Crystal, Ice, Ore & Gem Shard Collection (DND / TTRPG)

⚠ These models can be very sharp and pointy - print and use at your own risk!! ⚠

👍 Don't forget to Like and Collect this, so you can easily find it later! ⭐

If you like my models and that I make random minis for people then come follow and support me on Patreon https://goto.adamnant.com/l/patreon?site=printables&model=crystal_shards&cta=header - where you can ask me to make minis for you, get updates on my projects like gmbuddy.com and get access to exclusive minis for my Patrons.

These models are originally design for DND / TTRPG terrain but they can absolutely be home decor etc... as well. Just be mindful as they are sharp!

If you like the gems in this collection check out my newly created Bismuth Hopper Crystal and mimic over on my Patreon: https://goto.adamnant.com/l/bismuth1?site=printables&model=crystal_shard&cta=teaser - this model is free (for now) for free tier followers and up. This might not be the case forever so hop on over and grab these while you can :)

I like to get at least one collection like this out every week or two and gems / crystals have been something on my mind for a while but I wasn't quite happy with anything that I had been making. Recently I made a Frost Giant Zombie (https://goto.adamnant.com/l/frost-giant-zombie?site=printables&model=crystal_shards&cta=intro) and for that model I needed some Ice Shards sticking out of him which is where I glommed onto this design and the rest is history.

For my process here I started with a basic gem mesh and then removed some extra vertices to really simplify the design. The building blocks here are the shard 1, 2, 3, 4 meshes. From there I played around with the Geometry on faces modifier to randomly distribute these shards onto various shapes (which you can see in their name). I applied subdivision surface modifiers and decimate modifiers to increase or decrease the effect. One I had something I was happy with I took the top of the shape or bottom of the shape (or both) and applied those modifiers and added a sphere filler to deal with any internal gaps. From there I did some manual tweaks adding resized shards to fill in big or unslightly gaps. I also made a set of rocks with shards sticking out.

For printing these are generally simple shapes so often you can get away with no supports or very few supports. For resin they can be printed straight up from the print bed. For resin you'll want to hollow them if you go with larger scale and use auto supports. I wouldn't recommend resin unless you're going for a transparent look :)

Dec 17, 2025 update!!! I've updated these files recently to double-check that they're flat on the bottom and added 2x and 4x variants for convenience for people looking to make these decorative instead of purely for TTRPG use (idk why you want a decorative spikey murder ball but I don't judge!!!).

Models in this collection:

• Shards - As mentioned above Shards 1, 2, 3, 4 are the building blocks I used. I just scaled them up or down locking or unlocking the z-axis for different shapes (pointy gems or flat gems)

• Clusters - These are simple arrangements of shards 1, 2 and 3

• Shapes - Cone, Cube, Cylinder, Diamond, dobj (I think this was the monkey) - these were randomly distributed shards and clusters on these meshes. I also had gears, gems, icospheres, spheres, pyramids, torus, torusknot and worm gear versions but Blender kept crashing and I settled with what I had

• Rocks - Simple rocks via the rock generator and then shards plopped into them to make them like ore deposits or geodes

The cool thing about these shards and clusters is that you can paint them however you want to fit your scene. If your party yearns for the mines then blue mithril ore can double as Ice Shards in another session. Perhaps they encounter magic green or red gems. The sky is the limit. Transparent materials will also look super cool and if there is interest I can setup some LED variants of these.

I'm sure someone has a kickstarter or other model out there for terrain props like these and they're charging an arm and a leg but these are free and handmade - just for you and your campaign (yes you reading this, nobody else is allowed so just comment when you get these to let others know it's not for now... jk but also yes). I know my posts are overflowing with links to support me but your likes, shares and follows (esp on Patreon) go a long way towards me creating content like this so this is just a note that I appreciate you - random internet stranger who is reading this nonsense I'm writing way too early on a Saturday morning.

I've completed my quest for 1000 models in 2025 so now I'm trying to decide whats next - I'm actively asking my Patrons what kind of models that they want to see. You can follow along with me on Thingiverse, Printables, Cults3d or join in on the discuss on Patreon here: https://goto.adamnant.com/l/patreon?site=printables&model=crystal_shards&cta=footer (as well as get codes for exclusive downloads on Cults3d). If you have something that you need or a custom model like this that you want then let me know and let's make it!