What will be possible with color?

[Hudson]

The above are examples of approximately 1" /30cm tall miniature figures that have been hand painted. Obviously the level of painting on these is absolutely superb.

In comparison - here are basic block painted miniatures (same size) without the more nuanced shading and highlighting:



My question is - will 3D printers (like HP's new Multi Jet Fusion) be able to achieve this kind of coloring within prints at some point? If so - when?

[LambdaFF]

Buys a cristal ball and looks into it ... hmmm ... haaa... hmmm

Sometime in the future, but the result will keep being shitty for sometime yet.

;-) Sorry

[curious aardvark]

yes, it can be done - and now, not in the future
Check out some of the mcor paper mache (sorta-kinda) prints.
Full colour, full detail. http://mcortechnologies.com/
These were printed NOT painted:
http://mcortechnologies.com/3d-printers/iris/

Also the stratasys objet full colour range will do the same in a variety of different materials.

Okay, at the moment it's mainly top end machines. But that's how technology always works. The trickle down effect should give high resolution full colour printers under £1000 in 2-5 years.
Less if any of the add on colour systems ever come to fruition.

Okay not desktop machines - but fully capable of printing out every bit as good as the first lot painted models

[Hudson]

Ooh that's very cool. Thanks so much for pointing this out!