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Post by Dave on Oct 30, 2009 7:23:46 GMT -9
I'm well into a new SF bunker design. Interiors, exteriors, thick walls, doors and windows that open and close, stairs, ramps, crates... This one's going to be really cool. There will be so many ways to put this together.
I started this one thinking that it'd be a neat one- or two-story bunker, but you could very easily print off some extra sheets and make it into tall towers or a sprawling complex.
And as I'm writing this, I've just realized that you could use it to create corridors, too. Neat!
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Post by stevelortz on Oct 30, 2009 18:12:45 GMT -9
Salivating!
Have fun!
Steve
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Post by old squirmydad on Oct 30, 2009 18:52:51 GMT -9
I'm with Steve on this. ;D
Would it just be interiors like a bunker complex or a combination of interiorand exterior elements?
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Post by Dave on Oct 30, 2009 19:28:27 GMT -9
It's the whole shebang with textured interiors and exteriors, and roofs that work just as well as floors (or just floor tiles). The walls are all 1/4" thick (which should wrap around 3/16" foamcore sheets quite nicely) and can be arranged in lots of different ways.
One of the things I'm really looking forward to testing out are these kind-of triangular wall columns, which should look cool whether they're flat on the floor or flipped upside-down so that they're supporting upper floors that are wider than the lower floors. They'll be neat as structural elements or as cover from enemy fire.
It's going to be a neat set of building blocks. Should be a nice set for the 40K or Space Hulk player on a budget. (Does such a person even exist?)
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Post by bobrunnicles on Oct 31, 2009 11:22:25 GMT -9
This thread is useless without pictures, Dave!  ;D |
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Post by Dave on Oct 31, 2009 18:59:15 GMT -9
Every thread is useless without pictures! Okay, so what you're looking at here is my first test build. It's one wall section, two windows, window shutters and two types of columns. When I cut these out, I didn't use a ruler or anything, and I used scissors for the most part. They fit together pretty well even being sloppy. The walls are 1/4 inch thick. I'm using 67 lb. cardstock for now. (If you only speak metric -- sorry, you're screwed in more ways than that.) I'm really happy with the window cut-outs and the shutters. They work great, and the cutting/folding is really elegant. That wall section including the window cut-outs is made from a single piece that you cut and score and fold and glue just so. I'm sure that's old hat to some of you, but I was really surprised that they worked out as well as they did, and didn't require lots of little separate bits to glue into the window-sills to fill in the gaps. I'm chuffed, you see. I saw that I had to shave off about 1mm from the shutters so that they're flush when they're actually shut, and I've already corrected them in Photoshop. The windows also need to be raised about 1/4" so that 28mm minis can aim their weapons through them. Doorways (which I didn't test because I had placed them incorrectly on a separate wall section) will work very much like the windows. The actual door will be just be one big 'shutter'. These are some of the key elements to the design, and now that I'm sure they'll work, I can move ahead confidently on some of the other sections. It's going to be a cool toolkit, and I can't wait to start putting some textures on it. Grates and panels and rivets and rust -- can't wait!    |
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Post by Dave on Oct 31, 2009 20:59:49 GMT -9
Here's a shorter wall segment with double doors. I've been much more careful cutting this one out, and although the image is skewed, the real thing is pretty straight and level. The doors work perfectly, and I think they look really good set in just a little bit like that. They have the same slightly-recessed appearance when viewed from the other side, too. Very successful test so far.   Clearly, I can use these designs for just about any kind of structure -- medieval, modern, futuristic. All of these features are going to be really useful for designing new stuff. I have the distinct feeling that I'm spending experience points like crazy tonight. ;D |
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Post by Adam Souza on Nov 1, 2009 12:04:54 GMT -9
These look great.
I especially like how you had the forsight to make it so they could easily be attached to foamcore. Mounting paper models to foamcore makes them much more durable, and less prone to warping. I'm accustomed to having to modify paper models to use foamcore reinforcement. It's great that you'll be building a set that's foamcore ready.
