Now that you are all set up with your printer you now need something to print you are probably asking “what to print and where to get them”. There is a huge selection of STL miniatures for you to easily access, some free and some paid for. In this article we will discuss some of our favourite places to download miniatures for printing covering all scales and genres, so much so that it is impossible to cover it all.
MyMiniFactory hosts the largest community for 3D printing STLs and is home to the most talented designers in the industry. Makers from all over the world are able to sign-up for free and access over 100,000 3D printable files, both free and premium. Those who sign-up have access to a personal library, can create collections, share stories and make the most of more innovative features.
The platform is more than just an STL distribution marketplace. MyMiniFactory also hosts Competitions, Crowdfunding campaigns, late Pledge Managers and the premium subscription service MMF+. All of which are fantastic services to expand your collection of STL files and your 3D printing experience!
MyMiniFactory is creating an ecosystem that enables passionate makers to connect with talented designers through shared values and empowering the community.
You maybe familiar with Patreon, a platform for creators and artists to acquire, manage, and energize their paying patrons. With a subscription-style payment model, fans pay their favourite creators a monthly amount of their choice in exchange for exclusive access, extra content, or a closer look into their creative journey.
Typical 3d Miniature Patreons will offer several membership levels that in return for your subscription will release a monthly collection of themed miniatures for you to print. Upon joining a Patron you will immediately get access to the current monthly release and a welcome or loot box containing a generous selection of miniatures. You can cancel at anytime however by remaining subscribed for three consecutive months you will also receive a loyalty reward.
Finally the majority of the popular Patreon creators offer “pre-supported” and printed tested files taking away much of the effort required, it’s simply download and print.
There are too many Patreons to list but below you can see our favourites right now.
Our Favourite Patreons
Example of Monthly Release
Example of Welcome Box
Kickstarter is a well established crowd funding platform and one regularly used by 3D artists to fund special campaigns and collections. Some of the campaigns can be simply a themed set of miniatures through to fully playable miniature games including rulesets.
When supporting a Kickstarter you pledge at a reward level for a given reward. If the campaign reaches its target your pledge is locked in and when the funding period has finished your files will be delivered.
Thingiverse is a wonderful searchable database of 3d printable files and not only miniatures. Its a huge resource and many of the files are free to download and print.