Crates!

3D Printing a crate.

The time has come to 3D Print crates.

Boxes are one thing, and for years I've used cardboard and folded paper boxes to fill my dioramas, but there's nothing like having a crate that looks real. An advantage is that being plastic it's certainly stronger and safer for storing. I don't normally keep a diorama display up on a table for very long -- not a lot of space to keep things permanently displayed. So I have to put things away in tote boxes in another room. So constantly the paper boxes get bent and dented. They do last, but after many years they do show signs that they are paper.

In terms of photography, the surface of a 2D printed paper box does seem to be glossy. Sometimes a light shines over the surface and it becomes obvious it's paper.

Making 3D Printed crates are a lot of fun. When they come out of the printer they can be used right away, or painted to look weathered. One day I need to get some decals made with "Shanghai" or "Hong Kong" in both English and Chinese so they look like they are shipments right off of a ship. Great for a warehouse or shipyard diorama.

For storing, the plastic won't warp in the way paper will. Even moisture is a threat to paper boxes, but not so much for plastic. Would be great for an in-the-rain or in-the-mud photoshoots.

Now, I just need to get more filament and set more printers to 3D Print more crates. I like what I'm seeing.
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