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Post by Dave on Nov 1, 2009 15:40:21 GMT -9
Now we have some stairs that go nowhere! They'll make sense if you have upper floors to your bunker, or if you want to get up to the roof. I think these wide steps look fine for a science fiction model, but I'll create more realistic steps when I'm ready to make a fantasy or modern model, and create a little insert piece that you can put under your mini so they'll stand flat on the stairs. (I got that idea from Fat Dragon, so credit where it's due.) Each set of stairs (the shorter set, and the taller set) is a single piece, scored and folded and glued to make the whole. I'm always surprised when I can get away with that sort of thing. Both sets of stairs, together, fit neatly on a single sheet of paper. I dig that. You can also see some crates in 5 different sizes that I'll be including with this set.   |
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Post by jabbro on Nov 1, 2009 17:33:29 GMT -9
This is looking good, Dave. I assume these designs will translate well across genres. ;D
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Post by Dave on Nov 1, 2009 18:18:10 GMT -9
Yep, I can create all sorts of models with these basic forms. Right now I know how to build everything I need to start putting skins on my sci-fi bunker. I'll probably start with something relatively small and simple before creating an expandable kit, since I'm still thinking about how best to handle corridor junctions and doorways. Until then... Behold these realistic stairs and an example of an insert block so that minis can stand on them.   |
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Post by Adam Souza on Nov 2, 2009 9:20:05 GMT -9
This project just got a mention on the YLAM BlogI can't wait for it be finished. Hey Dave, I know you were thinking of skinning it for SciFi, but it looks like those shapes could all be well suited to modern buildings as well. Maybe do two sets, one modern, one scifi ?  |
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Post by Floyd on Nov 2, 2009 9:54:08 GMT -9
Will make for some nice little Diarama photos.
Looking forward to seeing where you go with this...
~F
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Post by Dave on Nov 2, 2009 11:16:56 GMT -9
All of these structural elements will be useful as I continue to design models of all kinds.
Last night I sketched out my plan for a stand-alone sci-fi bunker. Right now it's just easier to design models with a specific layout in mind than try to come up with a universal system, but doing these small projects will make me more comfortable with creating bigger sets.
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Post by anitangel on Nov 2, 2009 11:27:44 GMT -9
I think it breaks the flow of playing to insert cubes under the feet of miniatures it doesn't look right either, so I'd suggest you to do the first shown version of stairs. Maybe with steeper steps. Otherwise shaping up nicely.
Anita
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Post by Dave on Nov 2, 2009 13:34:10 GMT -9
The realistic-looking stairs have only one disadvantage: You need to use the little spacer to keep the minis level, which might look weird to some people. But I think if the spacer is textured to match the stairs, it'll be a minor nuisance at worst.
The wide stairs have three disadvantages: They take up a lot of floor space, they don't look realistic, and they will take longer for minis to go up and down because the distance is greater, which will affect gameplay by making it take longer to move from level to level.
Both stairs have their uses, depending on which model they're applied to. If I wanted a set of stairs up to a temple doorway, I could use the wide steps. But for a medieval house, the realistic stairs are really the only ones I would consider.
I thought about using steeper steps, but as it is, the 1/4" steps are unrealistically steep compared to steps in a real house, so it just looks silly if you try to make them bigger.
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Post by djlittle on Nov 2, 2009 14:33:35 GMT -9
The realistic-looking stairs have only one disadvantage: You need to use the little spacer to keep the minis level, which might look weird to some people. But I think if the spacer is textured to match the stairs, it'll be a minor nuisance at worst. The wide stairs have three disadvantages: They take up a lot of floor space, they don't look realistic, and they will take longer for minis to go up and down because the distance is greater, which will affect gameplay by making it take longer to move from level to level. Both stairs have their uses, depending on which model they're applied to. If I wanted a set of stairs up to a temple doorway, I could use the wide steps. But for a medieval house, the realistic stairs are really the only ones I would consider. I thought about using steeper steps, but as it is, the 1/8" steps are unrealistically steep compared to steps in a real house, so it just looks silly if you try to make them bigger. I agree wholeheartedly. The realistic stairs are much better with the spacer if required. |
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Post by Dave on Nov 2, 2009 15:36:32 GMT -9
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Post by anitangel on Nov 3, 2009 6:30:50 GMT -9
It doesn't make the figures walk bigger distances if the stairs are steeper. But if that doesn't suit your taste, how about doing a "railing" that has the wide steps running beside the realistic steps every second step flush with one wide step. And where they meet (L shape) it could support the whole mini from the bottom)?
