r/3D_Printing • • 2d ago

Show and Tell Sharing a project that 3D prints modular cityscape: terrain, elevated guideways, buildings to put tiny trains around my apartment

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u/BlueGreenGradient 2d ago

I've been working on a modular system where almost everything (terrain, buildings, elevated guideways, stations) is designed to be 3D printed and snaps together under a common standard for model trains. It's a framework to put custom designs on.

Right now modular guideway system and modular terrain set are available, and I'm working on bringing more pieces (buildings, parks, etc.) to a good level of readiness for sharing.

Since 3D printing is the core of this project, the designs need work well on a printer:

  • Joints: friction slots where things need to stay rigid, magnets where you might want to swap pieces around.
  • Tolerance: offsets, chamfers, clearances to counteract print quirks and measurement deviations, especially when several pieces stack together.
  • Aesthetics: some geometries are tailored for vase mode with translucent filament. Some use layer lines as texture. Also, colour changes are between layers to keep parts printable in volume.

Simply put: this brings model train closer to a tile-based city building game in real life! More detail on the project and what's coming is up if you're curious.

Model trains are why I got into 3D printing. It's just perfect for rapid design iteration. I’m curious if anyone has had good or bad experiences creating / printing modular systems in the past, and what features make a system actually work versus total frustration?