pinkpanda, there is a big miscommunication is what I was referring to at the different times. Outsourcing the 3D Modeling would be a nightmare. Outsourcing the 3D Printing is relatively easy.
Sorry I misunderstood that. You did mention some people are good at dwg to suit how a printer works and others dwgs cannot be done.
No problem.
As far as banning all downloaded models, sure I’m on board. A battery holder is trivial to design anyway.
how is outsourcing someone with cnc mill is different from outsourcing someone with 3d printer. or have a design drawn out and send it to a glass blowing shop to fabricate a glass part of the light,
imo, if you don’t own a 3d printer, and are not designing\ printing yourself, do not enter 3d print category,
Let’s talk PCBs, it’s the same thing. You have an idea, draw it in Eagle, then what? Do you need to CNC router it from a copper-clad board yourself to be in the competition? Or is it ok to send it to oshPark?
Neither PCB nor 3D Print services do any actual problem solving for you. They just blindly mail you parts.
we are allowed to use drivers made by third party, that pretty much covers pcb’s. right?
btw my first contest build i made driver pcb myself, bought copper clad from radioshack, used sharpe to draw the traces, and used chemicals from radio shack to dissolve uncoated copper. it came out ugly but it worked just fine, i have seen people make pcb thsi way, and they looked like factory boards,
i thought the contest was about what you can make yourself, not what you can get someone else make for you, cuz this way it loses the whole point.
I guess the point is not that we are allowed to use 3rd party drivers but why we are allowed to do so. I believe the reason is that very very few would be able to build drivers themselves and even fewer would be able to do good ones.
With 3D printing it’s kind of similar and kind of different.
Plastic 3D printing is something that few members can do by themselves. Metal is unlikely to be available to anyone on the forum.
And yes, actually machining is a bit similar - (relatively) few members have access to lathes, allowing 3rd party services would make this category much more available.
At the same time I kind of get pinpanda’s argument that the competition is about doing something with ones hands. Here - 3rd party machining differs a lot 3rd party printing. Machining, implemented the way I see it on BLF, is a very manual process.
Printing is not. Seen this way, printed builds don’t fit the spirit of the competition all that well as the only manual process necessary to complete a build is assembly. OTOH they make the idea of building a light of your own, one that nobody else has much more available. Which is beautiful.
JoshK raises a good point that there is an element to the comp that is unrestricted so to speak. Meaning the drivers, electronics, type and number of batteries etc… The comp was always about the making the host by hand - Old-Lumens style.
I guess the rules (or lack thereof) regarding drivers/electronics is one of Justin’s legacies. He obviously wasn’t a big electronics guy. In the first OL challenge hand-made category could use an electric hand drill (not a drill press) and a Dremel and that was all the power tools you were allowed to use. Everything else had to be hand tools. Drivers and electronics were unrestricted though and some made up master/slave set ups and there was even a custom made driver.
Now I wish Justin RIP but his rules are outdated. Now times have changed and I guess we should be changing with it. That said I still believe the host should be made in-house but that doesn’t mean we can’t have new categories to cater for evolution and allow otherwise. The best way would be to make a poll asking if people would actually enter given the opportunity of new outsourcing rules and have further discussion on those rules and restrictions. Someone could start the poll now or we could wait until gearing up of the next contest to stir up interest.
We’ve had 19 people finish their builds this contest which as far as I’m aware is the largest number yet. 19 people…. isn’t really that much is it? So if new categories attract new participants then I’m good with that. CRX’s new modified category was a great idea - an extra 7 completed builds.
So whilst I still prefer hands dirty, home made I’m open to other ideas providing it’s categorized and ruled appropriately. I just hope we don’t end up with 7 categories and 10 participants.
I think a thing to remember here is that 3d printed entries would (in theory) be ONLY against 3d printed entries.
There should not be a scenario where a 3d printed entry will be up against anything other than another 3d printed one. Peoples choice was a waste of time this year, if you take out our votes, and the entrants basically no one bothered to vote - it’s a bit of a dead category. ‘How many flashlights are in your kitchen?’ is apparently more appealing to voters - puts it in perspective. 
