by Mark Kingsnorth·Modeling
Images © Mark Kingsnorth. Used for product review; image policy.
The Shipwright earns its place in the superhive library as a bundle that pulls the Plating Generator, Shape Generator and Sci-Fi Hull Materials into one Sci-Fi design workflow. It has been used in Star Trek: Picard by senior concept artist Igor Knezevic, and holds a 5-star rating across 27 reviews.
The Shipwright is a Blender add-on for 3D modelers, game developers and concept artists. It applies "Big Medium Small" design theory to automatically generate Sci-Fi shapes and parts that you can edit or sculpt further. The add-on is inspired by the online Shapewright generator, and it ships with a ready-made Blender file plus a bonus helmet setup to explore.
Rather than a single tool, The Shipwright is a bundle: it includes the Plating Generator, the Greebles Shape Generator and Sci-Fi Hull Materials, all of which are required for it to run. Parameters update the objects dynamically, a Levels interface lets you customize parameters and scatter layers of objects, and an editable lattice deformation cage is created and attached for further shape changes.
You can bring in custom objects alongside generated ones, use the Iterator feature to produce many variations overnight, change the default materials, and collapse the object ready for export to other applications. Version 2.0.0 adds a new user interface, an easier installation process, baking and exporting, and greater customization.
The Shipwright is best for 3D modelers, game developers and concept artists building Sci-Fi shapes and parts for a design workflow.
The Shipwright is completely free to download and use.
The Shipwright relies on three other add-ons to function: the Plating Generator, the Greebles Shape Generator and Sci-Fi Hull Materials. These come bundled as standard, so a fresh set-up includes everything needed to run. If you already own some of them, the developer offers pricing options that provide the core set-up without the add-ons you have, so check that you select the right option. The set-up will not work without all of the required add-ons in place.
The Shipwright 2.0.0 brings an easier installation process, a new user interface, greater customization, and baking and exporting. The release also adds the ability to bring in your own custom objects alongside the generated ones, and an overview video covering it is available on the developer's page. An earlier version, 0.0.8, introduced performance improvements including a setting to control which faces receive the Plating Generator effect based on area, along with texture improvements for better specular effects.
The Shipwright differs from the Starship Generator in focus. The Starship Generator is aimed at quickly creating non-hero spaceship assets, while The Shipwright is a bundle of the developer's Plating Generator, Shape Generator and Hull Texture add-ons and creates a wider variety of shapes for use inside a design workflow. If you already own The Shipwright, the developer offers a discount code toward the Starship Generator. Both come from Mark Kingsnorth.
The Shipwright is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing and bundle options can change over time, and the developer sells versions with and without certain required add-ons already included, so check the developer's page for current terms before you commit. If you have questions before choosing an option, the developer can be reached through the 'Contact Creator' button on the main Blender Market page.
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