3d printers for minis and terrain.

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Go talk to Tom Tullis and Jolly Blackburn. They do a ton of 3d printing for gaming and both are on Facebook.
He (Tom) uses and Ender 3 and gives profile settings for Cura for those of you wondering what to buy and what slicing software to use. If you get one or even if you are thinking of getting one I would suggest signing up for the Dragonlock newsletter. They give out free .stl files for minis with each issue.
 
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They give out free .stl files for minis with each issue.

This links back to the Cyberpunk thread - Who would have thought, as kids, that we could have a printer in our houses where we could download a template and print out miniatures?

For an oldie like me, this is just amazing.
 
This links back to the Cyberpunk thread - Who would have thought, as kids, that we could have a printer in our houses where we could download a template and print out miniatures?

For an oldie like me, this is just amazing.
I was talking with a friend about the technology available for soldiers nowadays, and I described it as "much more cyberpunk than you might think". We have amazing stuff nowadays. MANY things that are augmentations are available now, just not in an implanted form. Shows you where the real barrier is.
 
I was talking with a friend about the technology available for soldiers nowadays, and I described it as "much more cyberpunk than you might think". We have amazing stuff nowadays. MANY things that are augmentations are available now, just not in an implanted form. Shows you where the real barrier is.
I suspect the problem with implants is the military wants it back when you leave.
 
I suspect the problem with implants is the military wants it back when you leave.

We’ve talked about it. The human machine interface at a biological level is hard. Heat and power management is a lot of it, and we don’t understand the body well enough. They could easily get it back on discharge.
 
Anyone printing terrain look for dungeonsticks on thingiverse. Very handy, simple terrain that works both for wargaming and RPGs. Basically they use half height walls so visibility is improved and everyone I've shown it to says it's half height doesn't detract from the feel of it being a dungeon wall.
 
The altar was easy to print. Miniatures are taking much more tuning. I'll upload my Cura profile for printing miniatures so anyone else can hopefully reduce their learning curve.

A caveat though. Apparently the settings need to be adjusted for each spool of material. I haven't gone through a roll yet so I can't tell how true that is.

where's your Cura profile? also, if you have some facebook groups that are of particular help, can you point me to them?

Apparently fat dragon games has a starter one that gets very good.
 
where's your Cura profile? also, if you have some facebook groups that are of particular help, can you point me to them?

Apparently fat dragon games has a starter one that gets very good.
I'll dig it out tonight and upload it for you but but it's basically Tom's profile from the fat dragon Facebook group in the files section.

The FDG Facebook group is probably the most helpful group. Tom is trying to help new people get into 3d printing so he shuts down asshats who rag on folks for asking newbie questions.
 
I'll dig it out tonight and upload it for you but but it's basically Tom's profile from the fat dragon Facebook group in the files section.

The FDG Facebook group is probably the most helpful group. Tom is trying to help new people get into 3d printing so he shuts down asshats who rag on folks for asking newbie questions.
Also join the FDG newsletter and you'll get free minis each month.
 
where's your Cura profile? also, if you have some facebook groups that are of particular help, can you point me to them?

Apparently fat dragon games has a starter one that gets very good.
Also I'm using cura 3.6 I believe. I haven't printed much lately but I heard conflicting reports about the various 4.x releases.

I recently backed a KS for Bestiary 3d printed models that ends in 4-5 days. You might want to check that out.

I
They probably won't be like FDG in that they will require you to figure out supports and printing angles etc but they look cool.
 
Also I'm using cura 3.6 I believe. I haven't printed much lately but I heard conflicting reports about the various 4.x releases.

I recently backed a KS for Bestiary 3d printed models that ends in 4-5 days. You might want to check that out.

I
They probably won't be like FDG in that they will require you to figure out supports and printing angles etc but they look cool.
one thing I note about FDG minis is that they look a little.. squat? I assume because they are without supports, and thus need some more structure.
 
one thing I note about FDG minis is that they look a little.. squat? I assume because they are without supports, and thus need some more structure.
Yeah. They live in high BMI world but they're so much less hassle to start with.
 
Also join the FDG newsletter and you'll get free minis each month.
thanks! i've done the thing and done the thing and will follow with avid fervor and bust out Cura and play around with it before the printer arrives.
 
You might look into getting the new v1.1.5? Ender main board. If I have the number right it has built in thermal run away protection (keeps the thing from bursting into flames) and improved motor controls for more silent operation. I think it's $45.

