# Show us your... 3D Models!



## Lenny (Aug 1, 2008)

Seeing as we've got a few members who create things in 3D, I thought it would be an idea for somewhere to show things off, whether it be a Terragen landscape, a Bryce vista, a DAZ pose, or a complicated mesh of polygons in Google SketchUp, this is that place.

It should also give people a good idea of what can be done with the different 3D modelling packages that are floating about the intarwebs. Want to model your own characters or buildings but don't know how to make the dream a reality? This might just be your answer.

If I remember, I'll have this post updated with links to some of the programs.

Anyway, post away, modellers!

*ETA (requested by Lenny)*

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As promised, here are some links to a few 3D modelling programs.

Google SketchUp
A powerful, but very easy to use free program. Great for creating buildings and objects, but not so good with people or landscapes.

Terragen
A free program that allows you to create stunning and realistic landscapes.

DAZ 3D
A free figure posing and animation tool that gives users the tools to create scenes populated with figures, animals, props, vehicles and backgrounds.

Blender
Another free program, Blender is fantastic for creating objects and figures, but it's a hard program to pick up.

3DS Max, Maya
Both 3DS Max and Maya are widely used in the film and video games industries. Both programs are extremely powerful 3D modelling programs that require special knowledge which can be gleaned from tutorials. You can download a trial version of 3DS Max, whilst a completely free, Personal Learning Edition of Maya is available. Neither are really suitable for the complete beginner, though - I'd suggest starting with something like SketchUp and/or Blender before moving on to Maya and/or 3DS Max.

Enjoy!


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## Highlander II (Aug 1, 2008)

Darn my lack of artistic talent that involves drawing and making figures that are not of the 'stick' variety!

3D modelling is v. cool, but I am not having of the talents to do that.


But I'll happily look at whatever anyone else has to offer. =)


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## Lenny (Aug 1, 2008)

You'll be surprised how easy it actually is. With SketchUp, f'rinstance, it can be a case of joining up lines to make shapes, et voila, a 3D model. Here are a few of mine, from oldest (a few years old) to newest (just realised that I posted these in another thread, too, so I've copied all of that and added links to new screenshots):

*House*
*




*

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/House1.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/House2-1.jpg

*Factory*
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/iso.jpg

*Flying Buttress*
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/flyingbuttress2.jpg

*Keep-onna-Hill*





http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/Keeponnahill-1.jpg

*Emu Castle*
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/emucastle1.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/emucastle2.png

*Two masted Tall Ship*





http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/back-side.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/front.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/front-straight.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/Ship1.jpg

*Rope Bridge to Crow's Nest type structure*





http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/bridgenest1.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/bridgenest2.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/bridgenest3.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/BridgeNest1-1.jpg

*Ship2*

With this one I decided I'd be as realistic as I could be bothered, and try and build it as it would be doe in real life - with individual planks etc (which is something I'd started with the bridge and nest above). Suffice to say, it takes my PC a few seconds to load the single section that I work on, and about thirty seconds to respond to any commands regarding the "long ship", which is a number of the sections put togther.






http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/Ship2_Long1.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/Ship2_Long2.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97/Lenny1882/Ship2_Long3.jpg

---

Sorry for the size of some of the screenshots.


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## Nik (Aug 1, 2008)

These are from an unfinished set for tale I was writing. Program ran out of work-space...

Flickr: Nik_1's Photostream

Arches, vaulting, doors etc made in TurboCAD. Walls, floors, textures are basic FloorPlan. The low-polygon figures are from Baument Archive: I'm no Artist...


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## Nik (Aug 1, 2008)

Here's some more, highly compressed...

Um, if several piccies look very wide, is because FP program worked across twin screens...


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## Lenny (Aug 2, 2008)

I have to say, that's a fantastic building. How long did it take to create?


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## Highlander II (Aug 2, 2008)

see - I'd wanna make 3D people that looked like 'people' - not so much buildings... I preferred Barbies to Leggos. =)


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## Lenny (Aug 2, 2008)

In which case, then, you want to try *DAZ*. And if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you might want to look at *Blender* or *Maya/3DS Max* (I'd go for Maya and Blender. Regardless of which of the three you choose, you'll need tutorials. I'll have a look through my Favourites and see if I can find any).


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## Highlander II (Aug 2, 2008)

I know of some rendering software - there's also Poser and Carrara, but I don't think those are free at all - I just don't think that I a) have the patience or b) the artistic drive in that direction to pull it off.

Heck - making icons/avatars?  I have a standard series of steps that I repeat over and over - my icons are typically only 'artsy' by accident. *g*

Not saying I won't try at some point, I just don't see myself giving it a lot of effort - especially if I can't pick it up quickly.  I do badly if it doesn't 'click' for me in a relatively short period of time.


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## Lenny (Aug 2, 2008)

Highlander II said:


> I know of some rendering software - there's also Poser and Carrara, but I don't think those are free at all - I just don't think that I a) have the patience or b) the artistic drive in that direction to pull it off.


 
DAZ is similar to Poser in that that is what you can do - the program comes with a library of 3D figures which you can deform and twist into any position you desire.


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## jezelf (Aug 2, 2008)

Cool thread. I find it very handy to make 3D models of locations you have for stories. I'm doing just started doing that. It seems to be a process I'm developing for locations:

I get sketch I make when doing the written ideas and turn into a 3D model > move around the model and place cameras which spawn more ideas in a cinematic sense > add these to my notes > render out images of the building, if nessisary in an exploded form if there are internal scenes to my story > put them in the word/Open off doc with my notes.

When you build 3D stuff it makes you think more about it. Form usually follows function -so the process also gets you to know these location's history just as I would a character. The layout, the people who lived there the rise and fall of the location and it's inhabitants - what happened to their decendants? 

So it may end up being a ruin in your story, but your characters could had gone there because of a legend of old - which can pop in your head as your create the model. So then you can have multiple ideas on characters and events that make up the legend and become stories in themselves. I also use them as reference when I get around to ilustrating scenes from my stories.

for the camera thing I mention, Nik's got a perfect example on his first image; I could be a guard looking out i could notice two people meeting in the courtyard and their behaviour looks suspicious. It would be a glorious sunset from the battlements and in the distance, see an army approaching.

So I find it's such a useful tool have a 3D model -particulary a location and it can help you describle things much more visually consitent that Im thinking might help readers get their bearings when they imagine how your world looks.

Anyway, sorry, didn't mean to waffle on. 

cool stuff everyone!

Jez


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## Wybren (Oct 18, 2008)

Here is my newest one for PG


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## Precision Grace (Oct 19, 2008)

Oh Wy she is fab!!!!!!

How do I get her small enough to fit in my ava?


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## dustinzgirl (Oct 19, 2008)

Wow you guys are really creative. My daughter wants a computer to learn digital art on. She wants to be a designer of ... fashion, cars, houses, it changes every week, but the same theme.


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## Wybren (Oct 19, 2008)

Highlander II said:


> I know of some rendering software - there's also Poser and Carrara, but I don't think those are free at all - I just don't think that I a) have the patience or b) the artistic drive in that direction to pull it off.
> 
> Heck - making icons/avatars?  I have a standard series of steps that I repeat over and over - my icons are typically only 'artsy' by accident. *g*
> 
> Not saying I won't try at some point, I just don't see myself giving it a lot of effort - especially if I can't pick it up quickly.  I do badly if it doesn't 'click' for me in a relatively short period of time.



Highlander, Daz Studio is free, and there are weekly free items for it, also there are sites that offer free content, though mostly it costs. Poser is more trickier than Daz Studio and Carrara is made by the same mob that do Daz, Carrara has a free trial if you were interested in trying it, but Daz Studio is what you want for 3d humans and ease of use.

PG I am glad you like it


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## Wybren (Oct 20, 2008)

Here is one that got lost in the crash, with a few small adjustments, Elric, done for Grim


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## BookStop (Oct 23, 2008)

Wybren, so DAZ is what you use? My daughter wants you to do tutorials  She loves your pictures! How long does it take you to do 1 pic, like this one?


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## Wybren (Oct 23, 2008)

Tutorials? Really? Ok sure why not.

