you can print the most complicated organic structures

...but in the early days of 3D printing, a smooth geometric structure was a huge problem!

2020 MARCH

3D printing challenges

This month I realized again why the community is more important than hardware, software or books. The 3D printer you have can be as good as you like, but sometimes it doesn't do what it should. I tried for a week to print this base for the Level 3 Angel Model. Only failures! ...and I wasted half a liter of resin.

It's a bad feeling to get up in the morning, looking forward to the finished model and what you get is trash, and an hour of work cleaning the broken parts out of the resin VAT.

Mind you, only the base was broken! All other parts were printed really great!

I visit many forums and I am in dozens of chatrooms on Discord. This means that you always have other people trying to do the same thing as you are, always just a keystroke away. Far too often you think "Nobody can help me with this" but this is 95% wrong. An ex-F18 pilot finally solved my problem with the base. He even sent me a file that allowed me to print the base without support structures. But the most important thing is not to solve this "one little problem" but to experience what light you can see when you see another professional working. THAT is the really valuable thing!

FINALLY!

After overcoming this hurdle the biggest angel I ever built could finally stand on his "own two feet".

The biggest miniature so far is done.

After you solved such a challenge it really gives you chills. Such a huge miniature is not a problem anymore in 2024. But with an SLA printer from 2017 it was!

there is nothing more beautiful than sitting in front of this board, thinkering, solving problems.

PAINTING & PUSHING

At the moment I'm testing different painting apps on the ipad to make quicker sketches. Procreate and Fresco are the best so far. I like Fresco because it automatically syncs with my desktop. I've been using Procreate for a long time, but lately the program has been bitching around a lot... I have no idea why. The finger gestures don't work sometimes and thats an absolute game breaker.

From the past test games there have been a lot of good changes and a new arrangement on the board. Sometimes I sit there for hours and just push game inventory across the board and throw dice and test little things especially when I had a new idea. I draw the results and write down notes before I sit down at the computer. You should try to see the game with new eyes again and again during such sessions. You sit there and ask yourself: Does that feel pleasant? Does it make sense? Is there a better way?

But you always have to keep in mind: A game is like a spider's web! As soon as you pull on one string, the whole web moves.

That means not only, that you can create problems very easily. Remember always: You can always SOLVE problems very easily too if you pull the right string!

DECIDING ON THE CARDBACK

Since the game is designed in such a way that all cards must be able to be hidden in different decks, the back of the cards have to be the same. But how should the back of the cards look? This is not just a matter of taste. Therefore I have printed out different backs of cards and stared at them for a long time... Without any real result... I think I will postpone this decision until I get my teakwood board...

Workspace

My workplace is now set up very well. I always underestimate how much effort it takes to install all the brushes, plugins, filters and utilities. It takes months.

In general a lot of important decisions have been made this month but I feel I need to do something with the board...

Back to work!