Grantt Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hello! I'm an avid terrain designer and builder; it's my favourite part of the hobby in general. I try to get one project completed each year and, without fail, I always get asked if I can recreate terrain for other people to buy. So I decided to get myself a laser-cutter and see if I could join the ever-growing world of MDF terrain building. My first official project is a selection of Victorian terrain which comes in three distinct sets. I'm currently still in the design stage of the first, which involves hours spent slaving over Illustrator to create cutting templates. Once I've finalised these designs, it's over to the cutter to run prototypes and see if it all fits together. Laser-cutters are interesting machines. They can make a painstaking process exceptionally fast, but are still limited in what they can actually produce. I've already learnt that engraving is not a particularly viable option, as it's rather slow, and have had to redesign several buildings to speed up production. The following building, for example, took 6+ hours to engrave - not very economical. So, although I think it looks bitchin', I had to scrap this design. I'd have to sell it for £80 plus to make any kind of real profit from it, purely for the time it takes to make. Even this smaller building takes over an hour; Anyway, after practicing with several different buildings just to check that my designs will work, I have found a way to make detailed, quickly cut buildings. i will post my prototypes once I've run them, but for now I'll give you a teaser of my design... More to come soon... Oh, and did I mention my kickstarter that's due next year? Might be best to mention that now... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machiavelli Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 The first building may have taken 6+ hours but damn.... that is a fine looking piece of terrain. The curved roof is what makes it, I feel. Interesting to see where you're going. MDF laser cut terrain has been brilliant for myself. Quite cheap, lots of various shapes and sizes and ideas out there, easy to transport, and quite durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dassenkop Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Wondering what the price will do for the first building if you only have a ground floor and roof. I'll keep an eye on the kickstarter that's for sure :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furio Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 ohhh hurry up and get the kickstarter started! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantt Posted December 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Hah! Stay calm; first kickstarter is due next year, around March! Machiavelli: I love MDF terrain. I ended up buying so much of it, I could genuinely justify buying my own cutter to save costs! Dassenkop: It's tempting, but I want to create buildings with height for a looming feeling. Having said that, the new stuff will look even better! Thanks for the comments everyone; it's great inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurreyLee Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Looks grand. Pencil me in for some Kickstarter action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kofibrake Posted December 5, 2014 Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 Great looking stuff, BTW. Can't wait to see the kickstarter. Maybe along with the MDF you could also supply cut-to-shape wallpaper sheets to decorate the interior of some houses as Wallpaper was all the rage during the Victorian age, plus it adds tons of character to a building. I have used bits of vinylic textured walpaper to make um a "carpeted" base and it just looks so cool and comfy that you wanna pull off your shoes, and walk on it making fists with your toes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantt Posted January 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 Long time no update! Sorry about that; Christmas was long. Plus, I have a new puppy and she requires a lot of attention. Anyway, here are some WIP images of some of my upcoming terrain... It's the ground floor of a modular, multi-storey design. Hope it whets your appetites! Grantt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradoxstorm Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitchythedog Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Very nice build. I really like the three layers of detail that you see on the exterior face. Much more realistic than most of the windows that I have seen off laser cutters. The only niggle that I could have is the same niggle that I have for all laser cut pieces. For me the tabs on the top of the ground floor visually stick out like a sore thumb. I see that you have recessed them beheind other layers so they wont be seen when the first floor is on. My suggestion would be to model the keys for the first story into the brickwork at the corners with it extending from the first floor. That would hide your "keys" dividing levels. If that is the only niggle that I have then it is a small one. Again very nice build. Snitchy sends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantt Posted January 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Good suggestion: I shall look into how to do it! I want each floor to be exchangeable with others, allowing for a nice mix of constructs, so that does dictate where the connectors must be, but I am sure I can make it more inconspicuous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitchythedog Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Good suggestion: I shall look into how to do it! I want each floor to be exchangeable with others, allowing for a nice mix of constructs, so that does dictate where the connectors must be, but I am sure I can make it more inconspicuous. You have hidden the tabs already behind multiple layers of the facade. For me the visually unappealing part is when the top is off. I tend to do highly detailed interiors on builds so the top is off much of the time. Again if that is my only gripe then it is a small one. Snitchy sends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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