Bowie Knives (+ update)

Started by Speedster, January 13, 2019, 06:29:56 PM

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Speedster

Hi all!

I was so inspired by Nacho's KA-BAR knife (https://www.keyshot.com/forum/index.php?topic=22866.0) that I decided not only to buy one, but to also model a Bowie Knife in my own collection.  IMO, the KA-BAR is the best work yet shared on our forum, a very high standard to meet!

The Bowie was made famous by the pioneer and mountain man James Bowie.  There's much debate, but most experts agree that it was made to Bowie's specifications in 1838 by his brother Rezin Bowie, a blacksmith and knifemaker.  James earned his reputation in the Sandbar Fight, where he killed several attackers with his knife despite being gravely wounded himself.  But his real fame came later in the famous "Battle of the Alamo", where he died but became a legend with his knife.

The Bowie is a huge blade!  Mine has a 12" blade, and is the one in the center of the rendering below, but mine is not Damascus Steel.  The early knives had a "coffin grip", as shown in the top image. They were designed as a clip point fighting weapon for close combat, but were also used for hunting, skinning, chopping wood and picking your teeth.  They usually had a fuller, or groove, also known as a "blood groove".  Although sometimes called a "Tennessee Toothpick", they should not be confused with the true "toothpick", which is a double edged dagger.

The bottom image is a monster with a 16" blade and the "D Guard" popular in the American Civil War. It was essentially a short sword. 

Anyway, here's my tribute to the Bowie Knife, in SolidWorks and KeyShot 8 Pro.

Bill G

Speedster

UPDATE!

Did a new render, this time with all physical lights.  Used two spotlights, with the basic HDR set at 0.5 brightness.  Also tweaked the materials.  FYI, all materials are box stock, from the KeyShot Cloud or my own archives.

If I have time I'm going to model up a sheath...

Bill G

Eric Summers

Very cool Bill!  8)  I like all three, but I'm a sucker for damascus.