I’ve recently started modeling my electric guitar in 3D. Most of the body of the guitar is complete so it’s just the head and the neck left to do.

I did an illustration of my guitar a long time ago and since it’s a top view perspective it worked great as a reference image and what was also great was the export compatibility between Illustrator and 3D Studio Max.

My approach was to model the guitar as close to the real thing as possible, object to object and not taking many shortcuts in the modeling process. For example, by creating holes in the the scratchplate cover (which could of been left out), It adds more depth and detail to the overall model.

Tags: 3D, Guitars.

Here is a 3D model of a guitar accessory known as a Capo. This is my first proper attempt at 3D modeling and I am quite pleased with the outcome.

I begun with a profile picture of the object and placed it as a background reference image, I’d then started to model using just a simple box converted into a editable poly and extruded the faces. Extra edges were connected on and lofting was used on the spring mechanism.

I’ve tried to keep the model all in quads polygons (4 vertices) to keep it clean and also give a neater finish for the Meshsmooth modifier which was later applied for a smooth result.

The modeling side is complete so all it needs now is just texturing and rendering which I will do later.

Tags: 3D, Guitars.

[Left to right: Fender Contemporary Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster ’72 Deluxe, Fender Jaguar, Washburn EA-18, Rickenbacker 4003]

Here is a series of illustrations on guitars and other guitar related gears. Two of the guitars are my own and the others are guitars that I could only dream of having. As you may have noticed, I have a strong passion for guitars.

The gradients were used to create depth and shiny surfaces. To create the shadows I’ve duplicated the same shape, reposition slightly, fill it black and then set the opacity down.

To create the wood texture I used Filter > Texturizer to create the wooden lines then Filter > Ocean Ripple to make the lines more random. On the edge of the acoustic guitar (middle) I used Filter > Stain Glass to create a nice pearl mosaic effect.

I used heavier strokes on the outline of the guitars and pedals to emphasize the main general shape and used lighter strokes for small details.

I really like the clean outline versions of the guitars as they have a nice blueprint style of design.

Tags: Guitars, Illustrations, Vector.

This is an illustration of myself and my guitar. The shadow was created by copying all the shapes and applying the Pathfinder > Add to shape area (and click expand) to merge all the shapes into one. On the baseball cap I added lines to give a knitted texture, this was created simply by drawing the top and bottom lines and then selecting both and applying Object Tab > Blend which adds and morph the lines inbetween.

Tags: Guitars, Illustrations, Personal, Vector.