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Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Good morning all, I wanted to start a blog on a project I am working on getting off the ground. I think this is the right forum for what I will be doing.

So i don't have the start up funds, time or equipment to start my own miniature company but I found a solution for my goal thanks to technology advances and a company called Shapeways. I created a web store in shapeways to take my 3d designs and print them on demand. They handle all the labor, checkout, and mailing and all i have to do is work the design piece of it so for a poor mans business this is a great start for me.

My store:
http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures

One of my goals and also the reason i started a Paint and Modeling blog thread is I will be doing commission work for custom designed conversion bits. This first post is about my first commission for a friend to do Aztec themed space marine chapter pads with a jaguar head. They are now complete and in my store for sale and he was really happy with how they turned out.

It all started with some artwork he provided me for an initial idea and facebook conversation. This artwork is my friends rendition of what he had in mind for a chapter of Aztec space marine warriors.



So based on that the first thing I did was try and build a should pad from scratch for the first time... That went so so and also showed me how rusty I got after not doing 3D model making in 12 years.


Next I started tinkering with designs and how to get them to look good on the pad. Started with some simple place holder stuff and text. I also designed a new shoulder pad with correct proportions.


Now that I had a shoulder pad shape I was mostly happy with I started work on the actual design of the Aztec Jaguar based off the artwork my friend provided me.


I went to google images next to make sure I stayed as true to the source material as I could. My friend is from Mexico and wanted to really capture the feel of the Aztec people. The first draft was a nice start but quickly drew comparisons to teddy grahams which then led to pedobear jokes.


I made changes to avoid the design looking like a bear and tried to make it more cat like while keeping it in line with the Aztec art style still. A bit of a redesign and even a tweak to the shoulder pad to fix some edges. This was pretty close to complete and I sent these to my friend for final critique.


Final changes were decided and then I uploaded it to my webstore so he could be begin ordering prints of the completed shoulder pads. I wont know for sure how they turned out until he gets them in though but as soon as he does he is going to send me pictures of the packing material and the pads before and after primer. I rounded out the emblems and added some small work to the opposite shoulder pad. This is a picture of the completed 3D model.


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Oklahoma City

pedobear shoulder pads got a genuine chuckle from me

good luck in yo endeavours! what program you using to draw yer bits?

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/472615.page#4701031 LAND HOOOOOOO! my freeboota blog (can look me up on the-waaagh and da warpath same username)... Currently in the the midst of adventure into night goblin squig cult



hi daoc friends this is beeyawnsay c: 
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Also do to the demand generated from the pedobear comparisons of my early mock up I went ahead and knocked out a design for a single shoulder pad to please the mob.





Now that I have a foundation and a process sort of in place I need to figure out how much to charge to do a commission for a custom design. How much would people be willing to pay to have a shoulder pad made with a design specific to what they want? Some things to consider in the commission price would be that I would own and sell the desgin in the webstore once it is finished. You would not get the shoulder pads from me but would have to buy them in the webstore after i upload the model.

Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Dankhold Troggoth






Shadeglass Maze

The USMC shoulder pad looks pretty good. Do you have any pictures of actual prints in the forsted ultra detail material that these require?
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Hi thanks yeah pedobear got everyone laughing, i dont know if anyone would ever buy that but i think it would be great for slaanesh SGT or something

I cant afford any fancy 3d rendering software so for now i am using autodesk 123D design which is free software specifically meant for 3d printer work. Its VERY limited in what it can do but the price is right.

Right now I don't have any printed out yet. My friend is gonna order the first set on monday and then i will see how long they take to make and ship out. Hes gonna give me lots of pictures of everything so as soon as i get the pics I will post them here for all to see.

Also I have been getting a lot of interest in doing a USMC EGA on a shoulder pad now so I am looking at licensing it from the USMC so I can sell it. The license cost 25-50$ though depending on how much I will make in a year from it so I want to make sure I have enough people on board before I look at buying the license. That and the license is only good for 1 year at a time.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/09/13 15:43:40


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Oklahoma City

Just an idea, you may already be doing but, print these in frosted ultra detail or whatever yourself, as masters... then make moulds of them and sell the casted copies? You'll probably be able to reach a lot larger crowd (thus casting a larger net for dollars) because the price would be lower and accessible to more people.

for 1 run custom jobs you could do shapeways ultra master cost (and shipping)+ resin cast cost + overhead cost + 20% profit or whatever.

