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Author Topic: 3D printing precision dice?  (Read 766 times)

Offline Nordic1980s

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3D printing precision dice?
« on: January 23, 2020, 03:17:15 PM »
We all know that traditionally precision dice has meant D6s and Gamescience produces quite-good-but-not-absolytely-perfect other dice. More about them here and here.

Traditional FDM plastic printers can have issues with printing dice, more here, here and here. But! Modern 3D printing with resin is seriously good stuff and machines are getting cheaper/better every year.

Traditional precision dice tend to be costly, about a 10€/$10 per dice. (So no Warhammer mass battles with just precision dice...)

So, I was just wondering if:
1) use CAD/3D files, so perfect symmetry beyond human skill
2) use high quality resin printer that can use water/milk dissolvable supports that need no filing or sanding off (such printers already exist)
3) use 100% fill, so all sides are equally heavy
4) use clear resin, so any less than 100% fill errors are spotted as are air bubbles (to the discard pile they go)
5) make number line total lengths match between all sides (i.e. larger 1s and 2s, smaller 20s and 19s) so as to attain same weight OR secure filler paint material of exactly same weight per amount as the printing resin (i.e. how traditional precison dice number slots are filled)
6) paint/fill number lines when ready.

The end result: anykind of dice from D4 to D-whatever that is absolutely perfectly fair for all human understanding purposes. Should bring down the costs on precision dice, as they need to no longer machine sanded to high precision levels. I don't assume normies doing this, but see no reason why dedicated gaming groups or gaming companies couldn't achieve this.

(Also: dice cheaters who manufacture special dice with just a tiny bit of extra weight on one side.)

Any thoughts about this? Methinks the points 1-6 above are all doable by today's casting technology. Or am I too late to the party and somebody has already done this perfectly, with no blemishes or miscasts. If yes, from where I can buy such already printed dice?

Offline Malebolgia

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Re: 3D printing precision dice?
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2020, 09:06:42 AM »
Just curious, why the need for precision dice? I've looked into them once, but in the end didn't buy them as I thought it wasn't worth the effort and normal dice are random enough for my taste.
Do you have bad experiences with loaded or suspicious dice?
“What use was time to those who'd soon achieve Digital Immortality?”

Offline Nordic1980s

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Re: 3D printing precision dice?
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2020, 05:17:08 PM »
Just curious, why the need for precision dice?
I do have encountered some dice, typically D20s and more rarely D6s whose results tended towards a specific numbers. In mass battle wargames between friends this is only a minor thing of little concern, but can be an issue with rpgs (well-loved character dies due to biased dice) or with tournaments (money involved in travel, lodgings, perhaps eves as participation fee). Other than that: general aim for perfection.

Precision dice, the ones with precision rounded edges, also often are manufactured of a very good quality material that lasts a long time. I have encountered cheap dice, both the standard D6s and rpg dice, of an uknown manufacturing whose edges started to crumble after just some years of casual play. (Precision dice often are also very aesthetically pleasing and available in custom colours/symbols, if needed.)