From Reddit’s 3D printed Minis community, we learned that the government of Canada has released a 3D printing library of military vehicle Minis. Now this may seem to be a little silly, but I think it’s a great idea. The country is offering a library of vehicles for free download. These vehicles include the Leopard 2, the Tracked Light Armoured Vehicle, the Heavy Logistics Vehicle Wheeled, and more. The collection also includes enemy vehicles such as the T-90. The files are released under Crown Copyright, a commonwealth type of copyright to ensure that the government has the ability to use things it creates, while restricting some others from using it. You can not use these models commercially.

But, if you want a highly detailed model of a tank (and frankly who wouldn’t?), this is a great source. I think a lot of these models would look great in DLP, but am sadly without any Vat Polymerization systems in my house at the moment. The models are generally very detailed and seem to come from actual vehicle scans. Some may not immediately work, or work without supports on Material Extrusion systems, but I think that they’re a valuable addition for anyone that needs similar models.

The models were made from the ALSC – Army Learning Support Centre, the distributed group and individual training provider for the Canadian military. Their content is spread over the Defence Learning Network and beyond. The ALSC also makes things for the Combat Training Centre (CTC) such as videos, graphics, and more.

Offering an online library of files is of course a great way to familiarize soldiers with 3D printing. In a low-effort, easy way, you get to make something non-critical first. By creating this portal now, they can learn how to spread files to soldiers, what issues arise, and how intensive usage is. This is a great way to learn before you start letting people 3D print tourniquets. It is a low-risk way to spread the usage of 3D printing through an organization.

One of the reasons for creating an online library where people can download stuff is to let people 3D print their own games. With Commander’s Intent, they’re letting people print their own tokens for a game playable on 1:50k maps. These maps, where 1cm equals 500m, are often used in the military, giving you just enough knowledge of a particular area to make the right decisions regarding hills and the like, while also helping you better understand the terrain you will encounter. It’s maybe not the map you’d want to have when solo cresting a difficult mountain range, but for you and your 120 best buddies in trucks, it’s ideal.

The resulting war game can be played by people in their own time, letting them explore and learn. The key concept in the game is Command Intent. Rather than you telling me where and when I need to do what, it’s you telling me what our objectives are, what we want to accomplish, and what needs to be done. So if I’m cut off, I can independently make the right determination of what to do or not to do. Famously, Helmuth von Moltke said, “no plan survives its execution.” So it’s best to give every key player the knowledge to operate independently once the plan collapses due to a sudden collision with reality.

The full von Moltke quote reads,

“No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces. Only the layman believes that in the course of a campaign he sees the consistent implementation of an original thought that has been considered in advance in every detail and retained to the end.”

Outside the military realm, this is an important lesson in strategy, business, and beyond. Rather than try to absorb it in a lecture, the goal of this game is to let people experience it. This could work especially well for people with experiential learning styles, and perhaps the tokens themselves may help people who are more likely to learn with tactile experiences.

What’s more, you can also 3D print physical flash cars in NATO Map tokens that depict NATO’s Mission Task Verb language. These symbols and language are key to NATO orders, and include things such as Support by Fire or Advance To Contact. Very specific, they are embodied in STANAG 2287 and other standards, allowing for a precise understanding of key things to be done. They’re also called Mission Task Verbs. Now, you can touch and learn through these tokens. The same tokens are used to manually mark maps and are still used in digital systems to indicate what is to happen. They’ve even included a Staedtler Marker Holder, should you wish to mark up some maps and keep your color coded pens happy.