Kitbashing: Piecing the Story
Kitbashing is a term you can hear in hobbyist and professional communities alike in regard to model-making, gaming, and filmmaking. It allows for unique creations with custom designs, like the miniature figures used in tabletop games like Warhammer or Dungeons & Dragons, as well as in special effects, to create intricate futuristic or fantastical sets, vehicles, or props.
But that doesn’t always mean physical models. In fact, kitbashing is a widespread technique in the CG industry with numerous applications. But before we dive into that, how about a quick look into where the term came from?
The first kitbashing
The production of the original Star Wars in the 70s and 80s is often associated with the origins of kitbashing. Because of the lack of the digital alternatives we enjoy today, back then, all the spaceship models had to be done by hand. To streamline the process, artists used parts from plastic model kits of WWII tanks, planes, ships, etc., to build the models they needed for the movies.
However, before the space saga popularized this creative practice, artists building train models were already actively kitbashing. The Model Railroader magazine shared an article in 1970 about “Kitbashed 60-foot Boxcars.” It explains how to make unusually long train cars by combining the parts of two smaller cars. A year before, the magazine published a how-to article on “Kit-bashing Business Cars.”
So, while a more niche hobby, the available research shows that kitbashing was utilized in modeling train cars before it found its way into the Entertainment industry. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a technique confined to hobbyists — it became a staple in the toolbox of filmmakers, prop makers, and special effects artists.
Kitbashing has evolved into a digital art form in its own right.
Kitbashing in the CG industry
There’s a bit of a disagreement among CG artists about exactly what kitbashing entails. The popular opinion is that using parts of premade sets of 3d models, textures, and digital kits to assemble scenes, environments, and structures is, in fact, kitbashing.
That takes out the painstaking modeling of every element from scratch and accelerates the production process while achieving a level of detail and complexity that would be impractical to create manually. It’s also quite different from downloading individual models from different marketplaces and libraries, as you don’t get to pick only the things you want. Instead, you get a giant set of related models and textures, then figure out which to use and how.
Furthermore, you download them in a format supported by your preferred creative software, so you can combine and modify the different assets from the kit to construct intricate landscapes, futuristic cityscapes, elaborate structures, etc., with relative ease. This flexibility and efficiency are particularly valuable in industries like film, television, and video games, where tight deadlines and high production demands are the norm.
However, all that sounds dangerously close to describing asset recycling. That’s why some artists consider kitbashing to be the practice of using small elements or parts of already existing models to create new ones. For example, taking parts from premade models of a monocular and assault rifle to make them into a sniper rifle would be kitbashing.
Following that idea, the kits used for kitbashing should contain hundreds of unique parts, such as different ornaments and skulls for fantasy models, hundreds of pipes, tubes, valves, gears, cogwheels for steampunk scenes, and so on.
No matter which definition you prefer, to kitbash efficiently, you’ll need a well-organized and diverse asset library. Digital Asset Management solutions like Connecter Suite, with features like Tags, Version Control, and Workflows, will come in handy for managing these vast resources.
Now, let’s take a look at some kitbashing examples to differentiate between the two understandings of the practice.
Frosting the DieselPunk
Here’s a story about cyclical inspiration. Frostpunk is a grim, post-apocalyptic, city-building survival game developed by 11 Bit Studio. It puts you in charge of a small group of survivors to build a sustainable city amidst a great and never-ending winter with limited resources.
The immersive gameplay and moral dilemmas of Frostpunk have made it one of the most successful games in 2018. Consequently, it has also inspired the 3d artists in KitBash3D to create the DieselPunk kit containing multiple cathedrals, palatial institutions, libraries, pubs, hotels, observatories, fuel stations, drilling companies with oil pump jacks, and more, all fitting for a retro-futuristic dystopian setting or a grungy postmodern noir.
In 2021, 11 Bit announced the game would get a sequel, and its trailer revealed the studio had used the DieselPunk kit to create the second installment. They have utilized the premade models to make some of the scenes for the game, saving themselves time and resources.
Alternatively, there are kits containing numerous smaller steampunk elements, as we mentioned, that allow you to create your own unique models by assembling these parts to fit your needs.
Assembling the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Luma is the VFX studio collaborating with Marvel Studios on many of the movies and series in the MCU. They have also resorted to kitbashing to save time and resources and achieve stunning results. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Eternals are among the more recent examples.
Doctor Strange’s fight against Gargantos was shot at a studio backlot, so Luma used assets from a kit to transform the location into New York City. Building all of Manhattan on their own would have taken too long and required much more effort and resources, so kitbashing was a more practical solution.
In Eternals, Luma also kitbashed premade models and textures for the Hiroshima scene to create an environment populated with concrete, rubble, and crumbling structures following the bomb explosion.
On the other hand, kits with damaged furniture, torn clothing items, miscellaneous junk, exterior and interior walls of varying damage and decay, debris, etc., exist to allow you to build the scene with a more personal and unique touch.
Wrap up
Kitbashing in the CG industry has revolutionized how digital artists create immersive environments and scenes. Whether for films or video games, the technique offers a streamlined approach to building complex worlds without sacrificing detail or authenticity.
One of the interesting aspects of kitbashing is its versatility in interpretation. Some artists define it as assembling premade 3d assets into unique compositions. In contrast, others view it as the process of repurposing elements from existing models to create entirely new ones.
Both definitions hold merit and contribute to the diverse landscape of digital creation, as they allow artists to bring their visions to life with efficiency and creativity.
If you’re looking for a way to take control of your digital assets, our DAM might be a good fit for your needs. Contact our support team to find out more about its organizational and collaboration features.
Disclaimer: Some of the images in the article are generated by DALL-E.
