Kickstarter for tiny Manhattan cityscape-- or future of game boards?

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**DarkTraveler777**

Saw this article and wondered if a project like this could be utilized for gaming purposes. A little larger scale and these boards would be awesome for 6mm games.

Could 3D printed landscapes be on the horizon in the next 5-10 years?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2016/02/04/microscape_is_a_3_d_architectural_scale_model_of_manhattan_broken_into_200.html

Architectural scale models of cities, neighborhoods, and building projects have long been reserved for museum exhibits and high-end real estate developers to help people visualize pockets of the world as it exists or to imagine what might be. Architects often use 3-D models of existing neighborhoods to project what a new building might look like within the context of current surroundings.

William Ngo of architectural design firm TO+WN Design and Alan Silverman of visualization firm AJSNY have collaborated on Microscape, a new project that makes those lust-worthy museum-quality scale models more accessible. The project is raising funds on Kickstarter, where it has already surpassed its goal.

Ngo told me in an email that building “context models” has been a regular part of his work over the past decade. He said he had built essentially the entirety of Manhattan and substantial parts of many other cities, updating those models repeatedly as cityscapes evolve.
“It was people coming through the office from outside the world of architecture and design, seeing our early wall decoration city model prototypes and gushing over them that made us realize these may have wider appeal as smaller, ‘bite-size’ chunks of an overall cityscape,” Ngo said.

He added that he and Silverman hope to eventually offer Microscapes of anywhere in the world—meaning you could own a miniature model of your favorite corner of Paris or your childhood neighborhood in Duluth. For now, they have managed to produce 200 individual streetscape tiles of Manhattan, using detailed 3-D scan data and manual computer modeling techniques to create accurate, up-to-date scale models of the city.

Ngo said that adapting “extremely detailed, complex and often messy” architectural models into refined objects was challenging. “Just because a computer model of a building or city works well to produce photorealistic renderings or animation doesn’t mean it can be translated effectively into tool paths for fabrication processes like 3D printing or CNC milling,” he said. “The amount of manual labor and interpretation involved in processing raw geometry derived from photogrammetry into 3D-printable models has kept this entire effort anchored firmly in the realm of art, rather than that of engineering as we'd originally hoped.”

For those with deep pockets, the entire island of Manhattan can be purchased for the relative bargain of around $25,000. But the individual tiles (starting at $75 on Kickstarter) are also produced to work as stand-alone decorative pieces for those with more modest budgets. They can be hung on the wall or perched on a shelf or coffee table. Ngo said that if there is widespread interest in the Microscapes, he hopes that they will be able to offer them at more affordable prices as they refine their manufacturing process and 3-D printing technology and materials evolve.

Each individual 6-inch by 6-inch square tile is a 1:5,000-scale replica that captures roughly a half square mile of New York City, 3-D printed from up-to-date aerial scan data that can evolve as the Manhattan skyline morphs. Because the designers manually process the data, they can also include buildings still under construction or in the planning stages.

A series of limited-edition tiles produced for the Kickstarter campaign include the area around the World Trade Center, the Chrysler Building, Madison Square Park, and other well-known sites that fit into the overall city model for those who plan to go all in or assemble pieces of the city over time. The tiles vary in height from 1 inch to 5.5 inches, weigh between 5 and 10 ounces, and are made of nontoxic, cornstarch-based, biodegradable white thermoplastic.

While the designers are open to offering additional color and material options in the future if the demand is there, for now the Microscapes rendered in white have a pleasingly abstract quality that is reminiscent of New York City after a blizzard.

Kickstarter link:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/towndesign/microscape-architectural-cityscape-models

**Darkjim**

Fascinating, thanks for the link

**Relapse**

It reminds me somehow of a Asian village picture made out of cork my parents had.

**KingCracker**

That's a pretty cool idea to be honest. Thanks for sharing dude

**Nostromodamus**

That's cool as feth

**AlexHolker**

It's prohibitively expensive. As in $1200 for the equivalent of a single Realm of Battle tile.

