Trench Ark: Terrain Kickstarter

Studio Level sind wieder bei Kickstarter aktiv.

Story

What is Trench Ark?

Trench Ark is a collection of printable 3D files to print and build a fully modular terrain system, featuring modular boards and scenery models designed specifically for Trench Crusade. Each module is carefully handcrafted to capture the grimdark and religious atmosphere of a war that has raged for centuries between heretics and crusaders. For those without a printer, ready-to-play physical models are also available.

But that’s not all! With a 28-32mm scale, Trench Ark works great with many other popular miniature wargames, especially scenery pieces, which will enhance your existing terrain collection.

This is probably the first-ever handmade, scratch-built trench gameboard terrain project to be digitally transformed, bringing the craftsmanship of physical modeling into the realm of 3D printing technology.

How Was Trench Ark Created?

At first, Trench Ark was meant to be another unique commission in our 21-year history at StudioLevel. Work began in mid-November 2024, coinciding with the Trench Crusade Kickstarter, which quickly became a huge success.

But the deeper we ventured into this grimdark world of heretics and crusaders, the more we felt that this handcrafted terrain needed to be preserved in a new way. That’s when an old idea from 2019 resurfaced—using 3D scanning to immortalize every detail. What started as a one-time project quickly evolved into something far greater, fueled by our passion for the war-torn universe of Trench Crusade.

The Mission of Trench Ark

Thanks to 3D scanning, this three-month creative journey—amounting to nearly 500 hours of intense work and many sleepless nights—will now be enjoyed by a much larger trench-warfare community, rather than just the initial investor and a few of his friends. Originally, we didn’t plan for such a massive workload, but once we committed to scanning, we focused on refining every detail, ensuring that the scanned models became even more detailed and immersive.

As you go through this campaign, you’ll learn more about the workflow and scanning tests that shaped Trench Ark.

Miniature skirmishes set in the world of crusades, pilgrims, heretics, and the muddy trenches of WWI—the very essence of Trench Crusade—deserve an even more immersive atmosphere. Unlike generic, repetitive 3D models, Trench Ark delivers organic, irregular battlefield elements that truly capture the raw brutality of war.

So, take a closer look at this project and judge for yourself how much the stunning miniatures of Trench Crusade stand to gain when placed on a battlefield crafted with passion and precision to enhance wargaming terrain.

Samples

3D Scanning

We began the 3D scan tests, which are the foundation of this project, using handheld 3D scanners. However, these didn’t produce satisfying results, so we turned to our friend Piotr Bieryt from INVOLV3D, as we had already spoken with him in the past about the technology he uses and constantly improves.

3D Printing

Originally, the project was intended to include only 3D files, but after posting several updates on social media, we began receiving questions about whether physical prints would also be available. In response to your interest, we decided to create pledges with physical prints, which will be produced thanks to our collaboration with Stephan Naber – HBS Print2Play, Przemek Barcikowski – Minimaker and Bartosz Kiśluk – Dexal Props. The cutting and optimization of the files for easier printing will be handled by my irreplaceable buddy Wojtek Żemło – MiniNest Studio.

All files included in this project will be ready to print (After the campaign ends, we’ll split the taller building files into smaller parts to make them easier to print and make supports for SLA printers) and will be distributed through one of the well-known file-sharing platforms. As mentioned earlier, the gameboard elements will be available in pieces that fit on the popular Bambu Lab A1 Mini (15×15 cm), but we also plan to include larger sections for those with printers offering a build area of at least 20×20 cm and 30×30 cm. Below, you can see a few test prints.

Die zentralen Pledges:

Stretch Goals:

Weitere Bilder:

Die Kampagne st finanziert und läuft noch 16 Tage.

Quelle: Trench Ark