I am planning to make Secret Shelf for important documents. I think it's a great project for hiding currency and documents. I have Monoprice mini 3D printer which is able to make all type of projects. It supports all filaments for building 3D projects.
I got a Cetus3d from kickstarter. hasn't really worked right since getting it, however, i recently cleaned up the basement enough to set it up and plan to try out prints. I would think a DLP resin printer would be great for mini's. Lots of detail on those.
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I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
I'm hoping the new Thingmaker printer will come out soon, it loos like it's making really smooth models and it's a while lot cheaper then most printers. My da Vinci 1.0 printer was like $500 and its a low-end printer that's prone to break, so now it's collecting dust since the printing bed isn't to level and calibrations don't work which of course happened right after I managed to fix a previous problem.
So anyone still looking, just found this little Gem over on monoprice. It is a delta that has some nice features at a nice price point of just $159. Can you make large things? probable not, but if all you are doing is D&D minutres and landscape (like Dragonlock), it should do the trick i would think.
Yes, I use 3D printing all the time, you can create awesome terrain and scenery with it. I highly recommend it, if you can afford that upfront cost, the on-going costs are minimal.
Anyone interested in this route should also check their local public library. I was surprised to find that several libraries in my area offered 3d printing and you only have to pay 10 cents per oz for the materials they use. So comparing to reaper bones, for example, it doesn't end up with the same level of detail but there's no comparison on the cost. As far as time goes, I just email them a few files and wait about a week or so to pick up my miniatures to prime and paint.
So they print things out in additive layers (hot glue gun on a robot arm). It's a bit lower resolution than resin from what I understand (still learning the process myself)...but it does the trick.
nice thread and loads of info and sources for 3d files! Amazing stuff. I have both an FDM printer and a cheap resin printer (Anycubic photon DLP). My FDM printer is not the best but it does have a HUGE volume (over 12" cube) but not the best accuracy. I use it to print things like dice trays, holders, card holder, iniative markers for my DM screen.
The anycubic Photon is around $540 on amazon or aliexpress. Using resin is messy and a bit stinky but the quality and detail levels are amazing. The examples in the links below are printed at stock layer height so they can go to half that layer height. THe flesh golem which is on a 1" base (the drakes are on 2" bases printed on the FDM) took 3 hours to print two of them, at the angle i printed at i could have fit 6 more on the build plate comfotably (and again, the print time would be exactly the same). The drakes which are shallower but larger overall took just under 3 hours.
The DLP printer is MUCH higher resolution and the benefit for a DLP printer is that it cures using a UV lamp and an LCD screen for masking. All that techy jargon means it prints one figure at the same speed it prints an entire tray of figures as it cures a layer using an image rather than moving a print head. below is a couple of shots i took just to show a friend:
THe resin is not cheap but i have printed over a dozen figures recently and not used 250ml of resin yet (4 drakes, 2 efreeti, 2 golems and hill giant and a cloud giant) so less than $15 worth of resin. Also i can (like i said) print two (or more) at the same time in the same amount of time and then i have a spare so i'm waaay less worried about painting as i have a spare. Or can use it to practice a paint effect.
I've been looking into making the leap into resin printing. The curing step kinda scared me away, as I've heard the learning curve for DLP is way steeper than FDM, and it took me two weeks of tinkering before I could get it going haha. Idk if I have time to learn a new device.
I bought a Prusa i3 kit to do just that, print my own tiles and scenery. Right now I have a $300 paperweight since I can't quite get it to work properly. I'm pretty tech savvy, but this is a whole other level of engineering know-how that is taking me months to work the bugs out. Someday, I'll get it all sorted, but for now it's mostly just frustrating. If you can get it to work like some of the other folks in this thread, good on you, but my only point here is as a warning that sometimes despite best intentions, it can be monumentally hard to get a good product in a timely fashion.
It feels terrible doesn't it? My i3 works most of the time but I haven't made the time to tweak it and improve it properly to get it to be as reliable as it could be.
I've been looking into making the leap into resin printing. The curing step kinda scared me away, as I've heard the learning curve for DLP is way steeper than FDM, and it took me two weeks of tinkering before I could get it going haha. Idk if I have time to learn a new device.