If you don't get that make sure you upgrade your firmware to add thermal runaway protection. Most upgrades I'm skeptical of their importance/improvement but that's one I'd do. That and print a fan duct cover.
 
and like a bolt from the heavens, woot has a sale on the printer I was looking at today (creality ender 3) for $160. bought.
 
and like a bolt from the heavens, woot has a sale on the printer I was looking at today (creality ender 3) for $160. bought.
So I would check woots return policy before picking them

The Ender 3 is good. It's what I have but it's the bottom end of 3d printers which sometimes means they do crap quality control. I'd bet 95%+ are great and the others you can fiddle with for days before returning due to just failure to work right. The creality Facebook group is littered with people saying "Works great" followed by someone saying the returned it twice to get issues resolved. Mine was fine out of the box but the number of people who've I've watched spend days trying to get it working suggests there is something to their complaints about poor components.

Just for comparison I paid $199 shipped for mine from a Questionable site in China. It took a month to get here but it did arrive and work fine. That was last October.
 
So I would check woots return policy before picking them

The Ender 3 is good. It's what I have but it's the bottom end of 3d printers which sometimes means they do crap quality control. I'd bet 95%+ are great and the others you can fiddle with for days before returning due to just failure to work right. The creality Facebook group is littered with people saying "Works great" followed by someone saying the returned it twice to get issues resolved. Mine was fine out of the box but the number of people who've I've watched spend days trying to get it working suggests there is something to their complaints about poor components.

Just for comparison I paid $199 shipped for mine from a Questionable site in China. It took a month to get here but it did arrive and work fine. That was last October.

I've bought many things from woot, and have returned stuff there as well, so I feel pretty good about that.

last time 2 times i ordered from china, my credit card number was stolen and used :smile: I need to get a specific one time use one or something.
 
Two of the guys in my hobby machining group bought the same printer this past winter. They seem pretty happy with theirs, and I think they paid more like $200-250, so $160 sounds like quite a deal.
 
$160 is a deal. Woots reliable which is good because usually that price it's a scam.

The Ender 3 is a bit notorious for scams sites unfortunately
 
I had apparently forgotten about a humble bundle I had picked up for a mess of FDG and black Scrolls Games STLs. sure enough, i have enough crap to print for a long time, though the stuff from iain lovecraft is going to make me spend too much money. he's got a whole mesoamerican line that i really like
 
I had apparently forgotten about a humble bundle I had picked up for a mess of FDG and black Scrolls Games STLs. sure enough, i have enough crap to print for a long time, though the stuff from iain lovecraft is going to make me spend too much money. he's got a whole mesoamerican line that i really like
I have that bundle too
 
Currently Banggood a fairly reputable site is selling the Ender 3 for $169. See here
 
I was really looking at the Ender 3 then I joined a 3D printing group on FB and discovered resin 3D printers are beginning to get into the "affordable" range. :dead: Some incredible detail on the resin printers, but don't know enough yet to know if I really want one vs a ridiculously cheap Ender 3. Of course being so helpful most answers are along the lines of get both.
 
I was really looking at the Ender 3 then I joined a 3D printing group on FB and discovered resin 3D printers are beginning to get into the "affordable" range. :dead: Some incredible detail on the resin printers, but don't know enough yet to know if I really want one vs a ridiculously cheap Ender 3. Of course being so helpful most answers are along the lines of get both.

You can get an Elegoo Mars off of amazon for $280, which is actually quite good, though I've seen them down to $260. Smaller build volume than an ender 3. I have a friend with one and he and I split duties. he does any minis, I do terrain. I just dropped off a bunch of tiles to him, all magnetically attached. He's done up a couple of wyverns and some player minis for me.

it's a good arrangement for both of us.
 
I was really looking at the Ender 3 then I joined a 3D printing group on FB and discovered resin 3D printers are beginning to get into the "affordable" range. :dead: Some incredible detail on the resin printers, but don't know enough yet to know if I really want one vs a ridiculously cheap Ender 3. Of course being so helpful most answers are along the lines of get both.
I'd get resin if I didn't have small kids and a very odor sensitive/green wife. The idea of playing with toxic chemicals is a no go here.
 
The resin printers are a new concept for me, since until fairly recently they were basically deep pockets commercial only machines. I'm finding as with many devices it is very easy to work your way from a $200 budget to a $2000 budget by playing the just a little better game.

I have not seen the Elegoo Mars, that is a very attractive price. The one I've seen pushed is the Anycubic Photon and closer to $500.
 
The resin printers are a new concept for me, since until fairly recently they were basically deep pockets commercial only machines. I'm finding as with many devices it is very easy to work your way from a $200 budget to a $2000 budget by playing the just a little better game.

