How to Make Realistic 3D Printed Trees for Tabletop Games

If you’re a game master who makes game boards or battle maps for your tabletop games, then you’ll probably want to make some trees at some point. One of the easiest ways to make trees for tabletop is to 3D print them. Fortunately for us, there are some highly detailed 3D models of trees that are available for free online to download and print. These will save you the time and effort of forming the trunk and branches with wire or other methods. 3D printed trees are also less likely to bend or deform.

In this article I’ll go over how to make three different kinds of 3D printed trees, and why you might want to use one over the other. You can print just the tree trunks, or full leafy trees, or evergreen trees. We’ll start with the tree trunks and evergreens because those are the simplest, and then the leafy trees because those take a bit more work.

To make your own 3D printed tabletop trees you’ll need some basic materials:

Craft Paint
Glue (I used a spray adhesive)
Clump Foliage (only for leafy trees)
Masking tape or plastic wrap

Once you have those things, you’re ready to begin.

Tree Stumps or Trunks

3D printed tree trunks and stumps for tabletop gaming.

The benefit of using tree stumps, instead of full-sized leafy trees, is that it’s much easier to see around them. There aren’t any big bunches of leaves in the way to obscure your players’ views of the game board. This makes it much easier for everyone to be aware of the locations of all of the minis on the map. The stumps or trunks still let the players know where the trees are, and they also show the thickness of the trees, which is important for determining whether or not they provide cover.

There are various heights of tree stumps that you can find online. Shorter stumps are obviously the easiest to see around, but it can be hard to tell whether they represent a full tree, or if they’re actually a tree stump. Taller 3D models are available that show more of the trunk of the tree, so that they tower above the minis. It’s very easy to tell that those are meant to be trees, even without the leaves. Keep in mind that you can always scale up the models if you want them to be taller.

You could even scale them up so that the tree trunks tower high over the minis, which would imply that the rest of the trees go up even higher. This is a good way to make it look like they’re in a forest of giant trees, without having to show the full height of the trees.

Evergreens

Evergreen trees, or conifers, are those trees have needles or scales instead of leaves. Pine trees, Cedar trees, and Spruce trees are all examples of evergreens. These types of trees are actually easier to 3D print accurately than leafy trees. They usually have one singular, straight trunk, and branches that stick straight out. Because of their generally simpler shape, they’re easier to 3D model, and you can find quite a few good models for free online.

If you want to improve the texture a little bit, then you can add some flocking to the surface. Flocking is generally used to simulate a grassy surface on the ground of a game board, but it can also help to achieve a pine needle type effect. This isn’t entirely necessary, but it’s something to consider.

Leafy Trees

Leafy trees are definitely a more realistic option, and they can add a lot of visual interest to a game board. The main drawback is that they can block the players’ view sometimes. This can be minimized by placing the trees at the edge of the board if possible, but a lot of times we want trees in the middle of the action.

Another option is to make smaller trees that are easier to see around. Big trees are nice, and they can still be used in places where they won’t be in the way. Smaller trees still have the benefit of their appearance, and they can be thin or sparse enough to not block the view too much.

One thing about leafy trees is that they’re hard to accurately 3D print. The leaf texture is very difficult for people to model, so there aren’t a lot of good, free 3D models available online. Even if there were, it would be tricky to print them properly. In my opinion, the best way to make a good looking leaf texture is to glue some clump foliage onto the 3D printed tree structure.

Clump Foliage

Clump foliage has been around for as long as people have been making miniature models of trees and bushes. You can buy it at most hobby and craft stores or even make your own. It’s basically just little pieces of spongy material that are colored to look like leaves. It comes in many different shades of green, and even in autumn colors.

The rough texture is what makes it look like a bunch of small leaves, and that kind of surface is very difficult for a 3D printer to reproduce. Most 3D models of leafy trees end up looking more like lollipops, because the leafy portions are too smooth and regular. That’s why gluing on the foliage is a better option in my view.

Clump foliage can be bought or made in different sizes as well. The size refers to the size of the clumps. Larger clumps are good for bigger trees, because they cover larger surfaces more easily. They also give a bumpier and more uneven appearance, which look like bunches of leaves.

Small clump foliage is usually made up of smaller clumps that are sometimes stuck together in strings. This lets you have larger clumps if you want them, but it also gives you the option of breaking them up into smaller pieces. You can experiment with the different sizes to see which one works best for you.

Priming

After you’ve decided what kind of tree you want to 3D print and you’ve printed them out, it’s time to get them ready for painting. As usual, it’s always good to prime the pieces before you paint them. This will help the paint to adhere to the plastic better, so that it can last as long as possible.

Because we’ll mainly be painting the trunks of the trees, a brown primer is the best choice. If you can’t find any brown primer then gray or white can also work, but you’ll have to paint a few more layers of brown over those in order to cover them up. It’s much easier to start with a brown primer.

