Commander’s Coin Made in Blender
Each commander has his or her own coin that the commander personally gives out as tokens of appreciation for outstanding job performance, exemplary service, or above-and-beyond actions. These are a little bit different from Squadron Coins which can be purchased by members of the squadron as proof of their service with that unit. Commander’s Coins cannot be bought, only given. (For more about Squadron Coins or Challange Coins, please see the wiki article here.
As soon as she was assigned to the 22d Intelligence Squadron (22 IS), my Commander gave me the task of creating her first Commander’s Coin. I initially created some ideas (below), but they were rejected for not having enough “22 IS” in them (I thought the 3 guys was kinda funny though).
I then set off to satisfy their requirements by researching the Squadron’s history, and found that we are the only Squadron in our Group (the 707 ISRG) to perform all three missions of ISR: Intelligence Collection, Surveillance operations, and aerial Reconnaissance. So I thought about a coin design that could incorporate all of those elements. I came up with the below concept by combining pieces of photographs or drawings that would represent those elements:
The different features are:
1. Biplanes representing our original mission of aerial reconnaissance that…
2. …continued into the jet age.
3. A satellite dish representing “silver age” of surveillance.
4. And an high-tech-looking data corner representing the intel collection portion.
The first step to creating the coin in Blender was to make the coins edge by making a 256-sided circle, extruding the outer edges along the x&y for just a short bit, then deleting the interior leaving me the outer edge which I could then extrude along the z axis. Then I took the top/bottom/left/right-most faces and extruded them into the center to make the edges for the four corners, or “cells”.
Next was to create the satellite dish. There are two different methods placed on top of each-other. For the bottom portion (grid mesh), I took a plane, used the loop cut tool to give me the right number of edges so I could extrude out the grid mesh lines. I then rotated them, stopping every 15 degrees or so. Those 15 degree increments were then welded together to give me the support bars going from the center to edge:
The upper portion (detail mesh) took a UVsphere with all but one of the rings deleted. That remaining ring was then duplicated and spun around. A triangular receiver boom was added using box modeling and flattened out using scaling:
Next I used a biplane mesh created by TurboSquid user pauljs75. I place the aircraft where I wanted them, tabbed into edit mode and S > Z > .01 to scale them down the z-axis to 1% of their original thickness:
Lastly was to create the jet cell:
The blade was created using a plane and the subsurface modifier. After setting the blade’s origin to the center of the coin, I spun-duplicated it to make the several blades required.
This portion was made by taking a torus and slicing it in half and shaping it for the outer portion, and using a circle+extruding for the inner portion.
The last portion for the back was to make the intelligence cell. For the network node map it was just planes and circles put into position. The wave form is two separate meshes, one white, one chrome in reverse. They were created with just a sub-divided plane with the edges pulled into position:
The front of the coin was created in Blender as a 2D image. I used text, circles and planes to create everything:
The final key was to sell the idea, so I made the following video and presented it to our squadron’s leadership (please view in HD):
After a few tweaks, the final design was sent off to be stamped. We ordered 200 2.5″ diameter coins and a few weeks later a very heavy box arrived!
I hope you enjoyed reading about how the coins were made using Blender. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them below. Thank you!
Great modelling and I liked the video you made to sell the idea. How is the Blender data converted into the data required for the coins to be stamped? What file format do you send from Blender to the stampers?
Regards ijay
ijay, thank you for the comment. I exported the file to .obj and forwarded it along with high-res renders of the front and back. Once they updated the design to fit within their machining specifications they sent us a photograph of the proof for our approval and then the final shipment a few weeks after that. The coloring was actually done by hand, so I was very impressed with the way they were able to color in the spaces on the satellite dish. I would have liked to have seen the bevel deeper, but I was pretty happy with the results nonetheless.
Thanks again for visiting.
Wow, they sure look great! And I’m glad Blender could be of assistance to our armed forces.
Alex, thank you for the comment and for your support.
How are theses coins made ?
CNC machining or Pressure stamped?
would like to see the final mesh in wire mode just to see the thickness and mesh structure / vertices
what is the dimensions for a coin like this
and is there a limit on the size here ?
are many colors are available?
nice work and design
what is the general cost for making a coin like this
blender design then Machining
may depends on quantity made i guess!
happy blendering
Rickyblender,
They first make a larger mold by CNC milling it from their own version of the design (I think onto plaster or foam), then using something called a pantograph (which is also the name of a non-photorealistic render engine for Blender–similar to Free Style) they make a coin sized die, which will be used to press-stamp the coins from blank disks.
