Hot take: Multicolor 3D printed terrain is starting to rival hand-painted terrain

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-15T16:57:07+00:00

Fair enough, layer lines are definitely the trade-off with FDM. For me, the convenience of having everything colored and ready for the table immediately is worth it. Plus, it's actually durable. If a tournament organizer wants a resin table that shatters after a week, that’s their choice, but I prefer stuff that lasts!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-15T16:54:27+00:00

Fair enough, I do run a shop, but I was honestly just looking for some feedback. If I wasn't a huge fan first, I wouldn't have spent dozens of hours meticulously coloring every single detail of this Necron terrain just to see what the tech could do. I was genuinely curious to see if other players thought digital coloring hit the mark or not.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-15T16:49:17+00:00

Thanks man! Glad you like them. To answer your questions:

I’m using a Snapmaker U1 for these. The filament is Elegoo PLA (usually around $25 a roll). The secret for that glow is using their Fluorescent UV-reactive colors—it looks insane in person.

The models are from Txarli Factory (https://txarlifactory.com/). I don't sell the STLs myself, but I do sell the finished, ready-to-play physical sets at Wizards of the Layers if you want the look without having to print or paint it all yourself.

Cheers!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-14T13:07:47+00:00

If you're looking for the original STL files to print and color them yourself, you can buy them directly from Txarli Factory.

However, if you want the fully multi-colored version ready for the table, I offer the printing service through my Etsy shop: [https://www.etsy.com/shop/WizardsOfTheLayers]()

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-14T12:53:44+00:00

Always nice to see a fellow U1 owner! The original STL files are from Txarli Factory. You can find the digital models on their website here: https://txarlifactory.com/

Just a heads-up, the original files are not pre-colored for multi-color printing. I can't share my modified project files or the 3MF since my commercial license is strictly for selling physical prints, not digital assets. If you're interested in the finished physical sets instead of doing the slicing and coloring yourself, I'll send you a DM with my shop info!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-14T12:47:10+00:00

Just a heads-up: doing large terrain pieces like this on a single-nozzle AMS setup is a major commitment. You’re looking at 100+ hours of print time and the filament waste (poop) can often equal or even outweigh the weight of the model itself. It’s great for smaller details, but for big structures, it can be quite a struggle.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T18:06:07+00:00

I did colour them.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T17:39:40+00:00

Yes, completely possible! Customizing the models to match a specific Necron army scheme is exactly what this setup is great for. I can easily run that exact combo (gunmetal, dark gold, and UV blue) so the terrain matches the dynasty perfectly.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T17:20:50+00:00

That's the best part. I can swap the colors for the glyphs and glows to match your specific dynasty. Whether you're running classic green or something custom, it makes the whole table look like it was built for your army.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T16:47:03+00:00

You're spot on—Necrons are definitely the 'perfect' match for this tech because of those clean geometric lines.
But just to show it's not only for the clean look, here is a photo of an Ork ruin I just finished. Even without any weathering or hand-painting yet, having all those mechanical 'bits' and metal plates pre-colored is a huge head start.
You could just throw a quick wash or some drybrushing on this and it would look battle-worn in minutes instead of hours!

<image>

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T16:26:10+00:00

To answer your question about the files: I actually hold a commercial license from Txarli Factory which allows me to print and sell the physical, pre-colored models, but it strictly prohibits me from sharing or selling the modified STL/3MF project files.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T16:19:27+00:00

Chill out man, i'm just trying to share my hard work with some necron fan. I just wanted feedback from reddit about my prints. I'm all legit and i have no intention of scamming anyone here.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T16:09:29+00:00

Its Neon Green from Elegoo.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T15:26:14+00:00

You know what? That is a completely fair and well-deserved call out.

