Life-Sized Sword of Omens

cults3d

I decided to create a replica of the iconic sword from an 80's cartoon as a challenge for myself using SketchUp and as a gift for my friend's birthday. It just so happens that I'm finishing it up right in time for the "event" - the T-cats reboot is this Friday. I spent a significant amount of time working on the model, starting with several models from 3D Warehouse. Unfortunately, none of them were suitable for printing or scaled well enough to hold up properly. They all relied on textures to provide details that wouldn't be visible after printing. Initially, my model was too small and didn't fit comfortably in the hand. Once I had it sized and shaped correctly, I needed to figure out how to break it down into smaller pieces that could fit within my build envelope. The latest version includes holes for location purposes, making it easier to assemble and glue together. The blade has benefited greatly from the interior channel, even without filament - it's significantly stronger. I'm currently working on a new version with an insert for the eye and an insertion slot for the blade, allowing the entire sword to be printed in different colors: grip, blade, eye, and jewel. The finished sword measures approximately 45 inches (1145mm) from pommel to tip. Here's a breakdown of the printing time: * 6x blade pieces: 5 hours * Blade tip: 1.75 hours (cooling takes a long time) * Eye holder: 2.5 hours * 2x grip pieces: 2.75 hours * Pommel pieces: 2 hours * Total print time: approximately 14 hours Please let me know if you encounter any issues. I'm aware that looking at the hilt gives you a standard view, but I'm working on that. Update V2: I've added an updated eye holder piece with an insertion hole for the blade. The blade can be printed separately and sanded/cleaned/finished before being inserted into the holder. However, I haven't tested the clearance of the insertion point yet - it might require sanding or cleaning to fit properly. Additionally, the new holder includes inserts for the eye and cat emblem, which can be printed in two colors using the pause-and-swap method when printing the upper portion. This hasn't been printed yet, but I'll report back with my findings later today. Instead of using eye-holder.stl, you would use eye-holderV2 and the inserts - one of each or two of the same one. Switching to work in progress. Update V3: I've found a small geometry problem in the eye holder as well as an issue with the thin ring around the eye/cat image being too thin to print nicely. I've made changes to the inserts accordingly. If this print is too tall, please use the V3 eye holder and the new shorter blade pieces. I've removed the original eye holder to reduce confusion. Any combined print can be exported from SketchUp. Update V4: I've added a center channel for using threaded rod or double-ended threaded studs. The hole is 3mm in diameter and can be drilled out to a larger size if needed. I've left the other registration holes for those who prefer to use them. Additionally, I've reversed the extrusion on the cat-insert to get around Skeinforge's refusal to fill thin features. This print looks much nicer. If you've already printed one, this version is a significant improvement (see photo).