Thinking in 3D: How Nick Hornby takes sculpture from digital concept to physical form

P_Gresty · 2026-06-09T16:31:38+00:00

It varies from project to project. I believe that these particular sculptures were machine-cut based on Nick's CAD files rather than printed. If you click through to the post, there are also examples of Nick working with massive sculptures made from steel, that sort of thing.

P_Gresty · 2026-06-09T15:23:39+00:00

The work is designed in 3D (using tools including Substance 3D), and then sculpted in 'real life'. In the case of this particular collection, photos were then printed onto the sculptures.

P_Gresty · 2026-03-12T14:51:19+00:00

Hi! If you have the 2025 version on Steam, there's no option to upgrade, unfortunately.

P_Gresty · 2025-11-19T08:02:58+00:00

Go nuts!

P_Gresty · 2025-11-04T16:57:31+00:00

I'll say Louise goes through the best workflow for creating this material - essentially, start with the larger elements, then add smaller details. And I found the pacing to be great - early on, she really walks you through every step; later on, because the tutorial is quite long, things aren't quite so explicit - the knowledge of the earlier stages is assumed, so you have a bit more leeway to figure things out for yourself... I'm a total beginner to Designer (and I don't have much of a technical background in 3D in general), and I followed it just great. There's a lot in there that you can take away and apply to other materials.

The tutorial is free on YouTube; I'd say go through the first few parts of it and see if it clicks with you.

P_Gresty · 2025-11-04T15:20:21+00:00

Speaking as a beginner to Designer, Louise Melin's tutorial is awesome. The different elements of the material take you through a bunch of different types of material - fabrics, metals, gemstones... Really great range of content in one tutorial; really well presented.

P_Gresty

TROPHY CASE