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.
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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 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.
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:
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 is a 3D scanning company. We offer 3D scanning, 3D scan-to-CAD conversion, and 3D modeling services. Feel free to reach out to us at +49 40 481133 or via email at info@holocreators.com
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