| oldhans117 | 08 Dec 2014 5:24 p.m. PST |
heroforge.com Looks like someone finally put together custom figure design with 3-D printing. |
| Privateer4hire | 08 Dec 2014 5:29 p.m. PST |
Some music to accompany this auspicious occasion:
YouTube link |
DontFearDareaper  | 08 Dec 2014 8:26 p.m. PST |
It will be interesting if these guys or some other competitor gets a licensing agreement with the Pathfinder or D&D folks. That would be way cool. |
| IronMike | 08 Dec 2014 8:28 p.m. PST |
Or better yet: If they cut a deal with Blizzard so peope could get proper 28-30mm versions of their World of Warcraft characters. I'm not even a WoW guy but I'd be down with that! |
| Privateer4hire | 08 Dec 2014 9:28 p.m. PST |
Or even better, better yet: If the Blizzard deal includes Starcraft miniatures :) |
| Grimmnar | 09 Dec 2014 12:20 a.m. PST |
Oh IronMike, such a good idea. Now i need you to pitch it and sell to Blizzard. :-) Grimm |
| Night Owl III | 09 Dec 2014 12:30 a.m. PST |
Oh dear…that is cool. Really nice interface. Hey kids guess what daddy is getting you for Christmas? Your own mini ! |
| Fergal | 09 Dec 2014 5:30 a.m. PST |
Yup, game changer right there. They should be all over the historical crowd. It wouldn't take long to load up all the sleeve varieties, hat options, button options, etc to create any SYW or or WSS troops. Good luck gents! |
 BrigadeGames  | 09 Dec 2014 1:02 p.m. PST |
No, not yet. You need to pick the pose and details from what they have. Not true bespoke at this time. From the website:
$25 USD Ultra Detail Miniature – gets you –
These 30mm standard scale minis have sharp detail suitable for painting and display. Their delecate nature means they should be handled with care. $15 USD Strong Miniature – gets you
These 30mm standard scale minis are sturdier, but lower detail and a corser texture make them unsuitable for painting.
-- For the one off D&D player this will work.
It is no where close for historicals. |
| Fergal | 09 Dec 2014 2:39 p.m. PST |
I'd disagree. Perhaps we have a different view on what a gamechanger is. From Merriam-Webster a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way Using that definition, I'd say it is. In it's current form, it is not usable for a regiment of 24 Prussian Musketeers for Kolin. But the game has changed and it's only a matter of time before it is. The Hero Forge is obviously only usable for one off D&D figures. But this moment is kinda like sitting on a horse and seeing your first car drive by. It isn't perfect or as useful as your horse, but you realize your horse will be replaced eventually. The price of 3D printed objects comes down consistently and access to them becomes greater and greater. No one has managed to combine an interface so usable, 3D models so relevant and make it so fun to do this. Change the focus to historicals and when the price point comes down, there will be no stopping them. Of course only my opinion. |
| BrigadeGames | 09 Dec 2014 2:53 p.m. PST |
Going from $25 USD to a few bucks or less is a long way to go on any cost curve. And one still has the paintability issue noted from their site so materials vs detail are still an issue (which is currently well known in 3DP / small scale modeling.) Yes, the interface is quite slick. But it isn't something that is out of the realm for a decent web programmer. Kind of like buying a car and choosing the options and these type of websites and carts already exist. Just no one has applied it to miniatures yet. The choices are a static list of options (of which they could add to of course.) It appears they have some ability to adjust some parameters which is great. BTW, they own the copyright on what is produced with their supplied objects. It isn't true customization – yet. |
| DontFearDareaper | 09 Dec 2014 5:00 p.m. PST |
Its more of a threat to "epoxy and wire" sculpters than it is to manufacturers. Reaper has been using 3D modeling for its CAV line for a long time. The model can be sent to a jewelry company for a lost wax cast into a sturdier material that can be used as a master for more traditional (and less costly) manufacturing. |
| Tommy20 | 11 Dec 2014 9:12 a.m. PST |
I'll be waiting until they can make a paintable miniature that's strong enough to play with… |
| Master Caster | 08 Jan 2015 6:02 a.m. PST |
There are a couple of issues that need to be resurrected here. When the figure arrives in your mailbox who owns the copyright to that figure? I read that Hero Forge is claiming rights to their creation process and 'parts' used in the programming to create the figure, but who owns the full rights to the figure? There is a distinction that needs answering.
You do not need to send a figure to a jeweler for copying/prototyping in lost wax for a brass or bronze copy. There are other far less expensive ways.
Toby Barrett |
