How to 3D-Print Hyper-Detailed DND Minis (and orcs)

[@ApolloSevan]

I like how you motivated me to get a printer and never once recommended one. I actually respect that.

[@ZackFreedman]

I originally had some buying advice, but I decided that it wasn't relevant. I do like my Sonic Mini 4k, but honestly, most printers made by Anycubic, Phrozen, Elegoo, or Prusa are pretty close.

[@NightVisionOfficial]

​@@ZackFreedman I have an Anycubic, it's good, but since soo much printers came out, i would do a little more of search if i had to buy it today. Btw, i raccomend you to start making support by your self, cause you get soo much quality, and the time you spend on it, makes it really worth it, cause you have less pain when removing supports. And one thing i've noticed, is that you cure them before removing them, correct? You should do that only if you have a plane, but for minis, you should remove support before curing it, it's easier to remove them, and you can use a scrape tool, like the one from citadel, to remove more of the residue, and then you wash it again, on an alcohol bath, better if you do that with ultrasonic cleaner, and then you cure :) Hope it will help you :D (Thx for the amazing w-Orc you do to make quality content ^^)

[@petelozzi7298]

Mad respect, Zack is my spirit animal fo realz

[@CheshireNoir]

0:24 "I was a Dungeon Master, not the fun kind" - I had to stop the video for a bit because I was overcome with a fit of giggles :-D

[@Datboikoowip]

This is probably my yt channel of the year. Absolutely amazing content man.

[@BeefIngot]

So much so even the KZbin algorithm has been loving him

[@KeysightLabs]

So many f-orc-ing puns...

[@TheBinklemNetwork]

Sofa king

[@deleterinserepeat2079]

Dude! The hidden 3D object as a puzzle is such a good idea!! Omg! I’ve printed 1000 minis and have never thought of that! Both my resin printers are going right now and when they’re done, my son will have SO MANY items to find!!!! Thanks man!! Genius! You rock!

[@BF-rn3oz]

Never quit being you Zack Freedman. Your wit and your charisma, much like your parlance, are far ahead of our time. You are truly an inspiration.

[@pixelcroissant]

For anyone looking at 3d printers for miniatures / D&D - you *can* get by just fine with an FDM printer and it may be a better choice -- I have children at home and my workshop has little to no ventilation, resin printing (as flippin' cool as it is, thanks for reminding me how buttery smooth resin is) is just not in the cards for this family man -- Sure, FDM takes more tinkering, more adjusting - but my kids are allowed and encouraged to be in the workshop...having vats of resin, IPA, etc involved with resin printing is just to arduous... I'd rather have my toddler gnawing on a strand of PLA, it's...probably... safer edit: BTW Thanks for the videos Zack, super top notch content, literally every video is snazzy!

[@RoseKindred]

I am watching 3D printing/creating videos to learn how to sculpt and print items. I don't have any printer yet but since I am disabled and have 'free time' I figured I would pick up a new skill in 2020. I miss kitbashing and creating intricate terrain for Warhammer/40K.

[@OrbitalCookie]

Oh cool! DnD party! And then you remember you are still under lockdown.

[@ElectroNeutrino]

Use this time to build up your army of miniatures.

[@ZackFreedman]

Oh yeah. Now's the time for your DM to prepare for the Great Unlockout - these things are quick to print, but take *forever* to paint.

[@yavorkaludov3661]

What do you mean you “used to be” a nerd?

[@ChozoSR388]

Well, he's obviously a geek now :D

[@davidskidmore3442]

I mean, he still is now, but he also used to be. R.I.P. Mitch Hedberg....

[@sunsetpark_fpv]

Oh there's this new thing maybe you've never heard of it - its called sarcasm.....

[@AzaB2C]

Congrats on 100k+ subscribers/Customers!

[@dinoscheidt]

7:35 Ok... keep in mind he can code, keep in mind he can code, keep in mind he can code

[@virtuous_pixel]

The fight between Syntax the dragon and coffee fingers the orc

[@ZackFreedman]

What do you think I do when the firmware's compiling and burning?

[@TheRainHarvester]

He Dark Helmeted.

[@captaincloudsuperhero6869]

Just got a 3D printer from the wife for Christmas! One of my goals is try my hand at storytelling through printed models! It’s cool to see companies embracing 3D printing in new and unique ways!

[@connerw25]

I don’t like DND but this video make my chuckle a lot.

