Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Sangennaru on March 05, 2012, 04:10:45 PM
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Hi everyone!
I've seen many hex boards, but i want a board with identical pieces that could be mixed in various ways. Which is the best shape?
Of course the most easy answer would be "hexagonal", but since the hex i'm using would be 4 cm whide, probably i'd go for something bigger, like 20-30 cm!
Is there a composite hexagon made by hexagons which is modular and componible? =)
thanks
Jack
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You can't composite a hexagon set into a hexagon as the flats edges don't line up. You'd have to have rhomboids/trapezoids to fill the edges. It would also be very complicated for large terrain pieces which spread across multiple small tiles.
I went with 300mm tiles myself.
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yeah, romboids/trapezoids are fine!
I was wondering if there's a shape with a rotational simmetry factor >2 (i mean, that you can rotate in more than 2 ways!)
Because i wanted to have the same shape for all the pieces, but i would love also to mix the pieces at will!
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Are you looking to make something like that:
(http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt196/Comsquare/DSC01170.jpg)
Some tiles from the "Heroscape" game.
How's the resin stuff going ;)
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my resin stuff? i'ts going, but i'm into some paid commissions! :) but i've many resin pieces,at the moment! When i'll be back on milan i'll send you my full catalogue! :P
Anyway: 7 hexagons are a bit too few! :P i wanted something like a 30 cm whide box, but probably it's the same! =)
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My friend, Capt. John, & I have a good sized hex table that's set up for GeoHex tile (dense foam; edges are 17cm, 30 cm across). Most of the tiles are hex shaped wit some half hexes for filling gaps. You might get an idea from a pics:
(http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx269/DeafNala/40k/Forum%20Photos/Forum%20Photos/IMG_2596.jpg)
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thanks Nala! But the problem is making the little hexes working inside the bigger ones! =)
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Hei Jack,
google a little for the Heroscape tiles, they come in different shapes.
Maybe you'll find something you like ;)
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I'll pop out tomorrow and grab one of my spare 30cm hex tiles and draw on it for you. We'll see what can be fit on it.
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oh! Thanks to you both! =)
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Hmm, seems lots of small hexagons are quite diffcult to draw :?
I shall do it on sketchup instead, copy and paste is your friend!
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Right, knocked this up quickly so please excuse the innacurate nature. I wasn't willing to spend an hour or so making it perfect for a concept ;) The problem is the program calculates it's distances between the points of the hex and I want the distances between flat edges as that's how it's used in a game.
It does show what would fit however. On a 300mm (30cm) hex (flat edge to flat edge), you need to do the internal hex's at approx 43mm (flat to flat) so just over the 4cm.
You do get a lot though.
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oh, that's very very interesting shape, thank you dew!
I'll talk with my friends about all this opportunities, will sort something out asap! ^^
thanks again!
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No problem, hope it ends up being helpful.
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it will! =)
Anyway, my main point now is to decide if using hexes or not. There are pros and cons for both. For the gaming purpose it is very good, because it speeds up a lot the game, you can pause and resume it pretty fast, so it's cool.
And if the players are not fisically together, they can play via internet! =)
for the table look, both the choices have their pros:
Non-Hexes: you don't have to make the signs for the hex grid, so you can have a totally customizabile tabletop.
Hexes: you have to put the scenery on the sides of the hexes, that's true, but you can put very "annoying" pieces there with no trouble for the gaming purpose. So instead of having a flat field you can add many many buildings and trees around, with no problems for the ships! =)
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Ok geometry guys, new task:
Since the board is for flying ships, i will have to make a hole exactely in the center of each hexagon.
SO: the very cool shape shown by mr.Dewbakuk is not working, because the hole will be on the edge. Another hexagonal modular shape exists? =)
thanks again, sorry for my change of plans, but actually this version is much better for the aesthetic outcome!
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I think you are wrong. The shape dewbakuk drew has a central hexagon so the hole would be in the middle of it.
Any layout where the number of small hexagons across the diameter of the large hexagon is odd will have a central hexagon.
Any layout where the number of small hexagons across the diameter of the large hexagon is even will have a junction of three hexagons at the centre.
