3D Printed Character #1

Hello and welcome!

It is always fun to begin a new project, because it can certainly take you to new and exciting places. I have always had a desire to learn how to sculpt objects for 3D printing, more specifically, how to create a sort of collectible statue of an original character that I can optimize for printing.

Below, you will find my process thus far. I first put together a solid sketch of the character. I wanted one drawing that can give me a good idea of all the components involved in the making of this character. And this is where Kalyn Locke was born.

My goal with this project

The goal for this project is to have a digital sculpture, split into separate pieces and optimized for 3D printing. This will include a 24 inch figure standing atop a base piece, and posed in action.

Here is a little bit of her story thus far.

Kalyn was raised in a secret institute and has no memory of her childhood. Trained most of her life to be a deadly weapon. Her first assassination was at the age of 11, and was the first of hundreds more across the galaxy. She discovers the truth behind the organization that raised her and now is on a mission to destroy it, such as they did her life before they reconditioned her mind. She is quiet but extremely deadly, leaving nothing but a pool of blood in her wake. She is on a quest to discover who she was before she was taken and brainwashed. Her story is all about vengeance and discovery.

I wanted her design to be reminiscent of a retro-scifi woman in a space suit. With the glass bowl helmet and the skin tight suit and jetpack. I want her to look cute but strong at the same time. As if she can gain your trust easily in order to get your defenses down. She is a master assassin, after all.

From that sketch, I broke down the different pieces and materials all over the character. I then began creating my base mesh in Maya. The images below are of the base mesh inside of Zbrush as I get ready to sculpt to full detail.

Right now, she is in a bunch of pieces. By the time I am done with this project, I hope to have only about 7 or so pieces that can be individually printed for better detailing. I also plan to create keys for the different pieces so that they can easily be put back together with the proper registration. I also want to run power through the sculpture and create a battery operated light that can create a glow for the chest piece and the jetpack parts. I can cross that bridge when I get there.

I have done a 3D print project before, where I modeled a simple rocket ship. I learned alot from that experience, especially what not to do. This project will be interesting, I will only be able to test the 3d model's readiness for printing by using a program such as Autodesk MeshMixer.

I look forward to seeing where this project will take me. More posts are sure to come as I share more screenshots of my progress. The timeline for this project is roughly 2.5 months. This will give me plenty of time to get the proper amount of feedback so this thing can look good when I am done with it.

Lets make something cool!

-Ean