Our March 2019 Hacker of the Month, Tom Tullis, has been creating decals and portray templates for fashions of historic warplanes, dungeons, and monsters for over 25 years. Because the proprietor of Fats Dragon Video games, he 3D fashions atmosphere tiles and miniatures for roleplaying video games revolving round science fiction and fantasy, most notably for Dungeons and Dragons.

Tom acquired his begin in aviation publishing again round 1990, first working for the navy historical past writer, Squadron Sign. He labored as a contract aviation illustrator for a dozen or so publication corporations and in addition supplied profile artwork for america Nationwide Aviation Corridor of Fame for a decade. Doing superb work like this finally spilled over into the interest/mannequin equipment business, the place he was creating decals for kits. Sadly, when historic publication gross sales started to say no, he began in search of one other artistic avenue to make right into a enterprise to interchange aviation publications. He quickly made a transfer into interest and gaming modeling and started making paper terrain for Dungeons & Dragons, which required intensive illustration work. That finally morphed into creating 3D printable terrain, which brings us to the place Fats Dragon Video games is right this moment.

Throughout his time within the mannequin equipment business, he witnessed the rise of 3D printing firsthand round 25 years in the past. Initially fashions have been created utilizing injection molding, resin casting, and vacuum forming after which assembled utilizing gluing and different becoming a member of methods. Tom was liable for creating the decals and shade schemes for the historic plane to make them look as lifelike as attainable, right down to the tiniest particulars.

After ten years of engaged on mannequin aviation paintings and design, Tom moved into creating paper terrain for roleplaying adventures for gamers who delved into Dungeons & Dragons. Most of Tom’s work in paper terrain continues to be obtainable on the Fats Dragon Video games web site. He has created such improbable scenes as Fortress Winterhawk, Dragonshire, Ravenfell, in addition to a big toolkit of primary metropolis and chateau constructing blocks to create no matter somebody can dream up. Better of all, the pre-colored pages are delivered proper to the customer through e mail and printed proper at dwelling.

After all, with the rise of 3D printers and the business information Tom possessed from his a few years within the aviation modeling world, he knew there was a marketplace for 3D printed terrain as properly. Once more working with modular constructing blocks, Tom has designed a number of templates that can be utilized to create virtually any dungeon, citadel, or metropolis configuration. So long as you’ve gotten sufficient endurance, time, paint, and filament, the sky is the restrict. With the essential dungeon kits and the a number of expansions obtainable from Fats Draong Video games like caverns, torch partitions (with room for working LEDs!), the Mountain King dwarven enlargement, dungeon delve and tons of things and creatures there isn’t a finish to the scope of enjoyable somebody can create.

In addition to retaining a roof over his head as a enterprise, what does Tom get out of 3D printing? “3D printing has allowed me to create a bodily illustration of the D&D world I at all times envisioned rising up taking part in the sport. There has at all times been a variety of fantastic terrain and miniature choices obtainable to players, however for me, 3D printing has given me an avenue to create just about something my creativeness can envision with out compromising, and create a bodily model for gamers to be completely immersed in.”

Personally, my first enterprise into Tom’s world was with probably the most glorious GM Display screen of Doom; a usable sport grasp display screen that may be 3D printed in any configuration desired that has been designed to appear like citadel partitions and battlements. The cabinets, tilting storage, cube towers, and pencil holder configurations are extraordinarily helpful for any roleplaying sport the place the GM wants just a little secrecy whereas they’re pummeling hapless adventurers with random encounters in a dungeon crawl.

Yet one more factor that’s superior concerning the designs? I used to be capable of spend time with my daughter whereas she helped me paint the facade on the various items – she painted the gargoyle head!

As of the publishing of this text, Tom is in the midst of one other spherical of a Kickstarter marketing campaign for Dragonlock Miniatures – an incredible array of improbable miniatures like dragons, beholders, warriors, orcs and extra.

To see all of Tom’s creations, go to http://www.fatdragongames.com/fdgfiles/ – you may as well discover all of the details about Tom’s Kickstarter marketing campaign there!

You may as well be part of the very vibrant and lively Dragonlock & Dragonbite 3D Printer Gaming Terrain Fb web page at https://www.fb.com/teams/528423924186756/