3D Printing

tim-cain the-outer-worlds 3d-printing hobbies fallout fun-friday

Abstract

Problem: What does a veteran game developer do when gifted a 3D printer?

Approach: Tim Cain shares his 3D printing journey — from first test print through gaming memorabilia, practical attempts, and Outer Worlds models — in a casual Fun Friday video.

Findings: Gaming props dominated his prints (Nuka-Cola caps, Fallout vault doors, Outer Worlds models), practical prints failed hilariously, and complex models like the Unreliable ship exposed the limits of consumer 3D printing. The printer eventually broke due to a known motherboard issue.

Key insight: Even outside of work, game developers gravitate right back to gaming — Tim's 3D printing hobby became an extension of his game dev life.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuU-5saL6us

1. The Beginning

Robert gave Tim a 3D printer for Christmas. Tim set it up with blue filament and ran a test print — a "test spiral." His immediate observation: it was really loud. After the test, his very first real project was a Nuka-Cola bottle cap from Fallout, which took about an hour and came out well.

2. Early Prints: Toys Over Tools

Tim printed a series of fun items:

  • A Lego brick — same size as his metal desk Lego set
  • A Star Trek Voyager com badge — he wanted TNG but could only find the Voyager model
  • An iPhone X charging stand — his one attempt at something "useful." Despite the model being labeled for iPhone X, nothing fit. He gave up on practical prints and went back to toys.

3. Down the Fallout Rabbit Hole

The Nuka-Cola bottle cap led Tim into Fallout models:

  • Fallout vault door — marketed as a coaster, but "it really can't be used as a coaster." Purely decorative.
  • Vault Boy — his longest print at that point

4. The Outer Worlds Models

Since Tim was in the middle of developing The Outer Worlds at Obsidian, he had access to all the game's 3D models. He printed several:

  • A pig — his first Outer Worlds print
  • A Sistake — took a long time but came out really well
  • An assault trooper — roughly 19 hours to print, his biggest piece, and it came out great
  • The Needler (science weapon) — he asked an artist for the model; turned out really good
  • The Unreliable (player ship) — printed twice (horizontally and vertically), both failed. The internal honeycomb support structure broke through the outer shell, and no amount of scaling or rotating fixed it
  • An auto mechanical (flying drone) — his last successful print, came out really well

5. The Filament Swap

While reprinting a Nuka-Cola cap to give the first one away, Tim ran out of blue filament near the end. He swapped in his only other roll (green), resulting in a cap that was mostly blue with green embossing on top — an accidental two-tone effect he thought looked cool. The green filament also led to an obligatory Pickle Rick, which sat on his desk at Obsidian until The Outer Worlds shipped.

6. The Printer's Demise

After the auto mechanical print, the printer broke. Tim diagnosed it as a well-known unseated motherboard issue requiring a soldering gun he didn't have. Then he moved, and the printer went into a box. As of the video, he still has leftover filament and keeps thinking about fixing it someday.

7. References