Gamasutra features a 3d print article today that discusses issues and option between home printing and cheap/expensive services... 3D Printing for Game Characters (and more)
1. Yes and No. Like mentioned it will vary on the printer. More so on the printing service than the actual printer being used. Some printers and software can't handle intersections. Printing services will sometimes say they can't when they can just so they don't have to deal with any issues that come with it and to keep…
1.This might depend on the printer, but between the three I've worked with it was always ok to have things disconnected and pushed into each other. Just make sure that those parts are actually intersecting each other and not just snapped to the surface, otherwise they might not be connected in the print. 2/3. The material…
good info by mentalfrog, see if i can add a bit more too I just got my own printer so iv had to go through a lot of this recently and learn from mistakes! 1, as long as each element is watertight and they intersect with each other, it will print as one piece. Make sure your intersecting area/cross-section is large enough…
For all the figs I have done they have always asked me to merge and dynamesh everything together then decimate just like cryid said. I only really have anecdotal tips. I'm not a 3d printing aficionado but there are some things I have picked up from clients. Most of the figs I have worked on are about 1-2" high and the…