Re-Imagining the Dark Saber (using Fusion 360)

I am a HUGE Star Wars fan. I love everything about the universe, from the ships, to the planets, to the armor, and especially the weapons. One weapon that has stood out as iconic to me from the moment I learned about it is the dark saber. Being a weapon crafted by a Mandalorian-turned-Jedi, it is unique and carries a long legacy of being a powerful weapon wielded by powerful warriors throughout the history of Star Wars.

I really love the dark saber and the importance it bears to those who adhere to the creed of the Mandalorians. It is revered as a great artifact in their culture and is passed by conquest between the rulers of Mandalore. This resonates with me as it gets me thinking about the great swords of OUR Earth cultures. Whether it is the legendary sword of Excalibur or the historical sword of Charlemagne -- we have many stories of swords (both real and legendary) that were yielded by great men and passed down through the ages. Along the way, these swords were used to accomplish epic tasks and the swords themselves have become as important as the ones who once carried them into battle.

While I love the design of the dark saber from Star wars, I have often taken time to think about how it would have looked had it been built by a culture from our past. Being a history nerd as well as a Star Wars nerd it is always intriguing to look at the cultures that inspired the creation of Star Wars characters.

My favorite culture within Star Wars is that of the Mandalorians. I love their warrior creed, their religious devotion to their weapons, the brotherhood ingrained into their way of life, etc. Because I am such a fan of the Mandalorians (and with the dark-saber's connection to them) I decided to re-imagine the Mandalorians - and the dark saber itself- in terms of the historical earth cultures they were inspired by. I wanted to the dark saber an old-world feel, that still connects to the technology of the star wars universe.

In re-working this design, I decided that the best way to go about it was to leverage the modelling capabilities of Fusin 360 so that I could capture the details I envisioned in my mind and bring them to life with the rendering capabilities within the software.

Thanks for following along!

Now, let's get to forging the new dark saber!

Step 1: Gathering Inspiration - TinkerCad

The first thing I did with this project was to look up some 3D models that I could use as a starting point for my CAD model. TinkerCad's gallery is a perfect place to get inspired by others so I went there first to comb though any models I might find of the dark saber. While there were several, I landed on one that was originally created by user Sam Sparks. I liked the details he captured and it gave me a good point of reference for the hilt design of the dark saber.

Once I had picked out my reference CAD model, it was time to take a look back in time.

Join me in the time of the Ancient Celts...

Step 2: Drawing From History - Ancient Celts

Karen Traviss is largely credited with building up the lore of the Mandalorians in the Star Wars universe. When asked what her inspiration for the Mandalorian culture was, she said she pulled heavily from the Ancient Celts. So for that reason, in redesigning the dark saber of the Mandalorians I felt it important to take a look at the sword designs that are typically associated with the celts.

From what I saw in the research I did, I noticed that the celts favored double-bladed weapons, tapered blades, and symmetry in their hilt designs. I also really liked the semi-circular guard and ricasso that was incorporated into some of their swords. Lastly, the celts seemed to use a lot of bronze in the accents of their hilts.

I decided to try and capture these elements in my re-design of the dark saber

Step 3: Creating the Shape of the New Dark Saber in Fusion 360

By pulling from the designs of the ancient celtic swords, and incorporating features of the dark saber I created a sketch to start off my CAD model.

I used the semi-circular guard of the cetlic swords, as well as the double-bladed design and tapered blade. However, I decided to break the flow of the semi-circular guard a bit to make it a bit more angular and make a callback to the angular feel of the dark saber guard. I also mimicked the features of the dark saber pommel into the pommel of my new design.

A final detail that I added was to incorporate the celtic symbol of the triskelion. The triskelion has appeared in celtic designs for thousands of years and, while it holds many meanings, one that stand out to me the most is how it is a symbol of strength. It represents the will to move forward, overcoming adverse conditions one might face. I thought this was very appropriate to be placed on the prized blade of a warrior race of Mandalorians.

To incorporate this detail, I use fusion 360's ability to import images into a sketch. Once the image was imported, positioned, and sized I had only to trace it into the sketch.

After extruding my first sketch I had the basic shape of the sword. Next, it was time to add details to make it look more like a sword.

Step 4: Shaping the Hilt and Blade

Using swept cuts and some extrusions based off the original sketch profile, I added more details to the hilt and blade until the shape matched what I was looking for.

Step 5: Adding Details of the Dark Saber

With the blade shape formed, I started to add details that would link to the features seen in the dark saber hilt design, as well as a a few more custom details of my own.

On the blade I projected a sketch of triangular features that were meant to reference the shapes of Mandalorian visors and star fighters (see reference images). On the hilt I included details that hail back to the original hilt design of the dark saber

Step 6: Adding Some Style

One thing I love about Fusion 360 is the ability to use their appearances tool to add colors and textures to the models you build.

With the sword shape pretty much settled, I wanted to add some color and character to the model, so I used the appearances tool to incorporate the black blade and white accents of the dark saber as well as brass accents from the Celtic inspiration.

I was able to play around with different color accents and textures until I got a design that held true to the original dark saber while also incorporating more of my own style and the ancient Celtic inspiration I pulled from.

But I wasn't done yet....now it was time to make it come to life!

Step 7: Rendering With Fusion 360

While CAD models are great, nothing compares to renderings if you really want to bring something to life.

I leveraged fusion 360's internal rendering tools to add textures and lighting to the new dark saber design.

Step 8: Adding a Little Something Extra

As cool as the renderings looked, they were missing something.

The dark saber, like all sabers in Star Wars, GLOWS.

I needed my model to capture that detail as well.

LUCKILY, the extensive library of materials and textures included in Fusion360 includes LEDs. This means you can pick the color LED you want, and apply that to any body or face of your model. I simply applied it to the edges of the dark saber and pumped up the emissivity and luminosity setting in the material definition and suddenly I had a glowing saber!

Step 9: Next Steps

Now that I have a 3D model, my eventual goal is to build a real-life version out of wood. It will take some trial and error but I'm excited to make it real and add it to my collection.

Leading up to the actual build, I expect I will need to debug things with some 3D prints. So in anticipation for that, and as a treat to those who followed along, I am including an STL and and 3D models I can post here for you to play around with.

Just be sure to wield your dark saber with honor and remember the creed.

This is the way.