**DarkTraveler777**

AlexHolker wrote:
It's prohibitively expensive. As in $1200 for the equivalent of a single Realm of Battle tile.

Totally agree. This project wouldn't be a good basis for a game board but I think the doors a project like this opens are interesting and could potentially lead to some great resources for us wargamers down the road!

**notprop**

I occasionally get achitectural models made for projects at work and they cost a fortune, the last one was £10k for a 3' x 3' board at about 1/1250 covering the North Part of the City/Hackney. The buildings were only wooden blocks for the most part with the actual proposed building done on a printer.

I contemplated turning this into a wargame or a demo for Salute but real city streets were far too difficult to use. Even low rise buildings are tall co parted to the relatively squat buildings we use in wargaming. Flags on bases were about the only markers you could use.

At the other end of the scale we had a development made at 1/100 (new Finsbury Park and tube station buildings). Not only did it cost fifty grand but the four building model took up a monsterous 8' x 10' table.

No matter the scale the odd little buildings we already use for wargaming really are the best compromise I think.

**Peregrine**

DarkTraveler777 wrote:
Totally agree. This project wouldn't be a good basis for a game board but I think the doors a project like this opens are interesting and could potentially lead to some great resources for us wargamers down the road!

I really doubt it. Nothing at all in this seems useful compared to the current methods for making gaming tables.

**Kilkrazy**

More interesting price-wise would be fascia panels that could be printed as flat plasticard and used to cover the sides of simple block shaped buildings made from foamcore board or cork, etc.

Of course Plasticard already does a variety of traditional materials like brick and granite setts, but they don't do larger scale modern stuff like the sides of glass and chrome office buildings.

However, it might be almost as effective and certainly a lot cheaper just to print out paper textures for 6mm scale games. These could be made up from photos available on the internet.

**DarkTraveler777**

Peregrine wrote:
DarkTraveler777 wrote:
Totally agree. This project wouldn't be a good basis for a game board but I think the doors a project like this opens are interesting and could potentially lead to some great resources for us wargamers down the road!

I really doubt it. Nothing at all in this seems useful compared to the current methods for making gaming tables.

Seems a rather short-sighted view point, but okay.

In a decade I doubt we will be using the same methods we use today to make game boards. Just like the game boards today make the ones from 10-15 years ago look rather primitive. We've moved on from felt cloths and Styrofoam hills to laser-cut MDF board and molded HIPS surfaces. With 3D printing advancing at a nice pace does it seem so crazy to think that in a few years a company may offer game boards which are printed to represent any number of customized war-scapes?

**AlexHolker**

DarkTraveler777 wrote:
With 3D printing advancing at a nice pace does it seem so crazy to think that in a few years a company may offer game boards which are printed to represent any number of customized war-scapes?

Yes, it does. 3D printing is only more efficient for extremely small print runs. If you want only a single copy of a sculpt, for example, it is more efficient to assemble that copy layer by layer using a 3D printer rather than cutting the mould layer by layer using a milling machine, then using that mould to cast the copy. But if you want a second copy, printing it takes just as long as it did to print the first, but if you have a mould you can skip the first part and jump straight to filling the mould again.

**DarkTraveler777**

Right. I guess my mistake was being too general and the responses I am getting are too literal, and frankly the conversation has now lost its luster for me.

So as 3D printing technology stands currently this method of producing game terrain is not viable. I understand that. Will that be the same in a few years? I don't know.

I also didn't meant to suggest that 3D printing would be the only method that my hypothetical company would be using to make their boards. Perhaps the company 3D print a master and make casts from the master? Perhaps 3D printing becomes so efficient that they do just print the final product. Who knows, I was talking about future possibilities not contemporary manufacturing methods.

Anyway, for those who enjoyed the article I am glad you liked it.

**AlexHolker**

DarkTraveler777 wrote:
Perhaps the company 3D print a master and make casts from the master?

