The Lamp (Part 2)

    When I first imported my Metahuman model into Blender, it was in a default A-pose with no animations, which required multiple changes. I redesigned the skeleton by recreating the bones and changing the root structures of numerous body components to accommodate the intended positions. After merging the animation sequences, I was able to correctly link the data to my restructured Metahuman. This technique was repeated for the second posture, and everything worked perfectly, with YouTube providing essential troubleshooting and guidance. I then exported the models to STL format, ready for 3D printing at the Fab Lab.

    Several issues arose during the initial printing attempts. I started with a trial of solid white filament, planning to transition to clear PLA once the procedure was refined. A big difficulty was that the prints were not evenly hollow; Tinkercad tweaks resolved this, making the model hollow from the torso to the head. The most recurring issue was with the right arm, which repeatedly failed at the elbow joint, necessitating post-print modifications such as sanding or the insertion of a constructed elbow. Initially, I employed tree supports, but they proved inadequate. Switching to standard supports improved the outcome significantly, resulting in a perfect print on the first try with the new setup. I ended up with three prototypes with spaghettified elbows, and one of them happened to be missing an arm.