Hey, I've had a printer for a long time and seen a lot of 3D printing youtube. Your new channel is absolutely up there as one of the best already. Your style, information quality, firsthand anecdotes and clear love of the hobby are amazing. Great work.
My partner and I make art figurines (not super high detail ones like minifigs) and have been considering moving from resin casting to 3D printing our figurines, and your videos have been the most digestible and approachable to my brain. I've been so overwhelmed by it all. Thank you for making these videos - this one and your resin printing intro are both great. Definitely subscribing.
Thanks for the great vid Matt. I got 2 questions. I recently started looking at resin printers to print both miniatures and terrain for my local group. It seems as though noone uses resin to print large terrain pieces. I certainly wont be able to get both fdm and resin. Could you not print terrain models with resin printers in pieces? 2nd, what's your post processing for the Prusa printed terrain? Would be really keen to see how you get rid of the lines, is there a convenient sanding method? etc.
Another great option especially for the miniature wargaming perspective is the Prusa Mini which is less than $500 delivered for mostly assembled (I think it took me 15 or 20 min to start the first print). It has a smaller build volume than the Prusa MK3 but is about the same level or reliability. Regarding the speed of the BambooLabs X1 Carbon, from what's been shown on the Prusa MK4 is much closer to the X1 Carbon for speed with the recent release of input shaping and pressure advance. It's not surprising that the MK3 isn't as fast since it was first released in 2017 and the consumer 3D printing market has been rapidly advancing and changing during that entire time. One of the hesitations I have with the BambooLabs printers over Prusa printers is that Prusa has a long proven history of solid designs with great ongoing support and consistent software updates that add valuable features while BambooLabs is a fairly new company without that history so we'll have to see how they do.
I must've gotten lucky. I've had my Ender 3 for like 5 years and haven't had to replace anything yet. It still runs great. I take that back. I did have to replace a tip, but that was my fault.
Allan Key here in the UK, been thinking of getting into 3d printing for terrain and minis, looking forward to seeing more of the process, cleaning etc, also would be interested to hear what your experiences have been with setting up a larger production line, problems you have experienced, how much printing you actually produce etc. Great content as always Matt, unfortunately didn't get time to say hi at WH Fest but great to see you there.
Hey Matt, this is Mat. I'm really, really struggling to get my printable scenery prints to work on a Kobra max. Do you have a recommendation for slicer settings? I've replaced almost all of the parts, the bowden tubes, nozzles, eeeeverything and I"m desperate to get this to work :(
I got an Ender 3 v2 a few years ago, replaced a lot of things, added an auto-leveler, etc. Manually leveling the bed was so frustrating and the overall usage of it was such a pain. I want to go for a P1P but worried I might still have issues, we got into 40K and wanting to print a bunch of terrain, and inserts, etc for board games. Loving the videos!
@@MWGForge I just set up my P1S today! Already printed some test prints and just did my first piece of terrain! Worked immediately and so stoked to have a full 40K table with proper terrain soon, I've been looking everywhere and just trying to decide which set I'd like to purchase to start! Thanks for the videos!
Hey Matt - Great video and great content. I just bought a Elegoo Nepture 3 pro for terrain, and I'm new to the hobby as well. It looks like you're using some higher quality printer models so you're not having layer line issues. It would be really cool to learn how you dealt with layers line for economy printers that have layer lines in the past - especially for details terrains! Please keep up the great content - it's incredibly helpful!
How do you like your Neptune? I have been debating the Neptune, cause I love my Elegoo Mars 2 for Resin, but I could also just save up for the Bambu if it is really that much better. But if the Neptune is good then I might go for that.
I have a resin printer but its not amazing for terrain. I had a pretty horrible experience with FDM so i havent wanted to go back, but this video was so instructional. Thanks Matt!! Very good video
I cringed when you put your hand on the PLA spool while it was printing. I would be so scared it would mess up my print. This is a great channel that has been awesome for my burgeoning printing career. I have an Anycubic Kobra 2 and it's been running non-stop for a month with no problems. Glad I didn't get a Creality... Keep this awesome content coming.
lol, sorry for making you cringe! I've printed so much stuff now that I'm not worried about messing them up as much, and touching the spool definitely wouldn't affect it.