I'm trying to brainstorm here to help you get rid of that one problem I'm sorry if I'm annoying.
Anita
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Post by Dave on Nov 3, 2009 9:00:27 GMT -9
I've made lots of progress on my test-build for the stand alone bunker. There are no textures yet, but the ground floor is completely built. Today I'll finish the upper floor, which will be easily removable.
The footprint is 7" by 9", and overall I think it's going to take 12 or 13 sheets of cardstock to build the whole thing, and I'll fill up the extra spaces with crates or other little extras as they occur to me.
Photos later today, maybe after I've finished the test build.
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Post by Adam Souza on Nov 3, 2009 20:57:05 GMT -9
Awesome  |
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Post by jabbro on Nov 4, 2009 5:06:11 GMT -9
Nice design. I like the final layout. The columns and the triangular girders holding up the roof really add to the design. If this is the next level of your models, I like where it is going, especially since you could just print out a few extra wall sections for a bigger building. ;D
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Post by anitangel on Nov 4, 2009 8:32:10 GMT -9
Oh, wow! Very good looking!
Anita
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Post by old squirmydad on Nov 4, 2009 10:05:30 GMT -9
Looks good. Will the texturing be compatible/along the same lines as the two previous sci-fi building releases? Have you been putting foam-core inside your walls during you test-builds to check tolerances or are those just hollow shapes for the walls and floors? Thanks. |
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Post by Dave on Nov 4, 2009 10:47:35 GMT -9
I'm creating new textures for this, but they'll be similar enough to my earlier models that they should look fine on the same battlefield. Not everyone was happy with the sci-fi textures I used on those models, so I'm going to try something a bit different.
My test-build has hollow walls with no foamcore. This is a papercraft model and that's all I can claim it to be. If you want to make a paper-over-foamcore model, it'll be up to you to make that work seamlessly. It might be as simple as scaling everything up or down about 2% when you print it. I just don't have the time, money, tools or inclination to build this with foamcore support, but the walls are 1/4" thick and hollow and I think it should should work pretty well if glued to 3/16" foamcore.
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Post by bobrunnicles on Nov 4, 2009 13:21:57 GMT -9
Wow, that is really nice Dave!
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Post by Dave on Nov 14, 2009 22:59:13 GMT -9
I've spent the last couple of days designing surface textures and futuristic bits and bobs to put on this model's frame. I'm creating a lot of new stuff for my texture library, which will make it easier and faster for me to design other sci-fi models later on.
I've just skinned all the walls and I'm starting to add the little details.
My plan is release this bunker with a set of single-layered files for those of you who want hassle-free printing. I'm also going to include at least one set of multi-layered files.
With both sets, you'll have more choices than you can apply to a single model. There are five different versions of the short walls, and five different versions of the long walls, giving you a nice variety of window and door combos (or choose none at all).
The triangular columns come in two versions, so you can set them up with the wide end at the top or the bottom and all of the shadows will be in the right direction.
So that's my update. I'm going to grab a midnight snack and something with caffeine in it, and get back to work on it. My goal is to get this one into the shop within the week.
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Post by Adam Souza on Nov 16, 2009 8:01:32 GMT -9
I'm really looking forward to this project, and I'm delighted that you think you'll have it ready shortly.
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Post by Dave on Nov 16, 2009 8:47:36 GMT -9
Everything's moving right along. I was watching someone play Dead Space yesterday and got some ideas for little things I could add. I'm sketching out some additional furnishings, such as computer consoles and banks of storage lockers, and maybe even some "Safety First" posters.
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Post by WaffleM on Nov 17, 2009 6:02:33 GMT -9
This is looking great! I can't wait to see the colors and textures!
I had a thought about the stairs: I noticed the little blocks you use to allow a miniature to stand on the staircase. Have you thought about leaving the stair risers (the vertical part) open? That way you could just "slot" the base of the miniature into the open riser and the geometry would hold it in place. Does that make sense?
I'm not sure how it would look in stone, but an open staircase might look great as either metal grating for a modern/sci-fi setting or wooden for a fantasy fort setting. It reminds me of the stairs down into my Aunt's basement that terrified me as a kid... I just knew something was going to reach through and grab my feet as I went down the stairs!
Just a thought. Keep up the great work!
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;D
