Custom terrain from TheMind

[TheMind]

I have started tinkering around with making some custom flora for the Heroscape universe, and I am pretty happy with the results. I thought I would post some of the product here so everyone else can offer their suggestions, let me know what they actually like, and hopefully keep me from getting super-focused on some type of terrain or design that is just stupid.

I am still just a fledgling custom terrain builder, but I think I will keep making these pieces. It's pretty fun and really helps relieve the mobs of stress in my life.

Enjoy!


The Map Gestalt

I really like the visual and tactical variety that these terrain pieces provide.

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Winter Deciduous

I think that my next incarnation will have spring-time blossoms in place of the snow.

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(frosted shrub)

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Shrubbery!!

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Hanging Vines

I was thinking of allowing these to be used like a ladder to scale the front of the castle.

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(front view)


(Mittens Wants you to come inside. You don't want to be rude, do you?)


(Top View)




(Full view)

Swamp Flora

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(I think I sold this one to WeeBaer...)

and some Desert and Sedan Grasses

(Not 100% sure about these, but I think they may have some potential...)

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Okay, there it is. I will update the thread with future projects as I have the time to try them. Let me know what you think, and if anyone knows the HTML code for the spoiler tag, for the good of us all, please tell me!
EDIT:Thanks to Quack188 for the Spoiler Button info!

[Schulzy]

Hmmmm....must spread rep before giving it to TheMind. Good work, man! Hopefully I'll have pictures of my Fallout terrain up soon!

[Quack188]

These looks pretty good. I especially like the swamp flora. The hanging vines are interesting as well. If you make them a ladder, I think it should be harder to climb.

As for spoilers: [spoiler] Pictures [/spoiler]

[TheMind]

Schulzy, I look forward to seeing it! I would really like to delve into this custom terrain thing a bit more. Maybe then I wouldn't have to flip houses for my kicks...


Quack: Thanks! I just took a look at your thread; amazing work! I am nowhere near the level of detail and skill that you put into your pieces, but I have got to start somewhere!

And thanks for the tip on the spoiler button....who knew it would be so easy?

[Schulzy]

Lawl, my stuff just involves a couple of layers of paint on the hexes. Simple, and incredibly time consuming. Do you know how many hexes are in a master set? Multiply that by two layers each (paint and a wash), including water tiles (wash and a varnish). Fortunately I have too much free time on my hands. Literally, too much. I got, like, two shifts this week.

[TheMind]

Alrighty, some of my responsibilities have slowed down, so I've had a few days to tinker. I made a few more swamp flora pieces, but they are missing that certain je ne sais quoi; I will post the final draft of those later.

Here are the newer pieces that I am rather proud of:

Large Tree in Autumn:

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Another view of the root system and trunk detail.





A rather artistic depiction of Jotun, I'd say. "Jotun Smash!!!...But...Jotun...just...LOVE playing in leaves!"




I am particularly proud of the root systems here; not only do they look pretty cool, they actually add a tremendous amount of stability to the structure of the tree. This thing is SOLID.




My next incarnation of this tree will likely be a 'summer' rendition with a more complex root system and a nice, subtle white washing of the bark to add a layer of depth.

and the Cherry Tree in Bloom:

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I did not use kits for these trees; kits are terribly expensive and just too...inorganic.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

[Schulzy]

Those trees are awesome! I look forward to playing with those!

[TheMind]

Originally Posted by Schulzy

Those trees are awesome! I look forward to playing with those!

Thanks, man. It was fun building them.

I also look forward to our battles with those trees in the background...or the foreground, whatever.

[Quack188]

I like the autumn tree the best out of the two of them. The only thing I would change is the amount of leaves. The tree almost looks to bare to me. Did you use Woodland Scenics foam stuff for the foliage? Nice trees though!

[TheMind]

Originally Posted by Quack188

I like the autumn tree the best out of the two of them. The only thing I would change is the amount of leaves. The tree almost looks to bare to me. Did you use Woodland Scenics foam stuff for the foliage? Nice trees though!

What I SHOULD say is:

"Yes, it is almost bare. It is late in autumn, and the leaves have mostly fallen off."

But, honestly......yeah, I ended up making the tree much bigger than I had the foliage for. I will probably buy some more of the foam stuff (good catch!) and fill it in. I am working on a tree right now that I will either make a total winter tree (no leaves at all) or do a spring scene with tons of foliage. I will see how the bare tree looks first before I make the decision.

Good call, though. Thanks for the input.

Maybe next week I will venture out into custom structure creation...but I still have some flora ideas I would like to play out first.

[TheMind]

Here's the newest custom tree. I ended up making it a summer incarnation, even though it looked pretty sweet without any leaves. My next one will be a winter tree, I think. It will require more detail work, since there will be no leaves to cover the branches.

But without further ado, the Summer Deciduous:

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[Quack188]

That is definately my favourite tree. There's just enough foliage for my liking. The tree seems thick enough to block line of sight fairly well too. Can't wait to see the next one.