Hi Matthew, thank you so much this video is sooo helpful! I just ordered an Ender 3 V3 SE as my first 3-d printer because I want to finally be able to print out Johnnys Hagglethorn Hollow and the Gloaming. :) Could you recommend a Filament that is good for bringing out the detail in these sculpts or any specific settings I should be aware of? Thanks again for your videos, I already got a little better understanding on how this all works thanks to you! Best wishes from Krakow, Oliver
The glue stick trick is much more valuable if you print in materials with low bed adhesion like ABS, or if you have a bare metal build plate. Both are things that are mostly out of fashion now. Also in regards to PLA, even though the actual printing doesn't seem to be effected by cheap PLA vs higher end PLA, I have encounters some cheap PLA that react with GW spray primer(and likely any spray paint because of the solvent in it) and get super brittle weeks to months after printing. I always recommend known value brands like Sunlu, Elegoo or even Amazon Basics PLA among other comparable priced products as a bare bones minimum of quality. The $5 per kg unbranded spools you find on ebay may leave you with models that fall apart in your hands after painting, but at the same time for tabletop terrain you don't need the $50 per kg premium PLA either. I normally encourage people new to printing to try a few 1/2kg or sample pack of a few different value filaments and when they find the one they like the results of best just buy that in bulk, same brand and even same color. Different pigment powders used to color the filaments can actually change how it flows at the same temperature changing the finish quality of a print produce with the same settings using 2 different colors of the same filament. Now that you guys have your own print farm I can't help but wonder what ever happened to that original concept game you guys were developing like 10 years ago?
👋 thanks for the videos. Watched the intro and the resin one too. I want to start with 3d printing and for sure I don't want to start spending 1000 bucks in a printer that I don't know how to use. I thought on getting a creality but I saw a anycubic Kobra 2. Any thoughts on that?
Honestly they should work fine. If you want to learn about how the 3D printer works and how to maintain them, a cheap printer is the way to go, as they will tend to give you more problems (not always, just on average). But if you have the money, buying the printers that I recommend will save you a lot of hassle. I think of it like buying any other appliance. You don't want to have to learn how to fix them, you just want them to work as intended.
Hey Matthew! Would love to hear more about how to create your own supports for terrain and what applications you use. I am currently using Cura v5.3. It would be really interesting to understand the nitty gritty of that to get faster cleaner prints. I have a Creality Ender 3 that i run pretty constantly for terrain production. This was already a super useful video!
You said in your last video that the anycubic printer you used was not good, did you ever try any of the others or did you just abandon anycubic all together? I am just looking for a large printer and the kobra max has had some good reviews and was hoping for some insight from someone i trust.
After they worked so poorly and the customer support sucked so much, I switched to Ender, which was fine for a while, but the quality still wasn't great. The Prusa (and then the Bambu Labs) printers would such a breath of fresh air because they just work, with minimal repairs and maintenance.
Typically 10% support density for terrain. And I avoid terrain that needs supports. But if they do, I go with the auto generated tree supports that most slicers can use.
In german it is called "Imbusschlüssel" (Imbus-key) where the first half is an acronym for german words I've never heard bevor (technical craftsmanshippy terms)
In Sweden we call the Allen keys with 2 names : 6-cornered key i( hardswedish translation) but in english it has the name Hex Key. For other reasons we call it the allen key too. Why there is two differenet names of the same tool = as everything else in swedish language - there is allways a fight what to call or pronounce stuff here :P
The PLA you buy does matter. Like everything else, there are differences in material quality. But, you don't have to buy anything particularly expensive. Once you find one that works for you, stick with it. I've had good luck with the Hatchbox.
Am I the only person that has had really good experiences with my Ender 3 Pro? I tinkered with it awhile to start with, upgraded some parts (though not really to fix broken ones), and got it dialed in, but I haven't actually messed with the hardware or software in the last year or so. Now, of course I don't print near as much as you guys, but I do print with it quite a bit (even some models), with some projects lasting up to a week of continuous printing. Eh, maybe I'm just lucky. Running 3 or 4 at a time I'm sure it ramps up the chances, too. Random Side Notes: FDM supports are evil, I have stabbed myself several times and broken knives trying to get them off. Filament brand doesn't usually matter, but I have been using mostly Overture. Why does super glue have such a difficult time adhering to PLA? It works, but man is it slow. And I've tried a few different types of filament (ABS, PETG, etc.) but have never found a good reason to use them over regular PLA.
