Many of you know that for the past 3+ years we've been designing about three to five Kickstarter projects each year. This has been a great way to interact with all of you and the 3D printing community. Your direct feedback and support has allowed us to design bigger projects than we could do by ourselves, and tailor the designs to your requests and interests.
Kickstarter has been a great way to grow and build up a library of designs. It has given us freedom to design large projects, with many featuring hundreds of STL files when all was said and done. None of this would have been possible without your support.
When launching our first 3D printable project, Pillars of Stone, I never imagined it would be as successful as it was. Its success fueled the creation of several more projects over the years. However, Kickstarter is supposed to be a launching platform, a way to "kickstart" your business, and it has done just that.
Is Xykit's future on Kickstarter? How can we best serve the 3D printing community? Is Kickstarter holding us back? What should we do next? In a previous blog post I mentioned that businesses need to adapt and grow to stay relevant in the market, and this is something we are constantly evaluating.
This year, we launched our first direct to website project, "Dice Pals, Series 1". It proved the concept that launching directly to xykit.com is a viable option.
Heading into the new year, we'd like to begin working on a variety of smaller projects. Maybe even some individual items and bring them straight to xykit.com. This means that you can buy the object and print it the same day, without waiting for a Kickstarter to be fulfilled.
There are many things that we'd love to create for you. Items that have been requested over the years, add-ons for existing projects, stretch goals that were never unlocked, plus many new things we've just never had the time to design. Many of these items don't necessarily need a multi-month project centered around them. They just need to be created.
No, not necessarily. Kickstarter is still a great platform. It can help bring bigger ideas to life. Big ideas need lots of support. For us, a Kickstarter project has about a 3-4 month life cycle, and that doesn't always include the conceptual part. Planning, design, marketing, project management, and fulfillment, are all big tasks, and your support on Kickstarter makes bigger projects possible.
Going forward, I can see a mix of website based smaller projects and the occasional large Kickstarter project when warranted.
We've also started to be a little more active on YouTube. Diving into filament, and 3D printers, and we've even got an upcoming video with GamingGeek on laser cutting something...so stay tuned for that.
We will be announcing new designs through our Newsletter and social media so keep your eyes peeled. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter if you haven't already, and follow us on facebook, instagram, twitter, and youtube
If you've gotten this far, I'd like to Thank You for caring so much about the future of Xykit. Your support has made Xykit successful and I thought it only fair that you had a roadmap for the future with us.
Thank you again for your continued support. I'm excited to keep designing unique, fun, and useful 3D printable models for you and this awesome community.
Cheers,
Jason
Xykit
PS - Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
]]>Here at Xykit, we've been in the market for a new PLA going into 2023! Something that isn't too fussy, and provides good, clean results with minimal effort. We are often testing new model designs for our Kickstarters, and we need them to print correctly the first time, without too much fussing. They also have to look good, with minimal stinging, zits, or blemishes!
You can read all the info below, or watch the YouTube Video.
We purchased 10 brands of PLA (polylactic acid) filament from Amazon and compared their ease of use and quality with our standard settings. All brands were in the $17 - $25 (USD) price range at the time of purchase.
Below is the list of filament brands we purchased, and their pricing at the time of purchase*.
(*purchased Nov. 2022)
These are our typical settings below, for the printer we used. All models were printed on the same printer for consistency.
3D printer: Creality CR10s, all metal hotend, .6mm nozzle
Slicer: Cura
Nozzle Temperature: 212° C (PLA) 220°C (PLA+)
Print Bed Temperature: 60° C
Supports: NONE
Infill: 10%
Infill Pattern: Gyroid
Print speed: 60 mm/s
Outer wall speed: 30 mm/s
Retraction: 4mm
For this test, we designed a new FREE model. A 3D printable Dice Pedestal with interchangeable geared inserts for your various RPG dice shapes.
After printing all 10 models and examining the final prints. I would rank the top filaments as follows:
#1. Anycubic PLA - highest quality print at the most affordable price point.
The price does fluctuate though, so it may not always be the most affordable, but at around $20 or less a roll, it seems to provide consistent results.
#2. eSUN PLA+ - clean print, nice color, solid performance
This was on the top of the price point at around $25 per roll, however It provided a very clean print, no surface imperfections and only mild stringing. A solid choice.
