Making Tlon
patreon
The Iron Fortress is up!
🕑 Added 2023-04-18 17:17:54 +0000 UTCHi everybody,
the Iron Fortress is here! This has been one of the most complex and time consuming projects of this page, but I am so happy with the result :D
This release is made of four parts:
- The Iron Fortress. OpenLOCK modular tiles to build fortress walls, castles, towers, dungeons etc... The versions in the pictures are just a few example of builds (e.g. the wall is mainly there to show what you can do with its sections). I am definitely using these walls to make a Black Gate battlefield, and the towers are a great place to start for dugeons and encounter terrain.
These tiles come with a playability option (which I advise to use, see the instructions) while the "full walls" are there mainly if you want to hollow them, and that's also why they aren't supported. Most of the should print anyway, but I highly advise printing the door, for example, with the split option. The result will be better most of the time :) By printing them split up, they can be expanded vertically too, and theoretically to infinity - although I can't guarantee they work above 6" XD). There are also two styles of battlements as well as plainer, less bulky walls.
As you'll notice, the floor pattern became a bit of an issue in terms of modularity. I really like the spiky/stylized look, but since it goes parallel to the walls, it requires a bit of attention while selecting the pieces (everything is described in the instructions).
- Objects and Props. Columns to support the upper floors and that look great on the battelfield (also modular!), open and closed spiky cages, iron bladed altars and braziers and more. I think there is a lot of good stuff to furnish BBEGs lairs.
- Weapons. These are the part that I love most: highly detailed hammered iron orkish/mordorian weaponry. You can arrange a large combination of Weapon Racks or use the three example ones given here. These weapons can be used for battlefields, dioramas, mixed up with characters and, well, I love the customizability that they give.
- Clawed Altar. A simple but cool scatter terrain set. With these pieces you can make a shrine, a hallway, traps and altars. I love the open hand/fist with the orb in particular, great for an Indiana Jones style trap: once the item is taken, the iron claw closes, trapping (or maiming) the thief in a deadly grapple.
I underestimated the amount of time this would take (this structure is probably the most complex fully modular build to date yet), but I love the result. It should have enough printable parts to satisfy both the scatter and the tile side of tabletop terrain. As always, these builds are gargantuan, but you can start small and go from there (even just print the Bot of the playable parts to set up your dungeons, they don't require supports and take very little time to print).
The modular cart is coming too before the end of the month, and before that, the next poll!
I updated the pinned post with links to the release and I shared the whole set with you on MMF, let me know if you have trouble accessing the files
That's it for now, I hope you like what you see and that these models will find a place on your tabletops and battle maps :) Let me know what you think!
Thanks again so much for the support and the patience. It really means a lot, especially with complicated months such as this one. Now back to the Road!
I wish you a happy hobby time :D
Comments
Making Tlon
Thanks for the reference, these should help a lot!
Making Tlon
Thanks :D! The holes on top of the upper walls are there just as an extra in case you want to stack even more walls on top (e.g. by putting a second "upper" level on top but upside down, starting a whole new section that way). The battlements are meant to be placed directly on top of the walls: they are stable enough to allow play on top of them without issues. Larger buildings (unlike towers or walls) may need the columns to be placed on the inside to provide support to large floor slates (as in the rendered larger chamber). In case you print large floors sections such as that one I suggest glueing a few of them together to increase stability (making 4x4 or 6x6 blocks that are still mlodular) :)
mat
THIS IS INCREDIBLE! Does anyone know how the two levels go together? I know it mentions skewers or rods but I'm a little confused how that all would work. I see there's holes on the top, but I see no matching holes on the battlements. (Here's an example of what I mean. Files MT.IronFort.Wall.Play.2in.Upper and MT.IronFort.Battlement.2inA clearly go together...but how? There's mention of pins, and I get that for building the wall...but the battlements didn't look like they have a place for magnets or for a pin.
ThatGuyOverThere
I don't have any schematics or measurements, but I have seen a few sculpts accommodate various types of LEDs that are available. Here is a pretty common one that can be disassembled and installed into a new housing: https://www.amazon.com/JJGoo-Waterproof-Birthday-Halloween-Christmas/dp/B07TMY9L3J/ref=sr_1_1?th=1 there are also the little tea light versions of these that a lot of people use. Here's an example of Devon Jone's Led wall torch from his open-forge system: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2125959 This feels a little more involved than dissembling a ballon light and snapping into place in the model, but it could be a useful reference. Here's a cool one that uses ballon lights: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4579231 Hope that helps! I'm here for you geeking out on this and adding led light options to everything!! woot!
Floortje
Love it! I am glad you didn't rush it
Making Tlon
This makes sense! I have never worked with leds, but I want to explore that. Do you have in mind standard measurements/projects that I can check out?
Halonys
Incredible work!! As always. Thanks!
ThatGuyOverThere
A lot of fun. You should figure out a way to make modular led lighting inserts so we can recreate some of the fun lighting you add to the scenes. There are so many small LED candles, and balloon lights we could disassemble and use for some of these cool environment sculpts!
RawB
Amazing! Great work.
