Dropbox Issues Resolved
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Apr 26, 2021 at 11:18:28 PM

Hey folks! Wanted to give you a quick update on Dropbox issues that occurred over the weekend.

At this point, all issues should be resolved thankfully and all access (including to add-on downloads) has been restored, and I have *lots* of bandwidth to work with at this point so you should be able to download to your heart's content! Sorry again for all the troubles!

I was also made aware that the Orcs were missing from the Dropbox, which was a mistake an I just uploaded them as well. The good news is that we should be churning out the remainder of the minis over the next 1-2 weeks and delivery of this project will wrap up really fast. Cheers!

Dropbox / File Update
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Apr 25, 2021 at 01:54:39 AM

Well, you think a 10 billion dollar company like Dropbox would have support people around to assist customers on weekends, but alas - they do not. Despite all my best efforts to sort out the locked share link fiasco preventing backers from accessing rewards, I have received no help from Dropbox.

I have ~150gb of files in shared links across all my 15+ projects which I use to power distributions for all my kickstarters, addons and deliverables - so there's no good short-term solution to remedying the access issues across all files.

I found a quick band-aid answer for Beasts and Baddies minis at least - I uploaded a zip file of deliverables folder to Amazon S3 (a storage system) and updated the BackerKit digital rewards to include a link to download the zip file. It doesn't include the fancy file browsing capabilities of Dropbox, but at least this is 100% in my control and Backers can download the zip file if you don't want to wait until Mon for the Dropbox issues to be resolved. You can find the link in the digital rewards in your BackerKit.

Unfortunately, the addons are still offline as there's just way too much to migrate those over (there's 45+ rules and downloads for all of them).

Again, sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your understanding! -Evan

BackerKit + File Access **PLEASE READ**
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Apr 24, 2021 at 11:20:46 PM

Hi folks! Despite some trial and tribulation with Dropbox, I'm working hard to get the files for the KS and addons in your hands.  I apologize for the hiccups on delivery - this is my 11th Kickstarter, and I've learned one lesson as truth at this point - each one has *something* that goes wrong, so I apologize!

 Please take the time to watch the quick video below if you have any questions, or are new to my Kickstarters, as it explains how BackerKit and file access works.

BackerKit

You should all have received a survey access email, but if not you can also login and access here: https://beasts-and-baddies.backerkit.com . Inside the survey you will see your extra funds from KS pledge, can select or purchase additional add-ons, and access digital downloads & rewards (more on that below). Here's an overview video for how to use backerKit and purchase add-ons:

 Accessing, Browsing, and Downloading Files
 All digital content rewards are served through BackerKit, and provided as a Dropbox link (which I use  to host the files) and a custom password for each access. After completing your survey you will have access to these in BackerKit.  For all add-ons, the content is finished and you can download away, and each add-on and STL set has their own download password/link custom to you that you can see/access in BackerKit.

*** PLEASE NOTE *** - I have been having some Dropbox issues the last ~24 hrs due to traffic spikes. I've upgraded my account to the highest levels and have multiple conversations with their support but they are being a right pain in the ass. These issues might be resolved for some people, but not all, and I'm trying multiple workarounds. I'm working as hard as I can to resolve. I would ask for the next few days that you only download the STLs you need to print at that moment, not the full multi-gigabyte ZIPs. The files will be available to download for a long time so there's no rush.

 Many of the items from this Kickstarter are finished and ready for your to print (about 65-70%). Though I carefully repair each item, inevitably some issues will be found that need repair in a few meshes. I recommend only downloading what you intend to print for now and wait until I give the green light that everything is done to download the full set. Dropbox allows you to download individual folders as ZIP files from the browsable web interface (which I cover in the video below). The always-up-to-date rewards spreadsheet is accessible here: http://go.ec3d.design/beasts-baddies-reward-guide . The remaining minis should get wrapped up in the next few weeks, and there's some printing notes for FDM and resin in the spreadsheet also.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE - The spreadsheet above is the source of truth for all file statuses, changes, etc. Some folders exist in the rewards that are empty and will have only renders. That means that specific folder has not yet been delivered yet.

