Port/ shipping yard terrain - Forklift Sculpt

[beefcake]

I've been digitally modelling some port/shipping yard terrain and so far have created a shipping container, some empty pallets, stacked empty pallets and a pallet with some cargo with a canvas draped over the top.
I've been thinking about making a crane (although that would be rather big) what else would suit this type of place. Maybe a small forklift? I'm not really wanting to do an actual container ship because that would be too big (but would be cool).

[SBRPearce]

Perhaps a lift-truck designed to carry whole shipping containers? I recall pictures of these grasshopper-looking machines that straddle the container and latch on, with a cab up on top...

I've never seen a model of one, though.

[N.C.S.E]

Once the containers are opened, smaller forklifts are used to move the pallets within the containers around and into storage prior to pick up. So smaller forklifts are definitely acceptable.

[beefcake]

Thanks
I think I'll do a forklift and I do like the idea of the straddling lift things but they might be a bit big for printing, although I'll se if I can do a small version maybe as they look fairly easy to sculpt.

[Andym]

Anchor points for ships are a hard one to model physically, doing them by CAD would be easier. What about life belt stands? What about doing actual dock sides? Retaining walls, for example, with tyres attached and wooden supports. That would let people dress up a plain sheet of blue foam to make a board.

[beefcake]

Some nice ideas there. Added to my list. Cheers

[FramFramson]

Bollards of course! Don't forget the bollards!

[Codsticker]

I think for as modern port a container crane is practically a must. Could you design one to be printed in sections and assembled afterwards? Other than that, how about fuel tanks:

[beefcake]

Nice idea on the fuel tank. Yes. And I think I will need to do a container crane, agreed. As you say in sections and probably scaled down too.

[mcfonz]

Are you doing this commercially or for yourself? As TT combat do a nice port container crane. My advice would be to buy that and then ignore the contents of the crane operating cabin and print that as well as any details you'd want to add to it.

Maybe a big winch with cable drum for any ramps etc from the water up to doc level for boats to be drawn out on trolley's etc. Maybe even trolleys for boats as well?

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Thanks
I think I'll do a forklift and I do like the idea of the straddling lift things but they might be a bit big for printing, although I'll se if I can do a small version maybe as they look fairly easy to sculpt.

One of these?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reach_stacker

[beefcake]

So I worked on a forklift. I did this mostly in Tinkercad as I find it really good for non-organic shapes that don't require a lot of sculpting, rather just a bunch of geometric shapes put together and taken away. I did do the tyres in blender though. Quite happy with this. Once I print it out I'll see how it actually works. I've made it so that you can adjust the height of the forks somewhat so it has 4 different heights. It also fits perfectly with the container I made... and haven't shown yet. The different colours show the different pieces involved.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice.

[beefcake]

Thanks. Printing now. It will be finished by the time I go to bed tonight. Although one little piece has come loose. Hopefully it won't interfere with the rest of the print. It is the smallest piece, the pistons for the forks so I'll print it separately later.

[Flinty]

Nice forklift. I was wandering around the DP World facility in Southampton last week, all pretty sterile and efficent - just lots of (who'd have guessed...) containers.

But you could also go for porta-cabin/anti-vandal style offices, which should be a relativly easy conversion/tweak of your existing container file? And an obligatory one of these: