photoOverhead key pass
miniature / hard key / scale check
Blackstar / AT-Studios
Build it real. Light it hard.
I build miniature worlds, motion rigs, lighting systems, and practical sci-fi tests. The point is simple: real materials, visible results, and shots that earn the next shot.
4build files
5bench tests
24shop ideas
6process notes
Builds
Things with sawdust, solder, light, or footage behind them.
These pages are for work that has left the planning stage: frames, tests, notes, mistakes, and the next practical step.
2026 / activeMiniature / Electronics / Practical Light
Enterprise-E 72-Channel Lighting
A 1:1400 starship build wired like a small set: window groups, cue states, Green Pass compositing, and repeatable lighting for camera.
2026 / activeSet Build / Scale / Tungsten
KORETH Corridor First Light
A 1:6 miniature corridor built to test scale, parallax, texture, tungsten falloff, and the first proof shot for KORETH.
2026 / prototypeSoftware / Miniature Compositing
CorridorKey Green Pass Tool
A custom keying and matte workflow for miniature plates, built because reflective model surfaces punish generic green-screen tools.
2024 / publishedMaterials / Texture / Reference
Surface Study 01
A small archive of tactile surfaces used to understand how dust, paint, concrete, metal, and paper behave under hard light.
Experiments
The bench between idea and finished shot.
Motion control, tungsten tests, green-screen tools, wiring passes, labels, and whatever needs an ugly first version before it deserves polish.
prototyperig control
Servo Y-Axis Tuning
PID tuning, cable drag, and repeatable slow moves for a camera rig that has to make miniature plates line up.
publishedlighting study
Tungsten vs LED Corridor Pass
Same corridor, same camera, same exposure: tungsten depth against cleaner LED shadows, judged on scale instead of taste.
activesoftware test
CorridorKey Refine Profiles
Conservative and aggressive matte modes for green-screen miniature plates with reflective surfaces and annoying edges.
publishedphoto sequence
Rim Pass Index
A reference set for edge separation, silhouette reads, pass naming, and repeatable practical-light setups.
queuedcommerce prep
Store Label System
Packaging language for future prints, build notes, firmware files, kits, and limited physical drops.
Idea hub
The wall behind the work.
Machines, process chains, and future shop capability live here before they become tests, logs, or finished builds.
infrastructureOwn hall / real workshopEverything else is prep for the hall.electronicsEnterprise-E 72-channel lighting72 channels. The ship becomes a lighting console.motion control3-axis ceiling motion rigRepeatable camera moves above miniature sets.castingLost-PLA bronze castingPrint, burn out, pour bronze. First clean pour this season.
Logs
What changed, what failed, what actually worked.
I write the process down because the mistake is usually more useful than the polished caption.
On the bench this week
KORETH, CorridorKey, the Enterprise lighting system, and this site are all moving from plan to usable proof.
Tungsten and LED on the corridor build
Same corridor, same camera, same exposure. Tungsten still held the miniature together better at scale.
KORETH: Corridor scale update
The 1:6 corridor is built and primed, which means the scale can finally be judged honestly.
CorridorKey: Building my own green-screen tool
A custom keying pipeline for miniature plates, built because normal keyers struggled with spill on practical surfaces.
Miniature Corridor: First lighting pass
The first corridor pass proved the key light worked, but the fill flattened the set way too quickly.
Servo Y-Axis: When hardware fights back
A day of PID tuning showed the motion-control problem was probably cable routing, not only firmware.
Media
Frames first. Explanation second.
The site should prove the work visually before it starts talking too much.
photophotoThree-quarter hull read
volume, edge, surface
sequenceSide silhouette pass
negative space and mass
photoRear rim-light pass
edge separation test
sequenceRim quarter angle
highlight discipline pass
videoFirst space composite
proof frame now / motion later
Store later
Possible drops, not fake shop energy.
Prints, files, guides, kits, and look-development work can happen later. First the builds need proof.
physical print
Miniature lighting print set
A future small run of selected miniature lighting frames once there are enough finished proof images to justify it.
digital download
KORETH build notes
A planned build note package for materials, lighting diagrams, shot setup, and repeatable miniature tests.
service
Practical-look development slot
A future request path for miniature lighting tests, tactile media systems, practical shot design, or buildable sci-fi texture.