You're definitely not the only one. I think the main difference is how much we're printing here, so any small problem gets amplified to a much larger one as we're busy fixing things over and over again. Overall I look for something that is reliable. I'm more interested in 3D printing than in learning how to maintain 3D printers.
@@MWGForge I've done 7,500 hours in 18 months on my Ender 3 S1 and it has been a solid workhorse to learn FDM printing on. Maybe I've been lucky but I've had very little maintenance, very few problems with adhesion (usually the STL's fault not the printer's), and it has felt like a value purchase every single month. That said, I'm looking to get a second printer to up the volume of filament I can push out in a day, and it probably won't be an Ender 3 :-)
the "totally safe, don't need ventilation" comment for pla on an fdm printer isn't accurate. While much less dangerous than many other fdm materials or any resin printer, pla is still plastic, the printer head is still melting that plastic in the printing process, and as it melts microparticles of it are released into the air in quantities that are measurably above safe-to-breathe levels, so a few basic safety measures are needed. You won't want to have it running in your bedroom - especially not overnight while you're sleeping. You'll want some basic ventilation - like an outward facing window fan near the printer- or at least a halfway decent hepa filter running next to it. And you'll want to wear a mask if you're in the same room with it while it's operating or for an hour or so after it's finished. These are relatively minimal safety measures compared to what you'll need fdm printing with many other materials, and way less hassle than what you'd need to go through for resin printing, but minimal safety measures isn't the same as /no/ safety measures.
While both the Prusa printers (great support, by the way) and the BambuLabs printers are great machines, i wouldn´t recomment them for beginners. The price tag is simply to high. The Ender isn´t that great, but there are other similar printers out there. I am miore of an Elegoo guy. I had and have great success with my Neptune 3. Compared to the Neptune 2 (which i also had), the auto bed leveling really makes a difference. The price point should fall into the 200 to 300 range (Dollar or Euro), which is much more affordable. And you really do not need to replace parts, it prints out of the box with some light assembly on and on. And since i do not want do make this into an Elegoo commercial, there are simalar printers in this price ranghe with the same (ore mayber better) qualitiy. I just do not have them. There are also many many who are simply worse and not worth the money. But, bottom line, you do not need an 1k+ 3D printer to print good terrain (or functional parts). So, if you are put off by the price point, do your research and you will find cheaper machines which will do the job, maybe not as fast as the BambuLabs, but non the less. And just as an example, i actually printed a fully functional repeating crossbow (the Adderini) wit my Neptune 3 and it works. I didn´t upgrade my mars in any way, the tolerances are all there, everythings fits.
I don't disagree. With enough time and research I'm sure you could find cheaper options. I'm just sharing my experiences, and trying to help those that don't want to spend all of that time figuring it out.
Hey, I've had a printer for a long time and seen a lot of 3D printing youtube. Your new channel is absolutely up there as one of the best already. Your style, information quality, firsthand anecdotes and clear love of the hobby are amazing. Great work.
My partner and I make art figurines (not super high detail ones like minifigs) and have been considering moving from resin casting to 3D printing our figurines, and your videos have been the most digestible and approachable to my brain. I've been so overwhelmed by it all. Thank you for making these videos - this one and your resin printing intro are both great. Definitely subscribing.
I'm in the US and usually call them allen wrenches, but I have also heard them referred to as hex keys.
That makes sense - we often use the same terminology as you Americans here in Canadia Land. :)
On the free world they’re called Allen keys lol
In Belgium and The Netherlands they're called INBUS keys
@@MWGForge Allen keys is what us Brits call em too
Thanks for the great vid Matt. I got 2 questions. I recently started looking at resin printers to print both miniatures and terrain for my local group. It seems as though noone uses resin to print large terrain pieces. I certainly wont be able to get both fdm and resin. Could you not print terrain models with resin printers in pieces?
2nd, what's your post processing for the Prusa printed terrain? Would be really keen to see how you get rid of the lines, is there a convenient sanding method? etc.
