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Inspiring Minis: Dynamic Model Gallery

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Realjuan, Dec 28, 2016.

  1. Realjuan
    Cold One

    Realjuan Well-Known Member

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    Hi Everyone,
    I want to share a tool/website idea I had for a long while, but I am not sure that there is a need or desire from such a tool. Please let me know EVERYTHING that comes into your mind while you reading, and dont be afraid to be negative or critical about the idea, better to face reality now than after months or years of work. NOTE: I am in early stages of the project, which means a lot may not be needed, missing and change, please take this as a feature instead of a bug.

    Main Idea:
    To create a model gallery that can be query as a database, keep stock of collections, and find inspirational miniatures.

    Bonus: Make the project an addon to forums/websites/blogs. i.e. automatically add an image from your blog update or tweet. OR show your profile/favorite searches as info box on the side.

    Examples:
    • You want to look for models that would fit a 28mm, fantasy, human, etc army. Search and find models that have those tags.
    • You want to keep a list of the models you have and which ones you are missing (for collectors).Create a user profile, select a model and add x amount to your collection. Extra, add the status of your models (Painted, Based, and/or add a picture).
    • You want to look for inspiration to paint your new models, search for the model name/number and look at what others done before.

    What it will NOT be:
    • A forum or other social communication interaction platform. (Links to twitter, Facebook or forums)
    • Buying/Selling/Trading website. (more info later)
    • Anyone's source of income.

    What exist now:
    Computer, Blogs, Forums, Facebook, Twitter, CoolMiniorNot and Google
    (If you have others, please let me know)
    Your computer file managing system.
    - No matter how organized you are or what naming convention you use your computer file system is not a database or you do not remember what you looking for,
    i.e. 2006FinishMineHumanSpearmenRedWhite.jpg
    Did you paint it in 2002 or 2003? Or whats the name of that model, the lizard with spiky things.

    Blogs, Forums, Facebook, Twitter
    - Great to share your images, but not to store or find images a few months after. You need to search for the post, and not the image.

    CoolMiniorNot
    Cannot narrow your search and the website is (in my opinion) tailor to sell/buy or promote miniatures. Some images are meant to be display for a few weeks or until sold and not after. No tags.

    Google, i.e. "Warhammer Spearmen"
    Images on the web were not uploaded with enough information to find them, so google gives high value to the source of the image and not the image.

    What does not exist: (To my knowledge)
    A model first database, your here for the models and if you want to know more you will click on the image.
    A collection organizer or tracker. Best would google spreadsheets.
    Search for model images base on quality of the model and not the quality of the source. When you search google, the first hits are based on the platform the image is at or how well is tagged. Images of the box of the model are valid according to google.

    Use Cases:
    Searching for images
    Imagine you have 100 or more images of your miniatures, and a few docent of miniatures from friends, examples. No matter how organize you try to be with your files its going to be hard to find one specific miniature. You can name a file by the model name/number, which is easy to figure out when you saving the image but harder to recall when searching for the images months, or years later. Would you like a tool that would add tags to your images, so you can later search using vague details, i.e. Human, Red, Games Workshop, etc?

    Inspiration
    You just bought a new miniature, but you are not sure how you want to paint it. Sure the box has an example, but you want to think outside the box. You go to google, and search for the miniature name, but you get lot of noise in your search, bad quality images, or images of game play. Would be nice to get images of model only that are meant to be inspiring, and have them ranked by how many times they have inspired other people (inspired=like button). Also if the owner has multiple images of the same model show them to be in an orderly fashion.

    Keep Track of your collection
    How many miniatures do you have? How many are painted? Tweet, post on a specific thread (in your favorite forum) or update your blog. We will add your image to your profile, and add it to your collection. You could also ask a signature to be made with the details that you want.

    WIPs
    This would be a model base database, so you will be able to add multiple images of your model. Different angles and in different stages. I would make sure its easy to navigate through.

    Deleted Images
    You deleted an image, but you dont want to leave a broken link? We will try to do our best to say, "Images has passed away but here is the next similar image or another image from same painter.

    What model/piece is this
    Imagine you found a model, but you cannot remember the name or other details. Maybe the model still has some production details model number, producer but maybe you do not see any markings. Why not add the details you have to the query and hope for a good result, "Rat, metal, 20mm, sword". The database would return unique model for you to compare, and since the main strength of this project is information, there will be a whole section for people to try and find out name, or details of models and add them to the database.

    Next step:
    January
    - Feedback from the community.
    - Create user management system.
    - Create a database for models (names, id, producer, year, etc)
    - Create a tool so user can manage their own collections
    - Create a dynamic signature creation tool.

    Feedback:
    Please do tell me everything you want, think or expect from this. Try to keep it respectful and constructive, but if you cannot, send me a PM.

    Can I help?
    Yes, and I hope you do. I would love to have people that can help me with.
    - Editor: Writer/Proof reader posts, tweets, etc.
    - Graphic designers
    - Test Users
    - Programmers
    - Information gathers, find/produce well formatted list of models, model parts or paint.
    But if you have an idea on how you can help, let me know.

