12d • General discussion
Beautiful Renders and Broken Promises: Why Crowdfunded Miniatures Need to Be Designed for the Real World
Good afternoon you beautiful people! I’ve just published a new article on something I think is becoming a real issue in tabletop crowdfunding: Beautiful 3D renders that won't actually work as real miniatures.
We’re seeing more campaigns showing models with ultra-thin weapons, delicate tassels, tiny chains, floating cloth strips, micro-detail, realistic seams, AI-inspired design clutter, and all sorts of visually impressive elements that look great on a screen…
…but may be an absolute nightmare to 3D print, cast, mould, paint, or manufacture at 32mm scale.
A render only has to look good - A miniature has to survive the real world.
That means sensible and appropriate part thickness, readable detail, strong shapes, paintable surfaces, and designs that are made with the final production method in mind.
This isn’t about attacking specific creators or saying every project needs final production samples before launch. Small indie companies (myself included) often have to work in stages, but I do think campaigns need to be clearer about what is concept art, what is a render, what has been test printed, and what the final product is likely to look like, becasue many renders I'm seeing lately will never make it to production looking even close to what is being marketed.
Backers should feel comfortable asking to see physical prints before pledging, especially when a model looks extremely delicate or overloaded with detail. In fact, photos of a physical product over a render should be the norm when it comes to seeking funding as a proof of concept.
I go into this properly in the full article, including the warning signs to look for and why AI-led or video-game-style sculpting can create real production problems for tabletop miniatures.
You can read the full article here:
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Beautiful Renders and Broken Promises: Why Crowdfunded Miniatures Need to Be Designed for the Real World
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