Paint Stream and Q&A
about 4 years ago – Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 08:07:45 PM

Hi folks! Wanted to give you all a quick update. First, if you have any questions on timeline/next steps we're still 100% on track for the timeline I laid out in the last update. I have Backerkit ready to rock and I'm just organizing files. ALL the minis will be ready to go, and most of the scatter. The remaining items I am still fixing/finishing up that will take a few weeks are the larger terrain items that need iterative test printing and repair (some of the larger buildings like the outpost, tower, etc) but there will be plenty to get your printers rocking.

I also wanted to bring to your attention a Q&A stream I'm doing tomorrow night with my friend Ryan @ Cephalopod Studios. He's an expert painter, and owner of his own awesome paint line, and painted up a ton of the beautifully done pics I used throughout the campaign. He'll be painting up a scifi robot that i'm giving away for free to promote my upcoming Scifi campaign *but* he'll also be talking about techniques for painting 3D printed stuff in general, and can share/chat about any of the items he painted for Empire of Scorching sands as well. I'll be chatting also and answering questions about anything 3D printing related, talking about my upcoming project, past projects, and any/all stuff folks are interested in. So grab a whiskey, a paint brush, and a good-time attitude, and join us @ 7PM CST tomorrow (Tue, Feb 18) on Twitch if your'e interested!

The link for the stream is here;  https://www.twitch.tv/cephalopodstudios

Kickstarter Successful! Now What?
about 4 years ago – Tue, Feb 11, 2020 at 02:56:23 PM

Thank you all so much for an awesome, successful campaign! We unlocked every stretch goal, and I added multiple bonus extras that were not even planned, due to your awesome feedback! I am very thankful for an amazing community and support of backers - without all of you these projects wouldn't end up seeing the success they have, and I'm very excited to deliver to you hundreds of easy-to-print, but great looking files without breaking the bank!

I wanted to take a minute to outline next steps for those of you who have never participated in one of my Kickstarters before, and answer a few common questions. Here goes...

When Can I get the Files?

Kickstarter takes 2 weeks to collect payment from backers and hand it over to me. This is to account for failed card transactions and the like (which does happen). In that 2 week period I will be working to finalize/test/finish ass many of the files as I can, and organize them in the final folder structure. Once Kickstarter releases the funding to me, I will make the files available to all backers. I'm estimating that at that time 90-95% of the included files will be finished and ready.

I always created a google doc that outlines all the files included, and their state of completion and when they were last updated. I use Dropbox to deliver files, and encourage folks to only download specific parts they want to print as the files are being finished, since there's inevitably a few repairs/tweaks here and there. I continually update the google doc as more files are added to the Dropbox and will alert everybody when all the file are finished and the set can be downloaded as a whole.

Where do I access the Files when they are ready? And How can I choose/add new Add-ons?

I use BackerKit as a pledge manager. This will be setup over the next ~1.5 weeks or so. When ready you will be emailed a link and I'll post an update on here with access info as well. In backerkit you'll see any additional funds you pledged beyond your pledge price, and an use those funds to choose add-ons you want. You can also add additional funds to purchase add-ons you did not account for in your pledge. Backerkit is also where the links to the reward files will be shown/delivered to you. Please note that there is no need to tell me which add-ons you wanted or pledged for, you handle all of this in BackerKit.

Feedback, Sharing, Etc

As part of all my campaigns, I setup a FB group for backers to share pics, ask questions, etc. I am a one-man operation so need to focus my time/energy, so apologies if you aren't a FB user but I only have time to manage a community on one social network. The FB group is the best place to ask about issues, share print photos, and more - but you can always message me on here or comment with feedback as well, or email me at [email protected]. I'll be setting up and sharing the FB group around the time the files are released.

What's next for EC3D?

I'm working on 2 epic SciFi projects at the moment - the first is the Ignis Quadrant, a set of support-free minis, scatter, vehicles and more for all types of Scifi and Cyberpunk gaming. After that is a full set of space-combat-scale ships, space stations, monsters, and more. Be sure to follow me on FACEBOOK to keep up with all kinds of previews and news!

FINAL DAY - some painted pics for funsies!
about 4 years ago – Fri, Feb 07, 2020 at 08:03:04 AM

I don't have too much to share today - all stretch goals are unlocked, but I wanted to share some painted pics of a few items from the campaign that have been added to the gallery but that you may have missed. take a gander ,and get excited!

Note on this one: I *hate* yellow paint, and it hates me

Desert Wyvern: UNLOCKED + Paint Stream
about 4 years ago – Fri, Feb 07, 2020 at 12:33:20 AM

Heading into the final 48 hours, and we just unlocked the *final* stretch goal, the Desert Wyvern! For you FDM printers (or large format resin), this is a single-piece print - just toss it on the print bed and come back to an epic boss monster! It will, of course, be sliced/cut for smaller resin format printing as well. Check it out:

I'm frantically working on finishing/prepping the HUNDREDS of models from this KS but feel great about delivering around 95% of models to you all as soon as the KS funding period clears (2 weeks after the end date of campaign). Good luck finding that kind of turnaround with other 3D printable Kickstarters .... but I want these models on your printer as soon as possible!

Painting with Ryan on Twitch!

Many of the amazing pics of painted models on the campaign page were printed & painted by my friend Ryan Calhoun over at Cephalopod Studios. Ryan does twitch streaming every week, and tonight he's painting up the Lamia from this campaign! Every single time I tune into one of Ryan's streams I learn something new, and I highly suggest you check it out! 

The stream starts @ 7pm CST right HERE.

Two More Stretch Goals!? Holy Smokes!
about 4 years ago – Wed, Feb 05, 2020 at 07:25:32 PM

We are knocking out stretch goals like they are going out of style! Hot on the heels of unlocking 2 stretch goals this weekend, today we managed to unlock TWO MORE! These two represent the last of the normal stretch goals, with 1 final one planned (the single piece desert wyvern) @ $55k. At this point it's amazing for me to step back and look at just how much friggin content is included in this project! 

I continue to get requests from folks, but at this point I just do not possess the levels of insanity needed to try to add/include any more than the hundreds of models already unlocked in the campaign, - and I want to make sure to leave enough bandwidth/energy to make sure I can get everything unlocked delivered in the promised time frame - so apologies if you wanted/requested something that was not included, but I did my damndest, and hope you're all happy with what was included and unlocked so far!

So - on that note - onto the unlocked content! We round out the second part of Egyptian stuff with a huge template facade, and standalone statues of various Egyptian gods and pharaohs, and an Egyptian barge. Then the super-cool desert outpost adds a perfect base of operations for a marauding group, oasis inn, or any number of cool facilities! For minis, we add three Egyptian undead to go with the Mummy Lord from previous stretch goals, including an archer, spearman, and swordsman. Then the large-and-in-charge Sand Worm makes his appearance! There have been many, many various worm-type critters in the 3d printing mini space, but we wanted to make sure to include something cool and special in this campaign, and pulled no punches on the huge 5-part sand worm!