    Important questions:
    Q: How do you going to get the money to pay for it?
    A: All work/time to run the website by me or anyone else will be voluntary. As long as I can afford it I will be paying the server, and external requirements by myself. After year I would add a donation option, which would be use ONLY to improve the website and giveaways.

    Q: Did I read giveaways?
    A: Yes, I cannot promise anything but if life continues as it is. I would try to run small giveaways ($100 twice a year?).

    Q: Are you going to run Ads?
    A: I would do everything possible not to run ads and would try to keep it ad-free for at least one year. If this doesn't work I would ask the community if they (stores, gaming clubs, blogs, etc) want to place one none-intrusive ad (no pop-ups, clearly label ad, no flashing lights, etc). Worst case, if this is not enough I will add google adsense (or similar), but I will be doing this as a last resort.

    I am pretty sure I am missing some information, so please ask questions and I will update this thread as necessary.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2016
    Bowser likes this.
  2. Bowser
    Slann

    Bowser Third Spawning

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    This is quite interesting, maybe tags for mods, especially from the old days where there were rules but no models, so you have a lot of scratch built Tetto'Eko or Mazdamundi, but no official model.

    I like the idea of people being able to add in the paints they used for the project, along with multiple pictures.

    The ability to search out say 28 mm frog sorcerer could pull up images of other miniatures not just slann.

    Managing collections will be great, but that does sound like a massive database. Warhammer, Hordes, Warmachine, Malifaux, etc. Easy enough to find current run, but a bit harder to find out of print models. I suppose that's where user feedback comes in.

    Layout is incredibly important, especially if the inspirational is going to be bumped by amount of likes. Going for tag clouds?

    Will there be an ability to PM a user to request a step by step instruction on painting, or maybe give certain popular members an option to add their step by step paint guide. I realize there are a lot of options for learning to paint, but sometimes you want it from the source.

    Will it be easy for me to save my likes, pinterest style into a folder so I can come back to them quickly? Like as a user could I make a Seraphon file and save some inspirational pics to it so I can come back and model my army similar to that?
     
    Realjuan likes this.
  3. Realjuan
    Cold One

    Realjuan Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the feedback @Bowser

    I like the idea of requesting. We all love when someone asks how we did it or what color we used. This should not be hard to implement, but a few rules of how many request you can do per week or so will have to be placed. We want a stress free zone, and not that many alerts. I would like to think of it as a secondary website, you have your forums that you check daily and you have your gallery to check one a week or month.

    My idea is to fully embrace moding, which may be as specific as the user wants. He could add the model number of the head/sword etc if available or just a custom tag/description of it "Third head of the spru Y", "unknown", etc.

    One thing that I forgot to mention is that the project would be user driven, so that tags for models, colors used, or mode names will be user defined. The database would provide the user with recommendations, but if the user doesn't agree he can add his own. Request for adding tags, details or changes will be available for the owner of the mod and site mods to decide.There would be some set in stone for example G.W. model names with the model number, paint names (not-mix), etc.

    "The ability to search out say 28 mm frog sorcerer could pull up images of other miniatures not just slann." I think of this as a feature, you will see all the images and click on the ones you like. If you like the GW Slann you will click on it and find the details but maybe someone has a more underground model you like too and could use it as a Slann

    Collections would be hard/easy, it would be based on a query for the database. The database does not have to have a picture of a model to know the model exist, so for example you want to create your collection of "Frog 20mm swords 2000+" the database will query for all unique models compare them to the ones you have and you have your unique custom collection list. You could also just use simple queries like "Warhammer Empire 1990-2000". Again the user is always right, so if he decides one or models do not feed his collection, he just click them off. We could even implement some grey images for models you dont have, so you can fill like you filling an array.

    I do not think there should be a problem implementing a favorite list for each user, which could include models, painter, companies or just images.

    The specifics of the implementation are still not decided, and it may depend on what people thing the most interesting aspect of the project is. One of my friends is doing his ph.d on recommended systems (which I starting to study) so hopefully he would tell me whats the best/fast way to handle all the information.

    spoiler: this will have some recommended system algorithms implemented.

    I just added this:
    What model/piece is this
    Imagine you found a model, but you cannot remember the name or other details. Maybe the model still has some production details model number, producer but maybe you do not see any markings. Why not add the details you have to the query and hope for a good result, "Rat, metal, 20mm, sword". The database would return unique model for you to compare, and since the main strength of this project is information, there will be a whole section for people to try and find out name, or details of models and add them to the database.

    Can I help?
    - Information gathers, find/produce well formatted list of models, model parts or paint.
     
    Bowser likes this.
  4. n810
    Slann

    n810 First Spawning

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    Warden and Bowser like this.
  5. Realjuan
    Cold One

    Realjuan Well-Known Member

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    Edit: Yes, something similar
    The project may start in AoS, extend to Warhammer, but the long goal is tabletop. Reason for this arbitrary decision, I am starting with AoS, I have some WHFB but in the future I wouldnt mind having a bigger collection.
     
  6. pendrake
    Skink Priest

    pendrake Well-Known Member

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    What type of software tool are you wanting to write?? e.g: PC, within browser, Android, iPhone...?
     
  7. Realjuan
    Cold One

    Realjuan Well-Known Member

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    It will probably be a website, so any device that can access this forum should be able to access/use the website.
     

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