Yeah Daz is what I use, it is pretty easy in general but it can take along time to do. Added up all time spent on this one is about 6 hours but it was done over a few weeks as I get limited time having a 2 1/2 year old, then there is the render and depending on how detailed your lighting is and how powerful you computer is. There is one image I did that took about 16 hours to do because of all the figures in it, I think it took nearly an hour to load the thing after it crashed once.


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## Overread (Oct 23, 2008)

ouch - but yes your creations are impressive Wy! you clearly know where you are going with the program!


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## Wybren (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks OR, I really enjoy using it, it is kinda relaxing 

Anyway I did this last night, it is only short but it is my first attempt at animation, 





on youtube you can see it in the hi res, but it doesn't appear to be showing that here


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## Wybren (Nov 3, 2008)

This is my lastest one, inspired by Highway woman Hoopy


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## Happy Joe (Nov 3, 2008)

The flutes in her right hand revolver's cylinder are backwards they should open toward the barrel (I can't see the left hand one well but it looks similar).

Otherwise great pic (wish I had some artistic tallent).

Enjoy!


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## Overread (Nov 3, 2008)

!! Great work Wy 
oh and on the guns the one in her right hand also has somthing odd happening with the triggor and the finger  - but its still great work!


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## Wybren (Nov 3, 2008)

I shall have to fix that finger up, unfortunately the guns I have no control over how they look as I didn't create them, like everything else they are designed by other people, I just put them in move them about to where I want them and then render it. I do have control over colours and lights and the pose and features of figures, but props like the guns don't really have much options.


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## HoopyFrood (Nov 3, 2008)

(Thanks to someone for pointing this picture out ) Well I can safely say that I like it, Wybe


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## Wybren (Nov 3, 2008)

Thanks Hoopy, I saw your new av and thought - Hey I have all that stuff in my runtime, I'll do a highwaywoman! Anyway I am pretty happy with how she came out, I wouldn't want to mess with her thats for sure!


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## Wybren (Feb 17, 2009)

My new stuff around Morrigu


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## sloweye (Feb 17, 2009)

Thats really cool. 
I'm still workin out how to do basic shapes


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## Wybren (Feb 17, 2009)

What program are you using?


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## sloweye (Feb 17, 2009)

Hexagon 2. just a freeware one.


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## Wybren (Feb 17, 2009)

That is supposed to be really good if you can get the hang of it. I tried Zbrush, but I cant get the knack of freeform modelling.


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## sloweye (Feb 17, 2009)

Yeah, i keep going back and trying. i'll work it out in the end


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## Wybren (Feb 17, 2009)

Yeah you just gotta perservere with it, thats how I figured out DS


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## sloweye (Feb 17, 2009)

Got some other Tech drawing programs to figure out too, should keep me busy for a while.


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## Lenny (Apr 23, 2010)

A new one from me - the product of a few hours today when I should have been working:






I can't decide whether to have the engines pointing that way and make the far end the back of the ship, or rotate the engines 180 degrees and have them pointing the other way, making the near end the back of the ship.

Another view:


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## Lenny (Jun 25, 2013)

Brian's thread about Google's 3D Warehouse reminded me that this thread exists, so I'm going to post a few more images!

I got a bit bored a year ago (March 2012), and wanted to create a sleek scoutship based on the shape of my mouse.

This is what I came up with. The blue-coloured panels all swivel on rods that are on the inside, and are for steering (the back two for left and right; the two on top, with two below, work as independent pairs for up or down, and all four work together for forward and reverse):











From nose to tail its about 90' long, at its widest point it's 43' wide (35' at the nose, and 40' at the tail), and at its fattest point it has a height of around 20' (the airlock on the back opens to a corridor 8' tall).

I also started building a mothership around it, getting as far as an idea for a hangar. Each bay has an extending/retracting airlock corridor (lets call it an umbilical in honour of *Event Horizon*, my favourite spaceship film), as well as rising/lowering rests which the craft lands on:






Each hangar bay would have its own roof, and the front would open out to space:


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## TheTomG (Jun 25, 2013)

Not sci fi, and not yet finished (texturing remains to be done):






And wireframe of said model:


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