Estimated reading time: mins

What is Kitbashing?

What is Kitbashing? 02:06
Kitbashing is associated with model making. It is composed of the words “Kit” and “Bashing”. “Kit” refers to “model kit”. So, when a model maker is “kitbashing”, he blends parts from different model kits. Similar to a collage. The model maker combines several individual models into an entirely new model.
Table of Contents
Model kit of a Boeing 737-800 airplane
Bill Abbott / Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 Model kit of the aircraft “Boeing 737-800”

Kitbashing in Star Wars

The most famous application of kitbashing is found in Star Wars—specifically the first three installments of the movie series—produced in the 70s and 80s. At that time, the use of computers in film production was not as advanced as today. All spaceships were handmade by model makers on the film set. They combined elements from different plastic model kits. Thus, they used the “kitbashing” technique. For that reason, it was possible that the exhaust pipe from a German WWII tank model could be repurposed on the outside of a Star Wars spaceship.

Model spaceship made unisg
Bill Abbott / Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 Model spaceship created with kitbashing

Digital Kitbashing and 3D Printing

With the advent of 3D modeling and 3D printing, kitbashing has experienced a renaissance. Instead of combining plastic model kits to create new models, today, people combine multiple parts of 3D models to create something new. They download various 3D models from the internet, from 3Dmodel databases and combine them to design completely new 3D models. The finished 3D model can then be printed on a 3D printer.

Where Do You Find 3D Models for Digital Kitbashing?

The 3D models for kitbashing can be found in 3D-model databases. There are both fee-based and free model databases.

Free 3D-Model Databases

Paid 3D-Model Databases

Model kit of the Westland Whirwind airplane
David Ackerman / Flickr CC BY 2.0 A model airplane kit of “Westland Whirlwind”

What Software Can Be Used for Digital Kitbashing?

For digital “kitbashing”, it is best to use 3D software to combine multiple 3D models into a new one.
It is often necessary to update the topology of the 3D models, which means updating the geometry of the 3D models by “remeshing”. These two programs are particularly well suited for this:

Conclusion

It is very time-consuming to create an entirely new 3D model from scratch. Therefore, it can be helpful to compile a library of 3D models to create new ones from existing 3D models. This digital “kitbashing” is becoming more and more popular. The finished 3D model can then be 3D printed and painted.

Do you need help creating a 3D model using kitbashing?

Holocreators offers professional 3D-scanning and reverse engineering services. But we also offer 3Dmodeling and CAD design. We are happy to help you with the creation of a 3D model using kitbashing. Feel free to get in touch with us. Give us a call at +49 40 481133 or send an email info@holocreators.com

Swann has been enthusiastic about everything 3D for many years. His roots lie in analog holography, which brought him to digital 3D-modeling in 2011.

The rapid progress of various 3D-scanning techniques fascinated himso much thathe founded Holocreators together with his brother Miro Rack in 2015.

Ready to get started?
  • JPG, PDF, or PNG max 100 MB
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: jpg, png, pdf, jpeg, Max. file size: 100 MB.
    You may be interested
    Estimated reading time: mins
    With the help of specialized 3D scanners, you can 3D-scan people and animals. This allows you to create 3D models that can be 3D-printed or used for 3D animation. We'll show you three different devices that make such 3D scans possible.
    Estimated reading time: mins
    A NURBS model consists of points connected by curves. A polygon mesh consists of thousands or millions of small triangles. CAD surface models are usually created using NURBS surfaces, while 3D scans are typically exported as a polygon mesh. The conversion from a polygon mesh to a NURBS model is called "reverse engineering".
    Estimated reading time: mins
    Reverse engineering enables us to create a copy of an object. For this purpose, the part is 3Dscanned, then the 3D scan data is converted into a CAD format, and finally, the part is manufactured. All these steps result in noticeable deviations. If an error adds up over multiple steps, then we call this error propagation.
    Estimated reading time: mins
    Swann Rack from Holocreators gave a presentation on reverse engineering at the Rapid.tech 3D Congress 2018. Reverse engineering allows an object to be reproduced using 3D scanning and subsequent conversion into a CAD format. In his presentation, Swann Rack talked about the different 3D scanning techniques and how the reverse engineering process works.

    Thanks you!

    Our representative will be in touch with you soon

    Thanks you!

    We are glad that you have subscribed to our newsletter
    sparks