I can see that but what i would say is that if the printer has a problem then both can be nightmareish. Full disclosure i had problems with my FDM from arrival as it broke in transit from Australia so i had to get replacement parts and rebuild it (i'm a product/industrial designer so wasn't that hard). The resin printer came in amazing packaging, literally took it out of the box, levelled the plate and printed right out of the box. THe "number nine" flesh golem in the pics i linked was the first print i did right out of the box. If you do get an Anycubic Photon there is a GREAT facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnycubicPhoton/ that has a nice bunch of people for support and a google doc for curing times for most resins that are compatible with the printer that is being constantly updated as more people contribute.
He has taken another fdm user's profile and tweaked it SPECIFICALLY for printing minis on FDM and he looks like he gets really NICE results. TLDR version is learn the magic numbers for layer height on your printer (depends on what motors it has) and SLOOooooooooooow down the print head to minimise wobble and inconsistency.
Yeah I've got my Monoprice Select Mini down to a reflex at this point. It has the best results for mini printing that I've seen on the HeroForge FAQ, but I'd still rather just use it for dungeon tiles and terrain.
Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into getting into resin printing after GenCon.
Are you guys using PLA or ABS for your FDM printers? I just switched from a simpler printer who could just do PLA to a more expensive one with heated bed that can do ABS as well. Why I do like the glossy finish of ABS after acetone treatment, I'm having a lot of trouble printing figurines with thin arms or weapons. The PLA appears to be more rigid and solid and easier to print. What do you think?
I have used both on my printer (which has a heated bed). THe lack of an enclosure for my printer still means the ABS curls up and warps when cooling. It has caused me no end of problems and my only failed prints on the FDM (now that it's dialled in). I do hear you on the post smoothing as the ABS prints i did get off it smoothed out really nicely but i'd maybe look at another material called Polysmooth™. THis material was specifically designed for easy post smoothing using alcohol vapor (they make a post smoothing chamber that atomizes alcohol and smooths the model out. It's great for organic models but any hard details or features will be blunted or lost.
PLA shrinks less when cooling so it's less likely to curl up (unless the printer is in a draft of cold air). There are a number of post print coatings that you can get which are basically epoxy resins that you can paint or dip the model in to fill in print lines, etc. Again there will be a loss of detail but it depends on how much you hate sanding and filling :) I have found filler primer spray paint the best way to get most lines out and it's sandable so you can cut details back in but ,yes, it takes a lot longer.
I have the 3d printer for creating miniatures. Monoprice reasonable printer. It is fully assembled and calibrated. I get it with affordable price and it is so useful to me. It supports all types of filament. It creates beautiful creatures easily. This is the 3d printing gaming miniatures for creating your own minis and develop your skills. You can also cell minis and get the profit from this.
I am planning to make Secret Shelf for important documents. I think it's a great project for hiding currency and documents. I have Monoprice mini 3D printer which is able to make all type of projects. It supports all filaments for building 3D projects.
I got a Cetus3d from kickstarter. hasn't really worked right since getting it, however, i recently cleaned up the basement enough to set it up and plan to try out prints. I would think a DLP resin printer would be great for mini's. Lots of detail on those.
I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
I'm hoping the new Thingmaker printer will come out soon, it loos like it's making really smooth models and it's a while lot cheaper then most printers. My da Vinci 1.0 printer was like $500 and its a low-end printer that's prone to break, so now it's collecting dust since the printing bed isn't to level and calibrations don't work which of course happened right after I managed to fix a previous problem.
So anyone still looking, just found this little Gem over on monoprice. It is a delta that has some nice features at a nice price point of just $159. Can you make large things? probable not, but if all you are doing is D&D minutres and landscape (like Dragonlock), it should do the trick i would think.
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=21666
I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
Yes, I use 3D printing all the time, you can create awesome terrain and scenery with it. I highly recommend it, if you can afford that upfront cost, the on-going costs are minimal.
We just launched a 3d Tiles ship construction kit on Kickstarter, it's a *very* pretty system in my opinion :-)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1311072974/shipworks-3d-printable-ship-terrain
Here is a nifty blend of a 3d print of a DM Screen and dice tower mixed with a Dragon mini from WOTC. Will be painting dragon Soon
https://imgur.com/YdNRm9h
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2769923
Anyone interested in this route should also check their local public library. I was surprised to find that several libraries in my area offered 3d printing and you only have to pay 10 cents per oz for the materials they use. So comparing to reaper bones, for example, it doesn't end up with the same level of detail but there's no comparison on the cost. As far as time goes, I just email them a few files and wait about a week or so to pick up my miniatures to prime and paint.