An Allen key in germany is either an "Inbusschlüssel" (after the company Inbus) or an "Innensechskantschlüssel".
Great job, Matt! Loving the series and the content is very informative! 👍
Awesome, thank you!
Another great option especially for the miniature wargaming perspective is the Prusa Mini which is less than $500 delivered for mostly assembled (I think it took me 15 or 20 min to start the first print). It has a smaller build volume than the Prusa MK3 but is about the same level or reliability.
Regarding the speed of the BambooLabs X1 Carbon, from what's been shown on the Prusa MK4 is much closer to the X1 Carbon for speed with the recent release of input shaping and pressure advance. It's not surprising that the MK3 isn't as fast since it was first released in 2017 and the consumer 3D printing market has been rapidly advancing and changing during that entire time.
One of the hesitations I have with the BambooLabs printers over Prusa printers is that Prusa has a long proven history of solid designs with great ongoing support and consistent software updates that add valuable features while BambooLabs is a fairly new company without that history so we'll have to see how they do.
Great video, nice and simple explanation.
I must've gotten lucky. I've had my Ender 3 for like 5 years and haven't had to replace anything yet. It still runs great. I take that back. I did have to replace a tip, but that was my fault.
Allan Key here in the UK, been thinking of getting into 3d printing for terrain and minis, looking forward to seeing more of the process, cleaning etc, also would be interested to hear what your experiences have been with setting up a larger production line, problems you have experienced, how much printing you actually produce etc. Great content as always Matt, unfortunately didn't get time to say hi at WH Fest but great to see you there.
In norwegian they are called Sekskantnøkkel (Hex key). Very informative video, thanks a lot!
lol, I don't know how to pronounce that!
Hej Markus ( a Dane here ) I thought it was called an umbrakonøkkel in norwegian, similar as in danish ( unbrakonøgle )
key = nøkkel / nøgle / nyckel ( no / dk / se )
@@drunkenmoosedk Yes of course, you're right!
Hey Matt, this is Mat. I'm really, really struggling to get my printable scenery prints to work on a Kobra max. Do you have a recommendation for slicer settings? I've replaced almost all of the parts, the bowden tubes, nozzles, eeeeverything and I"m desperate to get this to work :(
Allen keys are called "inbus" in Germany because of a brand, or "Innensechskant" which is the technical term
I got an Ender 3 v2 a few years ago, replaced a lot of things, added an auto-leveler, etc. Manually leveling the bed was so frustrating and the overall usage of it was such a pain.
I want to go for a P1P but worried I might still have issues, we got into 40K and wanting to print a bunch of terrain, and inserts, etc for board games.
Loving the videos!
Just do it man. It’ll blow your mind. :)
@@MWGForge I just set up my P1S today! Already printed some test prints and just did my first piece of terrain!
Worked immediately and so stoked to have a full 40K table with proper terrain soon, I've been looking everywhere and just trying to decide which set I'd like to purchase to start!
Thanks for the videos!
Hey Matt - Great video and great content. I just bought a Elegoo Nepture 3 pro for terrain, and I'm new to the hobby as well. It looks like you're using some higher quality printer models so you're not having layer line issues. It would be really cool to learn how you dealt with layers line for economy printers that have layer lines in the past - especially for details terrains! Please keep up the great content - it's incredibly helpful!
I basically ignored them and accepted them. I know there are methods to reduce them, but I was too lazy to do that. ;)
How do you like your Neptune? I have been debating the Neptune, cause I love my Elegoo Mars 2 for Resin, but I could also just save up for the Bambu if it is really that much better. But if the Neptune is good then I might go for that.
I have a resin printer but its not amazing for terrain. I had a pretty horrible experience with FDM so i havent wanted to go back, but this video was so instructional. Thanks Matt!! Very good video
Very helpful starting point! Just picked up a p1p and would love some recommended files for scifi ruins that just work
I cringed when you put your hand on the PLA spool while it was printing. I would be so scared it would mess up my print.
This is a great channel that has been awesome for my burgeoning printing career. I have an Anycubic Kobra 2 and it's been running non-stop for a month with no problems. Glad I didn't get a Creality...