MINI VERSIONS
 Each miniature in the rewards comes in 4 versions, so select the one that's most appropriate for your use use:
 

• "Based" - the mini has been based on a standard, undecorated base sized appropriately for the character with a flat bottom. Can be printed in FDM or resin.
• "Resin Based" - same as the Based version but with a bevel and channel in the base to allow for easier removal from a resin print bed
• "Unbased" - the mini is unbased. The bottom is still flat and it should print support-free with the right settings on FDM, and work in resin as well. Ideal if you want to base after printing on custom bases, acrylic, use in dioramas,  etc
• "For Base Merge" - unbased, with extra geometry at the bottom of the mini. This is designed to be merged with a base in your slicer, to print as one solid piece. You can use an EC3D designed base or a base from any vendor.  I'll be making a short video on how to do this in the coming days, as well as releasing a few more scenic bases you can use.

 I also created a Facebook Group for folks that want to share photos, chat, etc, and you can always contact me directly with thoughs/questions/support/etc. Cheers!

Dropbox Issues
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Apr 24, 2021 at 09:29:25 AM

Well, after 5+ years of successfully using, and being a fan of, Dropbox I've finally run into a snag with their service. This was one of my largest releases to date so far, and between the massive amount of uploads I did yesterday and the downloads, my account was flagged for high traffic and share links were blocked - DOH!

I'm working with their support team to resolved, but they told me there's a good chance it can take up to 24 hrs which is a huge bummer, but I'm crossing my fingers that it's much less than that. This affects all my downloads (addons and Beast and Baddies rewards) so I'm super sorry for the service interruption, but I'm working hard on my end to get things resolved, so stay tuned!

Sorry for the inconvenience. The sliver lining is that when I was finalizing the models yesterday, I added 3 more freebies to the pot - vampire thralls and the dire boar!

Model + BackerKit Update
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Apr 21, 2021 at 11:27:09 PM

HEYO folks, hope you're all doing well! I've been doing my best to recover from being sick the last few days but have some news/updates to share:

 Model Updates 

I had to do work to nail down a backer for the final pick (I learned through this campaign that Kickstarter doesn't always send messages to backers when you send them,  particularly if the backer is primarily using the mobile app) so that caused some delays, but it's sorted. The final model that was chosen was the WRAITH - which is ironic, considering that is the absolute first model we made when we started on this campaign many months ago, so I' super glad it was included!

I also heard your feedback related to the awkwardness of the young dragon pose/breath and we fixed it up so it looks way more badass now. We also got the final model finished from a design standpoint - the undead croc - and you can see renders of these three below.

Model / BackerKit Timelines

As I noted in the campaign and the post-funding update, Kickstarter takes 2 weeks to collect funds, resolve card disputes, etc. In that time I've been hard at work prepping stuff for delivery. 

There are over 100 models in this campaign, and I'm providing each one in 4 versions (unbased, based, resin based, and "drop-in base" ready). To expedite this I've been leveraging my software engineering skills to create some macros and python scripts to assist. It took a while to get these nailed down, but now I'm churning through finalization of the models. 

I can now click one button in Blender to merge the base, decimate, fix small overhangs with my own algorithm,  create the resin base and "drop in" versions, merge overlapping vertices, do a manifold check, and more! LOTS of steps go into making a really good printable 3D model, and I've always been proud of the work we put in to make them some of the best in the market for printability!

KS notified me that the funds will be coming through tomorrow. I have BackerKit completely setup and ready to go and I'm just working on getting as many models finished and uploaded to the dropbox as I can before I send everything out. I'm estimating ~65-70% of models will be finished for you to download immediately and I'll wrap the remainder up pretty quick.

I am planning on sending out the BackerKit survey sometime in the next ~24-48 hrs, so keep an eye on your inbox. I'll be sharing another KS update when I do, along with a few video overviews for those who have never used BackerKit or participated in one of my Kickstarters before. The time is almost nigh!

Stay tuned for BackerKit/model delivery, and thank you all again so much for your support!