Newbie looking for best 3d printer!

[SloppyJostler]

What is a "Full Head"?

What do you mean by print in color? Two colors, more? Would you mind changing filament mid print to get color?

You need to provide enough information to make an answer possible.

So you can change the colors mid print to make this happen without painting? I assume you would need many filament colors?

[DavidS]

So you can change the colors mid print to make this happen without painting? I assume you would need many filament colors?

Very limited. If you want good detail the best way is to paint it after done.

Getting the pause points exact is difficult, and you do not want to pause for long. Some times some of the pigment from the previous filament bleeds into the next loaded for a while. And you do not want to do so more than a few times per print (that is my experience so far anyway).

[SloppyJostler]

Very limited. If you want good detail the best way is to paint it after done.

Getting the pause points exact is difficult, and you do not want to pause for long. Some times some of the pigment from the previous filament bleeds into the next loaded for a while. And you do not want to do so more than a few times per print (that is my experience so far anyway).

What wuould be best material to use for this? and what would be best printer to buy which can support say not only stl file but x3d ect and all kinds of different materials like rubber flex?

[DavidS]

What wuould be best material to use for this? and what would be best printer to buy which can support say not only stl file but x3d ect and all kinds of different materials like rubber flex?

Well first off:
No 3D printer I know of supports any form of 3D model format (not StL, X3D, OBj, etc). They all use G-Code or something similar, that is output from a slicer program that reads in the model and outputs the command language for the printer.

So you want a slicer program that supports more formats. There are a couple that support both StL and WaveFront (.OBJ). Though the best way about it is to convert the model you are working from into a StL format, most 3D modelers support exporting to StL (including Blender, which it sounds like you may be using). There are also command line tools for converting from one 3D model format to another.

As to the printer to use:
I ask you what is the maximum size you will need to print (x, y, z all three ways)?

As to material:
I see no reason it would make a huge difference for your application, so long as the printer you use does well with the material you use.

As to budget:
There are 3D printers that cost as little as $250, and some that cost upwards of $400,000.00, so I do believe that having some idea of your budget is important, at least a range.

[SloppyJostler]

Well first off:
No 3D printer I know of supports any form of 3D model format (not StL, X3D, OBj, etc). They all use G-Code or something similar, that is output from a slicer program that reads in the model and outputs the command language for the printer.

So you want a slicer program that supports more formats. There are a couple that support both StL and WaveFront (.OBJ). Though the best way about it is to convert the model you are working from into a StL format, most 3D modelers support exporting to StL (including Blender, which it sounds like you may be using). There are also command line tools for converting from one 3D model format to another.

As to the printer to use:
I ask you what is the maximum size you will need to print (x, y, z all three ways)?

As to material:
I see no reason it would make a huge difference for your application, so long as the printer you use does well with the material you use.

As to budget:
There are 3D printers that cost as little as $250, and some that cost upwards of $400,000.00, so I do believe that having some idea of your budget is important, at least a range.

I thought some printers can print in color with the x3d file ect, but as to size I have no idea but would like around the size of a human head and possibly slightly larger, also my budget would be around maybe 1000 GBP or 1500 usd I guess, I am looking on Ebay at the moment and see some printers I may get lucky with and grab one cheaper that costs more from the retailer. I have seen a few and one is a Wanhao ds5 large build that looks like it can do big enough printing, and also a focus l8 single extruder which again looks big enough, but I have no idea if any of them are any good, or if they can use rubber flex material or just abs pla, and can these printers print with some kind of see through material? like acrylic?