57 thoughts on “the stuff dreams are made of”

1. Where’s the statue of Cthulhu?

2. Are you going to paint/color any of these, or does the plastic not take paint or coloring?

   1. PLA takes acrylic paints just fine. Just have to hit it with a sealant when you’re done.

3. Very impressive! I just keep thinking of the gaming possibilities. Need a kobold army? Print them! You need a figure for your left-handed fighter who wields a morning star and carries a sunshield? Print it!

4. Are there different types of media/plastic you can use?

   1. Makerbot Replicator 2 can only do PLA. Replicator 2X can do other materials as well. The difference is really the heated build plate which makes other materials possible.

5. All of those things turned out awesome! I love the TARDIS ones (& key)! Print ALL the things!

6. I can’t believe you used “embiggened”. The last couple weeks I have been almost saturating my speech with “embiggen” and “cromulent” usage for some reason.

7. A TARDIS. You just became my favoritist embiggened hero.

8. I was half expecting to see a Wil action figure, a la Howard Wolowitz on the Big Bang Theory.

9. I need to print game pieces for my custom Space Empires: RISK game… I need a friend with a Makerbot.

   1. You can buy friends with 3D printers on MakeXYZ. Search for Cymon and I’ll be your friend for hire.

10. Bahaha that’s awesome!!!
    And I guess you made the smaller TARDIS first, before deciding to see how BIG you can make one? XD That’s pretty awesome.

    I want a 3D printer now…. I might have to check one out..

11. So you get the specs to print them on that thingverse…thing? Gawd, what I would give for a TARDIS at my desk…

12. ‘The Maltese Failure’ is the name of my Vampire Weekend tribute band.

13. Really? No Evil Wil action figure?

14. SO AWESOME!!!
    The tec on those machines is so exciting! The thought of being able to print figurines of my dragon artwork on demand is really exciting!

15. Just in case you haven’t already heard this, the Smithsonian has digitized a crapton of their stuff for 3D printing and/or other uses: http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/smithsonian-releases-3-d-collection-and-launches-new-3-d-explorer

16. I am worried that my son would wait till I’m away and print $150 worth of customized smoking apparatus.

17. Not even a tabletop certificate of awesomeness? Son I am disappoint.

18. Being the internet guru that you are I’m sure you’re familiar with Adam Savage’s Maltese Falcon reconstruction. Just in case you’re not, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29SopXQfc_s

19. Awesome! We bought a 3d printer a few months ago, too. We decided to go with a Lulzbot and love it! and since we are complete nerds we started this site – http://www.nerdtag.me! We also print custom nerdtags – little leagues, company logos, etc. It’s so much fun! We are building our own printer too. Should be ready in a few weeks.

    We love printing our own parts for random stuff too! All my nieces and nephews got a 3d printed TARDIS or Yoda for Christmas this year! no more buying presents. I’ll just print it! 🙂

20. cool I cant wait to get my kickstarter 3d printer qu-bd two-up and see what it can do 🙂 First thing to print mini Iron Man mask

21. Look at all those TARDISes!!

22. Wil, since you are a fan of the TARDIS, perhaps you’d like to take a try at printing out a TARDIS Transformer: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:113117

    It’s a friend’s design. Check it out.

23. Wow love the TARDIS 🙂 I can’t wait to start printing with my kickstarter printer two-up when I get it!!! I feel like a little kid again knowning I can print almost anything 🙂 just hope the quiality of the prints is good for the cheap price.

24. *sigh* to be able to afford one of those. Oh well. I can dream and look…..

25. Ok, you printed 3 Tardis and you say the Maltese Falcon is “the fist legitimately beautiful object” you printed.

    I am afraid I will have to ask you to turn in your geek card. 🙂

26. That’s absolutely beautiful. I can’t help but wondering though how long it’s going to take for the likes of this technology to threaten traditional model making and games businesses though. How much of Games Workshop’s trade, for example, comes from schoolkids blowing their allowance on £5 blister packs with 2 or 3 models in them – with a printer like this, all you need is the materials, which will undoubtedly become cheaper over time, a design template, and patience. Why pay £200 for a model army when you can make it yourself in a weekend for a fraction of the cost.

27. I love that out of the ten objects you have there, three are TARDISs. Excellent choice.

28. lol seeing that video was what made me model the Falcon that Will Printed and upload it to thingiverse. Its like an infinite loop or something. Ironically or maybe not, I immediately wanted to remodel a much more accurate version after I printed this one. It’s a sickness.

29. Sorry for posting this here, but all the book related posts appear to have the comment section closed.

    I am trying to pick up a digital copy of “Just a Geek” (not the audio book, a regular ebook) and I could not find any offers outside of Amazon. I suspect there must be some other place at which your books are available digitally because some of them were released in a Humble eBook Bundle. I can buy it on Amazon, remove the DRM and convert it, so I can read it on my reader (not a Kindle), but I think if I buy through Amazon, less of the money will actually go to you. So is there any other way to get your books?

