However...my mind was wondering today and for some reason I got thinking about ruins and how I would do them better than my first go a few years back. While I am not doing any 3D modelling work on the defensive walls at the moment I was thinking about other aspects of terrain I could use 3D printing on and out of the blue I thought of ruins.
I have never been tempted to use the GW kits for ruins, I find them just too over the top.
I see the majority of Imperial building as being quite bleak, almost faceless and monolithic. It is for this reason I used Foarboard to make my first set of ruins, double layered to give me nice and thick walls (10mm, any less just makes the buildings look wimpy).
A few examples...
Obviously that is before any rubble and so on was added. The figure for scale is a Terminator. The ruins were quite large.
What lets them down in the detailing, While I did add things like window sills and some trimming it still left little to really grab the eye.
So today it hit me I could creat detailing pieces for any cityfight ruins I build. Casting them in plaster will be perfect for damage and so on as shown on the defensive walls.
So pieces which can be done include:
Edging pieces - corners and roof line.
Window frames - internal and external.
Signs.
Doorframes & doors.
Steps.
Buttresses - both flying and non-flying.
After a few minutes I had a quick and rough concept.
Keep in mind these are purely concept to test out the theory. The actual things I would design would be far more detailed and more fitting in with 40k - for example think Aquillas etc.
I only had time to look at edging pieces - so up the building corners and along the roof line. The roof line would either have a lip (as shown) or a groove to slot over the foamboard top, making the foamboard ends much neater.
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| Obviously the actual buildings would have things like doors, stairs and so on. |
If only I had mroe time, and storage space...I am already going to look at 3D printing for doing a trench system and maybe bunkers, and that is once the gun emplacement is sorted.
What do people think?
Wow, really awesome buildings!
ReplyDeleteLooks like they will be very dynamic game play.
That's quite cool! I like the idea of edging pieces, it would definitely give the foamcore buildings a touch of detail they may otherwise lack. Neat!
ReplyDeleteSeriously nice additions and I am loving the way you think. You...you are going to go into business with all this stuff, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteI could quite happily do this as a business, alas I don't think it would ever take in enough to make it an option...
Delete...however I am sure I could be persuaded to do a bit for someone if they asked nicely.
Businesses start small - you may never make enough to support yourself doing it, but if you're lucky you can make at least enough to offset the costs of your own projects!
DeleteFor the edges, I think *some* buildings with those edges would look good, but in this day and age a lot don't have definitive edging like that, one side simply ends and the other begins.
(Edging) That's definitely a project I'd do by hand, instead of having 3d printed out - blue insulation foam boards would do you rather good there.
(Frames) Those I would consider 3d printing, and depending on the type of frame, plaster could be the wrong choice, but resin and metal aren't that expensive.
(Fixtures) Definitely metal or resin here.
(Aquilas, etc) I'd actually suggest laser cutting for these, it'd be a helluva lot cheaper, at least for the masters, and plastic is ideal.
Just to clarify I won't be using any of these pieces, they are just a concept to prove if the idea would work.
DeleteI will be doing all the parts 3D printing (when I do them) as the pieces will not look like this, they will be much, much more detailed. The edging is not one long strip, is is made up out of a series of identical blocks. Printing these would ensure everything accurately lining up and fitting together. Taller buildings/wider building etc would use the same pieces just more of them and so on.
While the edging & frames would be plaster the small pieces would be resin (i'm not bothing to mess around with metal casting). However all the frames, edging and so on will be cast in plaster. It is not worth doing in resin due to that i want lots of damage, smashed up pieces, rubber etc. I can't do that easily in resin (i've tried, it's a ball ache).
I'm not going to be making Aquillas or other symbols like like, I meant I would be incorporating things like that into the design of the pieces. For example the vertical edging might incorporate a wing design embossed into the surface, or the blocks themselves will be shaped like that. I'm not going to be making actual Aquillas, no need for them.
I will do another concept post shortly to make things a bit clearer.
Hmm... I may be asking nicely in the future. We'll have to see as a table is a LONG way off for me in the scheme of things (year at the least).
DeleteBut parts for a killer display board are an entirely different story...
Very good!
ReplyDeleteI love your scenics!
i like it
ReplyDeletePlease no... you're gonna make me want to throw all my wip terrain away!
ReplyDeleteCheers for the comments...I don't think I have had so many so quickly on a post before...
ReplyDeleteShame I won't actually be doing any of this for quite some time as I really do not have the room to make any ruins. I will continue to play around with concepts though, just for the fun of it.
Too many ideas...not enough time (or space).
You got the replies so dark quickly because it's a solid, well concepted idea, my friend.
Delete...and you're right, that is a shame that you won't be doing much along these lines anytime soon, though I'm still looking on for the other terrain builds/printing you're doing!
Cheers.
DeleteDon't worry there are plenty of other terrain projects i plan to do involving 3D printing coming up.
Yeah man, your ideas are pretty rocking with solid execution, looks great. You have a great sense of game play as well as design in your buildings. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
DeleteI think that when building terrain there is always a balance between look and game play that you must always aim for.
You could end up with the more stunning piece of terrain but if you can't actually use it in a game it's pretty pointless...