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Basic Dungeon Blocks

Maybe you are a “Theater of the Mind” player that has avoided using minis and terrain… Sometimes there just isn’t room on the table for terrain. I see very impressive 8′ long tables with thousands of dollars worth of Dwarven Forge tiles, and while it looks awesome, it just isn’t going to work for a group of players at the kitchen table.

While a dry-erase mat is a good compromise, it lacks the appeal of seeing your carefully painted minis in their natural setting–the Dungeon. I felt there was a need for something small and simple, that would allow the DM to quickly layout the map for a combat encounter or boss battle. That led me to creating these Basic Dungeon Blocks. You arrange them and stack them just like children’s toy blocks!

They are simple building blocks based on a 1″ cube. There is also a game mat made from 6″ tiles, so that you have a gridded surface to build and play on.

Using these building blocks, you can quickly layout the dimensions of the room or corridor. How many times have you had a player insist that they weren’t in the room when you asked their character to roll a saving throw? Having some terrain and minis avoids confusion and allows the DM to be clear with the obstacles that the characters are facing.

There are a variety of Blocks, stairs, arches, doorways (with working doors), pillars. Even curved blocks for building a sewer–Or a Dwarven Skatepark! And because they are based on 1″ cubes, they can also be used with ANY other terrain system (such as PuzzleLock Dungeon II) to customize an area.

The files for this set are available on Cults3D

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Exclusively at Cults3D

For 3Dprintable files of my work, I have decided to sell the exclusively on Cults3D. I have been on there since they first started, and I think that it is the best platform.

Here are some facts about Cults, from their website:

  • Created in 2014, Cults is the 1st independent platform in the 3D printable files market (we do not belong to a group).
  • Today, we have 11.1 million international makers members registered on our platform.
  • We welcome more than 5,000 new members every day.
  • The platform currently hosts 2.07 million printable designs and a community of 176 thousand designers specialized in 3D printing.
  • Our platform is visited more than 200,000 times per day and we have an audience of 7.3 millions visits per month.
  • We have 55.4 millions page views per month and 3.2 millions unique visitors.
  • We are translated into 7 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese.
  • The geographic breakdown is as follows: 50% Europe – 40% America – 10% Asia & Oceania.

I have tried other platforms, like DriveThruRPG and MyMiniFactory, but they do not have the same reach and visibility as Cults, and it just made sense to me to have all of my STL files in one location.

STL files are used to 3Dprint miniatures and terrain at home on a personal 3Dprinter. For physical minis and figurines, those are available from my Etsy Shop.

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Dungeon Vibes, Miniature Painting

When I painted my PuzzleLock Dungeon, I simulated torchlight with drybrushed oranges and yellows. In the same way, I wanted to give a “dungeon vibe” to these minis by painting an undercoat to simulate torchlight. This is a variation on zenithal highlighting.

Starting with a black primer over the entire mini, then came back with a blue-gray ambient light which is drybrushed on top. Since the idea is to give it an ambient occlusion, I payed attention to the angle of my brush, leaving the underside and recessed areas black.

Next I used some oranges to start simulating the torchlight. I chose one side/direction for the mini which would be accented with torchlight, and carefully drybrushed the areas that would be hit by this light. Using the handle of the brush as the direction of the light, I was able to see where the light would hit, and where it would falloff.

I started with a pretty deep orange, and then added a little yellow to it as I went back over the areas that would be closest to the light. When I painted the actual torch, I went another shade lighter by adding more yellow, and finally white.

Here I’ve repeated the same steps on a larger figurine

I painted the colors in thin layers, allowing the underneath colors to influence it. The only place the color is almost the pure hue is on the bright side closest to the torchlight. The colors on the far side end up a bit muted and darker.

I used a wash of Army Painter Soft Tone over the paint job, which darkened the colors even more in the recessed areas.

Overall I am happy with the way it turned out. Even the minis not carrying a torch have one side accented with the torchlight, and they all fit together naturally as the under painted lighting ties them all together.

Give this a try on your next group of adventurers! Let me know what you think in the comments.

These minis and figurines are available in my Etsy shop. If you would like to 3Dprint them yourself, the STL files are available at Cults3D.

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Resolution

When it comes to 3Dprinting there is a lot of confusion about resolution. It is important in different contexts, so I hope this post can help to demystify it.

Scanning is a method to capture geometry from real world objects to create a digital model. Here is a scan of my head, using a structured light scanner attached to an iPhone. On the right hand side, you can see a triangulated mesh of polygons. This mesh is the 3D model. Notice the lack of details in the face, especially the eyes. the Mesh is composed of 53,000 polygons.