[@SigurdBraathen]

Yeah, it was well orchestrated! :]

[@thebeholder938]

@@SigurdBraathen I had to put my phone down and stare at a wall for some moments. Well done. Thanks, I hate it.

[@taylorjohnson4943]

Aww the coolest kids toys and projects with a 3d printer.

[@BOTGRINDER]

im going to be playing dnd for my first time ever next month and im so excited!

[@GGOWO]

Awesome 😎

[@madmayhem2000]

You need to have a project where you harness the energy of your hand-talking and charge a phone with it or something.

[@johnchristopherrobert1839]

Your kids are going to go to school and tell their friends that “my dad is cooler than yours😝”

[@margotfreedman8863]

... this apple doesn’t fall far from its tree....!

[@nielsroetert]

No idea what I just watched (not a D&D player) but it made me smile and appreciate the quality of your videos even more, thanks for that.

[@jamesdownes1974]

I laughed hard at “I used to be a nerd”! Great channel.

[@BrainSlugs83]

Just wanted to call out, you can print high quality minis on FDM as well (like on your CR-10 or Ender 3, etc.), but it's not as fast, and you will need to use special slicing profiles. There are some fantastic KZbin videos on the subject that show how to use them and where to find them, but word of warning: if you see weird stuff in the profile, *don't* "fix" it. The profiles exploit the slicer settings in wierd ways in order to trick it into printing at higher qualities (one if the more well known tricks is to use 9999 "top" layers, which can make a dramatic difference), but you'll notice other weird and "wrong" stuff in there as well. Just try the profile first before "fixing" it.

[@WhiteRaven___]

There is not a FDM printer in the world that can print in the same detail as the most basic Resin printer can.

[@tartatovsky]

@@WhiteRaven___ wrong

[@Techthinker5911]

Hello might I ask how long it would take a Crux-1 3D printer to make a DnD minifigures?

[@nocooldudes7614]

I literally just got this in my recommended as soon as I’m creating my first dnd character for my first campaign lol

[@tiago6206]

I love how you probably used Word's replace tool to create all the possible orc puns

[@techniack]

I am slightly concerned about this title but I’ll keep watching

[@snipity]

Me: *has 3d printer, DMing things, and a homebrew campaign* My players: I dOnT WaNt To BuY A MinY, PrInT It PleAsE For FrEEE

[@PhOBiAx1245]

"...even if you never put a single point into 'Use Magic Device'." Dang dude that one phrase brought me hella back

[@asocialconsciousness8535]

Man.. And he plays D&D!?!?! lol this guys is quickly becoming one of my favorites

[@Wrackey]

And gratz on the 100K subs! You did that REALLY fast :D

[@freedapeeple4049]

I got involved in a live role playing group way back when (35 years ago. Almost nobody did it live back then) and I got the shock of my life when I walked into the first meeting. I walked in, saw the other people, and my first thought was "Oh, my god, I'm a nerd!" I was 30 years old. lol

[@bartz0rt928]

9:55 CybOrcs? Now I wanna play Shadowrun.

[@sitichybrid]

Enjoy all your content, but think it might have been worth mentioning that resin, while cheap and high detailed can be a bit noxious to work with so may require the right setup/safety precautions.

[@speedyfox9080]

Got a Creality LD002R for 99$! A complete steal in my opinion. Printing minis for a campaign with some friends!

[@FLYBOY611]

Are we not going to talk about how this man is wearing a Vegeta Scouter? Great video by the way.

[@codybachman381]

I was just researching the best printer for D&D miniatures and you came to the rescue. As always your channel is the best

[@ZackFreedman]

I like my Phrozen, but you'll have great results with most printers. I recommend a monochrome unit for speed, but there seem to be many solid choices.

[@codybachman381]

@@ZackFreedman Thank you for the advice!

[@tinfoilhatsarethenewblack8788]

Bevor I knew what "Sliding into the DMs" means I still had hope for myself

[@ZackFreedman]

Ayyyyy

[@mudawott]

I came up with a fun idea with my dm about 3D printing a combination look puzzle with runes on it. Theyd need to be noticed around the enviroment or found using a series of puzzle that my character (Who has incredibly low wisdom) couldnt help with. The possibilities are endless. Also While resin is definitelt the king of printing this stuff. FDM can give it a run for its money if your a maniac like me who has way to much time on her hands and a lot of sandpaper and needle files. I printed my little kobold and her big armour girlfriend at a low layer height on an ender 3 and still got some decent results. It was just time consuming as hell.

