Home 3D Printable Terrain

Left: 6mm scale Work in progress vantann office building .STL. tank and soldier by others*

work in progress: 3d printable terrain design for your games

Dear citizens of Bruteopolis,

If you’ve been following me or Brutal Cities for a while, you know I’ve been thinking about offering 3D printable terrain for a bit now.
My background in architecture means I obsess over the details, so everything I design is practical, functional, and—most importantly—looks fantastic on your table.

I’ve been playing tabletop games since I was a kid and spent years working as an architect, so I bring that same precision and passion into designing terrain for Brutal Cities.
After designing MDF terrains for years, I’m now getting into 3D printing.

right: take the 3d printing survey!

getting closer:

I’m still setting up my 3D printer and learning the ropes, so this is a journey for me, too.

I'm using Rhino which is a CAD program also widely used in architecture. For this kind of work it's much more powerful and flexible than BIM programs or sketchup.

But I’m super excited to start bringing new designs to life, and I’d love your input along the way. That’s why I’ve set up a 3D printing terrain survey—to gather your thoughts and feedback so I can prioritise the designs you want most.

While I dial in the printer, I’ve written some tips for those of you who are also just getting started with 3D printing tabletop terrain or are thinking about diving in.

Take the 3D printing terrain survey!

left: work in progress of a brutalist radar station

sci-fi radar base wip

I've used Rhino to CAD up this WIP radar base design. This particular design is natively designed in 1/100 (15mm scale).

Again, from your survey feedback, I understand that one gripe people had with current 3D printing models on the market is this:
Many designs describe the files as scalable, or usable for all scales.

But in reality, the details designed natively in 28mm do not print when you resize the .STL to 6mm, or 15mm etc.

So I'll make sure to clearly label and categorise my terrain so you don't waste your time with failed prints.

right: Another practice wip model

why go for 3d printable wargame models?

So why bother with 3D printable terrain when you can just grab ready-made kits?

Well, the beauty of 3D printing is that it gives you total control over the final product. You can customise the pieces to fit your battlefield, tweak the scale, or even mix and match different terrain STL files to create something unique.

Here’s why I think it’s a game-changer:

ENDLESS CUSTOMISATION:

One of the best things about 3D printing is the freedom to tweak and adjust the terrain however you want.
Like our MDF terrain range, these models are made to fit a variety of game settings, giving you more bang for your buck.

Want to scale it up, change the look, or adapt it for a specific game? Go for it! You can easily customise the pieces to fit any battlefield, making sure your table not only looks awesome but adds some serious strategic depth too.

COST-EFFECTIVE & CONVENIENT:

Compared to our traditional MDF terrain, 3D printing your own models can save you a chunk of change - especially true for our overseas brutalists!

You can print as many pieces as you need, right at home, so no more waiting for shipping or bulk orders to arrive.

Plus, it's super straightforward—you can literally start building terrain whenever the mood strikes.

HIGH-QUALITY DESIGNS & NEW GEOMETRIES:

The terrain STL files will be packed with detail, drawing inspiration from both sci-fi and brutalist architecture.

Every model I design will optimized for 3D printing, so you’ll get clean, precise results that look great on the table.

These designs are built to make your games more immersive and functional at the same time.

I'll be able to work with forms that aren't as suitable for my laser cut range too.

P.S. As any designer should know, different materials and mediums have different strengths. MDF terrain has properties that you can't get in FDM designs, and vise-versa.

I will still design MDF terrain and there is the potential to combine both mediums for special designs!

ALL 3D PRINTER TYPES:

I'm still developing my design workflow using Rhino. I've finally scripted some useful tools to speed up the process of developing watertight, 3D mesh models.

If you were not aware, STLs need to be one continuous mesh for a 3D printer slicer to turn into a usable file.

.STL files (stereolithography) are the files read by slicer programs which
direct the printing heads of FDM printers to extrude filament, or the UV
lasers of SLA resin printers.

Most people prefer FDM printers using PLA filament for large terrain pieces, and resin printers for smaller scatter terrain. (Thanks a lot for all your input in the survey
so far guys!)

Brutal Cities will make terrain suitable for both FDM, and Resin 3D printing as per your requests and insights in the survey.

Where files are more suitable or designed for a specific 3D printer type, I will clearly label on the product page.

I like to provide you with as much relevant product info as I can - I want you to be happy with your terrain purchase!
A good example of this is the accurately scaled Augmented Reality models of my MDF terrain.

3d printing terrain: drop imminent

Don't miss out! Free .STLs for 3d printing terrain newsletter subscribers!

3d printable sci-fi terrain

will you sell 3d printable sci-fi terrain?

Yes! I've even shared a quick design a couple of months ago in the Brutal City Builders Facebook group
(you can join if you like here to see it) Once I have a collection of
designs ready for you to print, I will let you know via the email list
that will pop up.

This page will eventually direct you to the various Brutal Cities
3d printing terrain designs and collections as they become available.
We will sell .STL files and potentially license designs.

Sign up to the newsletter (and select your terrain preferences) for news when they drop!

*Sci fi Oluja tank model by ig j

Take the Survey