New Designs and Lots of Grey Paint!

Hey guys,
              This Medieval Wargame Scenery village is taking over our lives at the minute. Anyway. The last time I updated this blog we had just produced a prototype of our model two-storey medieval house. We had great feedback for that so thank you to all who've been involved. Since then we've bought a load of paint, (we've already ran out of grey) and done a load more work. You'll be pleased to hear through all that hard work we're now in the position to show you some of our newer and improved stuff. Plus the paint makes the detail stand out that little bit more. 

The Medieval Chapel

After designing loads of everyday buildings we really needed something special to stand out in our medieval village range. The design is inspired by a combination of a variety of buildings with medieval stonework and even incorporates some of the local features from various North Yorkshire Churches. Inside, players can battle within a building that contains an enthralling amount of detail including benches, candles and even an alter! We love the stone texturing which combines perfectly with the keystones to make the building look as detailed as possible. It's perfect for medieval and sci-fi wargamers alike and fits well within any 28mm model wargame such as Games Workshop's Warhammer 40k and Warlord Games.

The Single-Storey Cottage 

The cottage was designed with something cheaper to be an alternative to the two-storey house however we still want it to be just as effective. Once we started playing with design ideas it really came into it's own. The cottage is paneled like the other buildings however is packed with detail. Shutters added to the windows are designed to add more detail to the building and make much more impact. Little wooden logs are added to hold up the roof which is fully thatched to give the item a medieval look! Something we're thrilled about as it makes painting it up that much easier. After all, not all of us are professional painters! 

Completing the Village

We're pleased to announce that we are currently in the process of completing the tooling for the Chapel. As soon as this tooling will be finished we will be able to sell for approximately £20. So it's an exciting time for us here at Tabletop Workshop. A full range of the ideas we are currently/ have plans to be working on is shown below:

-A Two-Storey House     

-A Cottage                       (As seen above) 

-The Chapel                    (As seen above)

-The Blacksmiths

-The Stables

-The Village Shop

-An Inn

-A Market Place

-Fortifications (Walls, Towers, Gatehouse...)

-1 exclusive further design from a contest winner voted for by you! Check out our Facebook page to find out more details about Tabletop Workshop's contests.

Above: Shots of the inn and the shop in development.

For more details on further products including pictures, videos and the latest news and contests at Tabletop Workshop check out our website at

http://www.tabletopworkshop.co.uk/

Or find us through our Facebook and Twitter.

  

An Exclusive: Our New Unique War Game Scenery

Good morning world, 
       It's been a weird start to the week for Tabletop Workshop. Monday, we were all hit by a winter storm. Tuesday, we caused our own kind of storm by finally revealing our new Wargame scenery to the world. So that brings us to Wednesday, where the sun is shining (It's still freezing. Think positive) and I'm going to sit down and try and fully explain this unique concept. For us, the idea to develop our own  scenery came about late last year. How is it unique you may find yourself asking? Well there's only so much you can post on Facebook and Twitter so I'm about to explain...
      A few of us in the office are Wargame veterans. In previous blogs I've already spoken of my fascination for Warhammer 40k and The Lord of the Ring's Strategy Battle Game (or whatever it's referred to now.) So, when we all sat down last year to discuss moving more into the wargames scenery side of things we felt we had enough experience to make something that would really impress. But then it finally hit us. We didn't have the money to afford scenery when we were growing up! 
      Designs were discussed and eventually we came up with a solution. What if the gamer had the opportunity to buy parts of buildings rather than buildings? As the gamer only has to buy the parts he needs it's going to be cheaper for him. It'll also be cheaper for us as we don't have to keep churning out giant 3D structures hoping someones going to massively fork out to take it them our hands.

     So we set about designing these separate parts. Our idea was to bring a wide variety of highly detailed floors, walls and roofs that can easily be built up in whatever way the gamer wants. This enables them to have a new level of control over the buildings on their board. If you want a house, you can buy a house. If you want a manor house, you buy a house and a few more panels here and there, maybe even add a floor. It's cheap, it's efficient and you're in control of just how big you want the product to be. 

