Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I know people will sculpt models completely out of green stuff in some instances yet I believe my 3D digital modelling skills along with my artistic skills via a drawing tablet and my creativity could produce some pretty cool concepts.

Do they use 3D software to design models? Do they just scan green stuff models and then use that?

Traditionally, for metal models they were sculpted from putty and then cast.

Plastics were sculpted at 3 times the final size, broken up into sprues and then a mould cut through a pantograph that reduces it down to the required size.

These days, GW (and a growing number of other companies) has moved to 3D sculpting for at least some (not sure if they're doing them all yet) of their plastic kits.

Is their any word on what programs they use for 3D sculpting?

i can tell you from experience with GW that they do alot of their new stuff in a software called

Zbrush

zbrush isnt cheap but its very powerful when it comes to 3d sculpting

its fun to use though

The software itself doesnt really matter, they all output the needed file types.

I personally work in Maya and Mudbox, but almost any combo would do. 3ds and zbrush, modo and mudbox, houdini and zbrush, lightwave and zbrush etc etc etc. You just need one for Modelling and the 2nd for fine detail sculpting. In the end, you end up with an OBJ file, which is then what they tend to use.

Thing is, you won't get very far using the 3D route to output actual minis for yourself, 3D prototyping is very expensive, so unless you want to spend 500 bucks plus per model, I would turn my attention to more traditional sculpting if minis interest you. Keep track of it though, one day things will get cheaper.

MajorTom11 wrote: Keep track of it though, one day things will get cheaper.

Particularly with the slow spread (and fairly rapid decrease in price) of desktop-sized 3D printers. It's just a matter of waiting for the right combination of affordable machine with sufficient resolution...

$500 per model? That's at least an order of magnitude off. I would guess $25-$50 for a 28mm sized mini. I any of you have appropriate files I can get you a quote and see how close I am. The problem with direct digital prototyping is it's not going to give you the surface finish or detailing you would get in a hand sculpted miniature.

Edit: BTW the prefferred output for rapid prototyping is STL

3D printing can give some fairly good results. I had a look round a company in Sheffield (UK) which used 3D printing to create both prototypes for medical implants (artificial joints, components etc) and also to create custom surgical guides which were mapped from CT, MRI and x-ray image series and turned into 3D drill guides, etc.

Granted it was all done on a really, really high spec 3D printer, but you can get really clean and smooth results on them.

They work better on mechanical shapes where you don't notice the stepping and graininess. Organic shapes come out pretty terribly. Also compare the size of the features on the parts you have seen to the size of features on a typical miniatures face. Miniatures are actually a pretty difficult application for this technology.

I use RP all the time for my job and have purchased parts using just about all the technologies out there, I could be mistaken but I don't think so. I'd be grateful if you'd point me to something better than what I've seen so far.

More towards the question in the original post, the digital sculpting done by GW is translated directly into their steel molds, so they by bypass these problems completely.

asmith wrote: The problem with direct digital prototyping is it's not going to give you the surface finish or detailing you would get in a hand sculpted miniature.

That, obviously, depends on the resolution of the machine being used.

I was under the impression that GW use the 3D tech to produce the prototype model, and then make the mould from that, but I'm happy to be wrong. I do know that there are a number of other companies out there though that are using rapid prototyping to produce 28mm miniatures with no appreciable detail problems. So the tech to do it is certainly out there...

Yeah I'm talking about the highest level of resolution you can get.

Please quantify "no appreciable detail problems". You can hand finish prototypes to smooth out the surface texture, but both the prototyping and hand finishing are going to wash out detail.

Granted bad casting can also give you finish, detail and texture problems, but if you are talking about masters for metal or resin molds hand sculpting is still the best way to go.

Take a real close look at some of the detail from say raging heroes (who are doing the best at taking advantage of this technology) even after hand finishing to some hand done greens and you'll see the difference.

edit: no GW uses the technology to get to the plastic molds directly without the intermediate step. That's the entire advantage of this approach.