GTA 5 Player Builds Impressive 3D Geographical Map of San Andreas
Despite being released in 2013, nearly a decade ago, Grand Theft Auto 5 is still receiving regular content drops via updates for its online component, keeping the game fresh for veteran players. Between this, and Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode, Rockstar fans are continually placated on the road to the next big release. Fan-made content is also a constant source of entertainment, with mods, role-play servers, and fanart helping the game's longevity as well.
GTA Online is earning more than its keep for Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive, earning almost a billion dollars last year in revenue; thus surpassing newer titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Cyberpunk 2077 by several hundred million dollars. With Rockstar being in no hurry to get around to GTA 6, fans have had eight long years to explore the nooks and crannies of San Andreas, including via extremely popular roleplay servers. In a particularly unique showcase of talent, one fan has shown his love for Grand Theft Auto 5 by recreating the entirety of San Andreas as a geographical map, using 3D printing and countless hours of his time.
Self-described Product Designer and Creative Technologist, Dom Riccobene, knows the city better than most, having spent over 400 hours carefully gathering data and 3D printing a scale replica of GTA 5's expansive single player map. According to an interview with Kotaku, Riccobene used "a custom script to scan the terrain and buildings," as he had done with Red Dead Redemption 2 in the past, a process that took 100 hours alone. Using "professional mapping and cartography software," Riccobene then went about the task of creating the map via a 3D printer, with some of the more complex portions of San Andreas taking up to 12 hours of printing time.
The printing alone took Riccobene around 125 hours, with the full project, including data collection, taking over 400 hours from beginning to end. Certainly a better way to spend one's time than walking around in circles, something many GTA 5 players are doing recently. Despite Riccobene describing the 3D print as the most "technically challenging project" he has ever worked on, he also said it was probably the most enjoyable. Usually working on mountain sculpts, and even a Martian crater in collaboration with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Riccobene has had some interesting projects in the past, making it interesting that Grand Theft Auto's San Andreas topped the list.
Seeing the talent of video game fans is always a pleasure, but Riccobene's meticulous data collection and dedication to his model is particularly impressive. The ability to see Riccobene's workflow via a series of videos posted to his Twitter and Instagram is also fascinating, giving some sense of the scope of the project. He plans to tackle Red Dead Redemption 2's map next, and considering how long it takes to walk across the Red Dead Redemption 2 map, it could take even longer to complete. Having said that, the lack of dense blocks of buildings may make for a less time-consuming printing experience; either way, there is no doubt that it will be astonishingly impressive.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development
Source: Kotaku
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