#3. DURAMIC PLA+ - good price for PLA+, minimal stringing
This filament really did an excellent job, and it was more affordable than the eSUN PLA+.
Honorable Mentions:
Sunlu PLA - Nice deep gray color, good surface quality
Geeetech PLA - Decent price, minimal stringing
Below you can see each brand of filaments with an image of their results:
Polymaker - Polyterra Matte PLA, Fossil Grey - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
The Polymaker filament intrigues me. I like that they are trying hard to be Earth friendly, and that they are keeping their prices affordable at the same time. However, this was the only print that I had fail during the test, not just once either. It did not want to stick to the glass bed, even with a healthy coating from a glue stick. I am interested in adjusting the settings a bit more to try and get this one dialed in.
OVERTURE - PLA Space Grey - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
The OVERTURE filament seemed like a fairly average PLA. I really like the slightly metallic color of the space gray, however it did have a bit of an odor. Most PLAs has very little smell, but I definitely noticed a bit of an unpleasant "plasticky" smell while printing.
Ender Series - PLA - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
Another fairly average PLA. It printed easily, but had some strong layer lines, and mild stringing.
DURAMIC - PLA + - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
I liked the Duramic PLA+. This was printed at 220°C, and had very little stringing. It did have some harsher layer lines than some of the other PLAs, but if you are looking for a decent PLA+ at and affordable price, this is a good one to check out.
Anycubic - PLA - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
This filament ended being our favorite from this test. It is normally priced around $20 per roll, and I've seen it dip to around $16. Aside from some mild stringing, there was little bad to say. A good, bargain filament, that produces clean results. What more could you want?
Hatchbox - PLA Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
Hatchbox is a well established brand, and they seem to have a fairly good reputation in the 3D printing community. I was excited to try this filament, however, I wasn't satisfied by the results. The print from this test seemed quite average. It was also the only PLA that gave us tiny little pinholes throughout the model. We may need to adjust our settings to get this one to perform the way we need it to.
The Good:
The Bad:
The Inland PLA was a very "average" filament. It had more stringing that I would like, surface zits, and blobby corners. If I could find it for a good price, I might be willing to try it again, but it didn't impress me straight out of the box.
eSUN PLA - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
I had heard good things about eSUN PLA+ so I wanted to give it a try for myself. I am quite pleased with the results. It had nice even layers, no major surface imperfections, and only mild stringing. It was toward the top of the price range at $25 per roll, however it seems like it will be a reliable option, making it our #2 choice.
Geeetech PLA - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
Geeetech was the one brand of filament we'd tried previously, although it was a metallic copper, so I wanted to give there plain grey a chance. I am happy with the results from Geeetech. It was affordable, had only mild stringing and provided a relatively smooth finish. It would try this brand again.
Sunlu PLA - Purchase Link
The Good:
The Bad:
This was a decent filament. I liked the deep grey color and it was quite affordable. Worth a try, especially if it were on sale.
This was a fun test. I've been wanting to try out a variety of filaments to see which one could become our go-to brand. All in all, most of the brands tested preformed relatively well considering we used our generic settings. I think with some fine tuning, most, if not all of the brands would produce quality results.
Have you tried any of these filaments? Which one was your favorite, or least favorite? Tell me about it in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Article written by:
Jason Wade
3D Designer
Xykit.com
---------------------------------------------
*This article was not sponsored. The rolls of filament were purchased by Xykit for the purpose of testing and comparison. All opinions are our own. No cash or product(s) were exchanged.
We do have some Amazon Associate Affiliate Links:
By purchasing products from the the Amazon affiliate links in this article, we receive a small commission on eligible purchases. Using the links does not cost any extra but does help support Xykit.
]]>For the last several years, we've been blown away by the enthusiasm and financial support from the 3D printing community. Many of our supporters have been generously backing our projects since we moved into the 3D scene, and that support has allowed us to continue to design more fun and useful models.
Like all businesses, they need to grow and change to adapt to current preferences and trends, or they will cease to exist. Does that mean offering subscription services, offering customer storage for their purchases, possibly making tutorial videos, maybe eventually even hiring more designers? Yes, I think it does! Here at Xykit, we want to grow sustainably and continue to make your experiences using our models and website better over time.