This Gonk Gnome is a digitally sculpted model for 3Dprinting. The STL file is what is used by the slicer to output the instructions to the printer. This polygon mesh is 338,813 polygons. The resolution is higher than the scan–meaning that the triangles are smaller, and denser.

In ZBrush, the original mesh that is the actual digital sculpture, is over 4 MILLION polygons! If you notice those darker gray areas around the eyes, those are even denser polygons than the rest of the mesh. Sculpting digitally, you can zoom in and add more detail, and resolution (to the limits of the computers memory).

The reason that the STL file is less polygons is that it is decimated from the higher resolution mesh. A 3Dprinter slicer will have a hard time with a mesh over 1 million polygons, so you have to balance the amount of detail you can reproduce with those constraints and the intended size that you will print.

Here is a picture of that model 3Dprinted in resin. the layer thickness for a resin printer is .05mm (about the thickness of a human hair), so you need a magnifying glass to be able to see the layer lines…

3Dprinters are advertised with 2K, 4K, 8K, 12K (even higher has been announced), which is referring to how dense the pixels in the LCD screen are. This can get confusing, because a small screen size that is 2K might have the same density of pixels as a larger screen that is 4K. So, in choosing between the different resolutions offered in 3Dprinters, it is important to choose a size that fits your needs, then worry about how much resolution in in that LCD screen. Ideally, the XY resolution (the LCD screen) and the Z (the layer height) should be the same.

This Gonk adventurer is the same model, but at different scales. the density of the polygons is high enough that even when printed larger the detail is there. If the gonk was printed even smaller than a D&D miniature, you will start to lose the finer details as the size of the triangles of the polygon mesh become smaller than the XYZ resolution of the printer. If you printed larger than a figurine, like a 4′ or taller statue, the size of the triangles of the polygon mesh would become visible.

Because there can be so much variation in size for the 3Dprints, I usually will decimate the mesh to between 300,000 and 600,000 polygons. That provides enough resolution to the polygon mesh, so that the detail is there even if you need some 2′ Guardin’ Gnomes.

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PuzzleLock Dungeon II

PuzzleLock Dungeon II is a 3Dprintable terrain system for tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder. Bring your miniatures game to life with this immersive, detailed dungeon.

There are 47 unique STL files in this set. Not just tiles–print entire rooms and corridors! The innovative offset wall design gives you the full grid to play on. The walls are 32mm tall (overall 35mm), so they will not obscure the miniatures. The pieces connect with my original PuzzleLock. No clips, no magnets, they connect like a jigsaw puzzle!

The doorways feature working doors! There is a pin edge to the doors, with corresponding holes in the doorways.

Pillars, stairways and rubble are scatter terrain. Place them directly on top of the tiles to create unique rooms.

There are also many tiles to let you build any room that your dungeon may require.

The entire PuzzleLock Dungeon II set of STL files is exclusively available on Cults3D for only $10.

If you have just discovered PuzzleLock, you might also like to check out PuzzleLock Caves and PuzzleLock Sewers & Undercity!

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Christmas Gnomes

I made these Christmas gnomes last year. This is an example 3Dprinted by Mad Max Miniatures,and Painted by Vincent T. (@scales20.100 on Instagram). I have these Figurines and Ornaments now available on my Etsy shop! You don’t have to learn about 3Dprinting or have access to one, because I take care of that for you!

If you do have a 3Dprinter, you can get the STL files on Cults3D and make gifts for all your friends and family.

These gnomes are available as 4″ figurines or 3″ ornaments. They are solid resin and unpainted. You can paint them with inexpensive acrylic craft paints. This might be a fun holiday project or activity for the family!

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Moria Tabletop

I have been seeing little game tables advertised on Facebook called Level-Up that cost $370 for what is essentially a modular table on skinny little legs… I felt that though the idea is a good one: elevate the map surface above the character sheets, dice towers, drinks and snacks–but the execution wasn’t very inspired….

So I took a look at a model that I had originally created in Animation:Master for my Balrog model, and thought about how to modify it to make 3dprintable Moria pillars for table legs.

3dprintable pillars

I decided to split the tabletop into 12″ squares with 4 legs. this will allow you to configure different size map tables, and designing the pillars to sit on 6″ centers will let the pattern continue underneath the game surface. I was going to use plywood for the table surface, but it was cheaper and looked nicer to use ceramic floor tiles!

