For my 3D model, I decided to create a Transforming Sword and Shield.
I used my knowledge of anime, video games, and google search to pull together a mood board of inspirational pictures and images for this project. This was the beginning of my research and gathering important reference images. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hxw-YAq6qraW1zI1edsY0QwK4vdmVAfHK2Wlch4ToHI/edit?usp=sharing
My main focus was finding designs that would be both eye-catching and innovative to create as adept 3D modeller. I wanted my final design to be simplistic yet functional, and still follow my personal modelling style.
I had a few almost definite ideas for the concept before even starting the project, my first design idea was based of samurai’s and shogun katanas and armour. As samurai’s wore corrugated armour instead of actually carrying shield I decide to take there armour and make a corrugated shield design instead. I also searched katanas for there shape and combined it with my knowledge from the ornamental one I have in my room for the shape and style. Even though this concept idea popped into my head almost immediately, it wasn’t the only idea I had and I wanted to research my other ideas before making my final decision.
My second design idea was based off the RWBY and God Eater anime’s for a giant sword that could transform into a shield. This idea became the idea I decided to take forward and design my model after. As both series specialised in transforming weaponry with simple designs while over exaggerating there sizes, this was when I decided this would be a good bases to start my own idea on.
My third design idea was meant to have a star wars and futuristic feel to it. I decided that this design could have some kind of beam sabre or light sword and the shield could have projected some kind of particle barrier. When designing this I already knew that at my current skill level I would struggle to create this 3D model as I might have need some additional software’s like unity or the unreal engine to pull of the particle barrier effect and the beam sabre particle beam.
My forth design idea was styled of how a stone age sword and shield may have looked. Using flint as a blade being tied to a piece of wood using reeds, and the a handle attached in the same way. This could also have been how the shield was made by tying logs together with reeds. I liked this idea a lot while designing it but thought that shaping an object look like flint would create extremely detail high poly models when i was aiming for simplistic functional models, I also considered that finding and creating a reed texture would be too difficult and time consuming.
My fifth and final design idea was based of the anime “Rising of a Shield Hero”, where depending on the materials the main characters feeds his shield, it gain the ability to transform and gain some of that materials abilities. I decided to go with a dragon head shield that could breath fire after the shield successfully blocks an attack, I then went for a similar design with the sword. The sword blade would come out of the dragons mouth and could be set of fire when attacking.
I finally decided to use my second idea as the final model design, and that’s what I came up with for my 3D model of a Sword and Shield!