3d printing has come a long way in the few years. i remember looking at even the simplest printed items with awe and thinking I could never do something like that. Now, hobbiests, gamers, diorama builders all use 3d printers to print even the most intricate parts for their projects.While I have nothing but admiration for the craftsmen on this site who can work with nothing but wood and metal, I have neither the space nor the budget for some of the power tools and equipment that are needed to create some of the ships that you can find on this site. This is where 3d printing comes in for me. After teaching myself how use Freecad, Blender, and Sculpt GL (all free) I can now design and print everything from blocks to figureheads, cleats to gratings and everything in between. When primed and painted with the proper technique you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I still make a majority of parts from wood and metal, but with the printer I can now up my game to produce much better results. After the initial cost of the printer the only expense is the resin and the slicer program. Although some slicer programs are free I use a paid subscription for Lychee that allows me to scale, copy, and mirror any part that I design. I hope more modelers on this site try 3d printing as an option.