Over the past several years, we have had many requests to start a Patreon page. We have seriously entertained this option, as it seems that many creators have gone this route. Whether or not to utilize outside services is a constant consideration, but for the time being, we would like to focus our efforts over the next year into improving our own website. We are looking to add functionality that isn't currently there, such as customer storage at the account level, and possibly our own subscription service. Your experience with our models and website is our priority.
Kickstarter has been a great place to introduce new projects, and so we will continue with this route. Starting with an entirely new project coming this fall, one you won't want to miss!
I really think you'll love this next project, so please be sure to sign up so you don't miss the launch and our Early-Bird deals!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading, and for your generous support. There's lots more incoming!
Cheers,
Jason
]]>I'm Jason, the artist / designer behind Riddleroot Forest and I'd like to take a little time to share some of the concept art and thoughts about the project.
Riddleroot Forest is a whimsical world of fantasy, filled with unique creatures and terrain. Many months were spent planning, sketching, modeling, sculpting and testing to bring Riddleroot Forest to life.
Whenever I start a project, there is usually quite a bit of drawing involved...
....this first sketch below of the Treefolk (Wisewood) would become the inspiration for the whole project.
I don't know if it's my love of forests or my background in woodworking, but the idea of tree people has always fascinated me. I thought it would be fun to see the Treefolk of this world more like creatures and a little bit less like trees. I also wanted the other creatures of Riddleroot to be like the treefolk, made of the forest.
The Barken Boars, the Forest Elk and the Timberwolves all have bark for skin. They themselves are plant based just like the Treefolk. The creatures that reside in the forest are all somehow connected to it, even the loveable Mushgubs.
These little guys are some of my favorite things in Riddleroot Forest. They are the Ewoks of this world, funny, clumsy, curious, and cute. Mushgubs are fungus, they look like large mushrooms and typically have four legs. There were just a few sketches of these guys made on paper before the sculpting began (see the sketches under misc.)
...what is a fantasy world without a fantasy village? Riddleton is the touristy little town of the world. It is located just outside the southern border of Riddleroot forest. This village is most know for the way it brews the Riddleroot into a delicious tea. Since it is in close proximity to forest, much of the lore of the forest has survived and the local tavern puts out their own mugs based on Treefolk.
For this project the story of the world drove much of what would be modelled for 3D printing. I wanted the world to have more than just a jumble of models, I wanted there to be a reason for the models. That's why this Kickstarter has a whole story that goes with it.
Sooooo, I was thinking the other day "Hmmm....I need a coaster...." and then I thought, "what if that coaster could have my rpg character's name on it? Oh, and a place to hold my dice, and my minis, and maybe my phone, and there should be bowls for game components. Maybe there could be dice towers and trays, and terrain." But then I thought "what if it could all clip together, yeah, it should all clip together" Then I realized I didn't have to reinvent the wheel here, I could make them compatible with openLOCK. So I contacted Printable Scenery and they gave us a license to the use openLOCK system commercially.
We want this to be a versatile system to help you organize and enhance your tabletop games. We've got a list a mile long of all the different types of pieces we are trying to incorporate into this system:
Tell us what else you'd like to see in the comments below.
Many gamers I know like to use bowls for components during play, so I thought we should have a variety of sizes and shapes that all clip into the same openLOCK system. And above all they should look awesome, like bowls out of a fantasy or sci-fi world.
Bowl varieties
]]>We are currently in the process of testing many of the files as we develop more pieces for the system.
This is a "Rock Slide", its a new fun way to roll your dice!
Digital .STL file downloads
We will be offering all these files in a digital download. They will be available for a personal use download or a yearly commercial printing license.
Thanks for Checking out our upcoming project, be sure to comment below and tell your friends! Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our launch shedule! Check out our Pre-Launch Kickstarter Page
We have recently added crafting files to our library of designs and we wanted to break down a number of ways that these files can be used.
To start with, these crafting files come in six different file extensions: .svg, .dxf, .pdf, .eps, .png, and .jpg. The rasterized versions come in 300 dpi. The various formats can be used on a number of different maker / crafting machines.
If you need to scale the design, just open the SVG file to make your changes, the vector format won't lose quality when making your adjustments.
This is entirely up to you, pretty much anything you can think of, but here's a list that we've come up with:
Get creative, go out and make something awesome! We also have a free download of crafting shapes if you want to try them out!
]]>We'll take a look at:
Do I need any thing else for my Laser?
