3D printing in the home has a long way to go before it becomes mainstream. The costs remain high, and increase substantially depending on how detailed you want your 3D models to be.
However, we’re at a point now where you can gain access to a 3D printer that’s capable of creating the low polygon models found in many PSOne-era games. And that has led to the cast of Final Fantasy VII being perfectly recreated using a 3D printer.
The creation of these models is the work of Joaquin Baldwin who is an artist and animator currently working for Walt Disney Animation Studios as a digital cinematographer. But he clearly has an interest in 3D printing and has created this stunning set of 26 Final Fantasy models.
As is a growing trend, you can actually purchase the models via Baldwin’s Shapeways store. They aren’t cheap, though, with each character being offered for between 13-29 euros (US$17-39). If you want Odin, the Guardian Force riding his horse Sleipnir, that’s going to cost you 52 euros (US$70).
If Final Fantasy VII isn’t your thing, then don’t forget there’s also all the items from The Legend of Zelda available to purchase as 3D printed models, too. However, the complete set costs a cool 270 euros (US$360).
You have to wonder at what point the companies who own popular character IP like this will sit up and take notice. At the moment this is a niche product that not many people will be able to afford and own. But what about when high quality 3D printers are cheap and the model data for different characters becomes available to download? We could have a whole new area of piracy and lawsuits on our hands in a few years from now when that inevitably does happen.
Now read: Disney Research 3D prints animated eyes for interactive characters
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