Yes, that makes more sense. I know that some manufacturers already use that method for casting miniatures.

Perhaps 3D printing becomes so efficient that they do just print the final product.

The problem is that it's an inherent flaw in the process. It's like trying to build a brick house as quickly as possible - at some point you're going to be constrained by how quickly you can stack one brick on top of another. Individually placing each little bit of plastic instead of just shoving a whole lot of plastic into a conveniently shaped box is always going to be slower, which means it's going to be more expensive.

**DarkTraveler777**

AlexHolker wrote:
Perhaps 3D printing becomes so efficient that they do just print the final product.

The problem is that it's an inherent flaw in the process. It's like trying to build a brick house as quickly as possible - at some point you're going to be constrained by how quickly you can stack one brick on top of another. Individually placing each little bit of plastic instead of just shoving a whole lot of plastic into a conveniently shaped box is always going to be slower, which means it's going to be more expensive.

Again, you are speaking of the technology as it exists now.

Ask a brick layer from a few generations ago if he thinks a brick street could be laid quickly and he'd likely say "no" due to the limitations of the technology available to him.

If through a twist in time/space you could show that same guy this thing, he'd likely gak his pants.

My point is as technology advances, things become faster, cheaper, smaller, etc. Complex manufacturing becomes less complex as new materials and methods are discovered and utilized.

Perhaps I don't know enough about 3D printing technology to understand that is a stalled field with no future developments possible, but I kinda doubt that is the case.

**Peregrine**

DarkTraveler777 wrote:
With 3D printing advancing at a nice pace does it seem so crazy to think that in a few years a company may offer game boards which are printed to represent any number of customized war-scapes?

Yes, because the process of making a board is already so easy that there's no point. Remember, the basic requirement for a gaming table is that it is SIMPLE. You want a blank slate to put your models/terrain/etc on: lots of flat open spaces, with an occasional low hill or shell crater or whatever. There's just no way 3d printing is going to be a plausible replacement for "glue some sand on a sheet of foam, spray paint the whole thing brown". And at the high end of gaming tables most of the work is in designing a good layout, painting, adding small detail bits, etc, things that the 3d printer can't help with.

Where 3d printing is useful is making small custom objects, where you need a very specific piece that would be difficult to sculpt by hand but don't need enough copies for mass-production to be viable. It's a great tool for that, but that concept is something that has very little overlap with gaming tables.

**DarkTraveler777**

Peregrine wrote:
Yes, because the process of making a board is already so easy that there's no point. Remember, the basic requirement for a gaming table is that it is SIMPLE. You want a blank slate to put your models/terrain/etc on: lots of flat open spaces, with an occasional low hill or shell crater or whatever. There's just no way 3d printing is going to be a plausible replacement for "glue some sand on a sheet of foam, spray paint the whole thing brown". And at the high end of gaming tables most of the work is in designing a good layout, painting, adding small detail bits, etc, things that the 3d printer can't help with.

Did you read the article?

The prints of Manhattan are done from aerial scans that can be further manipulated by a design team before put into production. You don't think something like that would find a market with gamers?

As gamers many of us already spend $70+ on colorful mouse pads with high resolution photos taken from space. Why aren't we just laying out black felt cloths for our X-wing games? Because many of us want cool, interesting spaces for our games to take place on. Sure, there will always be cheaper, DIY options, but let's be honest, a lot of gamers seek out exotic environments for their game tables to make a unique playing experience. My two sets of SWM Tablescapes, and the excitement that project created among gamers, tells me that many of us want more than the basics.

If a company offered gaming surfaces that were accurate scans of astral bodies you don't think there would be a market for that? You'd rather play on a foam and sand table rather than a detailed representation of the Sea of Tranquility?

What if old footage of WWII was able to create accurate prints of Leningrad, you don't think people would want to play there?

Again, the potential here is huge but instead of discussing what could be we are just talking about what is currently possible.

