Hello,
we have extremely different Friday facts for you.
Journey to the bodily earth Pard
It all started in the hot summer of 2024 whenever we worked really difficult to complete the Space Age DLC. The equivalent was nearly ready, but we wanted several feedback from our players. A decision was made to organise a playtesting event (FFF-427), anywhere teams of players could perform the equivalent from start to complete and provision us alongside in-person feedback and criticism to provision the finest merchandise you all deserved.
Since we are all geeks and affection to tinker, we asked our allies at Prusa Research to associate us and create several accompanying programmes and presentations for all attendees.
Being fans of Factorio themselves, they accepted to join, and the scheme was put into motion. When the event started, we realised that it would be chill to imprint some Factorio models correct at the event, so Fearghall quickly created a uncomplicated example of the Wriggler from everyone's favorite Gleba.
With the decision of our event, everyone returned to activity on Factorio, but we all wanted to come back to the idea of Factorio models in the genuine world. In the months following the publish and consequent bug-fixing and polishing period, we started operating on several prototypes in our spare time. Several models were made, printed, and painted, but they lacked a concept. We let it sit for a during and brainstormed what would be the finest direction. The answer was really extremely simple: transport belts.
Belts are the center of all factory from the first hours to the extremely delayed game. Jarosław started designing the idea of a grid scheme anywhere you could location all entity closely following the game. The archetypal type of inserters shortly followed. During this phase, we were printing countless prototypes. It shortly became apparent that we needed two versions of nearly all model. One set of models is created alongside elevated precision, allowing push-fit assembly, and the another is made alongside elevated clearance in intellect for group who desire to glue everything permanently or have clearance issues alongside their printers.
While Jarosław was occupied creating one player-built being following the other, Fearghall started operating on enemies. The archetypal repeat of the biter spawner shortly followed. Then came chests, followed by the participant character, afterward a rock furnace… Our example set grew nicely, but we knew that we had to diagram a row somewhere, since trying to publish all Factorio being would obtain too much time. With that in mind, we focused on the first game. We ended up alongside 15 example sets containing 65 idiosyncratic models in 247 STL files.
1/17
Testing how far we can shove the limits of example size.
2/17
Painting of the archetypal enemy prototype to justify that models volition appearance fine the two in plain synthetic and completely painted...
3/17
...Finished demolisher. The example was afterward scrapped since it wasn't really reflecting in-game visuals.
4/17
Several models in first stages of development. Belts were tested and fine-tuned for clearance issues. Enemies needed important updates.
5/17
Painting the biter spawner to decide whether the completely completed example adequately represents the first imagination for the game...
6/17
...The biter spawner is now completely finished. Unfortunately, we realized that significant changes are motionless needed.
7/17
Most entities went through a sequence of iterations. Countless imprint runs were connected alongside this process.
8/16
First test imprint of the biter. It was afterward resized, and it received many improvements for a gentle printing experience.
9/17
Fine-tuning of printer limits concerning possible example particulars on the spitter.
10/17
The final type of the spitter, finding enemies exterior the earth of Factorio.
11/17
Test imprint of the delayed type of the electric mining drill alongside a coat of argent primer.
12/17
Our catalogue of models was starting to acquire momentum. At this point, we were assured that a community publish was possible.
13/17
The biter spawner eventually received a example update. It motionless wasn't finished, but we were getting much nearer to the complete line.
14/17
The strap lane balancer is painted alongside example turf added. It was apparent that complete dioramas are possible.
15/17
One of the before tests of walls and their integration into the grid system.
16/17
Testing how far we can shove the limits of example sizes in the contrary direction. Joint modification was needed.
17/17
Finally, all the models are finished. Time to obtain several glamour shots.
Why 3D Printing? Pard
In the contemporary digital world, there is a decrease in bodily memorabilia. Physical releases of games are now nearly a relic of the past. We continually idea concerning having item for fans and ourselves as a reminder of times that we spent alongside the game. We at Wube are a application company, not a toy manufacturer, and we have the best community in the world. Creating several costly (limited) collector's items didn't sit correct alongside us. We have decided to go alongside 3D models as a small "thank you for your support" current so anyone can download them and imprint them for themselves.
A second likewise crucial logic is that we affection your creativity, and we desire to provision you a chance to iterate on things we created and provision them your own spin. We can't delay to see it.
Reimagining of Factorio Jarosław
I volition not lie, I slept on 3D printing for a while. It's likely for the finest - I do have a enthusiasm for miniature-based commission games and backdrop as a 3D artist. So, whenever I eventually took the hazard and decided to appearance into it - well, let's say neither of my 3D printers has seen much downtime since then. Whether it's miniatures, cardstock organizers, inserts or wall-high paint-stands, there is continually item new to print. And of course, in case you are wondering, that does not create my "pile of shame" any smaller.
With this premise, I cognize you can ideate why my ears perked up whenever the archetypal hints of 3D printed models for Factorio started circulating in the office. Little did I know I was shortly to partake in among the most fascinating endeavours I ever… well, partook in.
If you are a regular in these current parts, you volition apt cognize all our entities commencement their existence as 3D models. That power create it appear akin translating them into prints would be an uncomplicated job - in all truth, I idea so, and I of all group should cognize better! The journey turned out to be a bit additional complex than I initially imagined!
