[Chivalry] - Saber- Infidel's Bane
polycounter lvl 18
So Im going to make one weapon and I want to make something that has some sort of implied history to the object.The weapon I want to make is a looted scimitar that a solider has acquired while on crusade. So the look im going for is a Saber variant, with an Arabic feel. The weapon will have a simple but luxurious look and what will make it look different is that fact that the blade is forged in Damascus steel.
If you have not heard of Damascus steel, its a forging process invented in India but made the popular in the middle east during the times of the crusades. The process has been lost to time,but the results were a light sword,incredibly sturdy and flexible blade so sharp,that it could be sharpened to nano scale precision,making it sharp as hell and able to cut through armor. The main characteristic I want to show in my final weapon's blade is the characteristic wavy darkening in the blade,which Damascus steel is known to have. Gerorge RR Martin lifted this look for the Valaryian steel blades in the game of thrones universe.
This is the concept I will use as a basis for the model.
If you have not heard of Damascus steel, its a forging process invented in India but made the popular in the middle east during the times of the crusades. The process has been lost to time,but the results were a light sword,incredibly sturdy and flexible blade so sharp,that it could be sharpened to nano scale precision,making it sharp as hell and able to cut through armor. The main characteristic I want to show in my final weapon's blade is the characteristic wavy darkening in the blade,which Damascus steel is known to have. Gerorge RR Martin lifted this look for the Valaryian steel blades in the game of thrones universe.
This is the concept I will use as a basis for the model.
Replies
Good luck!
Thank you, as for Damascus steel look it will be represented in the spec but also the diffuse. The tricky part will be how I add it to the diffuse. Too small and it will look noisy and too large it wont really achieve that effect.
So here is the high poly, I had to alter the design a bit,specifically in the handle to fit within the general shape of the Saber,but it will be for the most part how I wanted it to look. Design wise,what I am aiming for is a weapon that will look different but as a group,work together with all the weapons in the game. So the shapes and and ornamentation will be based on real life proportions and design.
The blade will have the Damascus steel look and I might not add any ornamentation perhaps none at all if it affects the readability. The hilt and guard will be where I focus most of the real detail.
May I ask which class you'll be making this for?
Good question and I think you very deftly pointed out my thoughtlessness. It was supposed to be a replacement sword for the archer but that means it isn't a primary weapon,thus disqualifying it from the competition. Shape wise Is it impossible to make this into a large 2 handed scimitar?
Perhaps is can be a replacement for the messer, a massive 2 handed scimitar.
If not then, guess ill just finish it for fun
@Zelfit, Thanks for the feedback, my guess its my choice in spec color,ill make adjustments tomorrow.
Finally for today here are some action shots with a Mason knight wielding the sword.
I really wish I had more time,I'd even consider doing an armor set.
Like on the blade perhaps? I considered it but I like the idea of keeping the blade free of decoration since it could clash with the wavy metal look of Damascus Steel,so most of the ornamentation ive kept to the hilt.
EDIT: Also made one adjustment on the hilt,I killed the gold coloring inside the etchings because I felt the pattern got lost within the gold and thus needed more contrast.
For fun an Agatha Knight posed with the sword.
"A research team in Germany published a report in 2006 revealing nanowires and carbon nanotubes in a blade forged from Damascus steel.[5] This finding was covered by National Geographic[6] and the New York Times.[7] Although certain types of modern steel outperform these swords, chemical reactions in the production process made the blades extraordinary for their time, as damascus steel was superplastic and very hard at the same time. "
from wikipedia
Yea ingravings might be a bit too much, the patterns on the steel itself is enough of a distinct look
I'm pretty sure you're going to get picked if your helmet is of the same quality and style it would be a crime not to.
@Zetheros Thank you the weapon was supposed to be a 1 handed but when it was pointed out only primary weapons would be accepted,thus it became a replacement for the messer and I'm happier for it.
@9thknight Thank you, the size has been something I have tweaked and will tweak again so it works with all 2handed animations
@Terry & Soul Thank you, that's been the best part plugging it to the player models. Love making the action shots.
@Sophax Thank you, I think it's a cool bit of technology lost from the past,just like Roman concrete ,it was a fun touch to add to this weapon to give it some history. Sadly I wish I had the time to make a Damascus Steel armor set but I found out too late about the contest and two weapons is all I have time to make: would have been epic though.
@Safemilk Thank you.
I plan on finishing up the sword this week. Making all the promotional stuff and submitting it.
Already done
Thank you, I also scaled it a tad more as you suggested to it fits well,within a knights hand.
I also optimized the model so its running at 3714 tris,much slimmer then it once was.
Haha xD Daaaamn, that would be a crazy amount of work. It takes about a week of full-time swordsmithing to make a pattern-welded sword from scratch. First you need to get several thin plates of metal (I believe 1050ish spring steel, and nickle, or maybe a nickle alloy, not sure), then forge weld them together, which means heating them up so they're hot enough to weld together when struck by a hammer.
Then hammer it out until it becomes narrower, fold it over or cut it in half, weld again, and repeat until you get the desired fineness of 'grain', which can be up to a dozen or more folds and forge welds (which are really difficult to do. Even the smallest impurities included into the steel will severely weaken your blade in the finish.) You can also do really amazing twists and different cuts in the metal, to make very intricate details once polished.
after you have all that carbon steel and nickle folded in together, and patterned the way you want, you then hammer it into a sword shape, grind, rough polish, polish some more, quench, temper, polish, polish some more, then dip the whole thing into an acid bath to corrode and darken either the nickle or the steel, forgot which, to show your hard work.
But it would be interesting to see what damascus (or pattern-welded) armour would look like.
I think there's a series of youtube videos that shows this process, if you're interested.
cant wait to see the helm..probably with same theme like mid east knight helm ?
actually its not that strange, if you see the chivarly lore... mason faction did crusade and lose to saracen/tenossian faction then goes war with agatha after back to their homeland (in game agatha vs mason)
so yea they can get saracen armor after that crusade
and also default mason knight design already looks like saracen knight
google : mamluk armor and ghulam armor
Just a minor remark, the rest stil looks amazing.
@qazzmzed Good to know then,it fits potentially in the lore.
@Sgt/Sophax after the finishing the weapon I think that's the part I might have handled differently. As Sgt mention it is seen in some of the reference examples but perhaps I could have come up with a more elegant solution. Perhaps I was a little to bound to the source material
Thank you Aled I really hope it wins and you can
@Zetheros,i decided im also going to make a matching helmet as well. A Mamluk style Saracen helmet, gonna start with concepts at lunch today.
Did you end up doing the helmet?
Thank you,sadly not. I had concepts drawn up and was ready to make it,but then someone pointed out that the MAA had a helmet exactly like the Mamluk style helmet I was going to make,so i did not end up doing it. Thinking of it from a business point it could ultimately hurt my chances,since it isnt part of a set and I have a feeling they will only pick sets for this competition.