17. Applications and Implications¶

Brief:¶

A Witch’s Atelier

tl;dr-
A d&d map with 3d pieces, electronics, lights, and movement.
A witch themed map and storyline.

Long form:

Create an immersive, interactive D&D map themed around a witch’s atelier, featuring detailed 3D elements, electronics for dynamic lighting, and mechanical components for movement. Set up and transportability should be easy and the map should aim to be modular.

Modularity is a work in progress. For now, most of the features are fixed due to electronic constraints.

What does it do?¶

It is an immersive, interactive D&D map themed around a witch’s atelier, featuring detailed 3D elements, electronics for dynamic lighting, and mechanical components for movement.

Who’s done what beforehand?¶

During my research, I did find a couple of maps which utilize LEDs and moving components. I will list them out below:

Terraintronics: They make use of Reed switches and magnets in their D&d map to gain input from player location. This then translates to a simple output like an LED lighting up or a door opening up thanks to a servo. I aspire to do something similar in my project.

Terraintronics: DND & TTRPG terrain UPGRADE for your Dungeon Master!

Terraintronics: DND Terrain that fights back! - Interactive Puzzle Rooms for your DND game!

Terraintronics: Adding LEDs to a map

Atmoseeker: Got some DUNGEON terrain? Make it epic with these secrets!

Rae’chel Does Wonders: DnD Wilderness Terrain - Modular & Expandable. Plus EASY static grass!

Nat 1 videos: Turn LED’S into REALISTIC FIRE for your Diorama

Looking at these references, I wanted to create a map that looked realistic and had good lighting effects. For the 3D objects, I knew I wanted to model them myself and print them out!

What will you design?¶

Map Structures: I am planning to 3D model each of the structures and then 3D print them.
Castle
Cauldron
Mortar
Skull
Resin crystal
Servo doors
Traps, maybe lik a hidden swinging axe.
Campfire
Walls: I want to engrave on Ply or MDF some sort of texture, maybe bricks? And then laser cut it. If possible, I’d love to have the walls curve using the concept of live hinges.
Minifigures: I will try to use the Sculpt feature on Blender to model/sculpt minifigure so that I can print it and use it.
Electronics: Apart from LEDs - which will be programmed to fluctuate based on what the 3D model is, the plan is to have a servo motor and a door along with a tile which has a reed switch. The minifigure will have a magnet which will trigger the Reed Switch and thereafter trigger the servo, opening the door.
The hidden axe trap would work in a similar fashion where:
player minifigure magnet – triggers reed – triggers servo
The servo could be attached to a mini Axe which then swings at the player’s minifigure.

Edit: I have updated my Final Project development on the Development page so do check it out. While I did not achieve everything I planned for, I hope I have done the little things well :D

What materials and components were used?¶

MDF
PLA filament
Reed Switch
Servo motor
LEDs- Red, Orange, Green, Blue
Copper tape
Copper sheet for PCB milling
Xiao RP2040 board
Jumper Wires
Header pins
100 Ohm Resistors

Where did they come from and How much did they cost?¶

Category	Item	Availability	Estimated Cost (₹)
MDF Board	4mm thick, 3ft x 4ft	Local Vendor	300 - 500
Esun White PLA Filament	1 Spool	Robu.in	1300
5mm Red LED	Pack of 50	Robu.in	199
5mm Green LED	Pack of 50	Robu.in	65
5mm Blue LED	Pack of 50	Robu.in	65
3mm Orange LED	Pack of 50	Robu.in	59
10mm Orange LED	Pack of 5	Robu.in	65
Double Sided Conductive Copper Tape	1 Roll	Amazon.in	500
FR4 Copper Plate	A4 size (for PCB Milling)	Robu.in	120
Male to Male Jumper Wires 20cm	40 Pcs	Robu.in	50
Female to Male Jumper Wires 20cm	40 Pcs	Robu.in	45
Female to Female Jumper Wires 20cm	40 Pcs	Robu.in	41
2.54mm 1×40 Pin Male Single Row Straight Short Header Strip	Pack of 3	Robu.in	25
2.54mm 1×40 Pin Female Single Row SMT Header Strip	Pack of 5	Robu.in	140
2.54mm 1×40 Pin Female Single Row Header Strip	Pack of 10	Robu.in	200
2.54mm 1×20 Right Angle Male Header Strip	Pack of 10	Robu.in	130
100 Ohm Resistors	4 pcs	Online Retailers	10 - 20
Fevicryl Acrylic Paints Kit	10 Colours x 15 ml	Amazon.in	225
Paint Brush Set	Set of 7	Local Stationery Stores, Online Retailers	300 to 450
Basic Stationary items	(Masking tape, cutter, scissors, double-sided tape, insulating electric tape, pen, pencil, markers etc)	Local Stationery	Under 500

