It's amazing how far 3D printing has come in the past few years! So much so that I can 3D print an ultra realistic model of my house!

In Realistic Scenery Vol.19 I use a resin based printer, the Anet N4, to 3D print a highly realistic replica of the house I'm currently living in.
To actually design the house I used a free web based program called TinkerCAD, it's really easy to use and for basic type shapes like a house it does the job perfectly.

A lot of people ask how  make my models look so realistic and to help answer those questions here are some of my secret tips for making model look realistic...

Those are just some of the techniques I use when taking the photos of the models, obviously there is quite a lot more with regards to equipment but that can be for another blog post.

For those of you who have made it to the end I have a little treat for you in the form of a photo:

I was lucky enough to have the perfect sunset when it was time to take the photos! And after spending nearly 3 weeks building this model I couldn't have asked for more...

In Realistic Scenery Vol.18 I step you through the process from start to finish in creating this awesome looking night scene but to be honest it looks pretty good in the sunlight as well

Believe it or not but the thumbnail image above as well as the images below have not had any color grading effects done! It's all straight from the camera.

The kit I used to detail the interiors was the 'Ohio Shipping' kit from roometteslighting.com, they make awesome interior kits for a range of the Woodland Scenics DPM plastic kits.
It makes a huge difference to the overall look of the model and brings so much life to the scene.

All the tiny details you see scattered around the building were all 3D printed on the Anycubic Photon 3D Printer, I am constantly amazed at how well the prints come out from this tiny little 3D printer.
If you want to download the files and print them yourself you'll find them here: 

Also to see a couple of extra images you can check out the photo gallery...
When it comes to photos I can sometimes have a critical eye, like the above photo for example! There is some of the diorama base visible and the distant lights in the background are very close to the road, but overall it's a nice photo.
If I spent a bit more time on it I could always use photoshop to fix some of those imperfections.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial video ​😃
Cheers
​Luke

Making an amazing beach diorama like this is much easier than it looks... Sit back and relax with a cup of coffee as I take you through each step of the process building this hyper-realistic diorama

Building large dioramas with such big water features can be a bit of a daunting challenge which is why I decided to film this tutorial, when it's broken down in to easy manageable steps the entire process is not as difficult as it first seems.

There was a number of different specialist tools I used in creating the scene however the main feature which is the ocean water and the wave required no special tools. Although the resin can get a bit costly! All up I used about 1.2 liters of resin which will set you back approximately $60.

If there was one tool I can 100% recommend for anyone getting into the hobby or even if you've been in the hobby for a while and want to take it to the next level you'll definitely want to grab a static grass applicator... They definitely make the biggest difference in getting scenes to look realistic. There are a number of different manufacturers like Woodland Scenics and Noch who sell applicators or you can even try making your own home made version.

Don't forget to check out the photo gallery here:

In this tutorial I'll step you through the exact process I use to build these extremely realistic utility poles!
Utility poles like this are found just about everywhere on the planet however more often than not when I see a great looking scene of a model railroad town it is missing these common details.
Utility poles tend to blend in with the environment and go mostly un-noticed which is why they are often forgotten about when creating our layouts but when you do add these details to the scene you'll be very surprised at just how big a difference it truly makes!

There are a number of 3D printed details included in this build and I understand that a lot of you will not have the ability to 3D print your own details... but that shouldn't stop you from being able to recreate these awesome utility poles, I have included an area on my website with extra information that will show you a company called shapeways where you can upload 3D files and they will print and post the printed objects right to your door.

Additionally on that page you'll also find all the 3D printer files as well as specific measurements, templates and materials.

One of the details that makes the biggest difference with these utility poles apart from the 3D printed details are the actual electrical lines. Getting them looking just right can sometimes be a bit of a challenge however as I'll show in the video it's not as difficult as it seems.

If you are enjoying the videos and would like to help support the YouTube channel and this website feel free to check out my Patreon page here:
https://www.patreon.com/join/luketowan?
You can also support me by buying a t-shirt if that's what you'd prefer:
​https://teespring.com/stores/boulder-creek-railroad

​Trees are a vital part to building a realistic diorama and there are good trees but there are also bad trees! Let’s focus on making the good trees!

This tree is a small clip from an upcoming diorama of a countryside scene with a train passing by. There will be a number of these trees that will populate the front of the diorama.

​In the video above has been condensed down from approximately 1 hour of building into just under 1 minute, a tree like this on average will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to build. The only reason it took over a hour in the video was so that I could film the stop motion sequence at the same time.

Below is another shorter video showing the tree at each stage.

​There are a couple of techniques used on this tree:
​

1. I use a natural branch structure, I’m using dried salt bush in this example but any small branch with a good texture will work, sagebrush is another example of a good fine branch structure with nice texture.
   
   
2. I select an appropriate trunk, it doesn’t matter if it has no small off shoots as we will add those in the next step.
   
   
3. To add smaller branches I select twigs with a fine natural looking structure that will simulate a branch in a larger scale. I use twigs from the same material (Dried Salt Bush) and trim them to an appropriate size, to attach them to the trunk I use super glue gel and baking soda.
   
   The superglue gel holds its shape and doesn’t immediately soak into the twigs, with a small blob of gel on the end of the twig I hold it up against the trunk and then sprinkle a small amount of baking soda over the glue. This acts as an activator for the glue and causes it to set almost immediately.
   
   
4. Next with all the main branch structure complete I attach small pieces of sea foam to the ends of the branches using the same method with super glue gel and baking soda.
   
   
   
5. To blend the colors I spray the sea foam portions with a light beige/grey color until they blend in seamlessly with the rest for the branches and trunk.
   
   
6. To apply the foliage I first spray the canopy with spray adhesive and the sparingly apply the Woodland Scenics medium green course turf. Depending on your desired coverage you may need to repeat this step a couple of times.
   
   
7. To add the leaf texture I use Noch medium green leaves applied in the same manner as the course turf.
   
   
8. Finally to seal it in place and help remove the tackiness from the spray adhesive I go over the entire tree with Matte Varnish.

 
This style of tree is quite time consuming but the end result is fantastic, having a few of these trees at the front of the layout where they will be seen more readily is ideal and you can fill up the background with cheaper less time consuming trees.