The most apparent issue concerning FDM printing is the matter of supports. If you are not fine versed in how these printers work, you can ideate construction a rooftop with LEGO bricks. An angled rooftop is uncomplicated - you fair offset all next masonry block by a sole row, and there is your roof. If you wanted to create a absolutely flat one, though? The bricks do not nexus on the sides, so all next one would need to drift in the air… unless there was item to assistance them from underneath. For our models, we wanted to evade additional supports anywhere imaginable - they can be visually distracting whenever made to stay, alternatively they can be a annoy to remove. As such, part of my activity was to discover ways to distinct our models into pieces that can be printed without supports and afterward connected into complete models. Considering I am a fan of measure models and gunplas, it was an amazing cognition to create my own!
Now, the another issue is a bit distinct in nature. How would I say it…? Factorio models lean to be really, really insane (in the finest imaginable way). Do you cognize the adage "what you see is what you get"? Well, yeah, no. Not at all applicable in this case!
Factorio's isometric perspective gives a lot of area to test and play, and my chap artists used that chance mercilessly. Sometimes what you see is, in fact, merely a gathering of free-floating objects that fair happen to appearance akin a device whenever looked at from the exact accurate perspective. It rarely gets fairly that bad, but the viewpoint is frequently a problem. There is a huge discrepancy between what the machines are and how they awareness - all a function of the isometric perspective blended with several imaginative light-and-shadow tricks. If you were to obtain a measuring strip to the mining drill for example, you power detect the North-South and the West-East variants are not fairly identical - they do appearance akin it, though! That issue goes twice for height of the entities - in game, it is frequently restricted to fit in the grid-space of one tile, yet made to appearance much taller than that suggests. That created a distinctive and slightly contradictory problem: designing 3D models that looked akin Factorio models look, and not how they are.
There is one additional matter recreating models made for an isometric equivalent - and that is the dreary spaces. Just akin the dreary flank of the Moon, the back-sides of our machines are filled alongside horrors and sleeping eldritch-gods. Do not worry, although - I did substitute them alongside freshly imagined, harmless machinery :)
Partaking in this journey was certainly among the most engaging challenges in my career. I would affection to appreciate Wube and Prusa for making it imaginable - as fine as for the enthusiasm they shared! I honestly do anticipation additional studios decide to portion their activity in specified a way (looking at you, certain squad of astronauts!)
Special gratitude go to my colleague, Pard, for his insatiable hunger to test my models. May thy filament never runeth dry, fine sir!
Designing enemies Fearghall
While Jarosław toiled distant hand crafting belts and assemblers and failing his "lazy bastard" run in the process, I set concerning the project of bringing the "organic" entities to life. Thankfully for me, I was capable to evade the ache of the isometric viewpoint since most of the integrated entities have completely rotating spritesheets, and so the models are complete from most angles without too many tricks of the camera.
However, the models were motionless designed for pre-rendering only, and as specified had several distinctive challenges. For example, the biter spawner was covered by an invisible skin, and nearly all of the item in the in-game images was confined to the texture data - item that cannot be transferred to a 3D printable file. However, following a week or so of cleaning up and baking out the model, it now prints extremely fine alongside no assistance or issues.
It additionally became immediately apparent that most of the integrated prints could not be made support-free akin Jarosław has done so fine alongside all the machines. The geometry is simply too complex, and many of the parts would be far too small to imprint and nexus together. I motionless endeavoured to create them effortlessly printed, however. The idle engineer pose, for example, has printed without supports many times, and the worm poses (aside from the 90-degree attacking pose) imprint entirely without support. But alas, there are some things which are merely unattainable to imprint without support, specified as the operating pose.
One of the chief issues alongside the character and biter family was the damage remaining by the assistance interface. The exterior anywhere the imprint and assistance encounter can be fairly ugly, so I was eager that none of the models should necessitate so much assistance as to effect the ocular quality.
With the engineer it was fairly simple, the backpack needed to be divided off, and there needed to be a slot and pin added, but alternatively a minor viewpoint was all that was needed for decent printing.
With the biter family however, there was a small additional work. There was the big matter of the legs: they would entirely not have printed in the "correct" orientation, and splitting in the centre of the biter and leaving a ample seam was an complete non-option. So the lone sensible resolution was to imprint them upside down! Simply printing them akin this as a sole part would apt have worked, but would have remaining horrible scarring on the most apparent exterior of the model, so I decided the casing needed to rotate into its own part so it could be correctly oriented. This additionally had the advantage of definition the shells are effortlessly printed in the accurate color for the biter size!
With that in mind, I could arrange all the biter legs to necessitate as small assistance as imaginable in the new orientation, and merged a few of the legs for added power - direction in intellect that they would need to remain on their own legs in reality. In command to create the shells attach, I sculpted in several additional reliefs and ensured both surfaces had fair the correct flat of clearance. The final outcome has nearly no apparent assistance interfacing, and a extremely satisfying "snap!"
Where to download? Pard
All models are accessible to download correct now from our Prusa Brands overview on Printables. Special gratitude go to Štěpán Feik, who helped us create all of this happen. From joining us at our playtesting event to assisting us cross the complete row this morning, he has been part of the journey throughout. You can peruse his obtain on our collaboration here.
As always, let us cognize what you imprint at the customary places.
