Fantasy Katana?

violentserenade_53e72b171d · August 2012

Hey, guys! Need your help finding a model or if one doesn't exist to see if any of you modelers have some spare time to make some simple weapon for me :)

I'm rendering character art for a Pathfinder game and the character in question uses an "Aldori Dueling Sword" The description of which is a little vague:

"These slightly curved swords measure just over 3 feet in length" The mechanics of the weapon indicate that it can be used either 1-handed or 2-handed which in my mind sounds much like a Katana. There are no "official" pictures of the weapon from the game that I have been able to verify, but of conceptual art this one is my favorite: http://i41.tinypic.com/52p9g.jpg

I know with the vast collective knowledge of the render community that someone knows a sword model floating around out there that's similar lol

Thanks in advance!

Kendall Sears · August 2012

violentserenade said:
Hey, guys! Need your help finding a model or if one doesn't exist to see if any of you modelers have some spare time to make some simple weapon for me :)
I'm rendering character art for a Pathfinder game and the character in question uses an "Aldori Dueling Sword" The description of which is a little vague:

"These slightly curved swords measure just over 3 feet in length" The mechanics of the weapon indicate that it can be used either 1-handed or 2-handed which in my mind sounds much like a Katana. There are no "official" pictures of the weapon from the game that I have been able to verify, but of conceptual art this one is my favorite: http://i41.tinypic.com/52p9g.jpg

I know with the vast collective knowledge of the render community that someone knows a sword model floating around out there that's similar lol

Thanks in advance!

The description does indeed sound like a daito (standard katana), however the artwork you referenced is a single handed blade, based off of a sabre's design.

There are many katana available, for both purchase and free. The issue is going to be modeling the custom tsuba and habaki that would be required to match your reference.

Kendall

violentserenade_53e72b171d · August 2012

Right. I could easily just use a katana, but that's so cliche. And a katana already exists within the game system so I'm thinking that the reference is more accurate to the spirit of the weapon a "dueling" sword.

violentserenade_53e72b171d · August 2012

Currently I'm using an old saber model from back in the day, but being an older model it's not all that pretty... Or fantasy lol http://imgur.com/9rruA

Kendall Sears · August 2012

violentserenade said:
Currently I'm using an old saber model from back in the day, but being an older model it's not all that pretty... Or fantasy lol http://imgur.com/9rruA

OK, here are some "real life" specs:

Minimum Handle length for 2 handed use is 7.5 inches, with 9-11 inches most commonly used.
Hardware for blade to handle attachment will take anywhere from 3/8" to 1" depending on ornaments
This leaves 24-28 inches for blade length going by the description.
24 inches is Wakizashi blade length, while 28 is mid-daito range. So your sword probably would be in the ko-katana to chisa katana sizing arena if using an Eastern style blade reference.

One thing to keep in mind, again from a real-world perspective, is that the blade profile for a 2 handed sword is completely different than a single handed sword. The stresses put onto the blade from a two-handed cut are significantly different. A thin blade, like a rapier or foil, would shatter if exposed to the stresses of a dual-handed cut. Similarly, the weight added to allow a blade to handle these stresses make for a sword that is unsuited for fast thrust-and-parry dueling.

Kendall