Because there is no earthly way for anyone (judges whoever they will be) to be able to check what has or has not borrowed/used/changed/downloaded plans parts etc etc then I’m almost inclined to let them do what they want, so longs as the entire outside is by them/designed by them.
Surely if they are all on the same level playing field, and only against each other, does it really matter? I dunno, maybe I’m wrong?
Ultimately this is an entirely new category, it’s about 3d printed stuff only - so maybe let the people who do the 3d stuff sort rules etc out between them and judge it /organise prizes? seems quite a good idea to me? 
It’s also fairer, because most of us know nothing about 3d printing - I know about engineering (albeit old school) but couldn’t tell you the first thing about 3d printing really, so wouldn’t, wasn’t maybe fairly equipped to judge in some ways, as in considering all the work that went on behind scenes etc to get that ‘good print’.
This challenge/contest is awesome and one of the things that make this forum stand out as a community for enthusiasts and “guests” like myself. The build-threats are so much fun to read and learn and be entertaint by. I really enjoyed all of it. Thank you participants and organizers!
If I may add my 2 cents from an outsider perspectiv regarding the 3D printing.
It’s a new and coming technology and very much exciting as was demonstrated in this challenge.
The core of this challenge is building a light from start to finish, showing skills, craftmansship and knowlegde of the tools and processes involved - and having fun doing it.
That’s why - to me - it feels different to design a light and print it myself compared to designing the parts and let some company do the printing. This is also true considering CNC work.
Having somebody do “the work” leaves only design and assembly for oneself. And that does not feel like “building”.
But why is it diffent from using a storebought driver, batteryholder or O-rings, screws and the like? Those are standardparts available for everyone and do not make a light unique and stand out.
3D printing is use of a machine equal to using CNC or lathe, so I’d say same catergory. But one has to do the work oneself to demonstrate the skills and knowledge needed for the tools one chose to use.
But all that is really based on my understanding of “building” versus “assembling” a light.
i’d hate to be printing parts for someone, you print his file, and parts do not fit right, cuz you printed them in different orientation, and shrinkage is different in z axis vs x and y. with abs, or you printed someone’s part, and have a rough surface due to supports, when you design, and print yourself you know these things and design\print to avoid that, drawing part in 3d software without knowledge how it prints, will result is problems for both. cnc is easier in that regard. no supports, no shrinkage to compensate, 5mm on the drawing translates in 5 mm in material, not always so with 3d print,
Just wanted to give an update on my prize: I’ve used the voucher on led4power store, and added some other stuff I need.
Currently, the mail from there cannot be sent to Portugal, but we are in contact and as soon as possible, it will be shipped!
No mods for a while here 
Stay safe folks!
Mine is at the post office waiting for pickup but cant get there until monday.
My 2 cents on the 3d printed category
downloaded files for models should be allowed. Plagiarism is part and parcel of the internet, programming and computers.
But the printer is your machine and the person who enters should operate the machine that makes the light. That is what the competition is about. Making a light.
i have not gotten any news on my prize, no tracking yet. i hope i get it this time, i’m still waiting on hke xeno light from 5th contest.
The surface finish of even the shapeways prints is quite bad, so you wouldn’t really get good results with just assembling them as-is.
How about a requirement that 3D Printed parts have a surface treatment by the contestant? That adds back in the personal touch and skill.
Again using some Tofty pics:
Shapeways Metal as-is
Shapeways Metal with sanding and polishing
Shapeways plastic as-is
idk why his sideway plastik looks that bad, it can be pretty smooth if printed at 0.1 res. even 0.2 is still better, i used 0.2 res, and no fume smoothing, in my build, you actually get better finish on sides than top, but you have to orient it right for printing. that is why i believe designer and “printer” should be same person.
actually top can be pretty smooth too, if you use ironing option, but that is for fdm printers. sla printers offer much better res.
Shapeways uses powder based printers, so the surface is powdery. And that stuff can’t be vapor-smoothed either.
powder plastic?? that is something i never knew
Yep, it’s called SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)
Message sent to Skillhunt.
Old Lumens and CRX say:
Y’all need to be makin’ proper hand made lights with hacksaws & files!
