Completed Lovecrafted Games: Customizable 3D Printed Miniatures

[ObsidianCrane]

Ok these guys contacted me on twitter and it strikes me as a really cool idea, in fact for RPG enthusiasts its the start of the ultimate future of the hobby.

 

Give it a look (watch the video it makes things a bit clearer) and decide if you'll back them.

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/996367068/lovecrafted-games-customizable-3d-printed-miniatur

[Carnacki the Ghost Finder]

Cool idea. They seem like very nice guys. Isn't that one of the Reaper Kickstarter lizardmen in the video? Funny how Reaper is now getting used as a bit of a punching bag now ("With some Kickstarted products, there have been concerns with manufacturing and shipping, like getting things from China and the sort.")

[Talae]

I love the idea. I am not sure if I am sold on quality though.

[MonkeySloth]

Heh. A friend and I were wanting to do the exact same thing a year or so ago but decided that to produce a decent quality we needed a printer that was way past any reasonable budget. Looks like they're using a Form 1 which we've seen in the mimic miniature KS and really doesn't have the ability to produce anything of high detail as you can see from all the really simplistic designs.

 

That being said, in 2-5 years a printer that can do what both these guys and mimic want to do will be very affordable which will hopefully lead to some of these on demand 3d printed Kickstarters to succeed as both are something I think gamers, with money to spend, would love to have. But right now there really doesn't seam to be a market for them as I think right now most gamers on KS are looking for deals and this type of thing, by nature, prices itself past what people are wanting.

 

Of course they're not helping with a poorly presented Kickstarter, really high funding costs, and what looks to be only one really bad pose and basic details so you'd have to mod it yourself as they only have a few boring options.

Edited June 23, 2013 by MonkeySloth

[Dan Goodchild]

Not to be a downer but I can't see this one taking off.

First, they present their service as an alternative to getting an off-the-shelf mini that's 'close enough' but I see two problems with that approach.

1. They completely ignore the modding/customization community who can/will take that dwarf's axes and put them on the dragonborn and…
2. Users will still have to settle for 'close enough' based on what options are available in their software.

Second, with the plethora of cheap, 3D printers (ex This one that a friend mine is getting) that are becoming available sending away for a printed miniature won't be necessary for very long. I think that if they're willing to put the time and effort into developing this, they could get ahead of the curve by focusing all of their effort on the software. The barrier to people using 3d printers at home is likely going to be the learning curve associated with creating error-free 3d models. If these guys could provide software that could make that part easy they'd be very popular.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Dan Goodchild

[MonkeySloth]

I think that's a good point Dan. Selling software that has pre made stuff, or giving the software away for free and selling the sculpts for like $5 each, is a good way to go.

 

Affordable 3d printers aren't quite where we need them for this hobby, 100microns isn't small enough from what I've heard from people in the industry, but it's crazy where they've gone in 2 years.

[Dan Goodchild]

100 micron printers are good enough for some hobby applications, mainly terrain. I think they'd also produce some fabulous custom armatures for sculpting. But yeah, where the technology is going in the next few years looks really, really cool.

[MonkeySloth]

Custom armatures and terrain are great ideas for that printer. I've thought about getting one to print out buildings and such but considering I'd pay someone several hundred to sculpt one thing I wasn't thinking it would be worth it unless I wanted a lot of the same item. Maybe if I ever decide to go and make a giant 32mm city in my basement it would be a good way to get affordable structures that are common.

[Arkady]

The fact they're not being particularly clear about what exactly they're funding doesn't help. I'm inclined to think 75 k$ must be for some kind of software development + purchase of a printer, but I can't say I'm certain about this simply by reading the project description.

[ObsidianCrane]

Which is why you need to watch the video. ;)

 

In the video they spell out they are buying the printer and developing the software, that's what the funds are paying for, they even explain that the low detail examples are just early prototypes while they develop their products.

 

This is the sort of project that KS is supposed to be about supporting, and it will need a big ground swell to get across the line.

[aku-chan]

Its a neat idea, but I'd want to see an example of what their system is capable of producing first, at the moment it doesn't look like I'd get a mini I'd be happy paying $13 for.

[Nocturne]

They really should have shown a painted printed miniature as well, it appears to be suffering for the light diffusion issue that bones do so what few details there are get lost as well.

 

Nice idea but needs a lot more work on it.

[Broken Toy]

They should really focus on the software.

 

The point of 3D printers is to produce custom things locally, on demand and thus to avoid shipping and storage issues.

 

What's really missing is good software so more people can make printable content without having to get a lot of training.

 

That and there's a whole set of expectations that come with remotely-produced minis that can be avoided if people instead buy the software or its output and print them themselves (either through their own printer or a printing service).

Edited June 24, 2013 by Broken Toy