3D-PRINTED CATAN SET

Complete custom Catan set designed for 8-player games, featuring hand-painted hex tiles, multiple expansions, and a custom wooden storage chest. What started as a COVID lockdown project evolved into an exercise in persistence, planning, and knowing when "good enough" beats "perfect."

Set Contents:

• Base game + 8-player expansion

• Seafarers expansion

• Cities & Knights expansion

• 10 complete player color sets

• Custom wooden storage chest

Inspiration: Discovered BuildXYZ's 3D-printed Catan with wooden storage—knew I had to build my own version.

Expansion: Originally planned for 6 players. After a board game night with 8 friends, where not everyone could play, I redesigned using AI tools and custom modeling to accommodate 8-player configurations.

Manufacturing Process:

• STL files sourced and modified for expanded player count

• Printed entirely in white PLA (more on this mistake below)

• 2-3 hours nightly painting over several weeks

• Water-based polyurethane protective coating for durability

Design Requirements:

• Hold base game + 8-player expansion

• Accommodate Seafarers and Cities & Knights

• Organized storage for easy setup

• Portable for game nights

Implementation:

• Two-tier wooden chest design

• Lower compartment: Player pieces, Cards, Border pieces 

• Upper compartment: Hex tiles, Rules

• Cast-Iron handles for treasure chest aesthetic

• Future enhancement: Laser-engraved lid with Catan motifs

1. Material Selection (Biggest Regret)

Printing in white PLA seemed cost-effective initially—single filament type, bulk pricing. 

Reality: 40+ hours of detailed hand-painting over several weeks.

Better Approach: Print hex types in colored filament from the start. An extra $50 in material would have saved 40+ hours of work. Sometimes the "cheap" option costs more in time.

2. Feature Creep

Printed 10 different player color sets for an 8-player game. 

Goal: Give friends color choices. 

Reality: 3 extra weeks of printing for a feature rarely used.

Takeaway: Define "minimum viable product" and stop there. Perfection is the enemy of completion. 

3. The Storage Chest

The storage chest was designed to fit everything for all the different game versions. While impressive, the set weighs 40+ lbs and will need to be split in the future for easier transportation.

This project taught me as much about project management as it did about painting technique. Engineering often involves over-optimizing—adding features, pursuing perfection, gold-plating solutions. Sometimes you need to ship the product and move on.

That said, watching 8 friends play Catan on a set I designed and built? Worth every hour of painting.

Still never won a game, though.

• Settlers of Catan

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1238980

• Explorers and Pirates

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1588996

• Seafarers

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1393862

• Traders and Barbarians

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:853663

• Cities and Knights

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1254404/files

• Catan Water Borders

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2100711

• Player Pieces Box

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2452854/files

• Lots of things from here:

  • https://www.thingiverse.com/dakanzla/designs