I don't know if any of you are aware of these new 3d printers that have been invented but as I understand you can tell a company that has one (if your in the UK there's one in Manchester) what you want to make and there is some form of CAD computer software that you input the dimension etc. of what you want to be built and then it is 'printed' in plastic, now I don't know if the plastic is a high enough quality and building it your self is half the fun but this strikes me as a fantastic way to either make a huge terrain piece relatively cheaply (you could design three or four ruins and get them printed a few times each and you have Osgiliath) or to make that bit you need but just don't have.

so what do you think, good idea that will change terrain making or something that will be no use what so ever

N.B they are very precise so if you spent the time on the software and they had a printer big enough you could make Minas Tirith or Helms Deep (mountain included) in one go

Wow new way to have terrain on the board great find

I feel I should add that 3D printing isn't actually that cheap at the moment but that us down to the fact that is has only existed commercially for a very small time given a year or 2 the cost will free fall and the advantages are huge mostly that the costs are my amount used not complexity to a very intricate ruin, well or even Balins tomb wouldn't cost more (as a very bad terrain maker myself i find the intricate bits tricky so this is great)

here is a full list
http://www.3dprint-uk.co.uk/10_great_th ... ing_1.html

Pretty cool stuff, tech always gets cheaper. I remember when CD burners were $10,000 a pop and that was considered "progress".

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for GW though. I'm sure everyone else will beat them to it before they start offering any of their terrain pieces that way. But I could see some independent sculptors pooling together to build stuff, get it scanned, and have some kind of "print on demand" service. You wouldn't need sprues anymore, just collections of parts.

What would be really cool is a collection of "lego-like" parts: walls, windows, arches, ramparts, etc for Moria, Gondor, Rohan, etc. Hirst Arts has their plaster bricks, but it's a tedious process. I think I'd rather have lightweight plastic pieces which allow more variability, and gaming durability.

One of my mates just bought a 3D printer. If I in some way can find 3D models for terrain, I will pay him to print some stuff for me. I will report back if it actually happens!

I've used them before, they're great fun. Surprised not many people have heard of them before. They used to be very expensive, but recently they have gone down in prices.

We got some on my uni aswell.. pretty awsome machines.. they ones we got are a bit old, but u could make chess pieces with pretty good quality, not sure if you could make miniatures that small with very good detail..
Never tried them outmyself, I'm too busy playing with bigger toys..



but well, they will get cheaper and better, so who knows maybe you could afford having one on your basement someday, or at least use one with pretty reasonable cost..

_________________
My WIP: http://www.one-ring.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=22962

Wow this looks interesting! I would like to use this to make some cheap tanks (ww2 tanks that i want to make in order to make destroyed tank terrain so detail isn't too much of a priority)

Indeed. I think they would work best for terrain / stuff that doesn't need super detail for now, but in a couple of years, we might all have them, and they might just be able to make detailed figures.

http://store.makerbot.com/replicator-404.html Why wait

_________________
"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

that makerbot is awesome,
sadly the price is a little high

martijn

_________________
"tonight you will taste man flesh!"
saruman the white

With 3D printing, building anything is possible. As the saying goes, “If you can imagine it, you can make it”. That’s exactly how 3D printer works. All you need is a 3D printer and plastic filament to make those terrains you’re thinking of. Reminder: Make sure you use good quality filament and ensure that it has proper heated bed when printing. Btw, 3D2PRINT.net is a good and reliable source of filament. They’ve been supplying me all the filaments that I’m using.

As the technology expands and improves i'm willing to bet that casting minis will be a thing of the past and minis will be printed as well. They arent precise enough right now to make a 28mm mini, but i'll bet my son will paint minis that were printed.

I recently purchased a 3d printer; the makerbot replicator 2. I'm using it to build some prototypes for a side project i'm working on (I hopefully will be sharing more of that with you all because it's related to this hobby) also I'm using it to print architectural models for work, I'm actually printing one right now for a presentation tomorrow. I mostly use SketchUp which you can download for free, the software is pretty easy to use and there is alot of free tutorials online too.
I've been thinking of ways to use it for scenery but the build volume is limited so if you wanted to print a whole helm's deep or Minas Tirith you'll have to print alot of pieces, also it will take a few hours to complete each piece.
the detail is pretty good but not good enough to print a 28mm figure

I

The decorative woodwork parts of Rivendell would be my first choice. I recently purchased a laser cut Long House and water wheel kit. A 3D water Wheel print would not have to be flat like laser cut plywood. I would love to see photos of the parts for your work related project if it is OK.

_________________
"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

I have just today received me first order from Shapeways for some 28mm scale miniatures and I must say I'm impressed. Of course they aren't quite up to the standard you'd expect from a GW product (there is a slight grain to the material) but detail wise I've got no complaints.
Certainly an interesting technology to keep an eye on over the next couple of years.

_________________
My Miniatures Blog (covering LOTR/Terminator/Doctor Who/Warpath and more!):
http://cruciumgiger.blogspot.co.uk/

I have backed a 3D printer on Kickstarter and should be taking delivery of it in December. I plan to use it to make tricky parts for terrain models and also vehicles for a game I am developing.

Making a mini figure in green-stuff is probably cheaper and better detailed than doing it in 3D. For now. That will change as more people turn their attention to the modelling software.

It's a bit like digital cameras - when they were first released, they were very expensive and poor quality and film cameras were vastly superior. Not so any longer.

Personally, I believe this technology is revolutionary and will completely change society in the years to come, breaking the traditional supply and demand chain. The manufacturing industry should be shaking in their boots.

_________________
Dagster

funny you should mention Rivendell, that is one thing I've been working on, also here is the model I was printing for work, I can't talk about the details but a photo of the model is ok because it's an existing structure

Very interesting.

_________________
"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

I usually do a quick print before I make a model - so here's a prototype to help me visualize before I start.