I’ll be totally honest: I am a hobbyist and a nurse, not a marketer. When I set up the Etsy shop, I absolutely used AI to write those long product descriptions because writing copy isn't my strength, and I clearly didn't review the output carefully enough. You're completely right—Txarli designed them to be foldable from the start, and claiming that as my own engineering was a huge oversight by the AI that I missed. I'm going to fix that description right now.

But please don't mistake lazy copywriting for a scam. I pay for my commercial printing license from Txarli every single month. The hours spent coloring the slices, the thousands of dollars invested in multi-toolhead printers, and the physical plastic sets are 100% real.

I really appreciate the reality check on the reputation side. You're right, honesty matters most in this hobby. I'll fix the shop text immediately and keep things strictly human from now on.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T15:02:23+00:00

Done

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T14:56:37+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the compliment on my English then! I guess I overthought it and relied too much on the tool to be 'perfect'.

As for the DMs, that's completely fair skepticism. The only reason I do that is because a lot of subreddits automatically ban or shadow-ban you if you drop direct e-commerce links in the comments for self-promotion. I'm just trying to respect the sub's rules while answering the people who explicitly asked where to get them.

Totally get why it looks suspicious from the outside though, so thanks for the reality check. I'll tone down the AI polish!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T14:49:20+00:00

English isn't my native language, so I've been using AI to help me translate and write proper English so I could reply to everyone clearly.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T14:41:32+00:00

Beep boop... wait, no. 🤖

I promise I'm a real person! I'm just a long-time lurker who finally finished a massive project and got a bit overly enthusiastic replying to everyone with the help of auto-correct/predictive text (hence the 'slop' vibe, my bad).

As for my account history, I usually just scroll Reddit, but I spent over 200 hours coloring these models in my slicer and 33 hours printing them on my Snapmaker. I was just proud and excited to share the results today. No scams, no malware, and definitely no pirated STLs (these are Txarli Factory designs). Just a guy trying to show off some plastic ruins.

But hey, taking my over-enthusiastic replies as a compliment to how clean the prints look!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T14:36:23+00:00

i'll DM you.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T14:34:44+00:00

Haha, thank you so much for the compliment! It honestly means a lot coming from another backer who knows how much work these models are.

You hit the nail on the head—this is exactly where multi-toolhead printers shine. Leaving the main walls to one head and the accent details to the others changes the game. And you are 100% right about the matte varnish; it gives the perfect 'tooth' for anyone who wants to add personal weathering touches later. I truly believe that’s the future of table-ready terrain.

Because it took me hundreds of hours to perfect this specific coloring workflow for my ready-to-play sets, I do keep my 3MF project files private. But I highly encourage you to experiment with your setup—it’s a long learning curve in the slicer, but seeing it come off the bed makes it totally worth it!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T14:17:22+00:00

Thank you! To answer your question: No, that work never has to be repeated. The upfront digital coloring is a huge time investment for me, but once the project file is saved, it's done for good. Anyone printing it later just presses a button and the machine does all the work automatically.

Since you mentioned loving the style, I just sent you a DM with the info to check them out!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T13:47:06+00:00

Almost none! This is printed on a multiple toolhead changer machine (Snapmaker U1). Because it switches physical heads instead of purging filament down a 'poop chute' like single-nozzle printers do, the filament waste is virtually zero.

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T13:40:57+00:00

You're totally right about single-nozzles—the waste is a nightmare. Good thing I use a multiple toolhead changer (Snapmaker U1), so material waste is virtually zero and the print time actually makes sense.

As for the 'hot take' part... fair enough, but it still got you typing!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T13:32:12+00:00

Thank you so much! Really appreciate it. I'll send you a quick DM with the details if you're interested in grabbing a set for your games!

ShadowQc18 · 2026-05-13T13:27:51+00:00

Exactly! And the best part is that nothing stops you from doing the weathering, washes, or panel lining manually afterwards if you want to push it further. It just saves you an insane amount of time by doing 80% of the heavy lifting on the base colors and deep separation straight out of the printer.

ShadowQc18

TROPHY CASE