What processes were used?¶

Laser cutting and Engraving for the two main boards along with the Wall pieces.
2D and 3D CAD modelling on Illustration, Blender, and Fusion 360.
3D printing
Electronics design on Eagle.
PCB milling (on SRM-20), soldering, and testing.
Embedded programming of the LEDs to fade in and fade out based on what effects I was going for - fire, lightning, so on. and for the Reed switch and Servo motor.
3D scanning

What questions were answered?¶

First of all, a test of my own ability and skill. I have never made a fully functioning and fully finished D&d map before though I have come a bit close (I once modelled and printed a small board and a few set pieces like a Dragon and a broken cart). So the first question is: Can Siddharth make a finished D&d map?
The next question would be: How will the System integrate? How will the electronics interact with the LEDs on the tiles?
Can this whole set up be made modular? If I can rearrange the whole map, can the light effects and Reed-Servo tiles work the same way as before?
And lastly, but most importantly, How can I have the most fun in building this project while also making ample mistakes and learning from the process?

What worked? What didn’t?¶

WORKED:
1. LED and lighting effects worked quite well as I was able to get the right PWM loops to make the fire look like fire and the lightning look like lightning.
2. 3D modelling and printing went extremely well. Thankfully, the 3d printers did not give much of an error throughout the few weeks we were working on the Final Project.
3. Copper tape worked extremely well in making the electronic connections!
4. Painting was something I did not expect to work because I am not much of a painter, but thanks to a little nudge from Adrian, Rico, Miriam, and the Gang at Saturday Open time, I spent a good amount of time experimenting with paints and getting it right.
5. I spent the whole last night shooting and editing the video, and though the camera focus was off in certain places, I think along with the narration, the video turned out fairly well!
6. Lastly, Neil’s and everyone’s response was great! In the end, I was happy with my project :D

DIDN’t WORK:
1. I wanted all the LED effects to run simultaneously. But I had overlooked that on Arduino IDE, you cannot run PWM for multiple LEDs simultaneously. I tried to debug it and researched online however, I found nothing helpful. Since it was already the last day, I let go of it and decided to run the PWM code of the LEDs one after the other.
2. When I designed the Reed Switch tile, I had not anticipated that the Reed switch would keep breaking as it is made of glass and is very fragile. This meant that I could not bend the pins of the switch too much, or apply too much force, else it would break. I had to make sure that I was inserting the Reed switch into the tile very carefully. But overall, Reed switches, though simple and beautiful, are a bit difficult to deal with because of their fragility.
3. In the very last minute, as I was setting up everything, there was an error in the Servo connections. When I ran the final code, the servo gave no response. The reed switch gave a response but it was fluctuating very drastically by the presence of a magnet. I decided to not waste too much time correcting the servo and let go of it for the presentation.
4. I had a lot planned at the start- some of it even involved casting resin to make Crytal Tiles or using Wetlaying to make a muddy floor texture for certain areas of the terrain. However, as the saying goes “You will always be running out of time”, I had to decided which ideas were doable and which were not.

How is it evaluated?¶

My goal with the project is to make a good D&d map. This means that it has to look and feel like a D&d map! And since I want to add light effects to the map, the map has to light up!

I would consider the project successful if it does these things:
- Looks and Feels like D&d map online. (A quick search of existing terrain maps)
- Lights up with effects.
- And can be shown as a finished (or near finished) product that could possibly be market ready.
- D&d enthusiasts like it and want to use it.

Technically speaking, there are 3 major electronic functions taking place in the map:
- The LED and its Light effects
- The servo door moving
- The reed switch taking input via magnet

Out of these, I would consider the LED effects to be the most important as it ties in with the 3D printed tiles. Hence, having multiple effects would be good.

In terms of functionalities:
- Making the joinery between the 3D printed tiles and the board fool proof is a criteria of success for me.
- So is having hidden electronics. Since it is a game map, having wires or any kind of electronics visible would be bad for the aesthetics of the game. Hence, if they are hidden and still serving their purpose, I would consider it a success.

What are the implications?¶

Enhanced immersion: The 3D elements, lighting effects, and moving components can significantly improve the immersion of players in the game. This level of detail can bring the d&d map to life and make the game more engaging.
Storytelling potential: The map can be used for some great storytelling! The elements of the map add a whole new layer of engagement to the d&d narrative.
Increased complexity: These electronic maps can pave the way for a new market, especially in a country like India where D&d is not known and played. It can be a pioneer in a line of maps that could be way better and enhanced than this one. This project could eventually lead to development of maps which have completely modular components- maps that go ALL OUT and really, vividly bring a very specific story to life.