and now, Virtual Models

[Greg Myers]

Found this on line : http://www.alteredconfusion.com/home/2014/8/12/madfinger-games-announces-new-title.html

[unclescott58]

I'm not sure if I'd be interested in something like this or not? I'd need see one first. Plus this idea is not aimed at somebody like me. It's designed for new younger generation. I just hope it gets kids interested in building real model cars down the road.

Scott

[Modelmartin]

Silly to an extreme! What's next? Virtual breathing?

[Brett Barrow]

Hmmm... wonder if Revell knows about this?

Image from Monzo website:

[Danno]

I'm not decided yet, but I'm pretty sure that's one of the very dumbest things I've ever heard of!

Way, way stupider than air guitar. Way.

[72 Charger]

Whats the point in that ????? just stupid!

[bobthehobbyguy]

Actually the idea has merit. If one could build the virtual model and "paint " it in say testors or tamiya paint colors then the final step would be to have the parts 3d printed. The ultimate in parts packs

[Ace-Garageguy]

OMG !!! OMG !!! I'm all for anything that completely removes the prospect for developing manual skill and eye-hand coordination (other than mouse-clicking or smart-phone tapping) and alleviates the need for exposure to smelly BAD chemicals like glue and paint, and exposure to sharp and DANGEROUS tools. OMG !!! OMG !!!

(sarcasm)

[Dave Van]

Sorry......but I'd not be surprised if it took off......not a mega hit.....but if it did come to production.

NOT for me.....but there are folks out there.

I'm a hands on guy.

[Greg Myers]

Okay, you all think it's silly. Have any of you tried to make it work ?

I think there may be some merit here,you play games on your phones? Why not build a model while you're sitting there waiting for the little lady to come out of that dressing room with an arm full of dresses she just had to try on.

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 9/13/2014 at 3:12 PM, Greg Myers said:

Okay, you all think it's silly. Have any of you tried to make it work ?

I think there may be some merit here,you play games on your phones? Why not build a model while you're sitting there waiting for the little lady to come out of that dressing room with an arm full of dresses she just had to try on.

Why not read something, learn something, instead of pursuing pretty much mindless entertainment constantly?

[Greg Myers]

I have a reader APP on my phone. Doing the same thing makes Jack a dull boy, or something along those lines. and why not try something new ?

Edited September 13, 2014 by Greg Myers

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 9/13/2014 at 3:34 PM, Greg Myers said:

I have a reader APP on my phone. Doing the same thing makes Jack a dull boy, or something along those lines. and why not try something new ?

I'm all in favor of that.

It's just that most people could really benefit from knowing a little more about how the world around them works (you know, like being a more informed voter and actually having KNOWLEDGE instead of being led by the media) and how things IN the world around them work (and maybe being a little less helpless when their car or fridge or computer breaks down).

Building models at least develops some physical skills, co-ordination, appreciation for quality and design, the ability to self-criticize and self-correct, etc. I'm not seeing where moving little pretend model pieces around a screen has much positive impact.

But remember, I'm a past-it old man who has no relevant opinions.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Greg Myers]

I knew that, same group.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Speaking of which...it's true that the over-50 group has 75% of the disposable income, but most marketers have been ignoring this group for some time, led by the mistaken belief (much repeated by marketing and media "experts") that we old farts are so set in our ways that we won't buy or try anything new, so the smart money is in going after a young audience (who don't have any money to buy anything with).

So, some recent studies have been revealing the fallacy of this approach, uncovering an emerging indication that because we're living longer and don't have to work quite so hard, we have much MORE interest in new stuff in general than our parents' and grandparents' generations, AND WE HAVE MOST OF THE MONEY TOO.

So much for past-it relevance.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Scott Colmer]

Guess I'm the only one that likes this idea.

I was actually dreaming of something similar with full build options (every nut and bolt) to some more of a model kit. Being able to customize the body and other parts would also be cool.

Then you could drive and race your creation in a virtual world filled with other builders and their creations. The streets would have shops with links to real business web sights.

Not as a replacement to actual model building, just as another creative building experience.

Scott

[jbwelda]

I have to say this is one of the smartest, most innovative ideas I have seen in this "hobby" in decades. Those saying otherwise, let me guess here, 20 years ago you thought the interwebs were the dumbest thing you had ever heard of and NO ONE was ever going to go along with this fad. Come on, its alright, just admit it.

