The Best DIY Foam rock texture for Tabletop Terrain?!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Robert, one of my patrons pointed out to me that each method represents a different TYPE of rock. #1 looks like quarried granite, 2&3 looks like weathered limestone, 4 looks like volcanic rock, and 5 looks like weathered granite. If anyone else has any insights I'd love to hear them! Geology isn't my strong suit 😅

[@robertdouglas2870]

Yes, this means all these methods have their uses, depending upon what type of rock you are trying to duplicate. That makes this video doubly useful.

[@tinaprice4948]

This is also the way he did things , most of the carving he did in all but the last two had so many horizontal cuts, and the Black Magic Craft technique he did way to many tiny little scoop marks, I have a ton of Jeremy's method rocks and mine don't look so bumpy with sharp little pieces sticking out, so I think my rocks look more natural or at least not so alien or underwater as he did the rock. The last way definitely looked the most realistic, or at least the way more rocks that I have seen look. So anyone trying these results will not get them to look the same as he did , close maybe. My favorite rocks for looks are 3d printed rocks, but the BMC rocks are great for playability and again mine look more natural that what was done here.

[@RPRsChannel]

Go to your pet store and look for lava rocks meant for aquariums. They fit right in on the game board, maybe a light dry brush so they match everything else. While you are there, all the "toys" meant for aquariums can also be used as tabletop terrain.

[@Pfeifenhuber]

I'm missing a shot with all different rocks in direct comparison. But I love the idea of comparing different techniques. Great job

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks :) I'll keep it in mind for next time

[@themakeshop1499]

This type of information is greatly appreciated. I wouldn't want to see you stop doing the terrain crafting, but this was a good type of video also.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Good to know :)

[@kayura77]

I did really appreciate the comparison video, like you say in the video, this saved me time (and introduced me to what is now my favorite stone texturing technique: bashing the foam against a huge rock).

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Glad I could show you that, it's damn useful :)

[@nocultist7050]

Stone wacking is sooo gooood. My new method of choice.

[@Gauldame]

One technique I did for stone I learned from Wyloch, which I believe his video for puts the links in the description. 1) cut out foam shape 2) hatch and cross hatch the sides you want textured, make sure the cuts are at different depths 3) then take something like a metal ruler {any straight edge that is stiff will do} and drag it across the cross hatching at odd angles. This will break up the cross hatched side at unexpected ways. It looks like actual wear and tear.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

I might be wrong as I haven't seen that wyloch vid, but that sounds like the craft knife carving technique? Check out the Hirst arts vid in the description, it sounds pretty much the same except that video used the craft knife to scrape not a ruler :)

[@ksbsnowowl3569]

He is relaying one of the same techniques I linked to.

[@SparkyandCo]

I must say, I agree that the "caveman technique" looks the most natural. I think it would combine well with cutting sections either a craft knife.

[@TheLordUrban]

I’ve always wanted to do a modular dwarf hold with adjoining mines and caverns. This should prove useful.

[@derskalde4973]

I made cave walls by cutting the rough shapes with the wire cutter and then going over it once more with the foam cutting wand, mostly using the side instead of the tip of the wand, which, while relativelly slow, gave me an acceptable, kinda melted/eroded look, maybe a bit like a dripstone cave. I also tried to make them look somewhat natural, so none of them are perfectly flat walls in the grid meassure, but carved them out of a bigger block of foam, so they still fit together pretty good, like a Puzzle. I then placed some small, weak magnets at a few strategic points on both sides of the wall, so now the magnets are just strong enough to hold the walls together when assembled into the block, so they're easier to store without some smaller parts falling away.

[@allangill7650]

Would be interesting to see a rock combining all the techniques in one rock

[@jacobhope6164]

Ah, a definitive examination! Thank you.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks for feeding the algorithm ;)

[@Mad_Matt_27]

This was a good video. It did feel a little dull for me though (only because i've seen these techniques before) but a necessary video none the less. In saying that, if you made a few other comparison videos ie; wood textures, washes, metal painting techniques, materials ... that'd be great to have a playlist of comparison videos all in one place. Also the production value you put into your videos are appreciated, most people just point an unfocused camera and ramble on.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

I never fail to appreciate it when you notice the effort :) I might do some future series on different techniques, especially if this video proves popular!

[@guynouri]

USEFUL There is a score and break technique for quick irregular cuts like peru

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Yeah that's another good one :)

[@thecraftingbrothers9448]

These textures are great

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

I'm pretty happy with them :)

[@HouseDM]

Thanks for the informative and in depth analysis of these techniques. I definitely want to try out a few of these and It was fun to recognize some of these techniques as my own. Cheers!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Happy to help :)

[@Forinsyther25]

Looking forward to seeing what you do with these terrain pieces in the future 🙂

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Oh I have such plans 😅

[@perkinsdearborn4693]

Great topic and wonderful level of coverage. I have experimented with several of these techniques, thou some were new for me. Mixing methods and doing more to melt the foam + text with putty will give unique and interesting results. Thank for all the time you put into this comparison. This type of video is excellent and adding links to other channels is a huge enhancement. Thx!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Happy to help Perkins! :)

[@dashlaru2]

Great video, lean and clean. Keep it up!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks dash!