Or at least it seems on paper like it would generate you more business/opportunity. I would probably buy a pedo bear set myself if they were cheap enough. buying a set from shapeways would not be cost effective/marketable price point for me though. However I feel you could greatly reduce costs by casting them yourself from your masters! Then people like me who want a set of pedo bear stuff for a joke squad, wouldn't have such a big investment to make?

Best of luck! will be watching this!


http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/472615.page#4701031 LAND HOOOOOOO! my freeboota blog (can look me up on the-waaagh and da warpath same username)... Currently in the the midst of adventure into night goblin squig cult



hi daoc friends this is beeyawnsay c: 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

I would be very interested in seeing how they turn out, for my next army i want to do all sculpted pads.

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Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Thanks, yeah in the long run I could save money using shapeways to create masters for molds but right now I just dont have the time to put into the labor or a place to store the materials. With them handling so much of it, it works great for a starting point though. One thing I don't even know is how much of the money made even comes back to me. All the prices are automatically generated by the volume of plastic needed cm3 so i dont even know what portion will even come back to me as a profit. Once my friend buys the first set of jaguar pads I will see what % is my cut though.

Price point wise the single orders are not affective but the bulk order of 22 pads came out cheaper then resin cast companies selling theirs company. So as long as I am smart with my designs and space usage there are certain items that will have price appeal and certain items that wont.

Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

Well im hooked, i can't 3d model to save my life and I've been looking for a decent substitute and the renders look awesome.

Would you consider trying to make the MK VIII errant shoulder pads? the ones that the command squad champion is typically equipped with

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Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

I can probably give it a go, is this the pad you are talking about?

http://megabitzshop.com/bilder/produkte/gross/Warhammer-40k-Bitz-Space-Marine-Command-Squad-Shoulder-Pad-E-Company-Champion.jpg

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/13 16:07:22


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

Yes sir, thats the one!

I want my next army to be a younger founding, so all Mk VII and MVIII armor.

Angels of Vengeance P&M Blog

A Tale of 5 Gamers!

Blood Knights Kill Team P&M

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Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Well I haven't quite worked out the price for doing commissioned designs yet. I have been discussing that a lot with the group I game with and others outside who do any time of job that pays by commission. So far I know that what I charge will not be based off time spent in labor but based on complexity of the design and how many revisions will be made to the design from feedback.

I did however decide on a price point that seems fair and competitive but is still a good value to anyone buying it. $1 per shoulder pad with shoulder pads being old in groups of 20 or 22 if it includes a SGT upgraded shoulder.

For instance instead of offering the pedobear pad as a single pad to then offering it in a bulk print of 20, it cut the price from 5$ to 1$ a shoulder pad.

Now to start taking request for designs to be sold. My next one I will be working on will be the masonic symbology. Just waiting on my friend to provide me with an image of what he wants done.

http://shpws.me/pbYy




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Started work tonight on a new design request. Friend wanted me to come up with a shoulder pad with the masonic lodge symbol on it.

For those not familiar with it.


I got my rough mock up done tonight and just waiting on feedback now from him to see what he likes and doesn't like. Also need to see if there is room for more detail or if he wants to keep it simple.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2013/09/14 04:14:21


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Started work on building out my Rhino templates today. Got the masters all setup in 3D now but I couldn't find a rhino rear door in my bits box to go off of so that one is still on the to do list.


Now that the templates are done, I started work on getting the Jaguar head moved over and scaled up to fit the doors. Now I am in the process of googling Aztec art and patterns to decorate borders and what not.



This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/16 00:19:22


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

well done man, it may be cheaper if you do kinda like what forgeworld does and make emblems that can go on the doors instead of creating the whole thing. may help with your sanity.

Angels of Vengeance P&M Blog

A Tale of 5 Gamers!

Blood Knights Kill Team P&M

Crusade of Vengeance - A Tale of Sacrifce and Brotherhood
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Made in au
Xeno-Hating Inquisitorial Excruciator





Australia

Subscribed! This is looking incredible, I'm looking forward to seeing more.