2′ x 2′ tabletop
the table raises the game above the drinking glass!

The tabletop is about 7″ above the table, so it sits above the level of soft drinks and glasses. But is still low enough to give the players an unobstructed view of the game.

3Dprint the pillars
For resin, use the hollow versions
Prime and paint
measure the spacing
Hot glue the pillars
Done!
Finished Moria Tabletop

I was really happy with how this turned out! The floor tiles were only $2 a piece at Lowe’s, and the grid was drawn with a Sharpie! The pillars for each table were about $10 worth of resin, but it was much faster than printing on my FDM printer (at fine resolution, my Ender3 took about 20 hours for 1 pillar, while the Mighty4K printed 6 of pillar A in about 10 hours)

If you like this project and would like to make your own, you can get all of the files for $12 at Cults3D.

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Gnomes

sketchbook

I had this idea that I thought would look pretty cool: Gnomes for D&D, bust sculpted in the style of Garden Gnomes! Where they typically have a pointed cap, I would keep that shape, but make it a pointed helmet. This was a series of sketches that I made the next morning when I woke up with the idea…

Gnome with “meat tenderizer” mace!
28mm scale mini
Garden-sized!

After I sculpted a few, I decided to make a “Garden-Sized” version for the yard! The mini is printed on my SparkmakerFHD and the big version on my Ender3.

more gnomes and test prints

I am sculpting some more for my Patreon for next month, but if you would like to get these you can buy on Cults3D:

Gnome with Sword
Gnome with Axe
Gnome with Mace
Gnome with Spear

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Porkus!

This is a new mini that I sculpted last month for my Patreon. I had done the illustration as an “art test” for Wyrd Miniatures, and later decided that I would sculpt it too, as it would make an awesome mini for D&D–especially with Descent into Avernus campaign setting.

The name “Porkus” was a little nod to the Demon-Prince “Orcus” which was a big villian in AD&D when I was a teenager… I started with a ZSphere armature in ZBrush2020 and sculpted the model, giving him a meat cleaver as a weapon.

After finishing the model, I 3Dprinted it on a SparkmakerFHD resin printer. Which is a type of printer that I talked about in an earlier post.

The process of cleaning up a 3dprinted miniature
turntable animation

The model is available to all patrons, but if you would like to print it for your campaign, the .STL file is available for $5 on Cults3D

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SparkmakerFHD for Miniatures

SparkmakerFHD was a Kickstarter that I backed last year, for a low cost resin printer. Though I had vowed never to pledge on another 3d printer kickstarter again, I couldn’t resist… I worried when it didn’t ship when anticipated, but eventually it arrived!

My first print on the SparkmakerFHD

I had never used a resin printer before, so I was a little intimidated. I read through the manual a couple of times before I began. I bought nitrile gloves and lots of isopropyl alcohol, and watched some YouTube videos. Eventually, I overcame my fear and turned it on!

For my first print, I loaded up some of the miniatures that I had sculpted for my Patreon into Chitubox (the slicing software), used “Auto supports” and clicked SLICE.

I assumed that I would get some failures, and that I would use that experience to learn how to improve my prints. But when I came back and checked on it a couple of hours later, it was done printing and everything came out perfectly!

After removing the supports

When I had first shown these designs on Facebook, someone said that the weapons would be too thin, and these same models uploaded to Shapeways got flagged as unprintable, because the blades and crossbow strings violate their minimum feature sizes…

I have had some experience with Shapeways, because I was one of their Designers-For-Hire and had done some contract modeling for them as part of their Design with Shapeways service… Their minimums are put there to make sure they they never have a problem (and have to reprint or refund), so they are meant to play it safe (for Shapeways)…

But as you can see, the blades and crossbow strings printed just fine.

The Cimmerian printed at 120mm

My next print was to see how big I could go, so I scaled up Conan the Cimmerian to 120mm and let it print overnight. I added some more resin to the tank before I went to bed (I was paranoid that it would run out).

The Cimmerian at 120mm

I was totally impressed with how this turned out! This is on a resin printer that was only $250 on Kickstarter (it is $349 on their website)

Now that I’ve got this printer, I am thinking that I can use it to produce physical miniatures for sale. The level of detail that can be achieved is far superior to what can be done with injection-molding. There is no tooling cost, and no inventory, everything is print-on-demand.

I’m weighing this idea vs just selling .STL files, since even though it is pretty simple to do, there are many more gamers and painters who would rather just buy a mini, rather than printing it themselves.