[@juancarames2379]

Thanks for the video keep up the good work

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks Juan, I'm grinding away editing the next one as we speak :)

[@RottenMechGaming]

Great tips, I also think the last one is the best.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks, yeah that's definitely the one I'm going with I think

[@RottenMechGaming]

RP Archive I wonder if you could do some basic big craggy hacks with hot wire for shape, then do the texture roughing up.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

I was tempted to mix the techniques a bit more, it might be something I go back to in future :) are you thinking of trying it?

[@RottenMechGaming]

@@RPArchiveOfficial Well I have dabbled before and I have the foam cutter, however most of my time is spent with pre-made terrain items like Dwarvernforge. I love the crafting, have done it for years but recently time poor.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Totally understand :)

[@craiglindsay5635]

Thanks, a side by side comparison was very useful.

[@Dovieandi]

Really interesting and well filmed, would like to see more of these every so often.

[@RobertMeush]

Well done. Well put together video. Keep it up!! Cheers!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Hope it was useful!

[@gornser]

Always a good vid to come back to when planning some rock texturing

[@TheShmyt]

Great video, the scientific standardisation is an excellent way to go about this! I'd agree with some of the other comments that a final shot with everything side by side might be a good addition but it might give a different visual from the balanced focal length and lighting you used to show the other pieces.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

That was pretty much my thoughts, the way I figure it if you'd want to compare two or even 4 it's pretty easy to open multiple browser windows and pause :)

[@miniaturalia]

That was a nice informative video, very detailed. Thank you for this content 👍 It is amazing what can be done with just foam and paints, well done. I loved the textures too...

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks :) yeah I was really happy with how much extra believability the wire brush stabbing added...

[@miniaturalia]

Yes indeed, great realism results!

[@christophermurray9777]

Always a great and informative video

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks Chris :)

[@WaldoWally]

Thanks for the informative and helpful video!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thank you for commenting Walter :)

[@andytate5670]

I found a lump of tar in the street and I lamp the crap out of foam with that it works fantastically in fact people often ask me how I get my foam rocks and faces to look so real they don't believe me until I show them the piece of tar with all those little stones in. so next time you see someone tarmacking a road look for the lumps of scrap.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Hey Andy, solid advice :) pretty good for people living in more urban areas too...

[@arthurmelander6224]

Okay well I don't want to read through the whole list of comments. I do have another technique which I find effective for a smoother rock look with character. You slice the foam rock at a consistent varying angle on one side transitioning to changing angles as you go around the foam. Then take a wire brush and with varying degrees of pressure remove chunks of varying sizes of foam to your desire. Then smooth this out with varying depths using caulk or other filler with a wet finger. Can get some very unique rough to smooth transitions with layering. I know this explanation can be confusing without a video.

[@irtehdar2446]

I used to do a technique where I scraped the foam with a fork dragging the teeth across the foam at roughly a 30-45 angle. Just scrape along repeatedly and the texture slowly appears. Ps: if theres not tiny bits of foam flying all over the place youre not scraping hard enough. If youre tearing off big chunks youre scraping too hard.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Interesting technique :)

[@Strkr3]

Solid, concise, and cogent practical process and summary! Greatly appreciate this compare and contrast how-to video! Thank you!!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Glad I could help :)

[@broitszion8884]

This video has 0 dislikes! That’s impressive. (Also I’m here from that other video that I commented on and then you replied, and then you said to comment on one of your other videos and see what happens so....) THIS IS AWESOME IM SO SUBSCRIBING!!!!!!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks man! This comment got flagged as spam and I just spotted it :)

[@broitszion8884]

Why did it get flagged?

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

No idea, maybe posting comments too quickly without enough time between them?

[@broitszion8884]

Oh ok😂

[@VerbenaComfrey]

very useful, thanks!

[@guynouri]

Thanks. This was necessary

[@ksbsnowowl3569]

A few more rock texture techniques to try are acetone melting and the “slice and scrape” method. Slice & scrape: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/npPaY2VsfrWim8U Acetone: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHuUapqLd9ara8U I think Miscast Terrain also has a great video that uses the acetone method, and he achieves a great look for desert rocks. Excellent video. I think the “caveman” method, achieving a weathered granite look, is the best generic look for if you are just making some cavern walls.

[@ksbsnowowl3569]

I was wrong, the Miscast Terrain video I was thinking of was more the craft knife method. Here’s the video, for anyone interested: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGm0hnlrZqt0aZI

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks! I'll take a look :)

[@natashapoirier4696]

Very good!

