Would you buy a team in digital?

[Questron]

Yes, that's what I meant... if we could give that, it would be great, but... who's available for that?

[hutchinsfairy]

Yes, that's what I meant... if we could give that, it would be great, but... who's available for that?

I guess that would be something to research but might be worth the time.

[Questron]

Where to start? There's tons of FB groups about 3D printing... but print isn't the only problem here... Logistics could be a pain in the ass worse than sculpting and printing, together! That would be another work to do

[Wobert]

Ultimately you need to make it easy for the customer in order to encourage them to come on board. I can only speak for me, but if the offer is only some designs and everything else is left up to me . . . then no thanks.

If you could link in with a company who would do the printing . . . in effect make the introductions then I may be more tempted.

You said its a lot of work to sort things out . . . . but if you won't do it (and you have a vested interest) then why would anyone else. You have to make it easy for the customers or it won't work.

[rolo]

The point is to break the link between design and production. Questron wants to just make and sell digital designs, which customers can do whatever they like with. Print them at home, or have a professional company cast them in pewter, or whatever. Just like when you buy airline tickets or rent a car or whatever, you get a .pdf which you can print out yourself. Airlines don't publish a list of printers to use for that.

I think it's a brilliant idea, and I also think it's going to be the future of tabletop hobby games. But I think it's just too much ahead of its time; the 3d printer market isn't mature enough yet for a wide customer base to be confident of the final product. How many of us remember 1997, when you had to go to that one friend of yours with a CD burner to make your own Mix CD? And how shaky that process was? And blank CDs cost $10 each? That's where we are now with 3d printing.

[Questron]

Exactly... the possibilities for the customer are many... print them in resin, metal? Maybe we can add some extra arms for making minis more customizable and unique?

We are pulling threads fo see if any 3D print company would be interested... the first one who catch this for is own can make good money of it... We'll update if there's any news...

[Steam Ball]

Questron maybe you should link up with them.

Uuh... no thanks

Why "uh"?

Anyway, again, what we try here is to separate the artwork from the production... I don't want to have anything to do in the production... We, as sculpters, would ensure the optimization of each sculpt for its print, but that's all..

For which printer?

We are pulling threads fo see if any 3D print company would be interested... the first one who catch this for is own can make good money of it... We'll update if there's any news...

"Any miniature company" would be a lot more correct.

[Questron]

Questron maybe you should link up with them.

Why "uh"?

Long story

For which printer?

As far as I know, (because my long experience) it should have enough deepness in the details and no undercuts, and that's all... the printer is the printer... is almost like to say "I have this PDF to print" "In wich printer can you print that PDF?"

"Any miniature company" would be a lot more correct.

Uhm, I've work with non-specialized companies and their results were good...

[Kaiowas]

Any move to such a service would be met with the same issues that custom card printing services for games have. There's rarely a way to test and see if the design you've been sold/created is perfect without cost and time to yourself

[rolo]

Any move to such a service would be met with the same issues that custom card printing services for games have. There's rarely a way to test and see if the design you've been sold/created is perfect without cost and time to yourself

Right, I think this kind of thing will really take off once home 3d printers become common (and good) enough to do this at home.

It'll be the 3d equivalent of these:
http://cheapass.com/node/83
http://www.spartangames.co.uk/resources/downloads

[Metalface13]

I think the idea is rather interesting actually. The problem of course, would the cost be cheaper than buying them from a minis company? I'd guess not as producing products in great volume results in lower costs. Trying to print out your own card game or board game yourself can be more expensive than simply buying one of the shelf.

Still, the library downtown has a Makerbot 2 that is apparently free to use, but 5 cents per gram of filament. If you'd like a guinea pig to test your services, I'd be willing to help

[Tablet]

I think the idea is rather interesting actually. The problem of course, would the cost be cheaper than buying them from a minis company? I'd guess not as producing products in great volume results in lower costs. Trying to print out your own card game or board game yourself can be more expensive than simply buying one of the shelf.

Still, the library downtown has a Makerbot 2 that is apparently free to use, but 5 cents per gram of filament. If you'd like a guinea pig to test your services, I'd be willing to help

That's one bloody awesome library you've got there!

[the solitaire]

I still do believe that when YOU want to put a product on the market in a table top gaming emvironment but say that production and shipping is beyond your interest, that YOU should revise your priorities.

Either you offer a finished product, which, in this case means miniatures, or you need to find a different market that does have a desire for your services.

Personally I think it's just lazyness to say that you don't want to be bugged with the printing, casting and shipping of a finished product.

I also still have difficulties with the term "sculpting" when applied to a 3D rendering.

Sure, you set the shapes and textures and need to do a lot of drawing, but sculpting is, by definition, an art that creates a tangible product and not a bunch of pixels or vectors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpture ... ng_realism

[Questron]

Personally I think it's just lazyness to say that you don't want to be bugged with the printing, casting and shipping of a finished product.

Well, you say it's lazyness, I would say it's EXPERIENCE

I also still have difficulties with the term "sculpting" when applied to a 3D rendering.

Really? Because I woudl say that this is a sculpt

https://www.facebook.com/44124225925591 ... =3&theater

(and everything you can find in that page of us )

Sure, you set the shapes and textures and need to do a lot of drawing, but sculpting is, by definition, an art that creates a tangible product and not a bunch of pixels or vectors

Oh well, I don't want to sound rude, but you clearly don't know what you are talking about... We don't work with "pixels", or "vectors" We don't use hammers, but the mouse... It's the skill and the art's appreciation what's important, not the tool

But hey, you can go with your phylosophy, and if want a graphic design work, go and do your own mixtures with clay and colorants from plants. and prepare your old feathered quill... Adobe? Mac? that's not doing art!

Freehand?? Now way! Old XVII century printers from Germany!

Joking

[the solitaire]

Really? Because I would say that this is a sculpt

https://www.facebook.com/44124225925591 ... =3&theater

(and everything you can find in that page of us )

No, it's a 3D render. No offence.

Oh well, I don't want to sound rude, but you clearly don't know what you are talking about... We don't work with "pixels", or "vectors" We don't use hammers, but the mouse... It's the skill and the art's appreciation what's important, not the tool

You are right in me not knowing much of the current developments in 3D geberated images. The last I did was some Autocad and 3D studio Max. I bet you young guys do not even know what I'm talking about, but those were the programs that eventually led to the tools you use nowadays. You are not entirely wrong regarding the skill thing, but going into the finer details of handwriting and signature styles would have me write a book rather then a post in an internet forum. Let's just say that a mouse or graphic tablet does not give you the signature a set of sculpting tools and putty would.

... Adobe? that's not doing art!

I'm a photographer and I agree with this statement. Adobe and Art are mutually exclusive because I could write/film a tutorial for the process and everyone will be able to reproduce my results. Same goes for your 3D renders. After a few tutorials and an investment in software I could do that.

As to the medieval reference, if you ever looked into miniature sculpting or any form of sculpting in the true sensze you will see that people make their own crude tools in that trade. They do so because they create a handwriting style with their tools that can not be copied by others. That is where Art exists.

Now enough with all the getting off topic stuff.

The main reason why I do not like this is because a company that is not interested (or not interested enough) in production of whatever they have in their computers just reminds me too much of something that went horribly wrong, not all too long ago.

I just have to bring up the example to make clear what I'm talking about. Here is a company that did not think through the production and logistics behind putting a product on the market:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/amaz ... #/comments

And in the end I do not make a difference whether the product is digital or analogue. You want to sell a product but do not want to deal with logistics. That leaves you with 2 options. Pay someone to deal with logistics or don't market the product.