Before I had access to 3D printing, I felt it was a bit of a cop-out to the all-foam approach.

  • How could a manufacturing method based on automation be considered “homemade”?
  • Did you really make it yourself when you have a machine make it for you?
  • How is it different buying a piece of your cosplay online than making it on a 3D printer?

After having my printer for over two years, I feel I can answer some of these questions now.

How could a manufacturing method based on automation be considered “homemade”?

A 3D printer is just a tool, and like any other tool in a cosplayer’s kit, a tool is only as good as its user. There’s a saying that is somewhat related:

If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

The more tools you have access to, the number of ways you can make things increases. Sure, using a 3D printer may seem like a cop-out, but here’s what you don’t consider:

  • Learning how to even use the damn thing
  • 3D modeling
  • Slicing the 3D model so that it prints successfully
  • Preparing a raw print for painting
  • Added complexity of a machine that intermittently fails/clogs/messes up (all 3D printer owners have been here at some point)

Did you really make it yourself when you have a machine make it for you?

Yes. Just because the process of manufacturing changed from cutting foam and gluing it together to extruding plastic from a hot end, there is still a human behind the process. There is something to be said for the apparent skill-level of manufacturing an item using these two methods, but keep in mind the list above. It may be easier to give someone who has never made anything in their life a 3D printer and have them crank out good-looking parts when compared to having to teach them how to cut and assemble foam, but just because someone printed something out does NOT make their approach any less valid than a more manual method.

An example of a tool that might seem like “cheating” is a foam cutting knife, also referred to as a hot knife. Turning difficult cuts into trivial cuts may leave “purists” upset, but the fact of the matter is, a tool is only as good as the hand that wields it. I’ll probably repeat this later again.

How is it different buying a piece of your cosplay online than making it on a 3D printer?

One is purchasing the time, money and skill of whoever made the item, while the other is still spending time, money, and skill, but probably weighted with more of an emphasis of money. The cost of a 3D printer isn’t exactly cheap after taking into account various upgraded/modifications (I’m not happy to admit I spent like $600 on upgrades).

3D printing is not by itself an easy-way-out for cosplayers looking to cut corners and speed up their manufacturing process. If you need to make the same piece repeatedly (think scales), then 3D printing seems like the way to go, but using it just for a single prop may not be worth the effort required to set up a repeatable production from beginning to end. That’s basically what 3D printing guarantees – given some input (3D file), you’re almost always going to get the same output, barring irregularities in the printing process.

Disregarding 3D printing as a tool also means you probably won’t approve of the following AWESOME tools:

  • Laser cutter
  • Vinyl cutter
  • Vacuform machine

I’ve used the laser and vinyl cutter and – while not for cosplay – they opened up so many avenues of construction that I even managed to open an Etsy shop for a while because of it (no longer open since I don’t have access to a laser cutter).

Leaving out 3D printing is doing yourself a disservice by limiting your crafting potential. One of the BEST parts about 3D printing is that I can make something while my printer is working (less likely), or I can just sleep and wake up to a finished part (more likely). Don’t shun 3D printing, it has a lot to offer.

This is something I’ve wanted to put into words for a while.