If you already have a laser you can skip down to the next section.
Laser cutters are becoming more and more accessible. With machines like the Glowforge, Epilogue ZIng, and the Dremel Digilab, lasers have entered into the hobby market and are more user friendly than ever.
In my personal experience, my laser cutters are the most used tools in my shop. CO2 laser cutters are capable of cutting a vast array of materials very precisely and quickly. They can cut wood, acrylic, fabric, cardboard, paper, delrin and more. They can engrave on glass, stone and coated metals, among many other things.
I personally have a woodworking business so a laser cutter fit right in and has paid for itself very quickly. If you already have a business and are looking to expand and offer custom products, then a laser cutter will be a great addition. If you are a hobbyist and have a budget for another tool / toy, I don't think you will regret your purchase.
If you have never been around laser cutters, try checking out a local maker space and use their lasers to get a feel for it before taking the plunge.
How big should my laser be?
It really depends on what you will be making. Will you be making signs out of whole sheets of plywood, or will you be making smaller gift items? Start by analyzing what the biggest item you plan on making is and go from there. Starting small and growing is not a bad idea, but if you think you will be making larger items or simply want to make more items at once, the bigger the better.
The word laser is an acronym - L.A.S.E.R. ( Light - Amplification - by Stimulated - Emission - of Radiation)
A CO2 laser cutter, has a tube that emits a beam that is reflected by a series of mirrors (typically 2-3) into a focusing lens that can move on an X and Y axis to cut or engrave.
The unfocused beam from the laser tube is reflected to the laser head and directed down through a focusing lens.
Different lenses have different focal lengths. The longer the focal length the thicker the material you can cut, but the more power you will need. Standard focal lengths range from 1 inch to 4 inches. The beam is focused into an hour glass shape and creates a small area that is in focus called the focal plane.
This focal plane is the area that will actually do the cutting or engraving. Many machines have an automatic focus, but it is important to understand how the beam cuts in order to address issues with cut lines being too thick.
Laser cutters can be needy machines. No matter what kind of laser you have you will need to be preforming regular maintenance to keep your machine working properly.
When cutting, lasers produce a fair amount of smoke. Over time many of the surfaces will begin to collect a coat of grime. This grime can be easily removed with a a rag and some degreaser such as "Simple Green" or vinegar.
The mirrors and lens will also require cleaning to make sure the beam is getting through unobstructed. I like to use a solution of Denatured Alcohol and water. This can be used with a q-tip to gently clean the polished surfaces.
Yes, in order to operate a laser cutter you will need:
Now all that's left is to make something. You can use programs like, Illustrator, Inkscape, Corel Draw, or Fusion 360 to design your own files, or you can check out pre-designed files to get started.
I hope you found this information helpful, please feel free to ask your questions in the comments below.
]]>
Ever since we started Xykit 4 years ago, we've wanted to do a series of themed dice towers. We've been sketching and planning all this time and began to test and prototype this year. Over the past several months we have worked on perfecting these towers to add a unique style with a modular system. We wanted the towers to feel like they belong with the games you are playing.
The Dream...
Our dream for these dice towers was to allow for creativity. We want you to be able to build them to suit you. You can mix styles, custom paint them, make them as tall as you want. We have so many ideas for new towers and pieces that we wanted to focus our attention on the designs. That is why we have decided to offer the dice tower files as a digital download.
Digital Downloads...
What does that mean? It means that if you are a maker, a DIYer, or a crafter with access to a laser cutter, you can pick up the files and begin building the dice tower(s) of your dreams. We will be offering both personal and commercial licenses for the dice tower files.
But, I don't have a laser...
We realize that not everyone out there has a laser cutter. With the rise in popularity of lasers, there are many places that you can gain access to one: local maker spaces, schools, a friend with a woodworking business, even some libraries now have laser cutters. Or, maybe its time to buy a laser for yourself.
Will you be selling the physical dice towers?
The short answer for now is, no. It is our plan to focus on adding more designs to this line of dice towers. We want to help the creative community of makers spend more time making! Ultimately, we want you to be able to make these towers and build them in ways that suit your gaming needs.
We also hope that through offering a commercial license we will be able to have some larger companies partner with us in manufacturing these towers. So that those of you that aren't able to cut them yourself can still enjoy these unique towers.
