Resin vs FDM 3D printing for wargame terrain - Which one should you choose?

Whether you're building a grimdark hive city for Warhammer 40,000, a muddy no man's land for Trench Crusade, or a haunted fortress for Age of Sigmar, one question comes up time and time again in the hobby community: resin or FDM? Both technologies have their champions, and their critics. Let's break it all down honestly, so you can make the right call for your table. 

Print quality - details, accuracy & layer lines

This is usually where the debate starts, and where resin printers seem to win at first glance.

Resin printers (MSLA/SLA) work by curing liquid photopolymer with UV light, layer by layer, at resultions as fine as 0.02-0.05 mm. The result is exceptional surface smoothness and very fine details - great for miniatures with intricate facial features or tiny inscriptions. 

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) uses a filament melted through a nozzle. The minimum layer height is typically 0.05-0.10mm for high-end machines, though the common standard sits arount 0.12-0.20 mm. On small, organic shapes (like a miniature face), layer lines can be noticeable.

But here's what changes the equation for terrain: terrain pieces are large. The level of detail that matters for a piece of Gothic architecture, a ruined bunker, or a trench system is very different from a character miniature. Rivets, bolts, textured walls, rubble, panelling - these features print beautifully in FDM, especially when printed at finer layer heights. 

At Voidborn Prints, we are using FDM at 0.12 mm and on our most organic terrain pieces at 0.08 mm layer height, a setting that dramatically reduces visible layer lines while keeping print times reasonable. The result holds up perfectly on the table, and once primed and painted, it's genuinely hard to tell the difference from resin at arms' length. 

Honest take: Resin wins on raw detail resolution. But for terrain, especially 28-32 mm scale, well-tuned FDM at fine layer heights is more than sufficent, and often indistinguishable once painted.

Dimensional accuracy & right angles 

This is an are where FDM sometimes gets unfairly criticised. 

A well-calibrated FDM printer is extremely accurate in the X and Y axes. Walls come out straight, corners are sharp, and modular terrain pieces fit together with satisfying precision. The key word is calibrated. A poorly tuned machine will produce warped or misaligned pieces, but that's an operator issue, not a technology limitation.

Resin can suffer from warping, especially on large flat pieces, due to the thermal stress of UV curing. This is rarely an issue for small prints, but large terrain or flat bases can bow slighly if not printed with careful orientation and support placement. 

For modular terrain systems, where pieces need to slot together, stack, or tile, FDM often has a pratical edge as it handles straight walls and flat bases very reliably. 

Durability: will it survive your gaming sessions? 

This is where FDM really shines for terrain use. 

FDM terrain printed in PLA, PLA+ or PETG is remarkably tough. It flexes rather than shatters when dropped, resists knocks and bumps, and holds up well through years of gaming. The thermoplastic material is resilient, especially for large structural pieces.

Resin prints, by contrast, are brittle. They can crack opr snap when dropped, a real concern if your terrain sees heavy use, gets transported to a club, or is handled by enthusiastic players. Thin details (antenna, pipes, spires) are particularly vulnerable. Post-cured resin becomes even more rigid, which increases the risk of breakage under impact. 

For display pieces or dioramas, resin's fragility is acceptable because handling is minimal. For gaming terrain that gets moved around a table every session, FDM's durability is a genuine advantage. 

Honest take: If you're looking for terrain that are more durable to survive the battlefield, UV's from the sun, than just looking good in photos, FDM is the sturdier choice.

Toxicity & safety

This is an often-overlooked but very important topic, especially for hobbyists working at home. 

Resin printing involves liquid photopolymers that are genuinely hazardous. Uncured resin is toxic, a potential irritant and sensitiser, and must be handled with nitrile gloves at all times. Washing prints (typically in IPA or a dedicated wash solution) requires proper ventilation. It's manageable, but it adds real constraints, especially if you share a living space.

FDM printing is significantly safer. PLA filament is made from plant-based polymers and produces very little in the way of toxic fumes (some fine particulates are emitted during printing, so ventilation is still recommended). PETF is similarly low-risk. Handling printed parts requires no protective equipment, and there's no chemical waste to dispose of. 

For families, flatmates, or anyone printing in shared space, FDM is the considerably safe option.

Cost - per print, per setup

Let's be practical. 

Resin printers have become more affordable (entry-level machines start around 150-200€), but the resin itsfel costs more per litre (~25-50€/litre), and the hidden costs add up: wash & cure stations, IPA or other cleaning solution, FEP film replacements, nitrile gloves and proper disposal of chemical waste.

FDM printers have a wider entry range (200-400€ for a solid machine) and filament is very affordable (~15-25€/kg of PLA+). There are no consumables specific to the printing process, no chemical waste, and maintenance is simpler. A kye advantage is the use of "infill", a sparse internal pattern (~10%) that makes prints strong but light. Because of this, a large FDM terrain piece is much lighter than its resin equivalent (wich is also a big plus for transport and storage). 

This is one the the reasons Voidborn Prints uses FDM to produce terrain: it allows us to offer quality pieces at a price that makes sense for the hobby, without cutting corners on the print settings. Browse our terrain collection here. 

Print speed

Speed depends heavily on the size and complexity of the piece. 

Resin printers cure an entire layer at once regardless of how complex it is. So a detailed print takes the same time as a simple one at the same height. However the build plate is limited in size, which constrains how many pieces you can print in one go. 

FDM printers print head movement determines speed, so larger or more complex parts take longer. That said, modern FDM machines (like those using Klipper firmware or the latest generation of CoreXY printers) have become dramatically faster over the past few years. 

For full terrain sets, where you might need dozens of pieces, FDM's larger build volumes (typicall 220 x 220 mm to 300 x 300 mm or more) means you can batch-print several pieces in a single run, which makes up for the per-layer speed difference. 

Post-processing: what happens after the print? 

This is arguably the biggest practical difference between the two technologies in day-to-day use. 

Resin prints require a multi-step post-processing workflow: 

• Wash in IPA or cleaning solution (10-15 minutes) 
• UV cure under a dedicated lamp (5-15 minutes)
• Support removal (often more involved than FDM, as resin supports are fused and require careful cutting) 
• Sanding of support marks
• And then priming and painting

This process takes time and requires equipment and chemicals. 

FDM prints typically just need: 

• Stringing removal with a torch (5 minutes maximum)
• Support removal (if any were needed - well-designed terrain often prints without supports entirely)
• Very light wet sanding if desired 

• Priming and painting

For terrain specifically, many FDM pieces are designed to print support-free, and the surfaces can be primed directly. The step from print to table is much shorter, which matters when you're building a full battlefield.

If you are interested, I wrote a detailed article here about deep cleaning a preparing FDM prints.

The verdict: which one for wargame terrain?

Resin is unmatched when detail is the absolute priority - it's the go-to for miniature figures, bits and all. But for wargame terrain, the balance tips firmly toward FDM: it's safer, more durable, more cost-effective, faster to go from print to table, and at fine layer heights, produces results that look fantastic once painted.

That's the philosophy behind Voidborn Prints. We print all our terrain in FDM, using finer layer heights (down to 0.08 mm for our most detailed pieces) to get the best of both worlds: the resilience and practilcality of FDM, with surface quality that holds up on any table.

If you want terrain that looks great, survives your gaming sessions, and doesn't cost the earth - take a look at what we've got. No chemical waste required.

Questions about materials, print settings, or how our terrain is made? Drop us a message, we're always happy to talk shop.