The die cost about $200, each color was about 30-40 cents per color–per coin. The grooved edge was another $1 per coin. I can’t remember the exact cost our Commander paid, but they came out to about $6 per coin. For 500 coins I think the cost-per-coin would have been close to $4 or so. Once the die is made they hold onto it so you can re-order more coins without paying another die charge. With re-orders you can change the coloring if you choose, which we plan on doing if we have to order more.
There are dozens of colors available, from the basic colors to gold/silver/bronze, etc. You can even cover the coin with an epoxy seal to give it a nice ‘dome’ over the engraving. They can be made in really any shape you want so long as they are between 1.5″ and 3.5″. (I’ve seen one that was the shape of a F22, and another that was the shape of a playing card hand!)
If you’re interested, I’ll try to make a wireframe and post the .blend file tomorrow or so (I’m not on the same computer as the file at the moment).
Thanks for taking a look and for the comment.
Very nice indeed. Can I ask who did the manufacture of the coins?
Gareth,
I can’t remember the company we went through but we chose it because of the Commander’s recommendation. Because they didn’t provide a physical proof first, I probably wouldn’t use them again. Ones that comes to mind is the Highland Mint (http://www.highlandmint.com) or the veteran-owned Coinable (http://coinable.com/). There are a few others out there that offer different metal types, or different coatings, but they are pretty similar in price and features.
Thank your for the comment! (and let me know if you ever decide to make one!)
Nice work, and good images showing the steps you took. Very impressive design and stamping.
It looks like the CNC is not able to cut as fine an edge as you intended in the Blender design. Does the manufacturer provide a “pixel” resolution spec? Do they provide a proof before printing? Is there any way to limit the final resolution of sculpting (within Blender) to the manufacturer’s specs?
The add thing that I noticed about the final product was that the satellite dish portion was milled nicely, but the jet blades and the planes were a little …soft around the edges I suppose is the best way to put it. I’m not sure if they deliberately choose not to put as much detail in them as they could have, or the way the edges slopped off rather than having sharp edges contributed to that. Either way, there are some impressive examples of what’s possible by google-image’ing “challenge coins”.
Most companies will send you a fully pressed proof before continuing with the final order, just to ensure everything is good-to-go, but this company sent us a picture instead, so it was difficult to discern the bevel depth. *A word to the wise, if you choose to make a coin, go with a company that will send you a physical proof. It might cost more per-coin, but you’ll get the exact product you want–colors, bevel and all.
interesting subject to make something real in 3D from blender!
i never relly use blender yet to make a 3D model and do a real 3D model!
i tough that CNC machine could take a 3D model from blender and machine it ( Make an OBJ file from blender export then use an external soft to make the proper file for the CNC machine)
is this way of using a pantograph the better way to machine it or could it be done directly form OBJ 3d model ?
i tough doing real 3D model cost in the 100′s of dollards like priting in 3D! LOL
WOW you seems you have a way of doing it that is not so expensive which is great
i would suggest if you can to open a thead may be in the WIP forum of Blenderartirst site to describe this process and show the Model you did
it’s definitively an interesting way of doing things in 3D with blender and gives some of the details as you did here
i’m certain many peoples would like to know more about this work
and might even inspire some to try it
Thanks for you explanations and happy 2.5
Wow, that turned out awesome! It is always amazing to build something digitally and get to see it make the leap into real life.
I hope you were able to keep one for all you hard work.
Also, thank you for your service. Please know that we do appreciate the sacrifices are men and woman in uniform make. Our armed services are the main reason my children can rest in peace at night, for that I am eternally grateful.
And thank you for your support! Knowing there are people who put their trust in us and who welcome us back home makes serving that much more rewarding.
To all who may be following along, I came across an NBC News clip about this kind of coin, and they briefly show how they are made, including the pantograph machine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z1KG3J_lgo
Thank you all for your comments and support!
Really cool. I hope the Commander gives you one.
Awesome work.
I love the design and the background music is great! You have a great deal of Talent! Your parents must be so proud of you .