3D printing is going to hit the technological wall, or has already hit it and has yet to hurdle it, of resin particles being a certain size and that size is too large for smaller scales like 1/24. but this concept allows unlimited detail and unlimited sizing, or would eventually once it caught on, and the fact that you do not have anything "tangible" is really not a problem if you consider the job the music industry has done convincing people that downloads are "real" and worth paying for.

this is a brilliant idea and also I like the idea that Revell AG is using the slingster, pure old skool stuff, as its release. that is, unless this whole thing is a spoof...I didn't explore it really yet so maybe the whole thing is just the figment of someones imagination but I swear this is a billion dollar idea perfect for the now generation with even the slightest interest in automobiles.

edit: never mind me thinking this was real, or that Revell AG was involved, this was just more from the never ending fountain of misinformation.

jb

Edited September 13, 2014 by jbwelda

[ranma]

Revell home site has a corvette that you can build online. They had it for the last 2+ years

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 9/13/2014 at 9:23 PM, jbwelda said:

I have to say this is one of the smartest, most innovative ideas I have seen in this "hobby" in decades. Those saying otherwise, let me guess here, 20 years ago you thought the interwebs were the dumbest thing you had ever heard of and NO ONE was ever going to go along with this fad. Come on, its alright, just admit it. I think it's unfair to try to paint anyone who thinks this is a stupid idea as a technophobe and a Luddite. I was an early-adopter of the internet well before it became mainstream, and instantly saw its ability to vastly streamline communication, information sharing and research. I'm a little disappointed it's degenerated into primarily a portal for porn and moronic marketing, but hey, that's what humanity does with anything good...reduces it to the lowest common denominator in the quest for easy money.

3D printing is going to hit the technological wall, or has already hit it and has yet to hurdle it, of resin particles being a certain size and that size is too large for smaller scales like 1/24. but this concept allows unlimited detail and unlimited sizing, or would eventually once it caught on, and the fact that you do not have anything "tangible" is really not a problem if you consider the job the music industry has done convincing people that downloads are "real" and worth paying for. "Resin particles being a certain size" ?? "technological wall" ?? Maybe YOU should do a better job keeping up with technology. This is a 1/600 figure.

And I don't see the accuracy of the comparison of a music download, where you DO get a digital file you can listen to any time, with a pretend-model-building-activity. Yeah, it probably does make some business sense if the target market prefers to live in non-reality. Gotta give it that. Why develop an actual skillset and do things that take time to master, and space, supplies and tools?

this is a brilliant idea and also I like the idea that Revell AG is using the slingster, pure old skool stuff, as its release. that is, unless this whole thing is a spoof...I didn't explore it really yet so maybe the whole thing is just the figment of someones imagination but I swear this is a billion dollar idea perfect for the now generation with even the slightest interest in automobiles.

edit: never mind me thinking this was real, or that Revell AG was involved, this was just more from the never ending fountain of misinformation.

jb

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[jbwelda]

yeah so lets see the facial detail. or any detail for that matter. it simply does not exist at this point. yes that is a fairly ok cartoony sort of figure, in a way, but its not usable as anything more than a placeholder. could you perhaps post a photo of say an intake manifold with bolt detail, veining on the intakes, in 1/24 scale, that does not need to be sanded into oblivion to get rid of the lines created by the printer? that's what I am talking about: the resin itself is a certain molecular size and the more I see the more I become convinced that size will need to be reduced before 1/24 scale finely detailed parts are usable. I say this while struggling with a 1/8 scale offenhauser motor that needs so much tedious sanding that it is draining my spirit rapidly. but it never stopped me before...I know the technology has advanced way beyond this but not to any great degree in the smaller scales.

but we are talking about what could REPLACE or at least enhance that whole thing anyway because as mentioned this virtual model could potentially be used as your input to the 3d modeling program to result in a tangible physical model from your virtual one. this is a very necessary step in the development of 3D modeling if you ask me, and brings it down to the level of the consumer not some egghead engineer (hey I resemble that remark!) that is, once the scale detail problem gets conquered and I for one think that's going to require a whole new generation or two of hardware and the software to back it up.

anyway, with this sort of virtual model I imagine you get or build a digital file so it is certainly parallel to the music industry and its sale of music downloads (and the resultant "collection" of music some people brag about).

the thing this thread has me wondering most though, is whether Revell AG is actually marketing the Slingster in a physical form.

jb

[bobthehobbyguy]

I definitely seeing tying this into 3d printing. You build your model selecting the different components you want from the library. Then you have those parts printed and sent to you to assemble. Sort of building a model from the ultimate parts packs. If there were a library of colors for say tamiya you could also test out what color scheme you wanted. You could either order the paint at the same time or use your own to finish the model.

