I initially encountered 3D checkers in a pizza restaurant in Massachusetts, an old version of the game from the 70s made of black and red injection-molded plastic. I never actually got to play the game but became obsessed with redesigning it. I wanted to use higher-quality materials that would last longer and improve the user experience. On the rest of that trip, I spent a lot of time in my head designing the game you can see below.
3D Checkers
The board has 16 tiles on which checkers can be placed. 4 are glued to the wooden baseboard and the remaining 12 float above the board. Each tile is placed on one of the 4 acrylic rods affixed to the base piece. They are separated by long spacers that lock into the tiles, ensuring everything aligns when assembled. In each tile, there are 4 pieces of felt that dampen the checkers as they are moved about the board, preventing them from falling. The checkers have grooves that I filled with colorful beads and clear glue. This mimics the crowns on the bottoms of the original pieces that indicate when a checker has reached the opposing end of the board and can now move in all directions.
I modeled the checkerboard completely before I started printing. This practice ensures all the pieces fit together which was especially important for the pieces that lock together.
⬑(3D models)⬎