3D print your own (virtual) spaceship

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck

If you’re one of the lucky few who have managed to master the Kerbal Space Program design simulator, a 3D printing company is now making it possible for you to create a lasting monument to your success with a plastic replica of the vessel that you created.

Eucl3d, which makes custom collectables for video game enthusiasts, is now allowing players of Kerbal Space Program to upload their ‘.craft’ files and order scale PVC models of their creations for as little as $99 each, according to reports published Monday by Engadget.

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However, the website warns that you “may not get the epic grandeur you expect” as the company will have to scale the models down in size, and that some smaller details (such as struts) could be automatically deleted by the system as they are too small to print. Still, those are “minor details,” and the majority of the finished creations “look fantastic,” it added.

Three sizes

Those who have managed to actually build a cool-looking, functional ship in the physics-based spaceflight simulator can upload their information through Eucl3d’s website, and Polygon noted that each of the models will be “roughly the same size as [the spaceship’s] longest axis.”

Ships are available in three sizes, according to Technabob: 8 inches, 10 inches and 12 inches. While the smaller prints are available for the aforementioned $99 price tag, the website pointed out that the medium and larger prints will cost a little more ($140 and $200, respectively).

Getting NASA’s attention

Kerbal Space Program is a simulation game in which players are tasked with creating and managing their own space program, including building and flying spacecraft with the ultimate goal of helping the Kerbals fulfill their mission of conquering space. Developed by Squad, the game is currently in public beta development for release on Windows, OS X, and Linux.

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KSP has even caught the attention of NASA, which according Engadget has embraced it as “a means to get the public interested in leaving our planet once again – much like the televised Apollo launches were for generations prior.” The US space agency has even started collaborating with teachers and school administrators to develop a classroom-focused version of the game.

“The development team’s efforts as a whole have been a success, and there’s proof that the player-base is much more than a handful of space-geeks and Lockheed Martin employees too,” the website said. “The team said that in a recent survey a staggering number of their players (some 92 percent) weren’t involved in the space industry at all, and an even higher amount (97 percent) became more interested in science and space as a direct result of playing.”

KSP is currently in the beta stage of development, and a date for the final official release has not yet been determined. The first, alpha version of the game was released on June 24, 2011, and it is regularly being updated with new features. The most recent version of KSP (0.90) was released in December, and a NASA-supported Asteroid Mission Pack is also available.

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Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113345355/3d-print-your-own-virtual-spaceship-030315/