I have not seen the Elegoo Mars, that is a very attractive price. The one I've seen pushed is the Anycubic Photon and closer to $500.
Definitely go read about them. They pretty much require good ventilation as there are noxious fumes involved.

The picture I posted in the what have you been up to lately is off an FDM printer, an ender 3. Frankly, outside of the annoying supports, it’s quite good. I might have solved my support issue as well.
 
Definitely go read about them. They pretty much require good ventilation as there are noxious fumes involved.

The picture I posted in the what have you been up to lately is off an FDM printer, an ender 3. Frankly, outside of the annoying supports, it’s quite good. I might have solved my support issue as well.
You solved your support issues! Do tell.
 
You solved your support issues! Do tell.
well, it's not 100%, but current one I pulled off was a fair lot better. Followed Danny's video on easier supports, but he didn't mention the 0 support wall count. This prints an enclosure around your supports. This gives them A LOT of strength, but it's completely unneeded on the stuff I'm printing. Just pulled off one and it was much easier to remove them. A little angling and I should even not have a glaive snap :smile:
 
Altered a little more this morning, turning the mini so that support interfaces with the mini were minimal. This produced a very good result as a whole. I dare say it was as good as the resin print I got from my friend of the same model. His is smoother as a whole (post processing with alcohol he says), but that smoothness also reduces some of the fine details on the scales which I hold onto.

naga I'm using: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3720656
others that I will pull some from: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3755841
 
I visited the shop of one of the guys I know who bought an Ender 3 yesterday. Neat to watch the little guy go, he has used it to made a bunch of drawer organizers in his shop, drill bits, taps, end mills etc each with their own custom fitted organizers.

The visit in no way helped dissuade my urges to pick one up. :devil:
 
I fixed my shower with mine the other week. Just got done printing nagas and am now working on bases. Soon I will need to print the naga abomination with 5 heads and 4 arms and Cura says 1 day 17 hours
 
So say I've got an stl file of a mini and I want to get it printed. I've looked at both Shapeways and Sculpteo, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at as far as the options presented to me.

Shapeways gives me a size of "
X 39.2
Y 26.8
Z 40.33
MM

I don't know how that translates to miniatures scales. But I assume if I haven't altered it it defaults to the stl's claim of 30mm scale. Shapeways doesn't have a resin option, so I chose their "fine detail plastic", but is it enough that the finish defaults to "smooth" or do I want to pay the extra $10 for "smoothest"? (bringing the cost up to $40 usd for a single mini)

An alternative I saw recommended on a forum when trying to google these questions was Sculpteo. Their options are completely different. They have a resin option called "polyjet", which is twice the price of "SLS plastic" or "MultiJet Fusion" plastic, but $5 cheaper than Shapeways' Fine Detail Plastic. Sculpteo also offers a much more expensive "CLIP Resin". The "finish" for the Resin is either "Raw" or "Dyed Regular".

So, obviously I want this for painting. I don't want a brittle piece of crap, but I also don't need luxury or top of the line; I am on a budget and it is a single mini. Suggestions? Translations into practical terms?
 
$40 is a lot for a single mini. Heroforge will do that, and it is custom. I doubt I would pay that. $40 will get you a smooth large mini on heroforge. I have friends who have done that in my group.

Those sizes are about right for 30mm, probably a tallish mini with a weapon a bit outstretched?

Polyjet is a very high resolution. I doubt you care that much, as a regular SLS printer will get down around 0.04mm, which is quite fine detail. However, it’s cheaper, that seems like not a giant issue.

If you are painting the color/finish should be fine with raw.
 
Just a little clean up and bases for these guys. Then on to their boss.
 

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Just a little clean up and bases for these guys. Then on to their boss.
I like the paint job. Is it just me,the photo or does the mini itself seem a little light on details?
 
I like the paint job. Is it just me,the photo or does the mini itself seem a little light on details?
that particular one came from a resin printer. The details on the model are extremely fine, and part of the post-processing is to give the model a run through (I think) isopropyl alcohol. the few that I have from my friend's resin printer all exhibit a certain level of smoothness that mine does not, and it tends to obscure the scales and very fine details. Mine (FDM) does not, but the blade doesn't look anywhere near as smooth. If I had my wish, the model would have the hands as separate, do up the hands and the polearm on the resin, then the body on FDM. best of both worlds.
 
This thread has been a fascinating read for me, thanks for all the great posts! 3D printing still seems like it's juuust a toe over my line for tech adoption, but I'm looking forward to seeing where things are in just a few more years.

Could definitely help with terrain and whatnot, but my problem with actual figs is -- I'm trash at painting them and don't really have the time or drive to get better at it.
 
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