Hello everyone,

this story to tell you how I thought and developed the project of the Gothic Cathedral.

First of all, I have extensively documented how cathedrals have been built in the past centuries and this research took me a few weeks, between collecting references, photos and reading books on Gothic architecture.

The peculiarities of the Gothic Cathedrals, the cross vaults, the pointed arch, the system of thrusts and counter thrusts generated by the vaults and buttresses are the elements and construction techniques that have characterized these wonders. The spiers, pinnacles, gargoyles, statues etc as regards the exterior and the huge windows make the charm of these majestic buildings unique. Many of these peculiarities are present in the project (others will be in progress) and during the development of the same, I represented the 3d models as a function of a fast, modular printing, without supports and consistent with all the characteristics of the gothic of which I wrote above. Also the modularity and the use of small magnets make the project very stable, simple even in the removal of some parts but above all relatively fast in printing despite the size can be frightening.

The modularity of the project also allows you to vary the length and made possible the three versions of the diorama. The small church would practically be the cathedral without the apse and transepts, but with the addition of a rear facade. In the middle cathedral there is the apse while the two lateral transepts are missing. In the version of the complete cathedral, both the apse and the transepts are present. The three naves always remain present in all three versions, as well as the gargoyles and the details of the facades.

Another peculiarity, which unfortunately I have not been able to communicate well, is that concerning the windows and rose windows and I regret this. Virtually all windows were developed in two versions, one with holes and the other full. This is to make it possible to color it, through the use of transparent resin / pla. Unfortunately I am not at all good at painting and I have not been able to use it, this below is just a small example that a friend of mine has developed.

The three-dimensional project was quite articulated and the type of modeling I used was the polygonal one. I avoided using the procedural one also because I knew that there would not be many variations to the models if not the indispensable ones. The realization of the individual models was not particularly difficult, but the need to represent a real cathedral in the most likely way possible, together with the need for modularity and to simplify the printing process, took me some time. I also adapted the modeling itself to the need for orienting the model to the print base and in the meantime to keeping the details, always all without the need for supports.

All the models that are part of the project are divided, so to speak, into two main categories. The first includes the supporting structure, the facades, the vaults, the roofs etc and in any case all the relatively large models that can be printed with FDM printers. While the second category includes the details, therefore the windows, the rosettes, the gargoyles, the pinnacles, spiers etc, and to be printed with the SLA. All this to get the best advantage between quality and time of realization of the whole diorama. But be careful, nothing prevents you from being able to print the whole diorama in SLA, as there are now on the market printers with fairly large bases.

Furthermore, the use of the magnetic plate, both for SLA and FDM printers, allowed me to make the base of the models adhere perfectly, with the advantage of having a clean, fast printing, without supports and no less, the immediacy of the removal of the model to the plate.

The supports for the whole project are used only for a few circular / triangular windows and for the base of the roof, but always in a very small part. 90% of the models do not need it and the same are already oriented for optimal printing in terms of details.

For the actual printing process I naturally started from the lower level, including the transepts and the apse, after which I proceeded to the next level of the lantern, some vaults and then complete with the roofs. The prints of the models were made simultaneously both the FDM and SLA ones, so as to save useful time.

Below are the various levels of the cathedral's development and also the order of how he printed all the models to complete the diorama.

These instead are some internal renderings that I hope will make you better appreciate the details and the likely restitution work of the whole project.

The next step to the construction of the cathedral will be to work to expand it with internal and external models that will enrich the diorama, I will also expand the cemetery in order to lay the foundations of my future project, of which I will have the pleasure of communicating it to you. as soon as possible here on MyMiniFactory.

The project is now available for late pledge here on MyMiniFactory.

Pledge here: Gothic Cathedral.

Thank you for your time.

Gothic Things