A Dungeonscape concept

[Eckels]

Ok scrap the design below. I've got something better.

(I think I just needed to let go of the old design idea, so a new one could creep in, or something.)

It'll be easier to draw, build, and assemble.

This is a design, I might actually be willing and able to have made, as I do have the resources to get it done. (It won't be cheap - but I could probably get a good quantity made) The drawback is that producing this type of design, wouldn't allow for intricate details on the walls, such as bricks, or otherwise. The good thing is that walls of any height could be built with one-piece.

Tell me what you think (the different colors in the first pic are for contrast).

Incidentally, would anyone have any interest in buying such an item? The quantities I'd have to get of this design would prevent me from making it solely for myself.










I'm keeping the original post here, for posterity, and reference. But it's unnecessary for the above design.
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Ok, I had hoped to make an awesome post about this awesome modular wall system I've devised, and how easy it is to use, etc etc. Sadly, that's not going to happen.

Two weeks ago I started mulling around the "Battle Grid" that I built out of foam-core, and how to make it more useful, versatile, and easy to setup. If you haven't seen it, here it is:



Well I've got a concept, that I'm fairly positive would work fine, but logistically, I can't make it happen, so I'm turning it over to you fine folk, in the hopes that one of you can see it through to the end. If not, oh well - it was a neat idea, and I had to try.

So the goals were:
A.) Make each piece of wall separate from the next.
B.) Give the system a great range of flexibility.
C.) Design something that could be molded and re-cast to make many duplicates, therefore having more walls to play with.

So I came up with the following. I'll show you the pictures, then I'll explain them.


This picture shows the general idea of how the pieces can be used. Each section of wall is a single piece. There are two basic designs - the taller (dark gray) ones, that are 6 levels high, and the shorter ones that you see in front (blue/white) which would be half-walls.


How they're held together is very simple. Magnets, and ball-bearings, just like a magnetix set. This picture shows where you'd have ball-bearings in this type of setup; basically in every joint.


This image shows the two types of wall. As you can see, there are small round disks protruding from recesses in the edge of each panel. These are the magnets. They hold on to the ball bearings. On the bottom of the regular wall, there is an added fin on each side for stability. The half-wall should probably have it too, but I hadn't added it to the mockup.


Another view of the two pieces.

The magnets would allow for a very easy way to setup and link any length of wall, in any horizontal direction. It's not intended for building vertically, though with some posts on top, and some holes on the bottom of each wall, we could make that happen too. There's a lot of possibilities available with this design.

I also haven't given a lot of thought to actual aesthetics. It could look like a brick wall, if embossed. It could look like a flat interior wall. Even wood grain could work.

Why I can't complete it.
Today I spent quite a while trying to put together a few wall pieces. Using pine lathe, I carved several pieces, and did my best to keep them to perfect specs, but the kind of precision necessary to make something like THIS happen, requires a computer, and some sort of CNC. The tolerances are just too tight.

I bastardized a Magnetix kit for the magnets and Ball-bearings. The magnets were perfect, but the ball-bearings are far too large. I could go down to the hardware store and get an assortment to figure out what size i'd need - but since I can't accurately produce a prototype, I'm not going to waste any more time (or money) on it.

I simply haven't got the tools to build this..

For this type of project, a TRUE 3D CAD design needs to be made, and the prototype needs to be within exact specifications.

Even these concept renders are inaccurate. They are to scale, but the placement of the magnets is incorrect. they'd have to be recessed a bit further. They also don't take into account the size of the ball bearing, which I hadn't decided on either.

If someone has the tools, it's definitely a workable idea. Unfortunately I simply cannot complete it. If someone is interested in taking this on, I have the Sketchup file that I used to make the mockup.

So that's all. I hope someone can do with this, what I couldn't. If anyone has ideas or suggestions, feel free to share them.

[Brandon]

Instead of magnets and ball bearings you could drill holes on the sides and use angled metal pins. This would add some stability. With a nice table saw you can rip some pretty identical pieces. Then create a jig for drilling the holes in the same place every time.

[HS ~ KNT]

Well, as I have a fair amount of those magnet sets that I don't use (not magnetix, something from before then...) I can see what I can do about cannabalizing them. I'm not sure how the bearings compare to those in the Magnetix sets though. I do have a bearing or two that are much smaller, and one or two that are much larger.

I'm pretty sure I can't make something very presise, or very sturdy/long-lasting, but I can try to make a card-board mock up to see how it works.

