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.

Hello.

One of my very first few posts here, even though I've been following the forum for years (and If this post is not appropriate for this section of the Forum, please let me know).

Because I have some experience in 3D modeling, I have decided to try to create some custom models for my army, which I wanted to share.

First a stand-in for a Hive Guard:



And a few color renders:






If you are interested, I am sharing the STL file here: http://shorturl.at/dknQ8

I am also working on a custom Pyrovore model, which I hope to share very soon.


Any feedback is welcome, and if someone would download and print the model, I would appreciate if you could share images of it.

Many thanks.

A really nice model, the only critic that i have is that It somehow looks too much human, which in general is a bad thing for a Tyranid mode. They are supposed to be extremely alien. I can't pinpoint what is giving me that impression though...

It's the posture.

It stands too straight up. Tyranids all hunch forward. At the very least at the neck where they lean forward.

Even the trygon, which is arguably the most erect tyranid there is slopes forward at the neck/head.

The only one that doesn't "hunch" is the zoanthrope which has always had a more upright head segment; its balanced out by the fact that its got a massive head. Heck its current model has 3 neck segments connecting its head to its shoulders/body.

I'd also swap the scything talons around - Tyranids typically keep the larger on the upper body where they've got the most reach - with them then getting steadily smaller as you go lower down - the Trygon again shows this really well. The Mawlock shows the other style - that of equal sizing.

The Zoanthrope also hunches.



First, the necks alignment only LOOKS strait because the body itself is leaning backwards so far.

But more important, the neck sits higher than the jaw/face because the head itself is on a forward leaning angle. If you take a zoanthrope model and tilt it so that the upper torsos spine is straight up and down it would be staring at the ground.

I also agree with the limbs thing. The lowest limbs are too big and look like legs for something that is serpentine. It breaks from the other Nids like that (Raveners, trygons, mawlocs) and makes those lower limbs look like legs.

Thank you all for the feedback.

Regarding the posture, I always liked the first edition Tyranids and their upright stance (as in the cover below), but you are all right that it is not fitting the modern model range.



I'll incorporate the feedback in the design of my version of the Pyrovore, and at one point I will re-sculpt the Hive Guard as well.

I appreciate that you are accepting of constructive criticism and feedback. Looking forward to the next models.

I think the Hive Guard you have done is great as a single pose, but as others have noted if you could add some other more typical forward hunch posed versions it would be cool

Definately looks good. The only bit that clashes a bit for me is the thing on the back end of the gun. Looks too much like an eldar gubbinz. The one under the gun has a few more organic ridges that I think make it work, but the back end bit could maybe do with a bit more detail?

 Flinty wrote:
The only bit that clashes a bit for me is the thing on the back end of the gun. Looks too much like an eldar gubbinz. The one under the gun has a few more organic ridges that I think make it work, but the back end bit could maybe do with a bit more detail?

Yes you're right, it almost looks like a Dark Reapers' weapon (especially the the muzzle). Well, next time I'll try a more organic (but less wraithbone) design.

I wanted to share the work in progress on my personal version of the Tyranid Pyrovore. Based on your feedback I made it more animal and insectoid in look, and partially inspired by the Tyrannofex model as well.

It is just the initial shape and it's missing all the fine detail:




Hope you like this more than the previous model, and once completed I will share the STL file.

That pyrovore would be incredible. Love how it gives an impression of a smaller exocrine and that stubby barrel screams flamethrower. Might think about making the rear hips a little thicker would be my only suggestion.

These are phenomenal -- please do share that STL for the Pyrovore when you're done!! And awesome work!

Great work. You may want to build it with some modifications in mind.

Make a "Vore" base. Change the head/tail tip/ back gun and get a biovore variant from the same "base model".

The biovore really needs some love.

That's some great work! I'd love to see your take on the modern Tyranids following the original design.

That pyrovore is amazing, great job.

 Lance845 wrote:
You may want to build it with some modifications in mind.
Make a "Vore" base. Change the head/tail tip/ back gun and get a biovore variant from the same "base model".

That's an excellent idea, and it should be quite easy to swap individual parts.

Pretty nice modeling work! My biggest issue with them is that some of the "ends" aren't as sharp as I would expect. Like the end of the tail and claws are too rounded-off. The tail of the Hive Guard one looks a bit too thick or stubby to me as well. I would either elongate the tail, or if you specifically didn't want a long tail, then I'd think about adding a bit of carapace armor detail and a spike or something at the end of it.

The "ammunition pieces" on the Hive Guards gun looks too much like those that you'd find on Eldar weapons as well. (I see that was also mentioned above)

I was going to comment about the bumpiness of the model in the renders, but I suspect that's just a bump map applied to the material for the textured images.

The Pyrovore is taking a nice direction. I think it just needs more detail polish, but I'm guessing you knew that already

Are you expecting people to resin-print this? I took a look at the STL and I suspect it'd take a lot of editing before it'd print reasonably off of an FDM printer.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Are you expecting people to resin-print this? I took a look at the STL and I suspect it'd take a lot of editing before it'd print reasonably off of an FDM printer.

I personally don't have experience with FDM printers. I usually use Shapeways' service (I think they have SLS printers), and never had problems even with more complex figures.
But it is disappointing that it may not work with FDM. I realize that it is a relatively complex model, and I could separate each individual part (head, limbs, weapon), but it may be time consuming, and end up taking more space (and be more expensive to print, at least through Shapeways).

But I think that the next model (the Pyrovore stand-in) should be much simpler.

That pyrovore is nicely done! I’d love to see your take on its cousin, the biovore (just aiming the barrel more skyward might do the trick).

On the pyrovore, have you considered making the end of the barrel more flamer-like, maybe with some some sort of igniter symbiote?

I like the upright posture of the first model, but the weapon does look like it was stolen from a dark reaper.

I wanted to share the work in progreass on the Biovore variant (as suggested by some of you), together with the original Pyrovore option.



To make the Biovore more interesting, I thought to add a Symbiotic creature, which supports and helps to aim the main gun.


Tomorrow I will share the final renders and STL files.

 Chromit wrote:

To make the Biovore more interesting, I thought to add a Symbiotic creature, which supports and helps to aim the main gun.

Now that's friggin' cool. Well done.

Several Tyranid units technically have symbiotic companions - heck most of the guns have "eyes" on them. So that's a fantastic and very Tyranid idea!

Is GW hiring? Seriously, they should give you a call... awesome stuff!

Lookin pretty good!

That Biovore and Pyrovore are amazing.

I've finally completed the Biovore and Pyrovore (took some time to clean them), and I hope that you will like them.



The Pyrovore STL file:
http://shorturl.at/dhqJ3

And the Biovore STL file:
http://shorturl.at/fjmKR


As for the next model, I will do something a little different than Tyranids.

I really like your stuff my dude.

Keep on going!