Pocket-Dungeons by dutchmogul

If you haven’t checked out Thingiverse citizen dutchmogul’s Pocket-Dungeon playset, you need to stop what you’re doing and check them out on Thingiverse right now.  This totally modular set was designed in TinkerCAD, a free online and easy to use CAD website that allows you to share directly to Thingiverse.  What I like about this little set is that I could see myself having as much, or even more, fun putting together a dungeon layout as I would have playing the game itself.  Each of these intricate little pieces was printed on their MakerBot Replicator at 0.1mm layer height – which means you can really see all their little design details.  My personal favorites are the little creatures wearing cloaks.

And, if strategy games are more your thing, you might want to check out their Pocket-Tactics playset too!  For more photos, rules for each game, and information about dutchmogul’s sets you can also check out their blog at IllGottenGames.com.

Untitled by dutchmogul

This thing brought to you by

Untitled by dutchmogul

This thing brought to you by

This past Monday was the close of another very successful design challenge, for which MakerBot collaborated with Tinkercad to find the best original chess set that could be printed on a 3D printer. As a reward, the runners-up will receive printed versions of their designs, while the big winner gets a MakerBot Replicator!

Briefly, the guidance was as follows:

• Wow us
• Make it 3D printable
• Make it kid and granny friendly

We’re going to echo the sentiment of our Tinkercad pals: this was a tough call! The ingenuity shown by the entrants was impressive and surprising. And plentiful! All together, in the two short weeks that the contest ran, there were over 180 submissions. Wowza.

The sets ranged from beautiful modified versions of classic piece designs to highly abstract creations, with several simple and elegant ideas in between. You can go find your own favorites on our Pinterest board dedicated to these chess sets, but here are the winners as announced on Tinkercad’s blog!

Honorable Mentions

Fifth Runner Up

Word Play Chess by gecgooden

Word Play Chess by gecgooden

Fourth Runner Up

Modern Chess by Frederic

Modern Chess by Frederic

Third Runner Up

Evolution of Chess by dutchmogul

Evolution of Chess by dutchmogul

Second Runner Up

Amsterdam House Chess by MakeALot

Amsterdam House Chess by MakeALot

First Runner-Up

Tiki Chess by Whystler

Tiki Chess by Whystler

Grand Prize Winner

Action Chess by cymon

Not only are the pieces in this set identifiable yet original, they combine into an impressive conquering giant. Cymon played with the fittings to get them right, and the result is phenomenal. We can’t wait to ship him his new MakerBot Replicator! You can see more of cymon’s inspiring design work on his Thingiverse page. But for now, just feast your eyes on this chess set, and print a couple for yourself!

Action Chess by cymon