Looking for an answer from experienced people & possible partnership

[CarterTG]

Not all 3D models are constructed the same. Depending on the creator, some were destined ONLY for visual effects where the model consists of a series of open shells -- good enough to create 3D animations. Others may have been modeled with a more faithful internal structure (chassis, B-pillars, subframe) but even then, it's possible those subcomponents are not watertight.

Many 3D printers, FDM or SLA alike, require that the 3D model you feed it be watertight. No open seams, no manifold edges. Yes, there are some printing systems and workflows that tolerate non-watertight models, but it's a bad habit to rely on and can be a recipe for disaster if you intend on this being your thing.

The approach varies tremendously depending on many other factors you've not listed.

Is the intent to have a faithful interior or just targeting an outside shape? Interior features like the rearview mirror and dome light are overhangs that need to be supported regardless of the Printing tech used. Once printed, what's your plan on snipping away the supports? If it's a filled solid model and scaled up to 1:18, there'll be a LOT of filament or resin used. If it's a tiny 1:64 (matchbox) or 1:87 (HO) scale, FDM filament printing will look like garbage up-close. SLA resin printers provide astounding surface smoothness but tend to have small build envelopes - a limiting factor if future prints will be entire 1:32 - 1:24 scale vehicles.

The level of detail a resin SLA-type machine can achieve:
http://www.b9c.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1537

Start-to-finish of 1:10 scale resin wheel on my B9 printer:
http://www.b9c.com/forum/viewtopic.p...tart=20#p32950

On my envisionTEC printer configured with 30 micron X-Y resolution, details like shift knob and door map pockets are discernible with the macro dSLR lens. The multi-car print sits across an old iPhone screen for a sense of scale:
envisionTEC-roadsters.jpg
Attachment 10192

Folks modeling in Cinema4D mostly intend on the object to be displayed (on screen) and not manufactured. Maxxon's own homepage makes no claims nor pitches their C4D product as a manufacturing product. (Its name DOES say CINEMA, after all) Converting a poorly modeled polygon object into a proper watertight STL file might range from painfully difficult to highly improbable.