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I think he means every hexagon requires a hole.
In which case, you can't use solid hexagons as your 'area' piece. You will always have 'halves' at the edges. The only way around that is to cut those halves away and interlock your tile pieces as shown in the Heroscape terrain earlier. The more hexs you have within a hex, the more difficult that interlocking becomes.
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probably i expressed myself bad: central hexagon or not is the same.
My point is that i have to make a hole in the middle of each small tile (to joint the flying stands), and a half-cutted hexagon will be a problem! for the center of the big hexagon is fine, my concern is for the edges: there are half-cutted hexagons, and it means that the hole should be on the very edge - half per big hexagon, which is not good.
EDIT: Yes, so there are no solutions for that? awww, that is a problem! =(
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Afraid so. The only shape you can put in that will fill every part of the hex and maintain a uniform size is a triangle.
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Maybe this might help you to generate some printouts you can cut up to experiment with:
http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/hexagonal/
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hum. i'l sort something out of it. thanks Dewbakuk for the advices and thanks gnome for the link, is very useful for many purposes! =)
cheers,
Jack
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Yeah, seems that with central holes i can only make square shapes. It is ok, but the rotational simmetry is worse, makes me have only 2 configurations! =(
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Maybe stick to hexes, just increase the border just enough in size to allow centre holes?
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It would probably look funny on a table, but maybe you could cut out half a circle from the border of your half-hex to glue a tube in.
you could then stick the flying stand in the tube.
BTW : if you intend to use foam for your tiles, I'd advise you to glue tubes in the center holes anyway, for strength. I'm guessing otherwise your stands will suffer from Pisa tower syndrome :?
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If interested in casting your own, have you checked out this mould:
http://keeblerstudios.com/?product=hex-mold-plain
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It would probably look funny on a table, but maybe you could cut out half a circle from the border of your half-hex to glue a tube in.
you could then stick the flying stand in the tube.
BTW : if you intend to use foam for your tiles, I'd advise you to glue tubes in the center holes anyway, for strength. I'm guessing otherwise your stands will suffer from Pisa tower syndrome :?
Yeah, tubes were of course already on plan. The stands are made of 1mm (or less?) brass rods, and the tube will be exactely fitting it. luckly, the standars sizes allow that.
For the border: i was thiking also about the half tube. but this way i cannot join together some of the hexagons. hum, that's a hard job indeed. =)
@haydn: a 1x1,5m in resin cast pieces would cost me too much, i'm afraid. =) but all the rest of the table will be filled by resin scenery i have sculpted and casted! =)
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For the border: i was thiking also about the half tube. but this way i cannot join together some of the hexagons. hum, that's a hard job indeed. =)
Well, you could create some with half tube spacing but no tube attached that would fit the ones with a tube. Ofcourse you wouldn't have any other use for them.
If your terrain is smaller than the table you place it upon, you could glue tubes to a metal plate and use those whenever you have to place a miniature in one of the outer half-hexes. (you'd just have to cut out the half-tube without glueing anything in place)
That way you could still put 2 halves together over one such support.
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hum, what do you mean exactely? i can't understand your plan (for my english, i thing)
alternatively, i can make the holes a little distant from the edges. This way, there will be 2 holes in the border hexes, and only one could be used. I don't like it conceptually, but pratically it is the best solution.
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Hei Jack,
played a little with the "Heroscape" gametiles around today.
What about this:
(http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt196/Comsquare/DSC01219.jpg)
40cm from corner to corner
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Thanks Com, but i finally decided to go for the simple hexagonal shape! =)
here's the start!
(http://i43.tinypic.com/fp4apk.jpg)
and here is a sample of the look of the boards! a proper article will come soon!!
(http://i41.tinypic.com/6yi5gy.jpg)
cheers,
Jack
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:-*
That's looking very nifty!
Looking forward to see how your concept progresses.
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How do you draw the shape on the board? I found that step to be a right pain when I tried something like this.
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How do you draw the shape on the board? I found that step to be a right pain when I tried something like this.
do you mean the big hexagons? The bigger ones has been drawed with pencil and ruler, nothing too complicated. but now i'll use some printed meshes for the smaller ones inside!