     There's no need for glue. For the first time, buildings can be built up and taken down. This enables them to be easily stored and easily changed. More importantly, the design gives gamers the freedom to make changes to their buildings. This is something which others don't offer. We know people have different armies, have different battles and even have different showcases. So why play with the same scenery? Instead, change your medieval house into a gothic ruined pub for a few more quid. We plan to experiment with further releases of different varieties and timescales of the parts. This experiment also includes a whole new interior set (staircases, interior walls. etc.) allowing the gamer to battle inside as well as outside. Roofs and walls can even be taken off during the battle so you can see inside to make your move.

    We're really excited about the flexibility of our design in comparison to those of others. We appreciate that wargamers have different armies and have a budget or else we'd all be playing in our massive Gaming Rooms in giant castles with thousands of soldiers. We see the idea as a lot cheaper and a lot more space efficient and we're going to paint one up and showcase it as soon as possible. 

   In the coming weeks we plan to touch up the detail on these medieval surfaces and prepare them for manufacture. If you have any questions you can follow us on our webpages, by joining our mailing list or following us on Facebook on Twitter. Don't forget. We also have a table at Salute on the 20th April so if you have any further questions or just want to come for a chat you can find us there! 

3D Scanning. (It's what made Avatar good!)

Hi again, 

      Just a quick Monday afternoon update from me at Tabletop Workshop. Firstly, we've got some exciting news in the pipeline about our fantastic model building kits. Our artist is sat to the left of me scribbling some extraordinary detail onto the files as I type. This should mean we're late in the process and should have something to show you in the near future. So keep your eyes open or follow us on Facebook and Twitter and you'll be able to get a glimpse at our brand new scenery! 
      Salute 2013 takes place on the 20th April at the ExCel in London and with good thanks to the South London Warlords Gaming Club, Tabletop Workshop have a table where we will be looking to show off our new buildings. So if you're attending or live locally come find us and we'll have some samples to show off!

       Recently, we've been getting a flurry of emails asking if we offer 3D scanning services to go with that of our printer. So I thought I'd pop up and give a brief explanation of the process and what services we can offer as an industry!

What is 3D Scanning?

3D scanning involves using a device that analyses a real-world object or environment to collect data and appearance. This can be stored on a computer or even printed off on a 3D printer to make scale replicas of the item analysed! The process has already been used many times in video games and movies (Think Avatar!) to make animated characters massively more realistic!

How's it Work?

Don't worry, the process isn't as boring as it sounds! A scanner is used to create a point cloud (basically, a load of points) onto a surface. These can also determine colour and tone and are finally used to estimate and conclude the shape! Multiple scans of the object are produced to and aligned around a common reference system to make sure the scan is as accurate as possible! Software then can be used to transform the point cloud into a CAD (computer-aided-design) file! We can use these files to make 3D prints!

What's it Used For?

Many things!

• Computer and Video Game Design.
• Making lifelike models - Action figures from movies etc.
• Cultural Heritage - making scale models and realistic plastic copies of history. Stanford University even designed a Michelangelo model so advanced the chisel marks could be seen!
• Architecture - Producing small scale replicas of buildings to highlight spatial issues and design issues.
• Quality Assurance - Checking that parts can fit and work together before they're mass produced.  
• Medical - Used to design hearing aids perfectly fitted to ears and innersoles and braces for back problems. etc.
• Dentistry - Producing bridges and implant bars specifically designed. 

Want more....

If your interested in using 3D scanning and printing for any services. (You may want to plonk your head on top of a character and call yourself an Emperor!) Then use our Facebook and Twitter to contact us and get a quote. We can help with all sorts of daft ideas (and even a few not-so-daft ones!)

