Getting Started with 3D Printing

[DragonSlayer2]

Originally Posted by 'Scaper94

You mentioned FDM would be better for terrain. By this, do you mean mostly obstacles such as fences and walls? Or do you mean to include terrain tiles as well? Would it work to print tiles using an FDM printer? One thing that turns me off to FDM is the printing lines and the "graininess" look of the finished product. I'm not sure if printing lines would be an issue for the interlocking system, or if the finished product would look... cheap? overall. What are your thoughts on this?

The answer isn't exactly straight forward. You can do a lot with an FDM printer and get some amazing results. Check out this reddit post where someone compares an FDM v Resin printed mini. I have printed minis with my FDM printer, however, it took SO MUCH time and effort to calibrate and tune it for that level of detail.

FDM can definitely print terrain tiles (I haven't tried that) but it uses thermal polymers. My concern would be the the expansion/contraction of the material during this process could cause tiles to be too loose or too tight. This wouldn't be a deal breaker but might require tuning of the printer or modifying the file to compensate for the materials behavior. This is why I say FDM is better for terrain (trees, walls, buildings, etc).

Quick Google search and I found this image which has 3D printed tiles



So FDM printed tiles are definitely feasible and it's possible to limit that layer line graininess. It's all just a matter of calibrations