"3Dprinting A River" Topic

Surely, this can't be the most efficient way to make a river.

Inefficient in which way – time, resources, money?

It just seems to me that printing effectively planar pieces is not a good use of the features of 3D printing. It's like making a box by hogging out a chunk of steel instead of stamping it out of a steel sheet.

An interesting test, nonetheless.

I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a printer extruder option yet (at least that I am aware of, in order to produce much larger/longer pieces by gradually pushing the completed sections out of the end of the printer and onto a smooth surface.

One day, perhaps, if not now, and I'd like to reserve my rights for royalties on the idea from all.

What flock do you use? I really like it. Can you link me the source?

Scenic Express – Flock & Turf – Scrub Grass Blend
link

Looks like a good go at a first attempt!

I'm wondering how much a 3D printer and the material for using it to create things is, as well as how easy or difficult it might be to use some of the patterns that are being produced to create terrain through a 3D printer.

Well. It's a good first start on terrain. Any plans on buildings?

The straight banks are a non-starter. Result looks like a canal not a river. So clearly in version 1.1 you have to add some wavy edges.

Along the lines of what Rich Bliss said, flat strip stock is so commonly available there's no benefit to 3D printing it. So for version 2, I would think the way to go is devise two banks with suitable natural looking edges (or even just one that is reversible). Then you print only the banks. Fix them along the edges of whatever width strip material you choose.

I realise you get a ripple effect from the printing process itself, but seems to me it should be possible to improve on that and have a bit of turbulence on the water section. With careful choices, it should be possible to make each end mate up with the other as far as that goes, to keep the sections isomorphic.

Not the best use of this tech. Concentrate on printing whole groups of figures onto a single base, with rifles, marching, firing etc. Produce whole regiments in 15mm onto bases 2x2 inches in size, or just 5-7 figures onto 1.5x2inches in 1/72 and call that a regiment or battalion. Do this, solve the challenges, make some serious bank if you can do it. Or just make fences and walls.

With so many readily available, low tech, low cost solutions for river terrain, both homemade and purchasable, I don't see rivers as a viable 3D printing product.

Sidewalks, sewer walkways, and gangways would be of similar printing and much more $ellable.

As a side bar to this topic, there is a fellow who offers free STL(?) files for all 350 monsters, from the original AD&D Monster Manual… You can print all 350 modeled creatures, for printer and materials cost only. That, to me, is a better application of what 3D printing is capable of.

The 3D dungeon sets, commercial products, are quite nice, and likely will put Dwarven Forge out of business. In simple terms, there are some really good 3D products out there, which makes 3D printing worthwhile, compared to buying commercial products, pre-made. The home-printed products are far less expensive, overall. Cheers!

I've also designed river sections for 3d printing smaller scales 6mm-10mm. I use a height map to generate natural looking features.

Your idea of having separate banks and water pieces is something I hadn't thought of. Interesting.