Roll a tinker check! It’s time to forge your D&D adventure with custom 3D printed terrain and minis, but where do you start? What printer should you use for which monsters? Makers and Dungeon Masters, this blogpost is for you. We’re exploring 3 main methods for D&D 3D printing everything you need to run immersive epic games for your friends, and we’re joined by fellow DM, Pippa Hillebrand. All images are taken from her incredible DIY D&D collection. Read more over at her Crafting Corner blog.
The Dungeons & Dragons community is fascinated with 3D printing. If you want to craft custom maps and miniatures for your players, designing and then 3D printing your adventures makes for a vivid tabletop experience. You don’t even need to know how to 3D model. There’s an abundance of online free or paid STLs for any DND monster, modular terrain, character minis, and DM accessories. Even tools like Hero Forge allow you to customise miniatures before paying to download them for prints. Once you have your digital models ready, it’s time to choose your method to bring each one to life.
Method 1: FDM Printing Immersive D&D Maps
Many Makers begin their 3D printing backstories with good ol’ PLA on an FDM 3D printer. This first method is best suited to larger models. DM accessories are also easy to print out and help your game run smoother with turn tracking or condition rings. Raise your D&D maps into 3D terrain pieces like ruined cave walls, bookshelves, and jagged ice. Even the simplest additions onto a hand-drawn map have an immediate effect to bring your setting to life. Make your players feel part of the world by letting their actions influence the terrain, catching a tree on fire or blowing apart a crumbling wall.
FDM printing is done with plastic 3D filament, such as the most popular PLA. This method of printing involves feeding the filament through a hot nozzle to “build” a 3D object layer by layer. While very impressive, the process can leave layer lines and may not capture as much detail as you’d like for your humanoid figurines. But the bulky, blocky shapes of terrain are a match in D&D heaven with FDM printers. These printers offer bigger build areas for your most ambitious of projects, like a whole mini tavern with a removable roof and walls! PLA filaments also offer the widest range of colours. Often you won’t need to paint over their glimmering shades, but if you do, you could make your models even more vibrant.
Believe it or not, some Makers become so skilled with FDM prints that they manage detailed miniatures despite the quality challenges. Our previous DM’s Guide to FDM Printing Terrific D&D Minis blog shares key tips and tricks to get you started with either terrain or miniature printing in PLA. But the next method wins our vote for the most detailed adventurer party you could ever make.
Method 2: 3D Resin Printing Intricate Detailed Minis
You roll initiative, and your players’ eyes go wide as every new monster lands on the table. If you’re ready to go all out, 3D resin is a must for building an army of intricate miniatures, including your adventurer party. This method can have a bit of an entry curve, needing a lot more post-processing care and pricier equipment to get started. But the results speak for themselves. If details matter to you, then there is no competition to 3D resin when it comes to 3D printing. Layer lines are barely noticeable, and you’ll see every minute expression on your characters.
Resin printers work with high-resolution LCD screens and UV-sensitive resins to craft your prints out of a liquid vat. The printer cures each layer of resin into shape, eventually pulling out a fully formed goblin, troll, or human bard. The level of detail is just incredible. Painting your models afterwards brings a whole new life to these badass creations. If you enjoy surprising your players with a new monster horde to face, resin printing is absolutely the way to go.
Quick Tips for 3D Resin Printing Your D&D Minis:
- Print more than one mini at a time. Resin printers have the advantage of printing every layer with a quick flash of light. This means your print time is not influenced by the number of models. Fill up your build plate with as many miniatures as possible!
- Focus on proper orientation. A straight model can fail more easily, especially when there are dainty bows or elf ears in your print. A 30-45 degree angle is often best for creating stronger structures to hold onto the build plate while printing.
- Place your supports strategically. More supports increase the chances of print success, but you might battle to remove too many. Place your supports in key areas of overhang and undercuts. Practice makes perfect.
Method 3: Combine Both into Hybrid Printing Your Epic Monsters
Gigantic wings beat louder. Claws clatter then slice into stone. The dragon’s roar locks your party into a terrified pause. 3D print your BBEG and hear your players gasp in excited terror when you bring it out. Whether a dragon or a hydra, we can agree these titans are probably too big for your poor resin printer. But detail is still so important to really nail these intimidating models. This method is a hybrid of the first two, mixing the large prints of FDM with the small details of resin.
Hybrid printing is possible when your digital 3D model is split into multiple pieces. Many enormous D&D monster models are made to be printed in parts, then fit together and glued. You might assume that you’ll need to painstakingly wait for your resin printer to complete every part and drain your resin supply. But we recommend that you instead print the largest pieces with your FDM printer and the smallest, most intricate pieces with your resin printer. The face, tail, and possibly the wings of this dragon hold the most detail you’d want to see in resin. Meanwhile, the torso and legs are not likely to be noticed as printed in PLA.
This ultimate combination of printing methods has so many benefits. Save yourself time and save your resin from depleting so fast. Like creating a focused 3D photograph, you can pinpoint exactly where the details pop on your model by choosing to print them in resin. Larger pieces are also a struggle to print on resin printers due to their building weight. A chance of a print fail is much higher than if you were to simply FDM print those pieces. Keep in mind all the tips we mentioned for each method above as you try out a hybrid print yourself.
Forge Your Own Adventure
Was that a nat 20 for your tinker check? Well done for learning another Dungeon Master skill to bring to your table. We hope this blogpost helped answer a few questions to help you create a D&D collection as impressive as Pippa’s. There is no limit to the awesome adventures you can forge with a 3D printer by your side. Find the filaments and resins you need at DIYElectronics and get creative.
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Copywriter | Digital Artist | Dungeon Master
My greatest passion lies in storytelling, be it through writing, art or playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends and family. I dove into 3D printing a few years ago and earned a lifetime obsession of experimenting, learning, and making new things!