I recommend that you prime the whole tree, even the part that will be covered by the foliage. Sometimes the foliage doesn’t completely cover what’s underneath it, so it’s good to have that part at least painted brown so it doesn’t stand out too much. Having a layer of primer will also help the glue to stick to the tree. Some plastics, especially PLA, are notoriously hard to glue, so the primer gives the glue a better surface to adhere to.

Painting

After you’ve fully primed your pieces, you’re ready to paint on the details. If you’re making leafy trees, then you only need to paint the tree trunk and any exposed branches. Generally speaking, tree bark is very easy to paint. Most trees have plain brown bark. Some look a bit more gray. There are some trees, like birch trees, that have very unique bark patterns. What species you want to try and represent is up to you, but a simple brown bark is definitely one of the easiest.

To paint my bark I used a dark brown paint to cover the trunk and any exposed branches. Then I used a slightly light gray-ish brown and lightly brushed it on, making sure not to completely cover the darker brown. If you wanted to you could use an even lighter brown or gray color and dry brush it across the trunk, highlighting any high points. This method of layering on different shades gives the bark some depth and variation, instead of just a solid brown color. In my case I decided that two layers was enough.

3D printed trees with bark details painted on the trunks.

You can use that same method to paint the tops of evergreen trees. Start with a darker green, then add a lighter green, and finally add some even lighter green highlights. Depending on the species that you’re trying to paint, you might want to add some brown to it, or even some blue if you’re painting a blue spruce.

From there you can add any details that you might want. Some green paint on one side near the base of the trunk is a good way to imitate moss. You could also add gray or white spots on the bark to look like lichens.

Gluing the Foliage

3D printed trees with the trunks covered in masking tape and the clump foliage glued on..

I like to glue the foliage on after I paint the trunk, but you can apply it before if you prefer. Some people would probably rather know where all of the leaves are before they paint the trunk. In any case, gluing the foliage is a simple task.

Before you apply the glue, make sure to carefully cover the trunk and any other areas that you don’t want to get glue on. You can use masking tape, plastic wrap, or even just paper. In my case I used masking tape to cover the trunk and all of the branches that I wanted to leave bare. If you use masking tape, try to use large pieces so that it’s easier to peel off after you glue on the leaves.

The most common method of gluing that I’ve seen most people use is a spray adhesive. These are very strong and effective glues, as long as you buy a decent brand, but they’re also very bad for your health. Make sure that if you use spray adhesives that you do so in a very well ventilated area, preferably outdoors. Even then you should also wear a mask or respirator to protect your lungs. Eye protection is also recommended. It also helps to lay down some kind of cover underneath where you’ll be spraying, like a large piece of cardboard or paper, so that you don’t get glue everywhere.

If you use spray adhesive, be aware that not every kind will dry clear. Some of them, like the kind I used, say on the can that they dry clear but in reality it ends up looking white. Also, the different types and brands of spray adhesive can vary quite a lot, so you might find that some spray adhesives stick better than others. Try to find one that says that it sticks to plastic and/or foam and it should be fine for making trees.

After you apply the glue, let it sit for a little while until it gets tacky. Once the glue is ready you can stick on your foliage. You can either dip the tree into the foliage, or sprinkle it over the top. Which ever way you do it, it helps to apply some pressure to the foliage so that it makes a strong bond with the glue. Just squeeze it or press on it a bit so that every piece makes good contact.

If you want to add a second layer, be aware that applying glue over the top of the foliage might change its color. In my case the glue made the first layer of leaves look whiter, but it didn’t turn out so bad so I left it. It’s just something to keep in mind.

If you have different colors of foliage, say a dark and light green, then you might want to try mixing them together. This can give a more varied and interesting appearance to your leafy trees. Another trick is to use more of the darker green foliage at the bottom of the tree’s canopy, and more lighter foliage towards the top. This mimics the effect of sunlight highlighting the upper portion of the leaves.

Bases

Bases are a good way to make sure that a tree won’t fall over any time someone bumps the table. However if a tree has a wide enough trunk and roots, then it doesn’t really need a base to be stable. If you think that your tree could use an additional base, then you can easily add one. There are many different free bases that you can find online to download and print.

Once you have your base, you can just glue your tree to it. A little super glue should hold it just fine, especially is there’s a layer of paint on the bottom of the tree. Alternatively you could weld the tree to the base with a soldering iron. That’s probably the strongest way to bond the pieces together, but you should probably do that before you paint the tree.

One thing about bases is that they can sometimes clash with the game board that they sit on. If your tree has a green grassy base, it will look out of place on a rocky mountainside. One way to avoid this is just to leave the base a solid muted color, like black or brown. At least if you make it yourself you can match the base as best as you can to the game board that you’re planning to use it with.