Some of you may remember my Lego Space Marines blend I uploaded at the start of the year, a blend that's been one of my most-downloaded models. Thanks to my own skill improvements, a much better computer purchase, and some of Blender's nifty new features since then, I'm proud to present an entirely new set of high-quality Space Marines. This has a number of significant improvements over the older blend, including:
<ul>
<li>Higher-Quality Minifig Model: The minifig model is now higher-resolution, with accurate placement of stud holes on the bottom and back of the legs. The topology itself has been reworked to provide for a cleaner, easier-to-manage experience.</li>
<li>Better Armor: The new duds the Space Marines have donned are a significant improvement over the chunky, ugly armor worn by their predecessors. This version features smooth curves, a much higher level of detail, and improved unit and rank insignia. While subdivision modeling is employed to enhance realism, both the armor and the minifigures can have the subdivision turned off to create a poly-count low enough for decent-quality realtime applications.</li>
<li>Better rendering &amp; realism: The Space Marines are now rendered in Cycles, with 1000 passes being employed to ensure that they stand out from the crowd and look much more like actual Lego figures. All sharp edges are slightly rounded to give that extra-realistic feel, and Cycles' improvements in lighting and depth of field over the Blender Internal render engine give the scene a more photographic appearance. No more overdone chromatic aberration, SIR!</li>
<li>Better guns: Let's face it, the previous editions' guns were just boxes with tubes stuck in. These Marines carry the latest and greatest in space weaponry, with detailed but still Lego-esque design and a much improved heft and interaction with the rest of the scenery.</li>
</ul>
Well, that's about it for the wonderful new features. As always, let me know if you do anything really cool with 'em, or make any money off them. I may come back to these guys later to make an animation, and an addon set with new troop types might be in the works...
Oliver: I wouldn't want to start selling these guys, as 3D printing generally requires a NURBS or other spline-based construction for best results. Besides, I don't have huge quantities of ABS plastic to work with, and the market for custom parts and accessories is already flooded with Brickarms, Bricforge, Little Armory, etc... At least none of those people can make their products look this sexy. :D
First off I have downloaded all of your Lego Space Marines and have throughly enjoyed them. I was wondering if you might want to make a small game using the blender game engine or even unity.
I have been using blender for about 4 months and have fallen in love with it...If you wanted to join me on this project. I also have some photoshop skills as I have been using it for nearly 5 years and would be able to help out with anything from landscaping to faces of the characters.
Thanks, Ryan Hartmann
Something like this is a genuine service to the blender communtiy. Simply fantastic.
The attention to detail is what makes this stand out.
Ryanhartmann: send me an email and I might be interested. :) Thanks, everyone, for your kind words.
HJM, if you decide to do a game, let me know. I'd tell you why but it's a secret. LOL
Sorry to everyone who's downloaded this before this point. I just discovered that I included a <em>soundtrack</em>, of all things, in the .blend file. I just removed it, so sorry if I ate up a bit too much of your download quota.
Does anyone want to see these guys in actual Lego form, whether as a limited-edition set or an ongoing theme? Now's your chance to make your voice heard! Support the <a href="http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/5127" rel="nofollow">Space Marine campaign on Lego Cuusoo</a>!
Make sure you're using a build with Cycles enabled, and that you're using Cycles. Go to File>External Data>Unpack into Files, and choose the first option. Close and re-open Blender.
For some reason Cycles doesn't like packed images. I hope this helps; if not, grab another build of Blender and try again.
Thanks for your kind comments, everyone. If you're interested in the development of vehicles, concepts, etc.- please check out the <a href="http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/5127" rel="nofollow">Space Marines Cuusoo page</a>.
The progress you've made from here is quite amazing. Are you considering updating it?
Love it, I also supported it on www.legocuusoo.com i hope it comes through :)
Hello hjmediastudios,
You might have heard this advise from others, (because you should totally do it), for your Space Marines LEGO Set, U should tweak them a little and resubmit on the LEGO IDEAS website. Everyone loved them, and if you adjust them to the lego ideas teams' requirements, we might just get an official lego set, or even a new theme! We all want to see you prevail in this particular set(s). btw, i've downloaded this and it is the best thing ever. :).
Best wishes with this and everything else you're managing.
wow.... very good... I love your model ...