I'd love to see pictures of these minis you get printed after they've been painted.
Happy to.
https://imgur.com/a/E9o5xiJ
My public library does these on a lulzbot mini
https://www.lulzbot.com/store/printers/lulzbot-mini
So they print things out in additive layers (hot glue gun on a robot arm). It's a bit lower resolution than resin from what I understand (still learning the process myself)...but it does the trick.
HI all,
nice thread and loads of info and sources for 3d files! Amazing stuff. I have both an FDM printer and a cheap resin printer (Anycubic photon DLP). My FDM printer is not the best but it does have a HUGE volume (over 12" cube) but not the best accuracy. I use it to print things like dice trays, holders, card holder, iniative markers for my DM screen.
The anycubic Photon is around $540 on amazon or aliexpress. Using resin is messy and a bit stinky but the quality and detail levels are amazing. The examples in the links below are printed at stock layer height so they can go to half that layer height. THe flesh golem which is on a 1" base (the drakes are on 2" bases printed on the FDM) took 3 hours to print two of them, at the angle i printed at i could have fit 6 more on the build plate comfotably (and again, the print time would be exactly the same). The drakes which are shallower but larger overall took just under 3 hours.
The DLP printer is MUCH higher resolution and the benefit for a DLP printer is that it cures using a UV lamp and an LCD screen for masking. All that techy jargon means it prints one figure at the same speed it prints an entire tray of figures as it cures a layer using an image rather than moving a print head. below is a couple of shots i took just to show a friend:
https://imgur.com/a/4jkExGx
https://imgur.com/a/ymzvOpD
https://imgur.com/a/Y8NzNhn
THe resin is not cheap but i have printed over a dozen figures recently and not used 250ml of resin yet (4 drakes, 2 efreeti, 2 golems and hill giant and a cloud giant) so less than $15 worth of resin. Also i can (like i said) print two (or more) at the same time in the same amount of time and then i have a spare so i'm waaay less worried about painting as i have a spare. Or can use it to practice a paint effect.
I've been looking into making the leap into resin printing. The curing step kinda scared me away, as I've heard the learning curve for DLP is way steeper than FDM, and it took me two weeks of tinkering before I could get it going haha. Idk if I have time to learn a new device.
Southampton Guild of Roleplayers
My YouTube (C&C Welcome!)
Yeah I've got my Monoprice Select Mini down to a reflex at this point. It has the best results for mini printing that I've seen on the HeroForge FAQ, but I'd still rather just use it for dungeon tiles and terrain.
Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into getting into resin printing after GenCon.
Are you guys using PLA or ABS for your FDM printers? I just switched from a simpler printer who could just do PLA to a more expensive one with heated bed that can do ABS as well. Why I do like the glossy finish of ABS after acetone treatment, I'm having a lot of trouble printing figurines with thin arms or weapons. The PLA appears to be more rigid and solid and easier to print. What do you think?
PLA 100% on my end for FDM. Printer can handle both, but just prefer PLA.
I have used both on my printer (which has a heated bed). THe lack of an enclosure for my printer still means the ABS curls up and warps when cooling. It has caused me no end of problems and my only failed prints on the FDM (now that it's dialled in). I do hear you on the post smoothing as the ABS prints i did get off it smoothed out really nicely but i'd maybe look at another material called Polysmooth™. THis material was specifically designed for easy post smoothing using alcohol vapor (they make a post smoothing chamber that atomizes alcohol and smooths the model out. It's great for organic models but any hard details or features will be blunted or lost.
PLA shrinks less when cooling so it's less likely to curl up (unless the printer is in a draft of cold air). There are a number of post print coatings that you can get which are basically epoxy resins that you can paint or dip the model in to fill in print lines, etc. Again there will be a loss of detail but it depends on how much you hate sanding and filling :) I have found filler primer spray paint the best way to get most lines out and it's sandable so you can cut details back in but ,yes, it takes a lot longer.
I just found this channel. I'll let you know how my results are.
https://youtu.be/qDW7g3JOqLA
I have the 3d printer for creating miniatures. Monoprice reasonable printer. It is fully assembled and calibrated. I get it with affordable price and it is so useful to me. It supports all types of filament. It creates beautiful creatures easily. This is the 3d printing gaming miniatures for creating your own minis and develop your skills. You can also cell minis and get the profit from this.