DESIGN CUSTOM TOYS FOR 3D PRINTING

Follow these quick steps to prepare your own print-ready model in ZBrush

- Follow these quick steps to prepare your own print-ready model in ZBrush

Back in the 90s, the only thing I knew about toys was buying and using them. As time passed the toy industry began to change, and models were created in many different ways: some by kit bashing pieces from existing toys, others were carved in wood to make a 'prototype' before a long, time-consuming wait for the model to be approved and sent to the factories for mass production.

One of the main game-changers in the toy creation industry has been the introduction of 3D printers, providing us with a brilliant tool that enables the printing of our own custom models at home. They were expensive at first, but in recent years 3D printer prices have been lowering, making them affordable and providing the perfect machine for a range of budgets.

Suddenly we had all the tools required to create our own miniatures and toys. In this step-by-step, I will show you my process for creating an art toy, from developing an idea to sketching, modelling, and getting it ready for 3D printing.

01 DEVELOP YOUR IDEA 

Let's start by developing and polishing a concept until we have an initial idea we are happy to work with. I start by just sketching with shapes, and it doesn't matter if it's very basic at this stage - after all, our ideas will often change when we get to the 3D phase and thinking that it's necessary to have the whole idea solved in the sketch might lead to a creative block.

02 MODEL IN ZBRUSH

With the sketches done it's now time to start our modelling stage; in this case, I chose to use ZBrush. We will create a model, scale it to the right size, slice it and export it for 3D printing. In other cases we could also do a paint job of the piece or set it up for rendering - it all depends on the user's needs.

03 CREATE THE HEAD