The Kickstarter is now LIVE! We Launched June 25th, 2019. The campaign will run for 30 days! Will you help us make this Kickstarter a success?
Get Notified!
If you don't want to miss out, sign up for our newsletter and follow our social media @xykit to make sure you stay up to date!
https://www.facebook.com/XyKit/
]]>Many of you know that I love drawing and I also love playing tabletop games. When I have free time I am usually doing one of these two things.
So, I set out to combine these two hobbies into something useful. When looking around at what is currently available for print and play RPG maps, I found the options somewhat limiting. There are many beautiful maps available but most for very specif encounters. I wanted to make something that can be used over and over again and added to over time.
I started exploring the idea of reconfigurable hexagon shaped tiles, but after much experimenting, I found that grids became a little tricky with lining up at the corners. After some discussions with my brother, he mentioned that I should give triangles a try. So after some layout, the Tabletop Triangle was born. The triangle allowed for a nice layout of a 1 inch hex grid. The hex grid nicely connects to each adjacent tile no matter the tiles orientation. I know not everyone is on board with a hex grid, so I also made all of the tiles with no grid for a more free form experience.
Now for the art! When I first began thinking about this project I thought I would use vector art to design the tiles. This made sense to me because vector images can be scaled and sized easily without losing any quality. Vectors can also easily be manipulated. Vector images have many advantages, but when I put them side by side with hand drawn designs, many of my friends and family said that they preferred the look of a hand-drawn tile better.
So hand-drawn tiles it is! Time to begin drawing. I started with an area I am calling "Pebble Brook". This is your basic fantasy landscape, grassy patches, dirt paths, flowing streams and lots and lots of little pebbles. This is the area that our Sample Pack is based on as well as our BIG starter pack. You can create some pretty massive maps with all these tiles, between them there are 27 triangle tiles to work with.
But that's not all, I wanted the tiles to take you through a variety of terrain. We have currently released Pack I for "Molten Meadows" and "Granite Frost". Molten Meadows as the name implies, was once a beautiful meadow, but is now covered with lava. Granite Frost on the other hand is quite the opposite, a rather chilly place covered in an snow, its a great place to encounter wolves, bears, and the occasional frost giant.
I have already started on our next pack, but will keep that a secret for now. I've got a list a mile long of all the different regions I want to create still, so stay tuned. Let us know what you think of the maps, what type of terrain do you want to see?
Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more from Xykit!
]]>
We've had a busy spring working on Fantasy Boxes and meeting promised deadlines for our Kickstarter. Early Birds and Wave 1 boxes have shipped on schedule and Fantasy Deck boxes will be shipping this Month (June 2018). Our final Wave 2 of Fantasy boxes has also begun production, and should be shipping before the promised month (August 2018).
This summer we will be making Fantasy Boxes available on xykit.com and in our etsy store. We hope to be adding a few new designs to the lineup as well, so stay tuned!
Dice Lamps
Dice lamps have also been a success and we've added a few new variations to our etsy store and will be updating the items available on xykit.com. These new variations include a Steampunk Gear design that is available in a stained mahogany color and a modern design that is being sold as a kit. A D12 version of the original scroll design is also available on etsy.
Flame Bulbs
A while back we ordered some lighting products from the manufacturer to try out in our dice lamps. So far my favorite was an LED Flame Bulb. Oh my goodness, what a fun way to change the atmosphere of your game room. I loved it so much that I want to offer it as a product for you as well. It is now available on xykit.com for purchase. These items are being shipped directly from the manufacture for now, so please allow a little extra time to arrive usually within (12-20 days).
New Things
We have added several new "geeky" things to our line-up so far this year. These include: Dice lamps, "Vikings on Board" wall art, and hardwood dice vaults. We love games here at xykit and are excited to keep offering new products to enhance your decor and gaming experiences.
Thanks for taking the time to read our blog, we have lots of ideas in store and would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Let us know what types of products you'd like to see as we continue to increase our product line.
]]>Any-who, we are heading into our busy season and are gearing up for Christmas, we will be adding various animal ornaments to our shop, including some new dog ornaments. We have some photos on our instagram if you are interested in a preview.
We are also in the process of transitioning xykit.com to our own website, we will continue to sell on Etsy under xykit.etsy.com, but we will also maintain our own store outside of Etsy.
Thanks for taking the time to see what's new! Stay tuned for more exciting happenings!
]]>