Of course it's not the ideal time to think about miniatures in roleplaying, unfortunately, since playing Dungeons & Dragons at the table it is impossible. Despite this, thanks to Miguel Zavala you can have practically all the monsters present in the official materials in the fifth edition of D&D, and you can get them for free!
We are obviously talking about 3D models of all creatures presented in the official materials W by D&D, which can be used with 3D printers to create a real army of miniatures. A very prosperous moment, however, where printers of this type have become much more accessible than in the past, and a collection like that of Miguel Zavala can be really handy.
Zavala vs Wizards
For more than five years, Zavala has been creating myriad 3D models of miniatures by making them completely free. His art project consists of over 1900 digital files, and is supported by nearly 3000 paying supporters who support the artist through Patreon.
The question that arises is: how did he do it Miguel Zavala to escape the wrath of W? Polygon tells it, who reached Zavala for some questions.
At first, the company was obviously not very happy with the artist's work. When working with other people's licenses it is a very delicate matter, especially if the company in question 1) is a giant of analogue entertainment and 2) produces and sells its own series of official miniatures composed of pre-painted ones sold in random packages, and as many in open but unpainted boxes.
Five years ago Wizards came to close the project, removing from the network all the models created by Zavala up to that moment. This is because at the time Zavala used another platform to upload its models, which in its terms of use provided for obtaining the rights of the creations of all users who uploaded content within it. This obviously did not please a WotC, which allowed Zavala to resume his work only when he decided to switch to Shapeways, which had different usage policies regarding the rights of the creations.
In this turmoil, Miguel Zavala he also contacted Wizards of the Coast to clarify his position as a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and artist:
“I caught up with them and, very honestly, I said 'Hey, I'm not trying to compete with you. I'm not trying to do any of this. It's that a lot of people don't have access to specialty stores, and some would like something extra creative in their games, and I do these things for free. "
Zavala also said that once Wizards understood her intentions, she was very open and understanding towards him. On the other hand, some of the contents of Dungeons & Dragons have always been available in Ogl, is between DM Guild and other initiatives has always been condescending to fan creations.
As well as very strict towards those who work with the game system and its components. Products like ours Journey to Ragnarok, About us e Brancalonia for example, and all settings not created by Wizards, are subject to numerous controls, and we have often been told by the creators of these manuals how the company is very careful and it takes just as much attention on the creative side to stay within the canons.
Miguel Zavala, the benefactor artist
The hero of our story, Miguel Zavala, is a student of 3D modeling who, after a short career in the advertising industry, decided to throw himself headlong into his passions, also encouraged by his wife.
After some very positive initial feedback on Reddit regarding his miniatures, he started working on commission to create custom templates. So much so that the aforementioned jobs ended up becoming her main form of income.
Zavala, as we mentioned, has made almost 2000 models, covering all the books of D&D to Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. And at the moment he continues his work, including commissions and his personal creations:
"I will simply continue to improve my skill and, as technology improves over time, I will adapt to it."
To get some templates created by our new best friend, you can head over to his Patreon portal.
