The 3D Printing Drama: Originally, my plan was to 3D print all the aquatic trees and plants myself. But let’s be honest – after printing, they looked so absolutely terrible and cheap that they completely ruined the realism. I couldn't stand looking at them, so I threw them in the trash and ended up buying those cheap Chinese plastic greens instead. However, I didn't completely give up on printing for this project! Some of the seashells on the white sand at the bottom ARE actually 3D printed and hand-painted by me. A few more details for the curious: The Mold: I literally chopped up an old plastic bucket, glued it into this crescent shape, and poured the resin. The Pour: Done in 4 separate layers. Surprisingly, the color matches perfectly across all of them, even though the heat reaction caused a few minor artifacts over the decade. The Fish & Jellyfish: These are 3D resin decals. I used a transfer technique where I stripped away the plastic backing film completely, leaving only the raw graphic flakes. I placed them layer by layer between the pours so they look perfectly suspended in 3D, and touched them up with acrylic paint so they wouldn't look see-through under the light. My favorite fish is still the one served with fries, but this eternal tank is definitely a close second. What do you think of this printing fail turned into a resin win?   submitted by   /u/SaleZealousideal1820 [link]   [comments]