| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Markustay |
Posted - 02 Mar 2011 : 05:14:36
Printing our own miniatures (and scenery) would be the coolest thing ever, right? Imagine a program where you can design precisely how your PC looks, what armor and weapon he has, etc... awesome, right?
Okay, so like, 3D printers have been around for awhile now, but they cost like, tens of thousands of dollars. I figured eventually better hobby shops would get them, and you'd pay a few dollars to use them (per mini), which would cut way-back on inventory (they could have thousands of 'stock images' from companies like Reaper, Games Workshop, Privateer, etc). So, that hasn't happened, and I'm upset, because the minis have always been one of my favorite aspects of the hobby.
Well, printing 3D objects from home just got affordable, as in a mere $1000 affordable! The future is here! Its called MakerBot, and its the coolest thing ever!
Here's them making a cathedral.
This is brand-new tech, so I'd wait a bit, but still, why would anyone want to game without minis now? To hell with pog-like cardboard counters and flat, paper terrain! 
Smart companies (*Hint Hint*) would jump on this now, and start designing programs for mini-making, and also sell 'mini-packs' on CD, the way they do those dungeon tiles, with files to build an entire village, a band of Orcs, a castle, all the props needed for a dungeon, etc. Can you imagine buying a module, and being able to print-out everything you'd need to play for next week's session, including the dice? That's the shizzle right there!
Now I just need them to make a giant-size version so I can print out my copy of Jessica Alba... you know... just to keep in the corner...  |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alisttair |
Posted - 02 Mar 2011 : 12:01:07
Does this just make the mold or does it put all the color required as well (sounds like it does, but I just want to make sure - no not because I am buying one, that would be a quick and easy way to get divorced lol). |
| Marc |
Posted - 02 Mar 2011 : 10:04:59
The future are the self-spawning armies of minis, all free.
Funny I watched this documentary a few days ago. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 02 Mar 2011 : 09:11:50
Conceptually similar technologies have been used throughout industry to fab small items and parts (or the molds needed to mass produce them). CNC machine shops and even some sign shops are equipped with various tools which can turn a single sample (physical or digital) into any number of duplicates. Once "scanned" and digitized, objects can be reshaped as desired.
My buddies used to "copy" their BattleMechs this way, one lead fig can be turned into a small army of plastic ones. We've also machined our own metal dice, just because we can, although admittedly they're too heavy to see much use. It's nice to have oddball dice (like a rhombic dodecahedron d12, for example) which nobody (other than Kevin Cook) has ever really seen.
This MakerBot idea seems promising, but it doesn't appear cost-viable for most applications. It's basically the same sort of market as custom PCB houses, there's always some demand but it's not enough (by itself) to support the investment in the tools. It's nice to see it appearing online - it means this technology is (and will remain) within reach of consumers. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 02 Mar 2011 : 05:45:21
It's a nifty idea, but I think we're still many years away from home 3D printers.
My dad's place of work has one... He's got a nifty working crescent wrench, printed out of plastic.
And though I like the idea of printing off my own minis, I'm still far more interested in the medical aspects of 3D printing. |
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