So I got around $100 for Christmas this year, and what did I do with it? Bought silicone and dental plaster and a few prints from Shapeways so I can try to make molds for prototyping creation. I wanted a cheap way to mass produce certain objects that I use a lot (Hexagon tiles, normal tiles, small square cubes, and also scenery for war games) so I am experimenting to see how this works and if it is cost efficient.
My first run from Shapeways will include a dungeon set for dwarves: 2 inch tall Door, wall, 1 inch tiled flooring, small cubes, stack- able hexagon tiles, and if I have enough money blank 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sided dice. This will cost around $50-$60 from Shapeways. I am going to print on different material to see what the cheapest material I can print on and still get the best quality out of it.
This is definitely a work in progress and will still be several weeks before I have all of my prints done and molds created but I am interested in maybe creating a training series of how to make 3d models for print using Blender and Zbrush, and how to set up molds and create plaster landscape and assets. If I get enough interest I am also planning on selling molds for a very cheap price so others can use these molds to make their own inexpensive landscapes.
I don't really know if people are interested in this like I am though so if you are I would love to hear you sound off. Also if you have any additional thoughts of useful molds I could create, I am all ears. Would you rather have sci-fi assets like doors, conveyor belts, computers, ect or modern assets like sandbag walls, bunkers, ect...
The training video will most likely be about 5-10 hours long and I am thinking of charging around $10 for it. Similar molds sold on hirstarts.com are going for about $30 per mold + shipping and I am seeing if I can't get that down to around $15 per mold.
Well I have just sent in the order for my first print and I should be receiving the models some time after the 10th of January. I printed a Door, a 1 inch hexagon tile, and an 8mm cube. I printed everything in 2 different materials so I can see how they work out, and then make a material choice for my next batch off of that.
I still have some money to invest into this project, so I am up for any suggestions of what to print.
I am going to make the following:
coins with the number 1, 5, 10 on them
1 inch stone floor
Stone walls
I am still debating small pieces for games like Axis and Allies,
Small tank,
Plan,
Factory,
Ect...