30. Awesome. You can start printing trophies for Tabletop. In fact you can print runner up trophies for the not-winners. I could actually do the design for you.

    No, even better you should hold a contest. Design a trophy for tabletop, bonus points if it prints without needing support, winner gets flown out to California to participate in an episode of Tabletop. ‘Cause Wil can just spring for airfare like that, right?

31. I believe it’s also available via Google Books, which I think at least eliminates the DRM aspect, possibly (though not sure if that’s any better, in terms of amount-Wil-gets-paid).

    As for the actual post at hand – I am so jealous. I wish I could justify buying a 3d printer, but I really, *really* can’t. Yet. 🙂

32. I get so royally screwed by O’Reilly on book royalties, I don’t care how you get it. I just care that you read and enjoy it.

33. This is your model?! AWESOME! I keep trying to upload pictures to Thingiverse so you could see that I made one, but it hasn’t been working for me.

    Thanks for making such a beautiful model! You’re a talented builder.

    1. Thanks man. I’m glad you like it. I’m still sort of geeking out that a cast member of STNG made something I sculpted on their Replicator. Let me know if there’s something not on Thingiverse you’d like to print, I’m always sculpting new stuff for fun.

34. Hey Wil. Good to see there is still much Gallifreyan in you. I love the Police Box models. I used to make balsa wood ones when I was a kid. Maybe try a Dalek?

35. No,Enterprise 1701-D? What is this I don’t even?

36. I really dig the Creeper! My son and I are bug into Minecraft!

37. My friends and I were playing Ticket to Ride Germany on New Years Eve. We were talking about how my watching your Tabletop video started our addiction to the game. He has like 3 versions of the game and 2 expansions. I have 2 versions and 1 expansion.. Its crazy.

    Then we said how funny it would be if they had a BBT episode where Sheldon is playing Ticket to Ride since he loves trains and games with you in the episode. Then someone should at some point “Wheaton” the board. It would be funny somehow if your wife somehow could do it. all of us who have seen Tabletop would laugh for days!.

    Have a Happy New year!!

    Lori

38. Hey Wil! Awesome 3D Printing – This is Wayne, creator of the Last Supper Artwork, thats now behind the Loser’s Couch. Hope you had a great Christmas! I recently tried my hand at my very first 3D Model design and printing – a robot!

    Also, after having another quiet Christmas break, I had an idea for a new artwork to celebrate Season 2 of Tabletop. Hope you like it.

    You’re in it again:

    http://www.waynedorrington.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/wil-wheaton-on-couch-tabletop-season-2.html

    Happy New Year!

39. Hey that is AWESOME!! Are you going to make prints of the Season 2 artwork?

    1. I’d love to! Do you think that would be ok? If so I’ll set it up at Redbubble

40. If you look inside the tardis…. is it bigger?? I absolutely HAVE to get a 3d printer now!

41. I’m waiting for the iPad Structure Sensor to try 3D scanning some objects and then sending them off to 3D print somewhere first. If those look good, I’ll probably end getting a 3D printer at some point as well. How long did it take to print some of these? Are you planning to do any 3D scanning of stuff around your house to print?

42. You have all the best toys, Wheaton.
    I need new toys.
    Being poor sucks.

43. How well would a 3D printer handle printing dice? Would it be like the original soft plastic dice that came with very first D&D boxed set?

44. I’ve printed a d12, and it looked great (nice, sharp edges), though it was a little light. I suppose that if I made it 100% infill, so it was solid, it would be a little heavier.

    I plan to make an entire set of gaming dice soon, though, and I’ll post about it when I do.

    1. The question, and problem, with 3D printed dice is fairness. I’ve done some experimenting with 3D printed dice and discovered that the more hollow a printed dice is the more fair it tends to be, a conclusion which I just can not account for. Also, sharp corners, as opposed to round ones, helps counteract any unfairness, which is kind of a problem with a d12.

45. That is so cool!
    I need to look into a makerboot!

46. cewl dude. i’m interrested in knowing where you downloaded this model. fun fact: the maltese falcon is apparently being hunted to extinction for some very popular courtship ritual in malta…okay maybe not so fun

47. Hey look, you printed out the TARDIS key that I modeled! It was great to hear your voice narrating the video at CES

48. MAD props on the various Tardis repros and of course the creeper.
    +2 on cool and +1 to constitution!!

49. I know the printers range from $1,799USD to $3,000USD, what about the object scanners? (I really don’t have a preference between analog, laser or displacement method based scanners)

    1. Kevin, you might check out the structure sensor KS that just ended last year for an iPad compatible sensor you can use for object scanning. The KS backer sensors are set to ship out in Feb and March, but I think they are planning to keep the price around $250 after that.

50. Do the Tardis’ (es?) nest? Inside each other, I mean, I’m not enquiring about their personal home building/sprucing habits.

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