Get tips on how to perform ★ 3D PRINTING OF MINIATURES & FIGURES ★ with the best possible results! Set up infill, speed, layers, cooling, and supports.
3D printing of miniatures and figures for best results
Every hobbyist wants to create a work of art they can be proud of, whether through crafting, painting, or 3D printing. When working on your 3D-printed miniatures and figures, follow these great tips to perfect your masterpieces, and you will far exceed your expectations!
3D printing miniatures and figures from famous movies, video games, and comics makes iconic characters, spaceships, and other fictional models as common as 3D printing useful household appliances and gadgets. In addition to vases, hooks, doorstops, and similar items, hobbyists today also enjoy 3D printing miniatures for their beloved tabletop games and building life-sized figures of Iron Man, Groot, Mandalorian, and even real Batman for children!
3D printed by Lies Brams, STL files by Gambody 
3D printed by Zakariah MT, STL files by Gambody
Regardless of which 3D printer you use, FDM or resin, or what figure size you are printing (28-30 mm miniatures or 30-200 cm figures), you can adjust your slicer and machine to achieve the most incredible results with different printer types and 3D printing materials.
3D printing of miniatures
You may have heard before that it is best to print miniatures with a resin 3D printer because, unlike most FDM printers, it carefully builds up every detail. But that is not always true.
In the world of tabletop gaming, 3D-printed miniatures serve to make the battlefield impressive and unique, the game more exciting and memorable, and to please all players. On the one hand, 3D-printed miniatures look incredibly good when they are highly detailed. On the other hand, tabletop game fans often don't care about the details of their favorite figures used as props, role-playing characters, terrain, or accessories. Therefore, it does not matter much whether you print your 28 mm minis with resin or filament. What counts are your slicer settings.
Tips for 3D printing miniatures:
- Layers - If you value fine details, you can use thinner layers when 3D printing miniatures. But be prepared for longer print times and potential issues caused by too many thin layers. If you don't care much about the intricate appearance of your miniatures, increase the layer height and save some time.
- Supports - If your 3D-printable miniatures have a raised tail, wings, or something similar, you must use supports to avoid problems.
- 3D printing speed - Unlike life-sized or larger figures, 3D-printed miniatures can be built faster without the details suffering. If you go too slow, you might produce unsightly designs. If you go too fast, however, the layers may not adhere well. So go slowly on the first layer to create a reliable base!
- Infill - The right type of infill ensures that your 3D-printed miniatures are of good quality and no extra material is wasted. For most miniatures, you can't go wrong with a lightning or zigzag infill pattern.
- Cooling - Make sure you have the cooling option enabled in your slicer menu during the 3D printing of miniatures.
3D printed by Denis Mars, STL files by Gambody
3D printed by Nate Rice, STL files by Gambody
3D printing of figures: General tips
When setting your layer height (thickness) and count, find a balance between 3D printing time and quality. To make 3D-printed figures more intricate and beautiful, especially when you are building a hand with tiny fingers or some tiny parts for your spaceship, you can switch to a 0.2 mm nozzle and play with a layer height of 0.15 mm. You will need much more time to print this part, but it will look precise! If you work with thin layers, you should also increase the number of top or bottom layers to achieve a smoother effect.
Let your slicer generate supports when you are 3D printing figures that require them. All extreme overhangs and long bridges require support structures. Without them, the print could fail, and the bridges, overhangs, and angled parts might not form correctly.
Your speed determines whether the 3D-printed figures are of good quality or not. Super-fast speeds often lead to blob issues and can knock the model off the bed of your 3D printer. To avoid filament strings, make sure your print head is not set too low to move between extrusion processes, and adjust retraction speeds to avoid drops of 3D printing material on your 3D-printed miniatures, figures, or life-sized models.
Infill settings help hobbyists optimize the use of 3D printing material, reinforce 3D-printed figures, and extend their lifespan. It is recommended to keep the infill at about 20 percent for most projects, as some infill patterns (e.g., cubic) increase the 3D printing time and consume too much extra filament or resin. For life-sized models and huge 3D-printed figures, it is best to increase the infill to 30% or more.
Cooling is an important component of any FDM 3D printing project working with PLA, regardless of whether you are 3D printing miniatures or life-sized objects. 3D printers have a cooling fan that blows air onto the model and supports the laying of the filament layers. You can upgrade your fan depending on your 3D printer model. And remember that some 3D printing materials (ABS, PETG, etc.) do not require much cooling at all.
You can optimize your settings to improve 3D-printed miniatures, figures, and life-sized models by playing with your slicer's 3D printing speed, layers, infills, supports, etc. Gambody, for example, offers optimized 3D printing settings for every model and figure that you can download on the gambody.com marketplace. Create masterpieces you will be proud of!