[@sedenions]

I was never a big fan of DND, although my high school friends and I (three people) had a Skype group where I would DM and type out and offer choices to my mates on how to progress through our medieval universe set originally in Europe. Now I'm in an introductory coding class remaking the world as a choose your own path game! I would love to incorporate 3D printed figurines, but I am very specific. Back in the old days (early 2010s), I came across a DnD set of gray figurines, some of which resembled lions with long necks, or maybe they were long phallic appendages, and they also had hammers like a blacksmith would. If anyone could remind me of this simple name of this DnD set, I would be forever indebted to you.

[@SivaExperiment]

aw yes DND with legos GLORIOUS

[@MegamanSonic999]

When the puns came in, I knew immediately I could trust what you were saying. Super helpful video!

[@MCRuCr]

"I used to be a Nerd". How can sb. stop being a nerd pls?

[@n8o]

Nerd + tons of money = eccentric

[@_gamma.]

Dang, reading out all your Patreons and including an easteregg user is pretty amazing

[@alexstone691]

Never played dnd, wanted to but well you cant play alone but these figurines really make it even more attractive

[@ZackFreedman]

There are many groups that play completely online over video chat or Web gameboards. It's a great way to meet new people. Check reddit.com/r/lfg - it's folks from around the world forming new tabletop groups.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

me and my friends would use bottle caps (yes the players had special bottle caps, the rest were white with letters drawn on top)and a grid roughly drawn on a whiteboard.

[@ChristophelusPulps]

90 seconds in: "Jeeze man, we get it. You like D&D."

[@aot9339]

My family really love the hacks you make.

[@hardrivethrutown]

"Let's roll for initiative" *Gets a 6*

[@zach4505]

Way to turn yet another 3D printing minis video into rich KZbin content, and profit from it. Your a genius. You are convincing me to buy a resin printer, ( was half way there already)

[@Acceleratedpayloads]

Zack, hurry up and put up another video please! Don't let my subscription be in vein!

[@Doile911]

The minis arent the issue most of the time, its the paints that get you.

[@Nimbos0]

I just wanted to say that I like your style.

[@MarcAdamsDev]

Welp, time to add a resin printer to my stable of "infrequently used, but critical to my existence" things. Thanks Zack!

[@etcetera1129]

My dungeon master isn’t interested in little figurines and I’m not allowed to speak anyway. maybe your next video should explain your nerd audience the inner workings of a waffle iron, that would be mind blowing.

[@ZackFreedman]

How do you play DnD without speaking? Isn't that the whole point?!

[@ChozoSR388]

You playing a Kenku or something? o.O

[@buchsg]

@@ZackFreedman I’m pretty sure it’s not the same type of dungeon that guy was talking... think 50 shades of grey, there is a dungeon too and a dungeon master but not for the same kind of enjoyment 🤣

[@zach4505]

loving the dnd lingo for this script

[@team_rex]

I finally found a supporter name! Made my day!

[@pitbullash]

Good video but a Little missleading regarding resin printer for everyone! Its Toxic / hazardous , and if you dont have a place or the equipment for it , then say Bye Bye to resin printer !

[@frollard]

no more toxic than the paints you'd likely use to pain the minis...with appropriate protection and caution it's harmless. ...just definitely don't drink the stuff.

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

@@frollard or get it on your hands. and make sure to keep it in a well-ventilated area. and find a place to keep your solvents. and a place to wash prints with solvents. and a place to put your uv curing station...

[@InterMaus]

@@frollard Sorry but no, it's more toxic than your avarage paint, and smell more and worse. Most if not all resins tell you to not get in contact with it else it will irritate skin.

[@YouGenom]

I came to warn about this. This video is misleading. As someone working daily in the lab, I know all the proper efforts to take to ensure safe usage. But it is tough! Having electronics, paints, FDM printers at home is not much of a problem. But resins are a mess. You can easily wash or wipe it away, chemicals in there are dangerous and can cause burns, spills, getting rid of the waste... I know that most ignorant people will simply dump the resin waste into the drain or will get it on their hands without realizing it. Or even ignore it. This video doesn't mention any of that.

