3D illustration of a sci-fi Japanese capital

[Gamerprinter]

Next character build in 3D, possibly being one of Kaidan's iconic characters. This is Kumiko, a bugeisha samurai of House Inoue (EE-no-way), in flying armor, with thrusters on her shin guards, and not seen from a pack on her back. I planned to place a pistol in her ribbon around her waist, but forgot to make it. She bears a vibroblade naginata in her hands that can cut through armor. As an Easter Egg for me, Kumi Inoue (maiden name) is one of my first cousins in Japan... enjoy!

Female Asian model (purchased and downloaded), armor and weapons were modeled in Wings 3D, image rendered in Vue Creator.

GP

[Gamerprinter]

I needed a break from making ships and map tiles, so I created a detailed race called the Nelid, a segmented worm being that is hermaphroditic (both male and female parts), though it still needs a partner where both leave the encounter pregnant. It's highly intelligent with telepathic communications ability, capable of controlling those with weaker minds than it. Though it can move fast in liquid and muddy environments, it harnesses itself to a cybernetic walking vehicle with insect like legs and humanoid arms to wield tools and weapons. Don't know if I'll actually publish this or not, but the idea has been spinning around my head for the last week or so, finally getting the opportunity to create it... enjoy!

GP

[Gamerprinter]

Well after completing a 22 map commission for Legendary Games Ages of Empires AP, I'm finally free to get back to my own projects, but needed a non-job project to clear my mind to set me on course again, so I created a 3D model of a wasp with a metallic body, and a transparent abdomen showing the mechanism as a medical syringe micro drone. Enjoy!

GP

[Gamerprinter]

Next I'm going to create several themed sets of map symbols using the same 3D software for use in sci-fi virtual tabletop applications, in varying dpi, including 300 dpi for use in printed maps. Because I'm creating these in 3D, it allows me to offer 3D printable files allowing one to print their own map symbols for tabletop use. Here are 4 map objects - again all created in Wings 3D. So for the first set, I'm working 10 3D token designs that fit a sick bay. I'll create a version for ship's bridge, cargo hold, engineering, weapons platform, etc, then providing a comprehensive set of 100 or more objects. Below are tokens for Sick Bay: a surgical/examination bed, an isolation bed, a dental chair, and a cold sleep pod.

GP

[Gamerprinter]

Just created a medical laboratory table, corner unit with an electronic microscope, centrifuge, test tubes, and petri dishes; a microwave/radiation box, weight scale, medical computer, pharmaceutical prep station, and an organic 3D printer, printing a heart. And a surgical tool caddy...Enjoy!

GP

[Gamerprinter]

Here's another common sci-fi movie trope object...

[Gamerprinter]

The final object for the Sick Bay Map Object/3D printable set of 10 tokens. This is a premium physician drone robot. Instead of 4 tool limbs and 4 walking legs as depicted in the Armory, this bot, as tracks for legs, two side arms that can lift a patient, a stretcher and turn a patient on a table to access area requiring medical attention. Between those arms are 6 tool arms all arrayed to point to a location for surgery. Left to right, the tools are: a small circular saw for bone cutting, forceps, a cutting/cauterizing/focused radiation laser, a scalpel, syringe and topical gel dispenser. I included a close up of just the tool array, because... I went overboard, this is too tiny and too much detail to be 3D printable, so for the printable version, I'm going to beef up the size and lower the detail so it can be printable. I just wanted to show off the overboard detail work I put into this... Give me a couple days and I'll release this product, hopefully on Monday... enjoy!

GP

[Jaxilon]

Thanks for sharing. I've wanted to learn 3d myself but haven't gotten into it yet. It seems like the tools are a lot to take on at the beginning but I'm sure like anything once you get the basics it starts to roll along.
It's been fun looking these over and see what you've been up to.

[Gamerprinter]

3D design is a different kind of animal entirely compared to 2D graphics/mapping. The first time I started using 3D (20 years ago), it took me a week to grasp the basics - working in 3D space, in today takes a little to wrap your mind around. I use a relatively simple, FREE, subdivisional surface modeler to create my objects, because it's based on Nichimen Nendo, which I used for 10 years, so I'm familiar/comfortable with using it. It does not apply textures, lighting or renders, I require another program to accomplish that. Although I use Vue Creator now ($20/mo. subscription), I ought to use Blender 2.8 which is free, but uber-complex, so a bit intimidated now, but I should use it. Believe it or not, but all my objects in this thread (except the land which is done using Vue), began as a cube, cylinder or sphere, more rarely using octoids, icosahedron and geodome, but I begin using primitive shapes and through extrusions, insets, rescales and subdivides, I can create whatever is in my imagination and skill to accomplish it. Like anything else, it takes some practice to get the hang of it, 3D is not always intuitive, but once you get it, you can do a lot - even useful for creating complex objects for a map.

I wouldn't use 3D with fantasy, but sci-fi seems a good fit for using it, and why I am.

[Tiana]

3D design is a different kind of animal entirely compared to 2D graphics/mapping. The first time I started using 3D (20 years ago), it took me a week to grasp the basics - working in 3D space, in today takes a little to wrap your mind around. I use a relatively simple, FREE, subdivisional surface modeler to create my objects, because it's based on Nichimen Nendo, which I used for 10 years, so I'm familiar/comfortable with using it. It does not apply textures, lighting or renders, I require another program to accomplish that. Although I use Vue Creator now ($20/mo. subscription), I ought to use Blender 2.8 which is free, but uber-complex, so a bit intimidated now, but I should use it. Believe it or not, but all my objects in this thread (except the land which is done using Vue), began as a cube, cylinder or sphere, more rarely using octoids, icosahedron and geodome, but I begin using primitive shapes and through extrusions, insets, rescales and subdivides, I can create whatever is in my imagination and skill to accomplish it. Like anything else, it takes some practice to get the hang of it, 3D is not always intuitive, but once you get it, you can do a lot - even useful for creating complex objects for a map.

I wouldn't use 3D with fantasy, but sci-fi seems a good fit for using it, and why I am.

I've just started working with Blender 2.8 and yeah, it is crazy how complex it it is. It's not intuitive at all in most places, and I haven't got a bloody clue how to perform most tasks, or even how to phrase a question to Google, making it take literally multiple days to figure out how to progress past one step. With that said, I actually haven't figured out how to do anything that's remotely sci-fi right now... I've been exclusively doing fantasy monster sculpts starting from a sphere. I don't know how to get them out of the program or even how to get a nice screenshot of them, or how to make textures do anything at all. Everyone keeps being like "it's soooo powerful" but I'm convinced that's code for "it's overly convoluted and extremely challenging to learn". The only part that's intuitive to me is sculpting. It sculpts real nice. I don't use Vue so I can't compare, but it only took me a few days to get the hang of doing basic monster sculpts, so I assume eventually I'll figure out how to make fantasy terrain items (main goal).

Anyway, I love your sci fi art and I now have an idea of how ridiculously complicated it is to make. I already love sculpting in Blender, I just have no freakin' idea how to get it from there to a finished piece of art, and the process is nightmarish to learn. Yeah, Blender's "powerful" but if you like Vue and it's something you can charge as a business expense, screw it, man, just use Vue.

And having sculpted a bit now I do believe all your stuff started as simple shapes. Kinda seems like that's the easiest way to build something in 3D.