Hello tabletop gamers and welcome to the Benefits of 3D Printing Your Tabletop Games! We’re here to share just how 3D printing can enhance your tabletop gaming experience; bring your battlefields to life with 3D printable terrain or discover your new favourite hero among thousands of printable miniatures! With incredibly talented 3D designers sharing new designs every day, it’s never been easier to upgrade your tabletop adventures.

In our previous 3D printing guides, we provided details on how users can upload designs onto MyMiniFactory and the optimal ways in which Elegoo Mars Pro owners could set up their brand new 3D printer.

In this guide to 3D printing for tabletop gaming, we’ll be touching on topics of how to find the perfect STL files for your gaming needs within the MyMiniFactory archives, how to 3D print miniatures, painting 3D prints and our favorite part, sharing your 3D designs with the community!

We have already welcomed many new members to the MyMiniFactory community this year and we’re certain that this guide will be helpful for you. Join us as we outline some of the ways 3D printing can enhance your gaming experience, and let us help you get the most from MyMiniFactory.

What is 3D printing?

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the process of creating 3D objects from STL files using a 3D printer. 3D objects are obtained via 3D printable digital files, most commonly in the form of STL files, and the object is printed using layers of resin or filament, the most popular 3D printing materials.

Over the last decade, 3D printers have become increasingly accessible to the public and thanks to 3D printing, creatives like you are able to express themselves through a unique and beautiful form of contemporary art, as well as designing intuitive STLs that can perform many applications. To learn more, check out our brief history of 3D printing!

The world has witnessed 3D designers sculpt some truly unbelievable 3D miniatures for all kinds of gaming, including but not limited to: skirmish wargames like Warhammer, roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons, and strategy board games like Pandemic. Check out our blog post on 3D Printing for the Game Master for more insight. The only limit in the realm of 3D printing is your imagination.

If you haven’t already got yourself a 3D printer but are eager to get started, you can invest in an affordable, high-quality resin 3D printer here.

The Elegoo Mars Pro is MyMiniFactory branded, exclusive to our community and very limited in stock!

Benefits Of 3D Printing

In this guide we want to highlight one of the most important benefits of 3D printing; the 3D printing community. We have seen first hand how 3D printing promotes creativity and positive interaction through the direct connections between designers and makers. The innovation and talent of our 3D designers is astonishing, and cultivating the positivity in the 3D printing community is one of our core goals here at MyMiniFactory.

If you are new to the world of 3D printing, there’s no time like the present to join the community and enrich your tabletop gaming experience.

3D Printable Miniatures for Tabletop Gaming

The world of 3D printing is incredibly versatile; from musical instruments, buildings, and even artificial organs, you name it, you can print it! Here at MyMiniFactory our passion lies with 3D printable tabletop miniatures. We have an amazing array of 3D designers who can truly make your tabletop gaming experience come alive. We can provide you with any genre, any creature, and any terrain you could hope for.

Here are just a couple of our favourite designs at the moment:

3D Design by The Dragon Trappers Lodge

The level of detail and personalisation you can create with 3D printing is unparalleled. Not only can you print Lila the Elf Ranger, but you can also customise her pose and the base she’s standing on. The joy of 3D printing doesn’t end here though; you can paint and customise your miniatures even further, ensuring that no two miniatures are the same.

Follow this guide here on painting your 3D miniatures and get started on your creative journey!

As well as characters, MyMiniFactory has a scary array of creatures for you to choose from. Check out this terrifying creature by Lord of the Print:

From 3D printing beginners to experts, if you have the passion and creativity for tabletop gaming, why not give 3D printing a go?! You can even design and customise your own dice! There’s no better way to bring your games to life.

The 3D Printing Process

There are a few simple steps to 3D printing, beginning with designing the 3D model itself. There are many softwares available for those who would prefer to design their own 3D miniature, including: TinkerCAD, Fusion 360, Blender, Zbrush and Solidworks.

Once a 3D miniature is designed, designers will want to export their files as an STL file, allowing your file to be 3D printed.

After your 3D object is printed, designers can then wash and cure their 3D model, ridding it of excess resin and strengthening it. Follow this guide to washing and curing your 3D models.

Designed a 3D object? 3D printed it? If all’s good, why not show off your beautiful creation with the community!

Find out more about how you can upload your 3D design to MyMiniFactory and share your creativity with 3D printing tabletop enthusiasts all around the world.

Searching on MyMiniFactory

At MyMiniFactory, we have over 100,000 3D designs uploaded by talented artists all over the world. Finding your favorite 3D miniature has never been easier! Simply head over to our explore tab and choose from a wide range of fantastic categories, including tabletop. Here you can explore characters, terrains, vehicles and so much more to enhance your tabletop gaming experience!

If you know what you’re directly looking for, why not use our search function? Simply type into the search engine and voila! We have a wonderful selection of 3D printable STL files to choose from, including a beautiful range of free to download projects. Better yet, click here to start searching for your dream 3D miniature!

If you’re looking to support the 3D printing community and 3D designers, MyMiniFactory provides a decentralised platform in which designers earn 90% of all sales from their wonderful creation. When searching, select the “Premium Objects” tab on the left hand side and show your support to your favorite 3D designers.

Painting

There are many ways in which 3D printing enthusiasts can get involved and display their creativity with 3D printing. Painting a 3D model can result in some serious fun, and will bring your 3D miniature to life! We, alongside many members of the MyMiniFactory community, have witnessed talented 3D artists producing incredible paint jobs and are looking forward to many more throughout 2021.

3D print, paint and share your work with the MyMiniFactory community by uploading a picture of your artwork to the community prints section!

If you’re looking to start painting 3D models as a hobby, MyMiniFactory is a fantastic place to explore and find the best STL files to 3D print around. Check out the many tutorials and guides provided by some of the most talented 3D artists in the community here!

We also have the wonderful Da Vinci paint brush set at a reduced price for MMF+ subscribers. Further immerse yourself into the world of 3D printing with an MMF+ Subscription.

Sharing!

Since MyMiniFactory launched in 2013, we have witnessed the community grow, support and embrace people from all over the globe. At MyMiniFactory, we love interacting with and sharing the incredible work uploaded by our talented community members.

The bond we have fostered with community members extends beyond our MyMiniFactory website, and has spread onto our social media channels and even real life (we know!). We engage with and share the work of creators every day, and it warms our hearts to see 3D printing enthusiasts interact with one another and share our passion for 3D printing. By joining the expansive world of 3D printing for tabletop gaming you will meet so many inspiring creators, and you’ll never run out of ideas for your next gaming session.

We invite you all to support, tag, and share with us your designs on our Twitter, Facebook & Instagram pages. We’re excited to see what you guys have in store and can’t wait to welcome more of you to our fantastic community. In the meanwhile, check out some of the most popular 3D designs on MyMiniFactory!

3D Design by Lord of the Print

3D Design by Galaad

3D Design by Petrichor Miniatures

3D Design by Artisan Guild

Have any comment or questions?

Do you enhance your tabletop gaming with 3D printing? Let us know what your favourite tabletop miniatures are, and who your favourite 3D designers are! We'd love to know your 3D printing tabletop tips and tricks.

We hope this guide was useful in guiding you through some basics and how to explore the world of 3D printing with MyMiniFactory. If you have any questions, the MyMiniFactory team will be happy to help and guide you with any query regarding 3D printing.

Check out more tutorial blog posts here from MyMiniFactory and the talented community to continue your journey to being the best 3D designer, printer or painter.

We hope you all have a fantastic 2021.

As always, happy 3D printing!

MyMiniFactory Team