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As the post says, who here uses a 3D printer to provide them with scenery/scenic bases/diorama scenery?

What printer have you found to be the best? What pitfalls have you run into?

Arid Hills gaming wrote:
As the post says, who here uses a 3D printer to provide them with scenery/scenic bases/diorama scenery?

What printer have you found to be the best? What pitfalls have you run into?

I do.

I have a Prusa Original i3 Mk2S, which is a type of FDM printer. FDMs are the kind that use plastic filament. Can't recommend it enough. I bought the kit version. Took me about 7 hours to build, but was actually pretty easy to do considering I've been assembling model kits for decades! The Mk2S is a little more expensive than some other kits (~600 USD right now), but has some nice quality of life features. It has a sensor that can measure the height from the print head to the bed. It also runs through a very quick auto-leveling thing before each print. What this means is that I don't have to do the nitpicky calibration that some other printers require. If you're willing to do the regular calibration, you can save some money at the expense of time. The Ender3 is a good option for similar quality, but more time consuming printing. Knowing what I know, I'd buy the Prusa again. If I buy a second, additional printer, it might be an Ender3.

In terms of pitfalls/things to think about...

1. You'll occasionally have a print fail. It happens. Clean the bed and move on. In the year that I've had my printer, I've only had a couple of fails. I've learned from each one.
2. Not all models can be printed effectively. Small details and overhangs can cause issues. After a few prints, you'll get a pretty good feeling for what your printer can and can't do.
3. FDM printers are great for terrain and larger models, like a SM Dreadnought. They're not great for small things, like a Necron Warrior. For small, high detail, you'll want an SLA printer. Those are the ones that "pull" an object out of a shallow dish of resin, using light to harden the resin in very finely detailed layers. These printers are much more expensive per print and not really suitable for larger objects.
4. The quality/setting photos online are misleading. I thought I'd need a printer that could print at 0.05mm layer heights or better to get something passable. In practice, I print almost everything at 0.20mm layer height. With a decent paint job, it can be hard to tell that things are printed from 3ft away when playing a game. Using a 3D printed terrain piece or scenic base in a painting competition would require a lot of sanding and work to keep a judge from seeing print lines when looking closely.
5. You'll save money over time on the little things. I needed 5x 32mm blank bases last week. I just printed some instead of buying a pack from GW (or whoever). Printing terrain can definitely save money over the official offerings and gives a similar detail level. I wanted to mount my Amazon Echo Dot on the wall. I found a bracket online for $5. I printed a similar one for next to nothing. I also 3D print all my tokens for various games. For the recent Kill Teams release, I printed a set of tokens and traded them to someone for the rule book. I then printed more tokens for myself. I already had some models to use from 40k armies. Net buy-in was $0. Yet another savings. I've printed out a couple of board game box inserts. Those usually run $30-40 a pop.
6. When I can't find what I'm looking for on sites like Thingiverse.com, I design them myself using Sketchup. It's very easy to learn and works well for basic objects like terrain or square edged vehicles (as an example, I made a wheeled Rhino). I've gotten a few tips on Thingiverse for my models, so there's maybe another $50 or so to offset the cost of the printer.

Hope some of my rambling helps.

Depends on how much you're willing to spend.

HOWEVER, you do get almost limitless potential, just be prepared for lots of noise, frustration and long....long waits

But seriously, it's a double edged sword, I enjoyed it for a while but I scrapped it after 6 months, too many disappointments when you get 75% of the way through a 12 hour print and then something goes wrong and it can't be saved.

I’m 3D printing terrain and weapon options for Adeptus Titanicus and it’s great. Regular consumer printers that layer filament layer by layer can’t do overhangs well (think of a stoplight or outstretched arm) without printing on its side so simple, blockier shapes work best.

A lot of library systems are buying 3D printers for public use (so I get to do it at my job), you might check if your local system has a printer so you can try jobs unless you’re interested in buying your own. The Prusa Kris mentioned is a solid unit, we have Makerbots (yuck) and a Taz6 (much nicer) and if you’re buying your own the newest Prusa is the way to go. My branch is getting a Jellybox in January so I’ll be able to print in my office without having to go by another branch

Im still debating the Any Cubic SLA printer. i dont think its worth trying to print a whole building or make giant objects with most prints but with cleaver planning i think you could make VERY cool terrain pieces by making smaller detail bits on top of a frame work of mdf or plastic.

at least thats my plan anyway. im still buying way too much of shiny model things :X

 Desubot wrote:
Im still debating the Any Cubic SLA printer. i dont think its worth trying to print a whole building or make giant objects with most prints but with cleaver planning i think you could make VERY cool terrain pieces by making smaller detail bits on top of a frame work of mdf or plastic.

at least thats my plan anyway. im still buying way too much of shiny model things :X

There are tons of "building greebles" on sites like Thingiverse. I've done this myself. I tend to buy various sized gift boxes from dollar stores and shops like Michaels/AC Moore in the US. They're pretty durable. Glue on some windows/doors/other greebles and do a quick paint job and you have some perfectly serviceable terrain.