Producing a 3D Printed Searchlight

   Hello again! Just a quick update and an interesting example of how we make our models! 
   At the back end of last week we put the 3D printer to its biggest test yet in creating a 28mm British WW2 90cm searchlight. The product contains moving parts straight off the printer. This means we can design it in a certain way so that we can play with the base and the lamp. The initial design was drawn up from the image below and made into CAD ready to be printed. 

  The searchlight comes straight out of the printer without any need to be assembled. It's buried deep within a support material with an aroma of marzipan. We peel chunks of the material off to reveal the initial shape of the searchlight. The next step is to take it into a jet wash. This involves us juggling it with massive gloves in front of a rapid stream of water. Afterwards, the support material has all pretty much disintegrated. However, we still place our products into an acid bath just to make sure we have the cleanest plastics possible!

 Like the actual searchlight the lamp rotates and the base swivels. This means that it can be brought right into the thick of games. (Or if not, it's something to play with while your opponent takes too long to plan his move!) The finished searchlight is below in two poses. A picture before and after Chris finished playing with it! The yellow glow is brought upon by the support material and is a feature of 3D printed plastics after they've first been produce. This comes clear after a few hours under a strong light. 

We're still working on our wargame buildings at the minute. However, we just couldn't wait to show this little beauty off. It proves that we can make one-off showcase prints for a wargamers special occasion. Plus imagaine what an artist could do with it before it ends up on your table! 

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The Next Generation of Wargame Scenery. Brought to you by 3D Printing.

 So I'm sitting here on a Friday afternoon in Leyburn. A local newspaper is in the office taking snaps of the 3D printer. Is it that much of a big deal? The printer is an Objet30 Pro. At times, it can reach an incredible 14 micron resolution and it is a fascinating piece of software well capable of producing plastic molds in such detail that until a few years ago, the concept seemed unimaginable. 
  You see, to a former Warhammer Space Marine collector (all be it a fair few years ago...) it's a dream come true. For years, I tried to create designs made of polystyrene and cardboard using knives and glue only to eventually come out with a design that looked like it had been mauled by a dog. Truth be told, I was never really the arty kid at school. I could calculate, read, run, cook and maybe come up with one or two cracking jokes (well I thought they were). But art just wasn't one of my things. I tried to improve but I just lacked the talent and know-how to make products that some of the Games Workshop guys could. This was probably due to the fact I had the delicacy of a baby elephant and lacked that flair that some gamers can muster out of nothing.  Don't get me wrong! Some companies and artists make some of the most imaginative and attractive scenery imaginable, however nothing which I could afford was ever really up to the standard I wanted. I flirted with a few companies' resin models but there was no market that offered serious value for the hard-working paperboy! Eventually, I settled for a grass mat and an open field with one or two trees. It worked but that's about all it. There was potential for so much more!
 This brings me back to the Objet30 Pro. It's a large piece of machinery that can print out models designed by 3D CAD software on computers. Look at the dinosaur above. Notice how the teeth are built and the skin is textured. We wish we could show you more. But due to customer confidentiality (it sucks, we know) this is all we can show. Now imagine that form of detail on your walls, houses and fortifications! The idea gives you goosebumps and this is why we're the first company trying to push the use of our printer into the wargame market. The printer is so good it can detail almost anything into the plastic. Details that can range from grooves in the wood to tiny pieces of armour. From what I've heard it can even replicate bullet damage so the early signs are very promising indeed. So them stats got me thinking. Maybe finally, seven years too late we can build that dream gaming board as well as helping the world build their own dream gaming boards at the same time . We aim to produce a cheaper building kits and small one-off objects for the gamer. I know that the market isn't a cheap one to fish in but I have been assured we can do it for half the price of some of the better designers.. 
  So, I'll be updating this blog regularly to show my insight into the projects here at Tabletop Workshop to the wargamer and keep you updated on my projects and ambitions, whether it's from designing North American Star Forts to World War 2 Searchlights. I'll also update you of products we're working on including our new hard building kits. These offer the war-gamer a new, cheaper way to collect a wide variety of buildings and is an idea which we're very excited about.  More news as it comes!

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