   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Thanks for the look. I think I am going to do stand alone icons for the panther head as well but for right now I plan on doing a highly detailed rhino kit. I plan on doing front armor plate, side doors, rear door, top, and extra armor enhancements all in one kit. I wont have a clue how much it will cost though until I finish modeling it all out and get a final volume total of materials used.

I started work on the razor back hatch last night and the front armor plate. Wanted to do a more modern looking view port for the front and something more customized then what GW currently uses with the 2 existing view ports. Also decided that making a single view port off to one side will allow for much large custom details to be added to the other side of the front armor.


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

These are epic brother. Well done man.

I think the hinge details may get a little tricky but damn are those well done man.

Angels of Vengeance P&M Blog

A Tale of 5 Gamers!

Blood Knights Kill Team P&M

Crusade of Vengeance - A Tale of Sacrifce and Brotherhood
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Made in nl
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





The Netherlands

By the way, did you check Philip Sibbering's reinterpretation of the Rainbow Warriors?

Bits Blitz Designs - 3D printing a dark futuristic universe 
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Just took a look at those rainbow warrior links. I like the shoulder pads and some of the other custom art they have done. Pretty cool stuff.

Right now I am at a bit of a creative block. Can't figure out how what else to do with this to do with this rhino kit to add flavor and detail to it. I look at it and it doesn't quite feel done. If anyone has any ideas I'll try anything and see how it looks.


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Moustache-twirling Princeps





PDX

Pretty awesome stuff!

   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Ah adding rivets seemed to do the trick. It really helped get rid of that feeling that something was missing. Now I am starting work on the Rhino rear door now and once I have that finished I will be able to upload it to shapeways for printing. I already have another designed up a group wants me to work on. A wolfs head with flames behind it.


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Crushing Black Templar Crusader Pilot





Arizona

Now if only I had a 3d printer

A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head. - Maxim 12 - The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries

Check out my painting and modeling blog here! Currently I'm working on getting my painting set up... set up. 
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Finished and uploaded the rhino upgrade kit for the Aztec space marines. Took a bit of work to get some last minute stuff done. Came out a little too expensive to print in high detail but I was able to get the price down on standard white plastic by hollowing out a lot of the thicker areas from the back. Now that i have a template for the rhino upgrade parts setup I am gonna work on some ultra marine doors now.




Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Started work on the next rhino/razorback set. Wanted to try something easy that I could turn out quick. I really like how it turned out but it still feels a little short on something. Can't figure out what to add to make them feel complete.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/28 20:35:21


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

Very well done brother

Angels of Vengeance P&M Blog

A Tale of 5 Gamers!

Blood Knights Kill Team P&M

Crusade of Vengeance - A Tale of Sacrifce and Brotherhood
www..com/dakkaforum/posts/list/545145.page 
   
Made in us
Sneaky Sniper Drone





San Antonio, TX

Enjoying an impromptu day off, started drafting up a USMC EGA shoulder pad and if there is enough interest in this when im done ill pay for the hobby sellers license from the USMC and put it up for sale.


Custom designs for 3d printing

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/redstoneminiatures
https://www.facebook.com/redstoneminiatures 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

Hey Sparticus, what are you working on now?

Angels of Vengeance P&M Blog

A Tale of 5 Gamers!

Blood Knights Kill Team P&M

Crusade of Vengeance - A Tale of Sacrifce and Brotherhood
www..com/dakkaforum/posts/list/545145.page 
   
Made in us
Hardened Veteran Guardsman





Edge of the Horizon

That bear... Hmm... Yeah... Lol

 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





The Aztec Marine drawing is amazing! If any models are made please share them here! Also looking forward to seeing some of these designs printed - it's been interesting watching the technology evolve and I'm always looking forward to how miniature bits come out.

   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot





Pittsburgh PA, USA

Any update on the USMC icons? I'm curious to see how much detail you managed to go into!

Angels of Vengeance P&M Blog

A Tale of 5 Gamers!

Blood Knights Kill Team P&M

Crusade of Vengeance - A Tale of Sacrifce and Brotherhood
www..com/dakkaforum/posts/list/545145.page 
   
 
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