[Brett Barrow]

  On 9/13/2014 at 10:30 PM, jbwelda said:

the thing this thread has me wondering most though, is whether Revell AG is actually marketing the Slingster in a physical form.

jb

No. It's a picture from the makers of the app's website (as I said in the post.) I thought I was clear from what I wrote, I guess not clear enough.

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 9/13/2014 at 10:30 PM, jbwelda said:

yeah so lets see the facial detail. or any detail for that matter. it simply does not exist at this point. yes that is a fairly ok cartoony sort of figure, in a way, but its not usable as anything more than a placeholder. could you perhaps post a photo of say an intake manifold with bolt detail, veining on the intakes, in 1/24 scale, that does not need to be sanded into oblivion to get rid of the lines created by the printer? This is a 1/600 model. Imagine the possible detail at this resolution in 1/24. Not on your desktop tomorrow, but in today's reality just the same. that's what I am talking about: the resin itself is a certain molecular size and the more I see the more I become convinced that size will need to be reduced before 1/24 scale finely detailed parts are usable. ​Trust me...it's not the size of the resin molecules that's the limitation. They're much smaller than you could possibly see with the unaided eye, or with hobbyist magnification. Injection-molded ABS (one of the plastics used in 3D printing) parts would have a grainy surface if you could see the molecular "texture". I say this while struggling with a 1/8 scale offenhauser motor that needs so much tedious sanding that it is draining my spirit rapidly. but it never stopped me before...I know the technology has advanced way beyond this but not to any great degree in the smaller scales.

but we are talking about what could REPLACE or at least enhance that whole thing anyway because as mentioned this virtual model could potentially be used as your input to the 3d modeling program to result in a tangible physical model from your virtual one. this is a very necessary step in the development of 3D modeling if you ask me, and brings it down to the level of the consumer not some egghead engineer (hey I resemble that remark!) that is, once the scale detail problem gets conquered and I for one think that's going to require a whole new generation or two of hardware and the software to back it up. I agree it might be a door-opener into the world of modeling for the virtual-obsessed consumer segment, and it just might get that segment interested in making something real.

anyway, with this sort of virtual model I imagine you get or build a digital file so it is certainly parallel to the music industry and its sale of music downloads (and the resultant "collection" of music some people brag about).

the thing this thread has me wondering most though, is whether Revell AG is actually marketing the Slingster in a physical form.

jb

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[ratchetman87]

  On 9/13/2014 at 10:45 PM, bobthehobbyguy said:

I definitely seeing tying this into 3d printing. You build your model selecting the different components you want from the library. Then you have those parts printed and sent to you to assemble. Sort of building a model from the ultimate parts packs. If there were a library of colors for say tamiya you could also test out what color scheme you wanted. You could either order the paint at the same time or use your own to finish the model.

In this light i think that would be pretty cool, on the other hand craftsmanship kind of goes out the window when someone else produces the parts. Being that im part of the younger demographic i think most advances in tech. are pretty neat. This concept in particular because, it would be neat to have virtually (no pun) any year make and model customized to your specific taste in any color. Then click an order button and it show up on your door step in a few weeks. If this idea were to be used just as a game then im completely against it because, kids today have to much xbox, gameboy, and time on their hands to not learn how to use them. If this idea were to be used as a substitute to physical model building instead of a design aid, it just further pushes children into their iphones/smartphones. But it may also spark something in some cases and cause more interest in the hobby itself. I guess it could be a positive or negative depending on your standpoint on tech. Also im not exactly sure but i think 3d printing can obtain very clean detail based on the nozzle diameter, and the slice of your program meaning how much material added per layer. Seen prints with slices as thin as .1 mm thats about .004. If you factor in the radius of the bead of material when it stretches flat there should only be minimal clean up on the final product, ive done 3d milling on a cnc hbm with a 1.25 ball mill with a .032 overstep and it looks almost perfect so i imagine the same concept would apply just on a smaller scale.