Kick 'em 3D Design.

Hey! So obviously, it's been a super long time since my last post, but I've been extremely busy with moving up to Auckland and starting my Creative Technologies degree! SO excited that I'm finally doing what I love and will get a job doing it as well (after three years that is :D). I've learned so much while studying there already and I've seen dramatic increases in my artistic capabilities, I can't recommend Media Design School enough. I'll link to it here if you're interested in studying with them. Anyway, I had created this a few months ago before everything got extremely busy, but never got around to posting it. I've made a few tweaks and experimented with colors a bit, not the best paint job but at least I'm trying right? This was also my first attempt at trying to implement/create a facial structure ever, as seen on the ends of the weapon barrels. I've also tried playing around with lighting which I think (and hope) lends a bi...

Well hasn't it been a long time since my last post! I've been extremely busy, sick and had to move house over the past couple of months (chuck in a little procrastination on the side and you have a pretty horrible mix). Oh, yes, and I must announce that I have been accepted into the Auckland Media Design School here in New Zealand, it's the most prestigious design school in our country and they get employers from Gameloft, 2K, Grinding Gears and others coming in every time a group of graduates completes the degree. Doing another three year degree is a little daunting, but I have no doubt that I'll absolutely love it :D. I've also been working furiously and found little spare time to complete any projects in Maya, but alas, things have calmed down a little and I've managed to complete another creation in Maya today :). This was an exercise in low poly counts for me and while there is most likely still too larger an amount, it's a drastic change from my Ch...

Heya guys! I've been busy over the past week getting these guys together and taking photos of my progress. I did this to share what the process is for me while I paint models. In my previous post you would have seen my tutorial for stripping a tank, well I followed the same process for these guys. I bought eight Chaos Space Marines for $15 US on Ebay and managed to strip them so they looked damn near brand new. First off, here's the before photo: As you can see, the paint's pretty caked on, but that's no issue if you're patient. After stripping: Most of the paint will come off after the first try, but  it often takes two to three soaks to get everything. Undercoat: This was accomplished by simply grabbing an acrylic based black and brushing over the models lightly, it usually only takes me one application to completely cover  a single model. Also for undercoating, whether it's black or white, I tend to use normal acrylic based paints as ...

Hello, all once again! Today I thought I'd post up a tutorial on how to strip Warhammer 40k miniatures. Of course this can be used for most any other wargaming miniature as well, I've only ever collected 40k so that's what I'll be using in this tutorial. Before I begin let me clarify that this is not scientifically backed up, it is simply what I have experienced over years of collecting/stripping Games Workshop models. For those of you searching for a material to strip painted models without melting the model itself I use acetone based nail polish remover, I've tried acetone free but found it's results far less satisfying and quite a bit more damaging to the models as they need more time to soak before they can be stripped. First of all you'll need to find an an old plastic cup (or container depending on the type on mini being stripped). Only fill enough of the cup to cover a single mini.This is because in the past, to my saddening detriment, that soak...

It's been a crazy past week with 3d modeling for me! I'm finally putting together my portfolio so I can apply for my creative technologies degree. I've been waiting to complete this project for a while and I think it'll be the star of my collection. It's taken a long time for me to muster up the courage to actually finish this one, but boy am I glad I did because I keep seeing improvements every time I use Maya. When I first started I never thought I would have improved so much that I could create a decent looking tank. When I first began this about two months ago, I really struggled with the shapes and trying to get the details correct, thus I abandoned the project until about a week and a half ago. After picking it up I found that I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge this project presented, especially since seeing the improvements in my latest creations. Anyway, here you go! I've added some extra lighting into these last few to try and bring ...

Hello you wonderful people! It's been around a week, closer to two, since my last post so I thought that I'd update everyone on what's been happening. I've been taking photos when the opportunity strikes and also completed a drawing (My best drawing yet is still in the works, but almost completed). But what's been taking up a lot of my time is my latest project in Maya. It's big, but I've been absolutely loving it. By now you would have guessed that I'm a huge Warhammer 40k fan, and a after creating so much of my scenery in real life, I thought to myself, why don't I try recreating it in Maya? So here I've been for the past week, creating my own, 3d wargaming board. It's not finished yet, but I have created all of the buildings, I've just got a few rocks etc. to place then I'll post it up. For now, you'll have to content yourself with a couple of photos I took on the street and a drawing of Rhino APC from 40k :D. Again, and ...

Man did I ever enjoy this completing this model! I took a fraction of the time it did for the original and I'm getting used to a bit more texturing now. I've also begun experimenting the likes of skulls, so my current one on the front of the bike isn't too good. Nonetheless I'm happy with how it turned out seeing as how it was my first attempt at creating a skull in Maya :D. Here it is in wire-frame (it looks a mess but the separate components are below :p): And a pic of all of the separate components in wire-frame: This is the part I am most proud of, I've worked hard at this and am very pleased with the final, rendered result. I feel I've made huge progress since I started 7 months ago; I can model pretty accurately, get proportions damn near spot on, am working at bump mapping, have gotten pretty good with lights, and am keeping my poly's pretty tidy (although I could do better :D).  To highlight how much I...

Here is a Chaos Space Marine Bike from the gaming franchise Warhammer 40K.