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While waiting for my 3D printer to arrive I have searched, read, downloaded, installed and tested (played with) so much that my head is ready to explode.  One thing that is obvious is that there isn't much O scale available online that is ready-to-print (free or otherwise).  I won't get into scaling here... because, it isn't always lineal and even that may be beyond someone's ability.   Why should parts that are unavailable be continually modeled?  Would it be helpful to *all* if we had a Repository for O scale 3D files to make it easier for everyone to find/upload/download these files?

I will make any of the 3D files I create freely available to all forum members (without having to do so privately) via ftp.  I have quite a bit of storage/backup space (around 20TB) and 2 machines that run 24/7 as well as decent bandwidth... 200MB Up & Down.

opinions please...

dennis

Last edited by Dennis-LaRock
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Pretty underwhelming reply to view ratio.   I suppose that the majority of members are probably in my age group (i.e., seniors) and have no interest in 3D printing which is totally understandable.   I am a little surprised that a couple (or, a few) of the younger members did not respond.  I’ll set up the ftp server in the next week or so and see what the future holds.   

It will probably take me a month or so to provide any .stl(s) as I am new to 3D printing and will have to gain some modest level of proficiency before doing so.

Dennis,

I am very interested in what you are saying and totally agree, I've run into the same situation where I have to make most everything myself as there isn't much out there.

are you saying that you will host this FTP site for all forum members (or anyone) to use for up and downloading? 

I've had many requests to make 3D prints for members which I have turned down as that is not what I want to spend time doing, but will give them the STL files that they could print or have printed.

So I have a good list of parts made already and am sure to be designing more that I could share.

Many of my STL files run up to and some well over 100KB

I would recommend not only having STL files available but also STP files in case someone wants to modify a part for their individual needs.

I've found that it is important to be able to find a file once made when the data base can be very large.

Would there be a means to control someone from trying to sell this information that we give freely or do we care?

Like I said, yes I'm in if we have a workable system and database to do this.

Shown is some of the parts that would be available.

Capture2

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Last edited by sidehack

Ray,  Yes, I'll host it.  I'm fairly good at organizing... and, kind of have that figured out.  I certainly will listen to suggestions... and would be hopeful that y'all kinda help me with the protocol(s).   There are a-holes everywhere... however, I don't really care if someone try's to profit off it ....they'll rot, you know where.  This is really about the hobby and it's enhancement.  I can make the site as tight as you want... passwords, encryption, whatever or, leave it open ...y'all can help me figure out the best practices/approach.

dennis

Last edited by Dennis-LaRock

My son's gave me a 3d printer for Christmas last year Since that time, I have printed 1 item...just to see what it can do and the possibilities are endless.  My lack of doing anything further is the absence of files that I want or am willing to pay for.  I did run across one forum member that had done some great things and I asked if I may purchase files so I could build.  That was met with a stern rebuke and a pretty lousy attitude so I just forgot about it.  Due to the lack of files, I considered getting a 3D camera to make my own files...again, not a motivating proposition.  

I will say this, I would gladly consider paying a membership to this site to have access to files without having to worry about royalties or copyright violations.  Additionally, how many of the items we would want to print would be in competition with Forum sponsors?  People, fences, scenic details, out of production engine and/or rolling stock pieces?

Standardization of file formats is another consideration.  

I look forward to joining and subscribing for this purpose.

Some believe that as they have spent time developing models that time has value.  

For those folks, I don't expect them to participate.

This is not a needed source of funding for me. So i have no issues sharing.

However, I don't have a ready easy to find inventory of items. I have maybe hundreds of models that are not well-organized because I was making things on the fly.

Many or a lot of the things I made I don't use because I have revised my designs or layout plans. It's a very iterative design process. So I'd be losing money if I was a manufacturer of Ogauge products.  Gladly I'm not.

Still again I have no issues sharing.

The repository (library) would *not* be a part of the this forum or have *any* relationship with this website whatsoever (unless, the brass at OGR want it to be).  I will host it personally and as a software developer I am *extremely* well versed in copyright.  It probably would not hurt if one was a member or better yet a supporting member...

Last edited by Dennis-LaRock

In answer to Alan's question, and knowing next to nothing about 3D print software, couldn't someone who downloaded an existing file modify it by changing (lengthen or shorten) the escalator size or modifying (increase or decrease) the angle of descent with the proper software?  And here, let me quote Gunrunner John: "No job is so easy as the one you imagine someone else doing."

Chuck

Dennis, I think it is a great idea and would be very valuable to the community. I haven't gotten a printer yet, but I am very interested and am excited to see what you come up with. I am always happy to see projects on the forum where people are moving in a more DIY direction as it allows for more customization and flexibility. 

To customize a stairway for anyone is where Rhino 6's Grasshopper sub-program comes in. I guess I could have programmed one stair step tread run and riser height that would be sloped at an entered variable angle that then multiplied  to become a series of steps to obtain a variable height floor to floor and extruded to the specified width.  

Enter height, width and slope in Grasshopper and you would create a specific stair model in Rhino 6. Now that I say it out loud it could be fairly easy to do that.

In Rhino, like most other 3D programs, you start with a 2D drawing of a stair and extrude it into 3D. Or take a  curve that twists in 3 space, place a circle at one end and extrude the circle about the curve to create a 3D pipe in three space. The possibilities are endless. 

The win (and fail) of existing sites like thingiverse, is the ability to search and find collections of like things. 

When I think of ftp, I think of old school navigation of a filesystem tree and trying to guess what was really intended by someones file naming convention, and hoping that they included a readme file describing what each file is. Are you planning a front end for the ftp site? 

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