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Working on a turn table based on Al Armatage's in a Gazette. It's shorter due to lack of real estate.
NBW's and the guy wires yet to happen.

MJinTN

Quote from: Rail and Tie on February 18, 2026, 10:58:56 AMI have been trying to find a way with the AI stuff to exaggerate the creases/folds in fabric

It may be that one AI will do this better for you than others.  Hitem3D seems to generate sharp features that catch paint more than something like Meshy which is generally smoother and produces nicer details (in my opinion). If you are working in HO then detail levels are probably moot as all the AIs will give you more than you can usefully print/paint.

Quote from: Rail and Tie on February 18, 2026, 10:58:56 AMThat turned out very well.  The figure detail is spot on, especially for the scale. I have been trying to find a way with the AI stuff to exaggerate the creases/folds in fabric which can help painting in small scales. No luck yet, but will be trying some of this this weekend if I get some time.

I was pleased!

This AI route seems to be quite good at such detail.  However, painting in detail works well as well.  The crease/seam on the back of her jacket is painted in, not modelled.  This is the established idea of using a base tone, base+black and base+white. The idea is to paint in creases etc using the lighter/darker shades of the base.  It works very well.  It helps if the detail is there, but where it isn't you can easily add some.

I've moved on a bit.  I purchased subscriptions to Meshy and ChatGPT and I'm developing a workflow to produce specific figures that I'll write up at some point. What I want to achieve (and I'm basically there) is to start with an image (generally a period pic in my case) and to reproduce that figure convincingly in my desired pose without a lot of work. It's pretty simple and quick, but the AI steps take time (a minute or two each iteration), and it can take a few goes to get something that I'm happy with.  Even so, it's realistic to be ready to print within 30 minutes.

That turned out very well.  The figure detail is spot on, especially for the scale. I have been trying to find a way with the AI stuff to exaggerate the creases/folds in fabric which can help painting in small scales. No luck yet, but will be trying some of this this weekend if I get some time.

So here she is painted.

She doesn't stand cruel enlargement but at just over an inch high she's amazing.  I'm fairly new to figure painting and while I think I have a grasp of the basic techniques my execution can be wayward. My first attempt was a bit rough, so this is a partial rework.

The facial detail is there.  It's beyond me to paint as such, but some washes have highlighted the detail enough to give a good impression.

There's a few hours in this paint job and, while I think I could do better, I don't actually need this figure so I'm going to leave her as she is and move on to some stuff I do need.

Quote from: Rail and Tie on February 17, 2026, 04:34:29 PMTimely discussion Lawrence!

I have just been investigating the exact same thing for making printable figures/ items from historic photos. I have only played a bit with Meshy's free version, but was considering a subscription if it works well. I had not heard about Hitem3D yet, so thank you for the introduction. Looking forward to your results from your first prints.

Thanks - I assume others are looking. The principle is dead easy, but I'm interested in anything that improves the process, makes it more controllable or speeds it up.

Generic people are useful, and fairly easy I think.  What makes custom figures more fun is the ability to create custom cameos, which I suspect will be trickier.

Timely discussion Lawrence!

I have just been investigating the exact same thing for making printable figures/ items from historic photos. I have only played a bit with Meshy's free version, but was considering a subscription if it works well. I had not heard about Hitem3D yet, so thank you for the introduction. Looking forward to your results from your first prints.

This is a new thread pulled out of a digression elsewhere.  So some of this initial post is a repeat of that.

ChatGPT can be part of a workflow to 3D models but won't (currently) generate the model. Note that ChatGPT is quite capable of being untruthful (and frequently is). If challenged it will happily own up to it and, while this is amusing, it can be frustrating.

It's handy for generating the images that other AIs can use to produce models though.

Meshy, Hitem3D and Tripo (and others) can produce models.  Below is the ChatGPT image when asked for a 30s female passenger standing waiting for a train.  You can refine this as needed by asking for whatever suits.  Using this image in the other AIs produces the 3D models illustrated.  These are all high poly watertight printable models.  Not perfect by any means but perfectly acceptable in scales less that 1:64 and easily refinable in larger scales.

This was all done with free/demo versions and one could viably get to a printable figure in 5 minutes.

This is far from the last word on the subject.  Realistically I have only dipped a toe in the water and I anticipate that in coming months this early exercise will look inept. Notwithstanding that I've gone from a process that took days to one that takes minutes and virtually no skill. It has issues, particularly as it is not amenable to tight control, but is still extremely useful.

I've continued with printing the Hitem3D version and will report back.  I like the Meshy version more, but it is not available for free download.  I'm not averse to subscribing to one of these services, but there are a lot of them and deciding which to patronise is a challenge.

Quote from: finescalerr on February 17, 2026, 12:30:55 PMI had no idea AI could be of so much use to modelers. Thanks for that lesson and the photos. -- Russ

It's advancing fast.  Last month it wasn't.

Of course you still have to paint the things, which is frustrating. The detail level is high, but painting to bring that out is a whole new problem.

Maybe we need to start a new thread and stop hijacking Stuart's?

Is that boat a commercial product? -- Russ