Keep this awesome content coming.
lol, sorry for making you cringe! I've printed so much stuff now that I'm not worried about messing them up as much, and touching the spool definitely wouldn't affect it.
In the Netherlands, an allen key is called: inbus sleutel (and sleutel means key).. so quite similar as our German friends.
Hi Matthew, thank you so much this video is sooo helpful! I just ordered an Ender 3 V3 SE as my first 3-d printer because I want to finally be able to print out Johnnys Hagglethorn Hollow and the Gloaming. :) Could you recommend a Filament that is good for bringing out the detail in these sculpts or any specific settings I should be aware of? Thanks again for your videos, I already got a little better understanding on how this all works thanks to you! Best wishes from Krakow, Oliver
The glue stick trick is much more valuable if you print in materials with low bed adhesion like ABS, or if you have a bare metal build plate. Both are things that are mostly out of fashion now. Also in regards to PLA, even though the actual printing doesn't seem to be effected by cheap PLA vs higher end PLA, I have encounters some cheap PLA that react with GW spray primer(and likely any spray paint because of the solvent in it) and get super brittle weeks to months after printing. I always recommend known value brands like Sunlu, Elegoo or even Amazon Basics PLA among other comparable priced products as a bare bones minimum of quality. The $5 per kg unbranded spools you find on ebay may leave you with models that fall apart in your hands after painting, but at the same time for tabletop terrain you don't need the $50 per kg premium PLA either. I normally encourage people new to printing to try a few 1/2kg or sample pack of a few different value filaments and when they find the one they like the results of best just buy that in bulk, same brand and even same color. Different pigment powders used to color the filaments can actually change how it flows at the same temperature changing the finish quality of a print produce with the same settings using 2 different colors of the same filament.
Now that you guys have your own print farm I can't help but wonder what ever happened to that original concept game you guys were developing like 10 years ago?
Nice, thanks for the info
Very helpful. Thanks!
👋 thanks for the videos. Watched the intro and the resin one too.
I want to start with 3d printing and for sure I don't want to start spending 1000 bucks in a printer that I don't know how to use. I thought on getting a creality but I saw a anycubic Kobra 2. Any thoughts on that?
Honestly they should work fine. If you want to learn about how the 3D printer works and how to maintain them, a cheap printer is the way to go, as they will tend to give you more problems (not always, just on average).
But if you have the money, buying the printers that I recommend will save you a lot of hassle. I think of it like buying any other appliance. You don't want to have to learn how to fix them, you just want them to work as intended.
Hey Matthew, could you share your print settings for the bambu lab printers?
Hey Matthew! Would love to hear more about how to create your own supports for terrain and what applications you use. I am currently using Cura v5.3. It would be really interesting to understand the nitty gritty of that to get faster cleaner prints. I have a Creality Ender 3 that i run pretty constantly for terrain production. This was already a super useful video!
You said in your last video that the anycubic printer you used was not good, did you ever try any of the others or did you just abandon anycubic all together? I am just looking for a large printer and the kobra max has had some good reviews and was hoping for some insight from someone i trust.
After they worked so poorly and the customer support sucked so much, I switched to Ender, which was fine for a while, but the quality still wasn't great. The Prusa (and then the Bambu Labs) printers would such a breath of fresh air because they just work, with minimal repairs and maintenance.
Thank you for the video! What type of supports do you use? And what percent support density? Thanks!
Typically 10% support density for terrain. And I avoid terrain that needs supports. But if they do, I go with the auto generated tree supports that most slicers can use.
@@MWGForge thanks, i will try that
In german it is called "Imbusschlüssel" (Imbus-key) where the first half is an acronym for german words I've never heard bevor (technical craftsmanshippy terms)
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. I just subscribed.
Thanks for the video! We call them Allen wrenches. 🔧
My wife just got me an anycubic Kobe’s neo 2 for my first printer. Can’t wait to get some ork terrain printed for my blood axes
Love the video 😊
In Denmark its called an "umbrako nøgle" 😁
They are called Umbraconøgle here.
Allen Wrench here in the US
In Sweden we call the Allen keys with 2 names : 6-cornered key i( hardswedish translation) but in english it has the name Hex Key. For other reasons we call it the allen key too. Why there is two differenet names of the same tool = as everything else in swedish language - there is allways a fight what to call or pronounce stuff here :P
The PLA you buy does matter. Like everything else, there are differences in material quality. But, you don't have to buy anything particularly expensive. Once you find one that works for you, stick with it. I've had good luck with the Hatchbox.