[@ZackFreedman]

I didn't want to get too far into the weeds, and I hope that folks read up before they buy. That said, I found the process much easier than I expected. If you prepare well and work carefully, it's not terribly messy, and as long as you have a filtered enclosure or a good crossbreeze, fumes shouldn't build up enough to be dangerous.

[@mundmc8172]

Freaking awesome. Gonna pre-load the contents of a Deck of Many Things.

[@gregorysech7981]

All those puns and you left out D&D&D

[@starfire7538]

[7:34] And Now, We Watch A Grown Man Play With 3D Printed Toys...

[@IainNitro]

A man after my own heart, I am very dad jokey and quite the punster as well 🙂 Great Video!

[@ryanschenk2946]

Be prepared to trade your vibrant social life for countless late nights at the kitchen table perfecting the final touches on your legion of freshly printed minis! Or if you have no social life like me, there is literally no downside!

[@SaitoGray]

Get rid of the support before UV the part, if you can do it in a bath of hot water it's even better. It get rid of all the small little glob really easilly.

[@stanbrackhage]

never played D&D but love the channel

[@parkergipson4269]

To get better detail on an fdm printer use a .2 or smaller nozzle rather than the stock .4

[@billcypher564]

i got myself an anycubic photon for christmas. i primarily wanted to print dice masters for resin casting, but i somehow ended up with a miniature before any dice :D

[@ZackFreedman]

I was going to print some dice too, but I ran orc of time!

[@NuarStanger]

I lost it when the dragon came out hahahaha 🤣

[@Tenacious21]

Solid content as usual. I don't really have anything to say, but I'm commenting to help your algorithm.

[@juniorthelichch.]

Man I've never seen without a HUD attached to his face: "Believe it or not I used to be a bit nerdy" XD good laughs

[@eyemem5080]

Man I was just thinking about starting a DnD

[@benmaynard3059]

I printed some pretty kick ass cannibals on my prusa i3 with like .3mm articulated fingers . Bloody satisfying. Great channel mate, I really do need to finish my projects abit 👍 lol . I build a lot of race drones and desperate to force myself to learn Arduino aswell as python and finish the raspberry pi projects I have everywhere. Anyways great channel 👍

[@MrBodoFraggins]

As a DM, I have never wanted a 3d printer SO BADLY... sigh

[@WhiteRaven___]

Hey elegoo mars is under $200( still expensive i know) and it works amazingly and reliable. Its an investment, but an achievable one.

[@MrBodoFraggins]

@@WhiteRaven___ Thanks for the advice.. I'll look into them!

[@ZackFreedman]

I second the Mars. I used the Phrozen Sonic Mini 4k because it's fast enough for our production schedule and has a neutral-colored lid, but the Mars 2 Mono or Mars Pro are absolutely better value.

[@astro_gabe]

9:52 More like... cyborc... amirite?

[@doctorbobstone]

Yeah, I was disappointed that he missed that one.

[@electricsheep2305]

I'm hooked on this now, thanks

[@thehollowlingwin]

I didn't even watch past 3 seconds, but I saw DnD in your video so I had to hit like lol

[@weaselton]

I just got into this. I started with an FDM printer, and ended up getting resin. I have yet yo put that one through the test.

[@BeefIngot]

Of course he's into DnD. Why is that so on brand. It does seem fun to get into... If you have irl friends

[@ZackFreedman]

There are lots of LFG (looking for game) forums to find pickup groups! I know a bunch of people who've met lots of new friends through their DND games.

[@waffles3987]

Wereboar bacon for the shadow dancer!

[@ZackFreedman]

The man, the myth, the legend, here in my comment section.

[@davesenor3146]

Zach I love your enthusiasm!! But where was the how to in this how to video? Keep em coming love your channel!

[@wjlavasque]

Came for knowledge. Subscribed for the puns.

[@Boomstickmods]

I’ve never been more tempted to buy a 3D printer for minis than I am right now.

[@ZackFreedman]

I'm really loving having a resin printer around. They cover nearly every weakness of FDM printers - small parts, glass-clear prints, fine detail, and hard-to-support prints.

[@arlomaguire7363]

@@ZackFreedman can conform with this statement, resin is extremely nice and a huge addition to fdm. just make sure to be safe with it.

[@BrianSantero]

I laughed WAY TOO UNCONTROLLABLY at 5:56. Giving them the smorcdown.

