cheetor
Member
I know relatively little about this stuff technically by the way. I did work in 3D printing and achitectural model making in the late 90/ear; 2000s and while the processes involved these days are more or less identical in principle, 3D prints are far cheaper now. Nonetheless, what I have in mind wouldnt require even that sort of expense I suspect.
What I was thinking was a keepsake sort of thing that can be simply used in a game environment if thats what people want, rather than a limited edition sculpted and cast miniature that will fetch a fortune on Ebay in years to come
More like the cheaper architectural models that are sometimes made using flat card silhouettes for features like crowds and trees etc, except in this case using laser cut plywood rather than card.
What I had in mind is very basic, like a cross between a tiny Ikea flatpack piece of furniture and a Kinder Egg toy, if that makes sense. This video is by a guy who runs his own laser cutting service called Chimeric Designs. I bought his silo "Canversion" kits last year, but have yet to assemble them. Take a look at the video (which has terrible sound that Cam, the owner apologised for) to see how the items slot together and to see the sort of detail he gets. Thats the sort of glue free (or glue minimal) assembly that I am thinking about and it also illustrates what sort of edge detail any proposed details might be able to take.
http://youtu.be/kMo-xs1XA1A
Note that one of those silos costs £5 and five silos cost £20. That gives some sort of ball park regarding how much a far smaller and simpler five or six piece kit like I am suggesting might cost. Im guessing no more than two or three pounds a piece and hopefully less.
I was thinking some sort of simple lasercut rectangle for the tabletop, simple. That could be etched with a "BOYL" or possibly some sort of other detail like the outline of roads or streams or whatever. Basic line drawing stuff, but enough to be picked out easily with a paintbrush later if desired. In addition to some sort of table legs (possibly two flat rectangles with corresponding notches from the edge to halfway that allow the two pieces to mate , forming an extruded "X" shape or similar. Like I said, functional, simple and easy (and hopefully cheap) to cut and assemble.
Possibly the table would have couple of slots in it to accommodate some sort of essentially 2D representation of a forest of a block of troops or whatever. Imagine the silhouette of a Warmaster front rank but flat and featureless and made from lasered ply. Im not thinking of perfect even-more-miniature representations of miniatures really, just something that from a distance gives a vague impression of whats on a gaming table. I would leave painting the elven heraldry or flocking the 2D tree shape to the owners, this would be a skeletal structure, like a card model from the middle of WD, or the back of a cereal packet, except made from wood with a laser.
The bottom of the items to be represented on the table would have slots in them that could mate with slots on the table. Hopefully this comically bad pencil illustration that I just scrawled on paper on my desk will make what I think is feasible clearer. I am certain that there is a better way to make laser cut table supports than what I came up with off the top of my head, but they illustrate the level of simplicity that can be applied to make passable shapes.
Note that I do not think that a miniature, functioning game table with majestic armies clashing in even miniature-er is on the cards. I do think that with a little imagination and TLC that something like this could be used to make a fun piece of novelty terrain, but its not worth doing unless people are arsed with it.
Anyway, just a thought. I have to get back to work
What I was thinking was a keepsake sort of thing that can be simply used in a game environment if thats what people want, rather than a limited edition sculpted and cast miniature that will fetch a fortune on Ebay in years to come
More like the cheaper architectural models that are sometimes made using flat card silhouettes for features like crowds and trees etc, except in this case using laser cut plywood rather than card.What I had in mind is very basic, like a cross between a tiny Ikea flatpack piece of furniture and a Kinder Egg toy, if that makes sense. This video is by a guy who runs his own laser cutting service called Chimeric Designs. I bought his silo "Canversion" kits last year, but have yet to assemble them. Take a look at the video (which has terrible sound that Cam, the owner apologised for) to see how the items slot together and to see the sort of detail he gets. Thats the sort of glue free (or glue minimal) assembly that I am thinking about and it also illustrates what sort of edge detail any proposed details might be able to take.
http://youtu.be/kMo-xs1XA1A
Note that one of those silos costs £5 and five silos cost £20. That gives some sort of ball park regarding how much a far smaller and simpler five or six piece kit like I am suggesting might cost. Im guessing no more than two or three pounds a piece and hopefully less.
I was thinking some sort of simple lasercut rectangle for the tabletop, simple. That could be etched with a "BOYL" or possibly some sort of other detail like the outline of roads or streams or whatever. Basic line drawing stuff, but enough to be picked out easily with a paintbrush later if desired. In addition to some sort of table legs (possibly two flat rectangles with corresponding notches from the edge to halfway that allow the two pieces to mate , forming an extruded "X" shape or similar. Like I said, functional, simple and easy (and hopefully cheap) to cut and assemble.
Possibly the table would have couple of slots in it to accommodate some sort of essentially 2D representation of a forest of a block of troops or whatever. Imagine the silhouette of a Warmaster front rank but flat and featureless and made from lasered ply. Im not thinking of perfect even-more-miniature representations of miniatures really, just something that from a distance gives a vague impression of whats on a gaming table. I would leave painting the elven heraldry or flocking the 2D tree shape to the owners, this would be a skeletal structure, like a card model from the middle of WD, or the back of a cereal packet, except made from wood with a laser.
The bottom of the items to be represented on the table would have slots in them that could mate with slots on the table. Hopefully this comically bad pencil illustration that I just scrawled on paper on my desk will make what I think is feasible clearer. I am certain that there is a better way to make laser cut table supports than what I came up with off the top of my head, but they illustrate the level of simplicity that can be applied to make passable shapes.
Note that I do not think that a miniature, functioning game table with majestic armies clashing in even miniature-er is on the cards. I do think that with a little imagination and TLC that something like this could be used to make a fun piece of novelty terrain, but its not worth doing unless people are arsed with it.
The technology used to etch dice is very similar to that used to etch/cut plywood interestingly enough and not significantly more or less labour intensive I would think. The potential "kit" (a grandiose terms for about five pieces of wood that jigsaw together) that I envisage is about as complex as assembling a WFB 4th ed plastic elven spearmanMister Rab":xj6l7b6x said:
Anyway, just a thought. I have to get back to work
)
That is properly brilliant, cheetor! I'll have an MDF one, please. Really fabulous. 
