3D Printing and Our Beloved Hobby

[ErikB]

Has anyone seen these?

http://www.dezeen.com/2013/10/11/asda-supermarket-launches-3d-printing-service/

http://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/07/staples-becomes-first-major-us-retailer-to-sell-desktop-3d-printers/

Apparently, people can make minis of themselves.

I wonder what this means for our hobby?

I cannot imagine anything being as delightful as those Foundry, Copplestone, Artizan, Musketeer, and other minis, but, just like it did for books, digital data will make some sort of change for our hobby.

I wonder if people would buy a digital file to have printed at home or at Asda, make as many matching figures as they like with one digital file purchase, and manufacturers would cease to exist, only sculptors.

[Conquistador]

<snip>

I wonder if people would buy a digital file to have printed at home or at Asda, make as many matching figures as they like with one digital file purchase, and manufacturers would cease to exist, only sculptors.

Well, I can see it taking some time for cost of equipment and materials being priced competitively for large armies with multiple poses - leaving aside the Luddites, Old Skool Grognards, and emotion based supporters of traditional figures - enough to become "mainstream" (as far as miniatures can be mainstream.)   

But then how often has technology leap-frogged expectations?   

I know I would be hesitant to buy them in 3 and 6 mm scales until I saw that they would be priced lower and as good as the current sculpts.  That said, I think that 3/6 mm figures might be more prone to technological innovation.  But that is just me making a WAG.

Gracias,

Glenn

The technologically ignorant consumer

[beefcake]

Looks cool. I wonder if they would give you the file so you could print it yourself if you had your own 3d printer. That would be very cool.
I can just imagine a load of people turning up in post apoc survivor gear to make minis of themselves. And armour... And home made scifi gear... Asda is going to look like a comic convention soon I think 

[Cory]

I've been using a variety of the 3d printers the last few months for terrain, most recently the Replicator II and so far they are far more promise than reality. Nozzle jams, software issues, and a myriad of other small problems means we are still a while out from easy dot it at home figures.

[former user]

yeah, about six months......

just think about what it means in economical terms that a supermarket offers a 3D scanning and printing service....

remember how it was when the lasercut "movement"  started?

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

I remember dot matrix bubblejet printers. THey were so crap! THis is a step in the right direction, but prices start at £40 per print. Good luck doing your Zulu horde army with your face on it!

BUt yeah, sound super cool.

[Conquistador]

I remember dot matrix bubblejet printers. THey were so crap! THis is a step in the right direction, but prices start at £40 per print. Good luck doing your Zulu horde army with your face on it!

BUt yeah, sound super cool.

And now we have really powerful inkjet printers (B&W/Color for $100-200 in many cases) and Laser printers.    Progress happens.  Of course if they use the same business model it will be the "refills" that make the profits for the company.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Orctrader]

...Apparently, people can make minis of themselves...I wonder what this means for our hobby?

If it takes off, perhaps it will increase "general" interest in the art/craft of miniature figures, which might increase sales.   

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

When it takes off it will mean no ditribution problems for miniature companies, so more profit for them. Brilliant! Plus digital model making and conversion work will be fun to do.

As for printers, I got a laser printer, ex display, for £1! And yes it cost me £30 for each toner refil and then more for the drums etc.

[ErikB]

Here's the big question - will we run into digital rights management problems?

Imagine I buy the software file for, I dunno, say, a Heresy Ghoul (fresh on my mind as I just finished mine last night).

How many can I print, then?  100 for the price of 1?  What about sending around the file to whomever wants it, like getting the .pdf version of some game rules?

Will this increase or decrease profitability?  And would that encourage or discourage digital sculptors?

[zizi666]

Here's the big question - will we run into digital rights management problems?

Imagine I buy the software file for, I dunno, say, a Heresy Ghoul (fresh on my mind as I just finished mine last night).

How many can I print, then?  100 for the price of 1?  What about sending around the file to whomever wants it, like getting the .pdf version of some game rules?

Will this increase or decrease profitability?  And would that encourage or discourage digital sculptors?

It would probably work like 3D paper modelling. You can print and build as many copies as you want, but you can't share the files and you're not allowed to sell built up models or printed pages.
here's a link to Worldworksgames terms of use : http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=pages&pgid=28

[Conquistador]

<snip> and you're not allowed to sell built up models...<snip>

Up until this point I was in agreement with all you were saying.

Anyway, like all restrictive licenses, either people will obey it, ignore it and do what they please, or they (like me, if I was interested in selling my handicraft, which I am not,) would not buy the product.

Back (more) on Topic - I assume there would be pricing to compensate for the more prolific grognards, "Austrian Hussars at a 1:1 ratio with no detachments!"

Gracias,

Glenn

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

Well, from chatting to people "in the trade" it seems that the american manufacturing industry really wabts to push 3D printing. THis means that there will be some significant resources put into it, so Im sure that soon enough the DRM will be incorperated into the setup.

I imagine for companies like GW this will be a bits catalogue, and you buy and print each part once. SO you can buy a set of 10 arms, 10 torsos, 10 legs, 10 heads etc, then use custom software to put them together, and print from the GW software platform. That is, you download (or buy) the GW bits software. You cant export the files (sutom format) and you cant import other companies models, but you can resize and manipulate all the parts within the software.

You will also be able to get other software that lets you build and print as normal, but IM sure there will be software solutions for all needs.

[former user]

has noone thought about scanning traditionally sculpted miniatures, developing recognition software and painting them digitally, to print them out in full colour? everyone seems to think only about digtal sculpting....

this way one can make available every single miniature that was ever sculpted, and painted by every master painter available who would want to sell his paint scheme...
for everyone to buy.
Unpainted miniatures only for zhe ones who rally want to paint them with their own hands....

[ErikB]

I wonder how effective the copy protection would be.  Think of what happened with the music industry - everyone gives away their .mp3s, nobody really cares about the digital rights (of course, if musicians and the industry behaved differently people may respect them more, but that's a different topic).

As for scanning in old minis, I think that is very likely to happen, much like digitalizing old paper files.  I'm sure they'll all get into some databases and passed around.