Deinos is a 5″ resin toy that was designed in Autodesk Maya, then 3D printed by Crystalline Models in Los Angeles, then molded with silicone, cast in resin plastic and then hand painted by the artist. This article will explain the process step by step.
1. Design and development
Deinos is a character I drew for a series of CI Boys I designed on submission for Red Magic Toys in Hong Kong. I really loved the character, and wanted to do more with it. His shape somewhat complex, but I was confident it would be possible to model and mold him without too much trouble. Designing for the mold is incredibly important when you are making your own toys as you’ll spend ages on clean-up or have trouble getting the cast figures out of the molds if you have too complex shapes.
Here is the design that I went into Autodesk Maya with. Compared to the final outcome, this has several major differences. His hands are straight out and his body is more of a typical designer toy. With his hands straight out, it might be difficult to mold and cast, depending on the shape of the arms. I think this would have been fine if I did mold this, but it’s a much less appealing design.
2. 3D modelling in Autodesk Maya
I brought the design for the head into Maya and set up two images planes that allowed me to model after it’s size and general shape. Starting with a polygon box, I shaped and extruded it to become the head of Deinos.
Quick turntable of the design in the making. Not looking all that good!
Here’s a final version of the head.
The Process
Deinos is a 5″ resin toy that was designed in Autodesk Maya, then 3D printed by Crystalline Models in Los Angeles, then molded with silicone, cast in resin plastic and then hand painted by the artist. This article will explain the process step by step.
1. Design and development
Deinos is a character I drew for a series of CI Boys I designed on submission for Red Magic Toys in Hong Kong. I really loved the character, and wanted to do more with it. His shape somewhat complex, but I was confident it would be possible to model and mold him without too much trouble. Designing for the mold is incredibly important when you are making your own toys as you’ll spend ages on clean-up or have trouble getting the cast figures out of the molds if you have too complex shapes.
Here is the design that I went into Autodesk Maya with. Compared to the final outcome, this has several major differences. His hands are straight out and his body is more of a typical designer toy. With his hands straight out, it might be difficult to mold and cast, depending on the shape of the arms. I think this would have been fine if I did mold this, but it’s a much less appealing design.
2. 3D modelling in Autodesk Maya
I brought the design for the head into Maya and set up two images planes that allowed me to model after it’s size and general shape. Starting with a polygon box, I shaped and extruded it to become the head of Deinos.
Quick turntable of the design in the making. Not looking all that good!
Here’s a final version of the head.
3. 3D Printed / Rapid prototyping
To be continued when time allows it…
For those who want to learn how to model, 3d-print and cast their own toys in resin, I have made a tutorial while working on my Fire Husky toy which you can find here.
If you need any help with your resin figure, just send me an email.