I really like this idea... have you contacted Draconious about his 3D cad machine for this? It might be the best way to go to make a prototype to mold from. But I'm not sure how presise that would be.

Otherwise... I suppose there's always the idea of finding a shop that lets you make your own product... (As in, you send them designs, they make it on demand to when you sell it) I'm not sure if there are any that do this sort of this though.

Those are my only ideas, I hope someone in the community can get this working, because I find it a very exciting idea. (Maybe a K'nex-like system? hmmm...)

Thanks for the thoughts, Eckels! Together this community shouuld be able to come up with something...

~Neko, looking for her K'nex and Magnet sets...

[Eckels]

Originally Posted by Brandon

Instead of magnets and ball bearings you could drill holes on the sides and use angled metal pins. This would add some stability. With a nice table saw you can rip some pretty identical pieces. Then create a jig for drilling the holes in the same place every time.

I've actually got a whole woodworking shop. Quite a nice one actually. I own my own screen repair and installation business - I build custom doors and windows, so I'm a fairly experienced woodworker.

The dimensions of each wall unit are approximately 2 1/4" tall x 1" wide x 1/4" thick. The small scale of it all, makes it just about impossible to dial in perfect dimensions repeatedly.

I considered working with pins, but concluded that it would be even more difficult. Even with a jig, getting precise holes drilled in the corners of a piece of wood that small is next to impossible. The only way to drill something like that, reliably and repeatedly, is with a mill (which I don't have.)

Not to mention, that I really don't want to spend lots of time duplicating this in wood. I'd simply like to have a prototype that I could mold and cast duplicates from...






Halfway through typing this post, I just had another idea for how this could work.... more on that later.

[Parduz]

These are some idea comes to me while looking at the pictures:

1) I think that square corners (instead of the 60° angled you draw) will work the same, without having to build them. You can still carve the space for the magnet as well.
More, i will go away from casting. You can even took a wood plank, carve a "line" for the magnet on the two opposite sides, and THEN slice it to have the little walls. (sorry, i don't know the right words for woodworking techniques)

2) I don't know if ball bearing will keep things stable. Maybe you can go with some small steel cilinder instead...

3) You still need a way to keep them one on top of the another as shown in your pics.

[Eckels]

Ok scrap the design above. I've got something better.

(I think I just needed to let go of the old design idea, so a new one could creep in, or something.)

It'll be easier to draw, build, and assemble.

This is a design, I might actually be willing and able to have made, as I do have the resources to get it done. (It won't be cheap - but I could probably get a good quantity made) The drawback is that producing this type of design, wouldn't allow for intricate details on the walls, such as bricks, or otherwise. The good thing is that walls of any height could be built with one-piece.

Tell me what you think (the different colors in the first pic are for contrast).

Incidentally, would anyone have any interest in buying such an item? The quantities I'd have to get of this design would prevent me from making it solely for myself.

[Onacara]

I would definitely be interested....let me know what we are talking about as far as price?...also I think i have an idea how to give them texture cheaply and the best part is you do not limit the type of walls.

[Draconious]

Although it would have to be METAL.. I could make that part easily in my Wire EDM class. (Uses an electrified metal wire to remove material/cut metal). The metal part could be used as a master for recasting...

I bring this up because they are already making a similar puzzle part to show off the tollerance the machine can hold... And I am supose to bring in a part to cut... so... $0.00

You could then use clay/epoxy sculpt and add it to the metal master to add rock details to make it more of a cave wall or something... before casting multiples.

Or wood grain/panneling to make it into wooden houses/towers...

[Eckels]

Draconius, are you talking about the new design or the old design?

I'm not sure the new design could be easily cast - the groove on the side is 3mm wide with a 2mm throat. Would a silicone mold be possible? I'd be interested in trying it.

Also, as far as practicality and cost goes... i was thinking more along the lines of extrusion rather than casting. that profile could easily be extruded in plastic, or styrene, or pvc, and then cut to length. The only other step necessary, would be trimming the bottoms of each a bit to sit in the grooves between heroscape tiles.

Of course it wouldn't look as a pretty as a nicely decorated cast model, but it'd be a LOT cheaper to make. A small fraction of the price of the cast model. Of course this method would likely require ordering much more at a time - but the price could be so much cheaper.

[robbdaman]

Sounds very cool! I'd be interested in getting some if you can make it reproducable.

R~

[Onacara]

Eckels...


Can you give me the dimensions of the sides on one of these bad boys? I want to work on a prototype for my finishing idea.

[Eckels]

are you talking about the rounded side?