**Peregrine**

DarkTraveler777 wrote:
The prints of Manhattan are done from aerial scans that can be further manipulated by a design team before put into production. You don't think something like that would find a market with gamers?

I really don't. Those tiles would be terrible for playing games on.

As gamers many of us already spend $70+ on colorful mouse pads with high resolution photos taken from space. Why aren't we just laying out black felt cloths for our X-wing games? Because many of us want cool, interesting spaces for our games to take place on.

The difference is that the X-Wing mat with a pretty picture is still functional. A 3d-printed gaming table like in the OP would not be.

You'd rather play on a foam and sand table rather than a detailed representation of the Sea of Tranquility?

No, I wouldn't care, because the foam and sand table would look exactly the same.

What if old footage of WWII was able to create accurate prints of Leningrad, you don't think people would want to play there?

No, because Leningrad's underlying terrain, especially at the scale that most miniatures games are played at, would only be recognizable if you're a hardcore expert and would make no difference from a gaming point of view.

Again, the potential here is huge but instead of discussing what could be we are just talking about what is currently possible.

No, I'm talking about the future. 3d printing is not a magic "give me any item I want" button. It's a process with specific advantages and limitations, and none of the refinements in the foreseeable future are going to change that.

**DarkTraveler777**

Peregrine wrote:
DarkTraveler777 wrote:
The prints of Manhattan are done from aerial scans that can be further manipulated by a design team before put into production. You don't think something like that would find a market with gamers?

I really don't. Those tiles would be terrible for playing games on.

So, again, I am not advocating that the Manhattan tiles would make good gaming surfaces. However the technology behind them could.

Peregrine wrote:
As gamers many of us already spend $70+ on colorful mouse pads with high resolution photos taken from space. Why aren't we just laying out black felt cloths for our X-wing games? Because many of us want cool, interesting spaces for our games to take place on.

The difference is that the X-Wing mat with a pretty picture is still functional. A 3d-printed gaming table like in the OP would not be.

Again, not talking about playing on the white Manhattan tiles. Please read the article and my comments. The point I was making about X-wing was that high end mouse pad gaming mats are a thing now. People abandoned simplistic gaming surfaces a while ago and now seek out customized surfaces to play on, generally speaking. The materials and styles of gaming surfaces are dramatically changing as more materials and options become available and cost effective. Yes, sand and foam are still an option but outside of bulk game tables to fill out a game shop's tourney scene I don't see a lot of people posting photos of those types of tables being made. Most custom tables involve more effort and demand more sophistication than sand and foam can provide.

Peregrine wrote:
You'd rather play on a foam and sand table rather than a detailed representation of the Sea of Tranquility?

No, I wouldn't care, because the foam and sand table would look exactly the same.

I now think you are just being contrary to be contrary. A detailed scanned and printed surface would in no way look "exactly the same" as a DIY sand and glue board. Come on.

Peregrine wrote:
What if old footage of WWII was able to create accurate prints of Leningrad, you don't think people would want to play there?

No, because Leningrad's underlying terrain, especially at the scale that most miniatures games are played at, would only be recognizable if you're a hardcore expert and would make no difference from a gaming point of view.

Oh yes, I forgot that wargamers as a rule shun details and accuracy in their armies and game tables.

No one would possibly want accurate layouts of historical battle sites, or even fictitious battle sites from literature, film or video games. Nope, not us wargamers!

Peregrine wrote:
Again, the potential here is huge but instead of discussing what could be we are just talking about what is currently possible.

No, I'm talking about the future. 3d printing is not a magic "give me any item I want" button. It's a process with specific advantages and limitations, and none of the refinements in the foreseeable future are going to change that.

Did you read the article? Combining sophisticated scans of environments to generate an accurate map of the area and then printing it out (to then cast or whatever) doesn't seem like a logical extension of this technology that could and would be embraced by wargamers? Really? Because we still have access to glue and sand? I find your position to be a little hard to take at face value.