Sketchfab profiled Latvian 3D game artist Edgars Soiko and his recent design of a vintage tape machine (embedded below) for an upcoming VR game. I think it looks so great because of the patience he took in meticulously crafting each of the individual ‘components’ that make up the whole model.
The Model was done for an upcoming game – Private Eye, a Psychological VR puzzle game, set in the 1950’s. I’ve been working on this game for quite some time and I really enjoy making models that are from this time period, mainly because the shape language is so clean and materials used are much more genuine than modern day counterparts. Mainly metal, wood and leather, no cheap flimsy plastic here – all of the everyday objects have so much more personality to them. Tape Machine was a part of an environment level that I am making for the game: Detective Office.
The Model is going to be an interactable in the game. The player would find tape-reels around the level and play them in the machine, as a part of puzzle-storytelling. The reference for this model was the Ferrograph Logic 7 – reel to reel tape recorder. Starting out with the model was a bit scary as there are a lot of mechanical parts and I had little clue how this thing actually worked.
After investigating the references I decided that the best and the fastest way to approach a model like this would be to split it up into parts and model them separately, assembling the complete model very late in the low-poly stage. I looked at the reference and numbered the parts, to not lose track of what needed to be made.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
