models made on a 3d printer have uneven surfaces, incorrect proportions of some parts, such as an eye on a helmet. The model from Games Workshop is smooth and pleasing to the eye.

Does First Born Stl files exist that are the same size as GW's Primaris marines?

I could get the real one simply because of the leg pose :) , super nice job anyway, keep up the good work man!

hello brothers, I want to get a 3d printer but i dont know wich one to pick ¿do you have any recomentations?

6:02 unfortunately due to the low poly density on the 3d model´s backpack domes one can easily tell that the left and the right model are 3d printed. You can see the problem here at 0:54 Other than that it is rather hard to tell and thus it is awesome to see how far 3d printing has come already :D

if you look at the elbow pads you can always tell stls usually have polygons on the elbows

the best way to compare those qualitys, its making car bodys, in a figure it doesnt impact so much as in a car

Where I can get those stl models to print???

Yes, Try to get a new 8K model into the store front but take a model and try to paint some resin over the layer lines in the area where they are visible befor putting them in the curer to remove them. @AlphaPhonix did it with a filament model and it works surprisingly well.

Would it be possible to print them in 1:72 scale with good results?

If you want use 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 grit to remove the pattern before priming. It's an extra mile but it will make a difference.

weird on dpl i find i cant use pre-supports right out of the d/l as they are normally too weak :(

From N.I.? - greetings from one Norn Irn guy to another!! Always enjoyable - keep going!

Is methylated spirits as good as using IPA? What's cheaper and are they just as good as each other?

Where did you get these models?

I'm able to tell the WS appart only beithe others doesn't have the small square detail on the right knee, but quality wise, they look awesome. I've been wanting to buy a 3d printer for price and to print other stuff, this comparison makes me want to buy it even more

I think it's very noticeable but just because of the STLs themselves.

I find 3d printing has come a long way. I haven't been disappointed with my prints. They say you need a lot of fine tuning and what not, but I really didn't do much fiddling to get prints that I thought rivaled stuff bought from GW/PP/etc.

What are some things to look out for if I want to print Mechanicus?

Gotta,say using 8k has been mind blowing on detail

The 4k and 8k models still had support marks, and had aliasing on the legs and collars that give them away as 3D printed models at any resolution. If you're not going to clean those up, then trying to get one of your models displayed in an official GW store's window is stabbing the management at that store right in the back.

Using anycubic mono 4k for my primaris-sized chaos space marines, i scaled, mixed and kitbashed a lot of stuff... Never had such problem. Too bad im quite an amateur at painting. Anyway, i always use antialias on, and never had an problem with the "geometry" of the files, even on my old 2k models i had such thing. You should probably pray with more fervor to the machine spirit.

def recommend using ball support removal tips and immersing parts in hot water while removing this will make it significantly easier to remove

does GW vacum form them for mass production or some other method?

A lot of slicers can slice from things like, 3mf, where the artifacts from circles and spheres are a non issue and it'd come down to the resolution of the screen. If you can, avoid slicing from an STL at all. I kinda stumbled in here from FDM land, but those tessellation artifacts are strictly due to the STL.

The helmet was an easy giveaway but thats a modeling issues, not the printers fault

Have you tried using blender's voxel remesh at the printer's resolution to check if you'll see the faces beforehand? you could add a subdivision modifier to smooth them out

I genuinly thought the GW model was 3D printed purely because of the knees. Well done bro I'm looking forward to upgrading from my mars2 pro when I finish my FIFO rotation

You'd think they'd know the difference but you'd be shocked how many people work in a store and don't know much about what they're selling.

The horizontal lines on the legs on both the 4 and 8 k models gave it away.

4 secs in I immediately know the middle model is the genuine article. I wait to eat my words.

Finish the squad and then take them all to GW. See if they would put them on display and then call it there. Pointing out that GW is expensive is like stating the sky is blue but it would still be a fun experiment.

Beautiful video! Let me know if you need a custom model. I can sculpt it! What camera do you use for these videos? The quality is excellent!🔥

Where would you get WH stls?

Another Amazing video Brother

just printing the bodies would be enough: in gw boxes there are many heads, weapon that are not used.if you print the body you can easily attach those spare bits. at that point the difference is almost impossible to tell

its easy to tell when you can see the polyfaces. Even on the printed models you can tell which are 3d-printed.

8K printing beds are 4x size of earlier 2K beds, so they have the SAME printed resolution. You get to print more models on the larger 8K bed, but model resolution is the same as 2K.

I think it's time to update this video. I have a 3dprinter that prints 18um pixel size with 20um layer height. I see absolutely no lines after priming my models and I usually have eagle eyes when it comes to layer lines.

Definitely go for higher quality stls would like to see that. There is a line on the leg of the 8k one in this video. 4k had more of a gap below the knee pad

Wuw!! yes I keep getting alerts forthe past couple of videos ha :-) (layer levels is very key as well as a good quality printer) :-) also when I have done supports for models (rare as it might be) I make the connection point to the model as thin as possible with little contact/depth.

If you're worried about getting a staff member in trouble, send them to someone else to test at a shop.

topology may be sloppy but the tiny vents show that detail definition on printed models exceeds the detail levels GW is putting on their own models

Helps if you choose a decent model to start with, and use AA, you won't loose much detail with it even on low. That's what it's there for :)