SPIELWERK  /  Schicht-Werk
Beta. Dimensions, weight and time are calculated estimates until the test print series is done.

Dice tower generator

A dice tower from two parts that both print flat – the ramps sit half on the back shell and half on the front plate and interlock when assembled. No supports anywhere, and nothing to clean out of a 200 mm shaft.

Channel size, ramp count and overlap are free, so the tower can be built around the dice you actually use rather than around a standard d6.

Both at least four millimetres larger than the biggest die that has to pass. For a 20 mm d20 that means 24 mm and up.
More ramps mix better and make the tower taller. Four is a good starting point.
How far each ramp reaches into the channel. Below half the die falls straight through; above eighty per cent it jams.
Have it made

Two parts, both printed flat

The tower is a back shell and a front plate. The ramps sit on both: half on the shell, half on the plate, interlocking when the two are put together. That is what makes the whole thing printable flat with no supports – a one-piece tower needs support material inside the channel, and cleaning that out of a 200 mm shaft is a job nobody wants twice.

What the numbers do

Inner width and clear depthAt least four millimetres more than the biggest die. For a 20 mm d20 that means 24 mm and up.
RampsMore ramps mix better and make the tower taller. Four is a good start; above six the dice lose so much energy that they dribble out rather than roll.
Ramp overlapHow far each ramp reaches into the channel. Below half the die falls straight through and is not randomised; above eighty per cent it jams.
Drop between rampsThe free fall from one ramp to the next. This is where the tumbling happens.

The tray

Optional and worth having: without it a die leaves the tower and carries on across the table. The rim height decides whether it stays in – 12 mm is enough for a d6 rolled gently, 18 mm for a handful of dice thrown hard.

Printing notes

Print both parts flat, no supports. The data table checks the finished height against your bed and says outright if it will not fit – a tower is the one part in this module that regularly outgrows a 256 mm machine.

PETG is a good choice: a tower gets knocked off tables. If it will live outdoors at a convention stand, print in ASA.

The full documentation is in German

This page carries the essentials. The detailed sheet is in German: documentation. Every control here is a number, a slider or a choice, and the German page uses the same order.