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Bob Ross in 3D

29/2/2020

2 Comments

 
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​The idea of creating a 3D version of a bob ross painting has intrigued me for a long time and I’ve finally done it!
​Below is the full video tutorial that will step you through the entire process of creating a scene like this.
​It might seem simple enough to build a diorama like this and you’d be pretty close however there are a couple of tricks that are a must to create a convincing scene…
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  • First is lighting, the diorama is enclosed in a box and lighting is a must, the tricky part is getting a color temperature that resembles natural white. In the video I used a combination of warm white and bright white LED strips to give me a color temperature closer to 4500 kelvin.
  • The second most important tip for creating a scene like this is total width and height, you don’t want to be able to easily see the side walls of the diorama which is why I made the total width of the diorama 50cm wide but the opening of the frame is only 18cm. The same is true for the top of the diorama so the LED lights are hidden from the normal viewing angle.
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  • Lastly it is important blend the background in with the rear wall of the diorama, this can be done by making a backdrop that blends in with the foreground scenery like I did in the video or you could even hide the rear wall by having scenery elements like trees, bushes or buildings hide the rear wall. Or even better you could do a combination of both techniques.
The only real downside to a model like this is to really sell the illusion the diorama needs to be mounted inside a wall... unfortunately this is not always an option for a lot of people! 
But even so it is really fun to view a model like this if you ever have the opportunity to see something like this in person ​😃
2 Comments

Realistic Scenery Vol.21

8/1/2020

4 Comments

 
The first video for the year 2020 and it's a beauty! It's definitely my favorite river scene I've built so far...
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Surprisingly it didn't take all that long to build, I think altogether I spent about 18 hours building the model but that includes making nearly 20 trees which was a whole day in itself!
Below you'll find the full tutorial video that is full of new tips, tricks and techniques that I haven't shown in previous videos.
I think the biggest takeaway from this diorama is the choice or resin that was used to create the water effect. 
Commonly Envirotex Lite or the Woodland Scenics Deep Pour Water is used to model rivers similar to this however they are only good for river depths up to 1cm deep... The river on this model was over 2cm at its deepest point!
The resin I used was AA Composites Deep Cast Clear Epoxy Resin and it is used for making wooden river tables. It was perfect because it has a low curing temperature and it can be poured to create very deep rivers.

If I were to use Envirotex Lite for this river it would certainly have cured much too hot and likely caused the surface to crack, I did some preliminary tests and found with deep pours of Envirotex it can melt plastic and foam as well as crack and introduce large heat bubbles as it cures.
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The bear, photographer and fish were all 3D printed on the Nova 3D 'Elfin' printer, as you can see it did an amazing job on the HO scale photographer! Even the intricate detail on his face was printed well, I just need to work on my painting skills!

Talking about painting skills... I have a friend that is well worth checking out, Eric from Manscale Models on Facebook is an award winning model aircraft builder and his Facebook feed is packed full of tips and projects he's been working on: https://www.facebook.com/manscale/
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One of my favorite techniques in this video is the fish, I spent ages trying to figure out how to submerge the fish under the water and it wasn't until a watched a video from HMS2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEgki4IYB5I where he made a small fish tank that I got the idea to make small stems to mount the individual fish onto.
It worked a treat and while the execution was different from HMS2 it was his video that sent me in the right direction.
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If you'd like to help support the channel and website feel free to check out my Patreon page, it's a crowd funding page that helps me continue to fund the channel and make bigger and better videos for you in the future.
​https://www.patreon.com/join/luketowan?
4 Comments

Realistic Scenery Vol.20 - The best one yet!

12/12/2019

0 Comments

 
This tutorial takes diorama building to a whole new level... It's no small feat building a model with this much detail and realism but all that time and effort certainly pays off.
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The tutorial video is packed full of tips and techniques that I've never actually shown in other videos.
If you're a frequent viewer of the channel you'll notice I do a lot of natural scenes showing bushland and rivers however this model is a step in a different direction.
Don't forget to make sure you subscribe to the BCR YouTube channel so you don't miss out on awesome future videos like this one.
The video below is the full tutorial video:
Some of my favorite details in the scene include the vending machines which you can see in the photo below and I was really happy with how the tiled walls turned out.
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I'm showing more of an urban scene here and the future plan for this model is to add a top street level scene that will help complete the diorama.
With the top scene in place it will be quite a large model, as it stands the diorama is 1.2m long and with the top added it will be at least 60cm tall with the structures in place.
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so far this is definitely my favorite model, mainly because I can actually drive a train through the scene which is really cool, plus once the street level is in place I'll be able to drive my tiny HO scale cars on there as well.

I hope you enjoyed the video and stay tuned as the next video is not far away!
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0 Comments

I 3D Printed my House - Realistic Scenery Vol.19

22/9/2019

1 Comment

 
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!
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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.
Here is the video tutorial on YouTube if you'd like to follow along:
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...
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  • First is perspective when taking photos: If you watch the tutorial video you'll notice that when I start carving the foam to create the contours of the scene I make the very front edge slope down. This was intentionally done so that when it was time to take the photos I would get a feeling of being lower to the ground and less likely to have the edge of the diorama being visible in the photo and it gives you a better sense of being part of the scene.

  • Next is color and texture: I always choose colors that look pale or faded, even when selecting the grass and tree materials. I almost always use the fall or late summer colors of grass and when it comes to trees I look for olive colors. The woodlands scenics burnt grass course foam is a good start. Although remember to keep in mind the lighting in which your model will be displayed, I photograph my models outside so even the slightest hint of color stands out quite a lot more compared to having that same model under room lighting.

  • Take your model outside: By taking your model outside to take photos you'll get a very nice sunlight color, it is the sun after all, and something else you'll get is prefect shadows. The effects of the shadows cast by the sun are some of the most realistic effects you can get.

  • Last but not least - placement of shadows: It sounds a little strange with no context but what I mean is orientate your model to control where the shadows fall. As an example I deliberately orientated the model in most of the photos to have a portion of the tree shadow being cast over the roof, it just adds another layer of complexity and adds even more realism.
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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:
bonus photo
1 Comment

Realistic Scenery Vol.18

16/8/2019

2 Comments

 
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
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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.
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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.
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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: 
3D printer files
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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.
Night Scene Photo Gallery

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial video ​😃
Cheers
​Luke
2 Comments
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  • Home
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