I agree!
In Hungary we call them imbuszkulcs, if I'm right it comes from a German manufacturers name for the type of screw.
lol, I'll try to use that one next time!
Am I the only person that has had really good experiences with my Ender 3 Pro? I tinkered with it awhile to start with, upgraded some parts (though not really to fix broken ones), and got it dialed in, but I haven't actually messed with the hardware or software in the last year or so. Now, of course I don't print near as much as you guys, but I do print with it quite a bit (even some models), with some projects lasting up to a week of continuous printing. Eh, maybe I'm just lucky. Running 3 or 4 at a time I'm sure it ramps up the chances, too.
Random Side Notes: FDM supports are evil, I have stabbed myself several times and broken knives trying to get them off. Filament brand doesn't usually matter, but I have been using mostly Overture. Why does super glue have such a difficult time adhering to PLA? It works, but man is it slow. And I've tried a few different types of filament (ABS, PETG, etc.) but have never found a good reason to use them over regular PLA.
You're definitely not the only one. I think the main difference is how much we're printing here, so any small problem gets amplified to a much larger one as we're busy fixing things over and over again.
Overall I look for something that is reliable. I'm more interested in 3D printing than in learning how to maintain 3D printers.
@@MWGForge I've done 7,500 hours in 18 months on my Ender 3 S1 and it has been a solid workhorse to learn FDM printing on. Maybe I've been lucky but I've had very little maintenance, very few problems with adhesion (usually the STL's fault not the printer's), and it has felt like a value purchase every single month. That said, I'm looking to get a second printer to up the volume of filament I can push out in a day, and it probably won't be an Ender 3 :-)
Hex Key!
the "totally safe, don't need ventilation" comment for pla on an fdm printer isn't accurate. While much less dangerous than many other fdm materials or any resin printer, pla is still plastic, the printer head is still melting that plastic in the printing process, and as it melts microparticles of it are released into the air in quantities that are measurably above safe-to-breathe levels, so a few basic safety measures are needed. You won't want to have it running in your bedroom - especially not overnight while you're sleeping. You'll want some basic ventilation - like an outward facing window fan near the printer- or at least a halfway decent hepa filter running next to it. And you'll want to wear a mask if you're in the same room with it while it's operating or for an hour or so after it's finished. These are relatively minimal safety measures compared to what you'll need fdm printing with many other materials, and way less hassle than what you'd need to go through for resin printing, but minimal safety measures isn't the same as /no/ safety measures.
Question: how do I convince my wife we need a 3D printer?
Pray.
Any chance you wanna sell the printer you dont use anymore lol
Are you local? ;)
No im in San Antonio Texas 🤠
Ah, a little too far to drive in then.
Hahaha yeah
While both the Prusa printers (great support, by the way) and the BambuLabs printers are great machines, i wouldn´t recomment them for beginners. The price tag is simply to high. The Ender isn´t that great, but there are other similar printers out there. I am miore of an Elegoo guy. I had and have great success with my Neptune 3. Compared to the Neptune 2 (which i also had), the auto bed leveling really makes a difference. The price point should fall into the 200 to 300 range (Dollar or Euro), which is much more affordable. And you really do not need to replace parts, it prints out of the box with some light assembly on and on. And since i do not want do make this into an Elegoo commercial, there are simalar printers in this price ranghe with the same (ore mayber better) qualitiy. I just do not have them. There are also many many who are simply worse and not worth the money. But, bottom line, you do not need an 1k+ 3D printer to print good terrain (or functional parts). So, if you are put off by the price point, do your research and you will find cheaper machines which will do the job, maybe not as fast as the BambuLabs, but non the less.
And just as an example, i actually printed a fully functional repeating crossbow (the Adderini) wit my Neptune 3 and it works. I didn´t upgrade my mars in any way, the tolerances are all there, everythings fits.
I don't disagree. With enough time and research I'm sure you could find cheaper options. I'm just sharing my experiences, and trying to help those that don't want to spend all of that time figuring it out.