Ye Olde Inn

Has anyone used Heroforge website for making minis previously?

Have a mini for each of my kids ready to go, but thought I'd check and see if they are actually any good?

Still waiting to hear back about getting miniatures 3d modeled and printed, so exploring other avenues.

I have not used HeroForge. However, I too have been curious considering the pretty nifty options available last time I checked their site.

I'll be interested in hearing what others have to say about their experiences if they have used the service. And or yours if you decide to give it a go.

From memory, the prices are kind of high, but for one or two custom minis here and there, possibly forgivable for the convenience/ luxury of having something relatively unique.

maj!

Hey MadMickyG!

I've used Heroforge, and had a custom figure made for each of my players. About 7 figures total.

Here's my takeaway:

Pros: My players were blown away when they saw their custom figures. That reaction alone made it worth it for me, as I had them printed the minis as thanks for them being such fun, reliable, and engaged players.

The quality of the details are very nice, if you get the top-tier printing. I know the mid-grade is rather rougher on the details. So far we haven't painted them, so I can't speak to how well they work on than front.

Pretty cool results for custom 3D printing! It was fun to see the whole process, from concept to finished piece.

Cons: I will say, the plastic these are printed from is very brittle. There is no flexibility or bending before they snap. Two of the minis broke rather soon after they arrived. The variety of poses you can achieve with the editor is vast, but I do think that some of the poses available do not lend themselves for durability.

Also, since each mini is custom printed, the time from order to delivery was rather a long wait. At least 8 weeks.

Overall, they're gorgeous, but fragile. For the presentation and customization, I'd say they're worth the wait, and worth the price, but *handle with care!*

Did you go the sandy looking plastic, or the grey plastic?

I am looking at the grey plastic which puts each figure at around $27 each. Only 4 custom figures, but my kids like the current looks I have set.

Might get them to change. Only paint job I will do is make them player red. Or perhaps let the kids paint their own each.

Thanks for the info Gimme.

Still looking at the local 3d printing option, but as I normally do, I'm exploring all avenues.

MadMickyG wrote:Did you go the sandy looking plastic, or the grey plastic?

I am looking at the grey plastic which puts each figure at around $27 each. Only 4 custom figures, but my kids like the current looks I have set.

Might get them to change. Only paint job I will do is make them player red. Or perhaps let the kids paint their own each.

Thanks for the info Gimme.

Still looking at the local 3d printing option, but as I normally do, I'm exploring all avenues.

I went with the grey plastic. Good luck in your Quest!

Ask Thantos, he is better clued up on that kind of stuff. About times, quality ect.
I have looked into it but as its a U.S company it isn't worth the added import tax for me.
Although I have been a busy beaver and might be able to get a UK/Euro similar kind of thing going....Shhhhhh!

I had seen this before, but almost forgot about it.
After seeing this thread today, I revisited it, and I must say, I'm not impressed at all.
It took me a few miutes to tinker together an OK Wizard (photo below), but all in all the choices are just too few.
They seem to be overwhelmingly many when you just browse through them, but when you have a certain look in mind and try to archieve something remotely similar, you are lost pretty soon.

The first big (with a capital B) shortcomings I noticed are:
- no chainmail. (a dwarf without chainmail is nude)
- no two handed weapons! My first intention was to make the HQ heroes in-fight as depicted on the Basis game cover art. Guess what - it's not possible. How would you depict a fighting Barbarian or Dwarf (or Samurai etc.) when he is not allowed to swing his weapon in both hands?

My advise would be:
Get yourself a copy of DAZ 3d Studio - it's free.
Make a figure with the look, pose, and equipment you like. Export it as obj file.
Load it in a 3D sculpting software like 3D STudio, Maya, or Blender (the latter is free). Fine-tune it in any way you like.
Load it up at a 3D printing service like Sulpteo or Shapeways. They have a real big assortment of different materials to print in, and are much cheaper than Hero Forge.
If you want really good detail but still durability, I would advise you to make a mold from the printed figure and recast it in pewter. You may have to plan the model for that purpose (e. g. make it multipl-part), so again the possibility to tune your model in a proper 3D program comes in handy.

My

I know what you mean about poses BB. I have a specific look for my Monk, especially since I do martial arts and understand the meaning behind the stance/pose.

I have Blender installed, but too much of a learning curve at the moment.

Will get DAZ 3D studio and see how I go.
Then perhaps spend some time in Blender.

If I can get the process right, I might be able to get it 3d printed at my kids high school.

And the multi-piece plan is another good idea, so can be posed to a point, like some of the miniatures can be.
Will post up my success or failure.
Who knows, if I can get better at it, might be able to make a little business on the side. Always disappointed when checking out miniatures.
Not to mention the fact my mind is full of nasty creatures I want to attack my kids with in HQ.

Mentioned in the Hero Forge forum is the possibility in the future to export your design, so adjusting your model in the future could be possible.

MadMickyG wrote:Will get DAZ 3D studio and see how I go.
Then perhaps spend some time in Blender.

Welcome to the 3D computer artist community!
Best wishes for great success!

Would like to do it again, too. Perhaps this could be my next project for the Inn - making a figure and documenting the process.
Perhaps some of you have noted that I was pretty absent the last few months - I have a project under work for my daytime job with a very tight schedule, plus got a new baby, plus the house is still much of work, plus my wife has problems with her familiy...
It's still not finished, but I started to come back here for a short visist every now and then - I need my fix, it helps me keep my mind

MadMickyG wrote:Who knows, if I can get better at it, might be able to make a little business on the side. Always disappointed when checking out miniatures.

Wish you luck, but don't count on it. I've tried, I have put up a webshop, but the success is - well, limited.

MadMickyG wrote:Mentioned in the Hero Forge forum is the possibility in the future to export your design, so adjusting your model in the future could be possible.

Can you find this for me? Would be interested to use some of it in my own design, but don't have the time to research.

From their FAQ section.

https://www.heroforge.com/FAQ/

Do you offer or sell downloadable 3D model files of these models?

We do not currently offer downloadable meshes. While we may implement this feature in the future, we don’t have any immediate plans to do so.