[@matthewscrivner1501]

It's wild to see how sedate and professional Zach is in this video relative to unhinged cyberdelic post-flood Zach. For one thing there is far less alliteration.

[@keiyakins]

the mold is controlling him now.

[@mvl3cosmin386]

awesome ! love the vids, please keep them coming!

[@TheRainHarvester]

7:40 reminds me of dark helmet playing with his Barbie dolls.

[@georgecondoyannis5371]

Zack another great video and great topic. I'd love to see a video on how to set up a maker space since you have experience with that. Meaning the challenges for finding space, funding and getting members, etc. There's nothing that's near by enough to make it practical and I'm sure I'm not the only wanna be maker in my hood.

[@ZackFreedman]

That's an interesting suggestion. I did actually start a hackerspace, and it's still around almost a decade later.

[@irok1]

Perfect, my DM already has one

[@Leurak]

Guess I have to buy a second 3D printer now

[@salted5580]

Jokes on you! I can't meet up with my friends to play D&D anyway!

[@whatdoiknow7836]

This was a well orkistrated video.

[@astropgn]

The video is awesome! As always, of course. The music was a little bit distracting. It didn't detract from the content, it was just a little bit loud. Nothing bad, but the author might want to check the levels for next video! Aside from that, great video!

[@ZackFreedman]

Thanks for the feedback. Could you point me to a part where it was distracting?

[@Wistelligence]

@@ZackFreedman I'm not the person who made the original comment, but as someone with audio processing disorder (basically 'brain not good at filtering out irrelevant sounds from relevant ones', like if a TV is on in the room while someone's trying to talk, or someone's holding a conversation at a semi-busy restaurant), the hi-hat(?) in the track that starts at 2:06 made it a bit tricky to focus on your voice once it came in, and I ended up having to watch that section twice. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it did take me out of focus for a sec. That track would be really good as bgm for a montage or something, but generally, any track with 'sharp' (not like flat/sharp in music, but like kinda... punchy? bitey?) sounds tends to conflict with APD and focus. Not a massive deal in this case, so no need to get super picky with your track choice imo (may be different for other people w/ hearing issues, idk), but something you might find interesting or helpful. As a side note, Sideways' video The Mozart Effect (11:23 long in total) has a short section about halfway through that talks about audio processing and focus, although his example of a coffee shop as 'good background sound' is uh. Not always relevant for anyone with APD, lmao.

[@Blissful_Soundscapes]

"Life imitates Orc....." BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAH! That was fantastic... :D

[@deleterinserepeat2079]

I subbed to Loot already! Very nice files!

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

Literally just bought an FDM printer for props and tiles. I will eventually grab a resin printer for minis, I just don't have the space or ventilation for a resin setup rn.

[@ZackFreedman]

I put the printer in a storage bin with an activated charcoal filter, which deals with most of the fumes. As long as you can put the printer somewhere safe while it's running, and you can open a window while rinsing and curing, you'll be OK.

[@rw3404]

You're a humble fella, but you never explained the temperatures and layer heights of actually printing a figure.

[@TheBrownHero]

Hey Zach! I'm a new subscriber and I really love your videos! Watching your stuff really makes me want to start doing some freelance work with electronics or programming. I'm an engineering student but I'm currently switching to a certificate in CAD Drafting just to get a better job and get my feet wet in the market. However, I'd really love to do the kind of work that you do and was wondering if you had any pointers on how to start and what to expect. Keep up the great vids man!

[@Capzielios]

LOL I subscribed to Loot Studios a day ago, I wish I'd known about your partnership beforehand

[@ZackFreedman]

Their models are awesome, right? I'm not getting any affiliate fees/commissions, so don't sweat it!

[@Capzielios]

@@ZackFreedman They are excellent, best 75mm display miniatures and Busts on the 3d printing market.

[@cyberpunk1618]

7:35 Well, that escalated quickly :D

[@spilledpaintpot]

It seems like the bigger terrain would do well with FDM - would there be a best filament to print things like buildings, shipwrecks, etc..? I supposed you'd have to sand off the lines and you'd want to prime/paint it. Would that be basic PLA or something more specialized to handle the gaming aspect?

[@silencethequiet]

As usual, a cool video.

[@bencebalint1956]

I'm not sure if I watched a video about 3D printing or just an ad for a site that sells 3D models.

[@supdograinbarff1460]

Epic video dude