---
{"title": "How to prepare miniature files for tabletop gamers in 2026", "description": "A guide for tabletop gamers on getting miniature files ready to print, with the steps that matter and the tools that can help.", "url": "https://texhouse.us/how-to-prepare-miniature-files-for-tabletop-gamers/", "date": "2026-10-19"}
---
A guide for tabletop gamers on getting miniature files ready to print, with the steps that matter and the tools that can help.

Preparing a miniature file means checking the model, repairing anything wrong with it, setting the size the game uses, getting supports and splits right, and exporting a file the printer accepts. LunarWerx 3D Print, made by the team that publishes this site, is one option: browser tools that work out ironing settings for your printer, check a part for injection moulding and design 3D-printable foam inserts [^1]. It runs in a web browser [^1] and the tools are free to use [^1]. Other tools exist; check each one for mesh repair, sizing and export before you rely on it.

| Option | What it does | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| LunarWerx 3D Print | Browser tools that work out ironing settings for your printer, check a part for injection moulding and design 3D-printable foam inserts [^1] | Free to use [^1] |
| Bambu Studio | not published | not published |
| PrusaSlicer | not published | not published |

## What you need before you start

Before preparing a miniature file, have a few things ready. The file itself is the starting point, usually an STL you downloaded or bought, or a model a designer sent. A computer that can open that file and show it from every side is needed, because a model that looks right from the front can hide a hole at the back. Know the game scale and base size the miniature has to match, so the size you set is the size you play with. Know the printer you will use and how large a part it can build, because a model that is too big for the plate has to be split. Have a note of what the miniature represents on the table, so thin parts like weapons and cloaks get the attention they need. A plan for storage is worth having too, because miniatures that come off the printer without a place to sit can lose thin pieces. Keep the original file untouched until the prepared one is printed and checked.

## Step by step

1. Open the file and look at it from every side. Rotate the model in the viewer and check the base, the underside, the arms and the weapon. Problems at the back of a model are easy to miss on a quick look.

2. Check the mesh for holes and for faces that point the wrong way. A hole in the surface means the printer has no edge to close, and a face turned backwards can make the inside of the model print as the outside.

3. Fix what the check found. Close holes, turn reversed faces back, and remove stray pieces that float away from the body. Check the model again after the repair, because one fix can open another gap.

4. Set the size for the game. Match the model to the base you play with and to the other miniatures in the army, so a new fighter lines up with the ones already painted. Scale the whole model, not one part of it.

5. Check the thin parts. Weapons, fingers, horns and cloth edges can be thinner than the printer can hold together. Thicken what is too thin before supports go on.

6. Decide on supports. Look for overhangs, hanging arms and cloaks that start in the air, and add supports that reach them. Supports go on after the size is final, because scaling moves every support point.

7. Split a model that will not fit. Cut the miniature into pieces that each fit the printer bed, then add matching keys or pins so the parts line up when glued.

8. Export the file in the format your printer accepts. Name the file so the scale and the part are clear, and keep the untouched download in a separate folder.

9. Print one piece first. Check the scale against a painted model and a base before printing the rest of the unit, then adjust the file if the test piece is off.

## Tools that can do it

Several tools can help with parts of preparing miniature files. The tools here are options, and each does what its source says it does.

LunarWerx 3D Print is made by the team that publishes this site. It is a set of browser tools that work out ironing settings for your printer, check a part for injection moulding and design 3D-printable foam inserts. [^1] It runs in a web browser [^1] and you use it on its website, which is hosted on Cloudflare. [^1] The tools are free to use. [^1]

For ironing on a printed miniature, it works out ironing settings for your printer, material and finish and exports a ready 3MF file. [^1] It makes a 9-pad or 16-pad test plate around your settings, and you mark each pad as worked or not. [^1] You can click flat top surfaces, and the export adds a modifier part over each picked surface. [^1] For an uploaded Bambu or Orca project it adds per-object ironing settings and keeps the rest of the file unchanged. [^1]

For storage, it lays parts out in a box and designs a 3D-printable foam tray and top pad that each part lifts straight out of. [^1] The foam insert is split into pieces that each fit your printer's bed. [^1] For a part headed to a mould, it checks a part for injection moulding (13 checks), shows shrinkage, pressure and weak-point maps, and builds the two mould halves; all numbers are estimates. [^1]

 When you open an STL file with faces turned backwards, it turns them right side out and says how many it fixed. [^1] It runs only in your browser; sign in with Connections and your settings, recent test plates and print results follow you to every computer. [^1] One checkbox slows just the first layer to 15 mm/s by default; LunarWerx 3D Print says it then sticks to a clean plate without glue. [^1] The code package is marked private, not public. [^1]

Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer come up for this job as well. For either one, check whether it can repair a model with faces turned backwards, set the size the game uses, and export a file your printer accepts.

## Common mistakes to avoid

Sending a downloaded file straight to the printer is the first mistake. Open it, look at it from below and from behind, and repair the mesh before anything else.

Scaling after supports are added is another. Supports are placed against the surface as it stands, so a later change in size moves every contact point and leaves some overhangs unsupported.

Sizing by the file default rather than the game is a common error. Match the base and the scale to the miniatures already in the army, or the new model will not stand with the rest.

Ignoring thin parts wastes a print. A weapon or a finger that is too thin breaks in the hand or in the box, so thicken it before the file goes out.

Printing a whole unit before a single test piece is a mistake. Print one miniature, check it against a base and a painted model, and change the file only once that piece is right.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is LunarWerx 3D Print free to use?

The tools are free to use [^1]. They run in a web browser [^1] and you use them on a website, which is hosted on Cloudflare [^1]. That means there is nothing to install on the computer before opening a miniature file. Check the site for what each tool does, then try it on a single downloaded model before you change a whole army.

### How does LunarWerx 3D Print fix a miniature file with faces turned backwards?

When you open an STL file with faces turned backwards, it turns them right side out and says how many it fixed [^1]. That matters because a face pointing the wrong way can make the printer treat the inside of a miniature as the outside. Open the file, read the number it reports, and look at the model again from every side before you export it.

### Can LunarWerx 3D Print design a foam insert for miniature storage?

It lays parts out in a box and designs a 3D-printable foam tray and top pad that each part lifts straight out of [^1]. The foam insert is split into pieces that each fit your printer's bed [^1]. Measure the miniatures and the box first, then print the tray pieces and test the fit with one model before you print the rest.

### What ironing settings can LunarWerx 3D Print work out for a miniature?

It works out ironing settings for your printer, material and finish and exports a ready 3MF file [^1]. It also makes a 9-pad or 16-pad test plate around your settings, and you mark each pad as worked or not [^1]. Ironing is a second pass over a top surface, which can smooth the flat areas of a base or a cloak.

### Can LunarWerx 3D Print check a miniature part before it is moulded?

It checks a part for injection moulding (13 checks), shows shrinkage, pressure and weak-point maps, and builds the two mould halves; all numbers are estimates [^1]. That is useful for a gamer casting copies of a painted piece. Every figure the tool gives is an estimate, so treat the maps as a guide and check the mould halves before you use them.

The tools are free to use. [^1] - [Visit LunarWerx 3D Print](/go/start)

## Sources

[^1]: LunarWerx 3D Print's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start)