Sculpting a Hierodule

[Shadowwolf]

So, being an absolute incorrigible maniac, I've decided to buy a resin printer and start printing things! And while waiting for my order to arrive, I decided to hone my Blender skills and sculpt a Hierodule. Cause I want to. And it's not 3rd party models if I make them myself. And who can afford Forge World anyway? Anyway, here's my blob so far!


It kinda looked like a duck with a pair of trumpets at first, but I'm still just blocking out the volumes, getting the proportions right and the parts in the right places.

So with some rough sculpting of the large body scales, I got most of the body defined.

I then went over the legs and arms the same way, getting the details down in the right place, basically just sketching on top of the rough shafe.

And mirrored everything so I can check how it looks. When the sculpt is done, I plan to rig it to a basic skeleton, so I can pose it a little better.

So now I've started working on details and specifict. The angles, shape and flow of all the major armour plates is a pretty big thing, so a lot of time goes into refining those shapes. Then I start adding smaller details, like the eye holes in the shell and lastly texture.

More to come!

Shadowwolf

[Shadowwolf]

A lot of effort has gone into continuity, surface quality and generally making sure all parts align correctly with each other in a satisfying manner. It's that little (ha!) effort that makes sure things follow progressions throughout the model and makes things look sequential and organic.


It's harder than it looks, but really rewarding, because the end result looks so much better!

And then there's a buttload (literally) of texture to sculpt. Man. Forge World details really do go to 11.


Pretty much the lower jaw, topside texture and blending and details on the arms and legs, then I can start posing and preparing it for print!

Shadowwolf

[garg]

This looks awesome i can only imagine how much effort this took. I tried to make a design for a cleaning robot with only basic shapes and even that took time.
Have you five a lot of 3d modelling before?

[Shadowwolf]

Nov 14, 2021 13:22:53 GMT garg said:

This looks awesome i can only imagine how much effort this took. I tried to make a design for a cleaning robot with only basic shapes and even that took time.
Have you five a lot of 3d modelling before?

No, not really. This is my second sculpt for 3D printing. I mean, I've done a lot of 3D-modeling, but in parameter CAD, not this type. But I'm a quick learner with all too thick a head to give up. And it has been slow going, of course... The time and effort investment when doing it the first time is a lot higher than the next. This is all about sheer singleminded relentless refusal to surrender. X)

Anyway, I've been working on the face, bottom and teeth, which is pretty much done.


It all got kinda sidetracked when I found a pretty nice Dimachaeron online that I felt I had to repose and try to print! Good practice, I thought. So, many long hours of sculpting, adjusting, swearing over armature, resculpting, smoothening, parting and reference googling of parkour, I ended up with this.




Printed, he fit together pretty well, though the sockets and arms should probably have had a bit better clearances. A little filing and dry fitting, and you get the picture, at least!



Shadowwolf

[gigasnail]

Amazing job.

[HWAQ!]

THAT IS SO COOOL,
I can’t wait to see more of your work

[tomb]

This is amazing work. Hats off for sticking with it and learning on the job!

How is the Barbie looking currently?

[Shadowwolf]

Thanks, guys! ^^

I havn't been able to finish the barbidule yet, too many details, but I'm slowly progressing during online RPG sessions and the like. I have too many 3D prints to paint right now :-P

But a little progress has been made, at least!


Left to do is finish the detailing of the piocannons, texturizing the carapace and posing him for battle!

Shadowwolf

[Shadowwolf]

Oooh, I've been putting off detailing... But holidays are over, back to grinding.

I think all that's left is a lot of scoring of the shells, then posing and printing!

Shadowwolf

[purestrain]

Nice job dude, I have a 3d printed barbed and a harridan, cost much less

[Shadowwolf]

Texture, lets goo! I just gotta push this through to the end, or I'll never finish it! X)


Shadowwolf

[Shadowwolf]

Aaaand done. Flerkin' herkin done. Next up is posing! Then adding some sockets and splits to the body and arms, then printing! Woo!

I tried plugging in my cintiq and using the pressure-sensitive pen for sculpting, and MAN, was there a mile-wide improvement in how easy it was to produce nice strokes and gradients! I'll probably never sculpt with a mouse again, I just wish I'd tried it sooner X)



Shadowwolf

[Shadowwolf]

After some good old procrastination, I've taken up the Hierodule again! I think I might have burnt the project a bit with the intensity of the finish rush...

Anyway, since sculpting in blender produces nice looking (please do not swear) files, I exported, cleaned and optimized the mesh in Ansys SpaceClaim instead, starting basic socket design for arms.


Then followed a lot of boring infrastructure work, putting in all the boring hours of effort to make the (please do not swear) file work...

And then, I could finally start...
THE POSING GAME!





This is just the basic FW pose, so far. He's not really built for agility, so I might have to add some terrain to leap off or turn against for him to look good.

Shadowwolf

[Shadowwolf]

Heeey, I know, make two more poses! How hard could it be?

It only took; All Day.



It's not like I want 3 barbed hierodules either...



Sure, now I can wait until tomorrow to decide which one to print...



And I'm sure it will be worth it with the new codex, finally!



Only, the barbed hierodule is now pretty much redundant, isn't it?



At leasy I'll have pretty models to paint! :-P

Shadowwolf

[Shadowwolf]

Having worked my way through the grueling process of readying the model to print, how could I not print it IMMEDIATELY?

An, my...

He is much bigger in reality than he seemed in the computer.


I think I keep underestimating the impact of texture and should probably overdo the amplitude of it a little more. There is so much detail and shape lost when you can't zoom in on everything on the screen, so my previous sculpts have been a little bland and flat on the detail front. But I'm getting there, I think.

Another day later, I had printed all his arms and legs as well. 52 seconds in the laser cutter gave me a quick and functional base.



I printed he body hollow, so it is really quite lightweight. I had some reservations about the running pose, where he has only one foot ouching the ground, but I think that's going to work out marvellously.

And off to spray we go!


Shadowwolf