[@graysschmuckwerkstatt966]

Great idea! Since I only started with the hobby a few months ago I am always busy to look through and try out the different ideas. Such comparisons are a great way to get a good overview with a single video. Are there any other videos planned?

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Good to know! Not as of yet but if this video does well it's certainly on the cards :)

[@TimKapow]

Awesome video again, however the links are not in the description as you mentioned 😏 luckily I am subscribed to those channels anyway as I am sure many of your viewers will be

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Well spotted! I've been in a rush so it must have slipped my mind - updated now 😅

[@TimKapow]

@@RPArchiveOfficial awesome thanks! Great to have things like that to make access easy for quick reference grabs! 😁

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Definitely :)

[@timsoyer3840]

I loved it. Thank you. However, I think on the Jeremy’s technique you may have pinched off too much. Giving it that alien luck. Sometimes less is more. But I love your show and keep up the good work. This may be a little outside of your S.o.p. But have you ever looked into doing an episode on TTcombat ? And they have really great products made of thin crafting wood. It comes in kits. And that you have to put together and then use some crafting skill to make look better. And they are made for table top.. they have really great ships. And a cool elf terrine buildings and castles in all kinds of cool stuff. And it’s really cheap compared to resin. I hope you think about taking a look. Either way I’ll be here for the next episode. Thank you. Have a nice day.

[@brooksdibble6685]

I love you Matt

[@chadbodine336]

You should try combining the techniques in on piece to see what you get!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

The thought did cross my mind...

[@chadbodine336]

I would definitely like to see those results!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

I'll bear that in mind if I end up doing a follow up :)

[@warrior921994]

Hi i just wantet to say that using a lava rock to texture the foam would probably be even better than a slate or regular garden rock, because of the very fine and sharp edges that lava rock has all over ^^

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Nice idea!

[@Raycheetah]

Back in the day, when I was carving up styrofoam for terrain, I would use files and rasps to shape rock formations (and sandpaper to smooth off the flakes). That might have some interesting results with the kind of foam you're using. As for the results of your tests... Some of them do, indeed, resemble natural rock formations. While I am no geologist, you have achieved some familiar looks; that "plucked" stone actually resembles meteoric iron. What I might suggest is that, if there is a university nearby, (or even a rock shop) you could ask a geologist what sorts of rock your individual pieces resemble, and what could be done appearance-wise to bring them closer to the real thing. Knowing what sorts of geological formations appear under what circumstances can also suggest scenarios and other uses, such as weathered sandstone in desert badlands (a favorite of mine, with sedimentary layers in different colors), or old igneous formations in mines. Of course, the stone in a mine would also bear the marks of tunneling, with drilling scars and timber supports, as well (and perhaps a deep pit shaft, suitable for use with your spiffy crane!) Modular building doesn't have to mean generic geology, as your stalactite video points out! =^[.]^=

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Definitely :) its something I'll definitely have in mind for the future, the main problem being keeping it modular and easy to mass produce - that's why I ended up going for the caveman technique. I probably would have preferred learning to carve rocks and doing something more like the dwarven forge mountain tiles, which hide the lines better - but it would have taken forever!

[@PheonixKnght]

Thanks for this, i dont know if you noticed but you got a little paint on your hand.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

It's a... Fairly constant state of affairs 😅

[@Karlmakesstuff]

Good video and comparison, thanks for sharing this. Mildly surprised you didn't show the aluminium foil alternative to the rock - I find it's a good (if less cathartic) stand in for the caveman method with a lot more control, but to each his own :)

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Honestly I feel like it's more of a final layer addition like the wire brush stabbing, but I'll put it on the list for if I do a follow up one day :)

[@Karlmakesstuff]

​@@RPArchiveOfficial Fair. I use it at multiple points in the build myself to touch up places I squished while handling or adding a bit of depth, so I see what you mean. Also I'll be honest, big rocks rock :) Thanks again for the video comparison!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Happy to help :) and yeah, big rock was definitely the most fun technique 😅

[@isaacwittenberg611]

Great video, as always! How do these compare to the rolled tinfoil ball that is often used for stone buildings? Is that more appropriate for a cut stone block effect, or can it be successfully translated to the scale of a natural rock face?

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Thanks! I think it can be used for both, but given how predominant it is in a lot of other builds I think its a good idea to add variety in natural stone to distinguish more strongly between them :)

[@garyrose9805]

Thank you! God thank you! It is so damm annoying to watch several videos in order to find which technique suits best for what I’m doing and because the video is not doing precisely what I’m doing it’s impossible to gauge this? This is my 2nd because complaint about how toos or tutorials. Unless the video is making exactly what I’m making I have to apply some deductive reasoning to see if this application would work in my case but the quality and/or end product is so different I either waste my time pointlessly building something that the video creator neglected to mention you can’t paint for example. Or they skip bits in the process like going from raw product to finished product with a I’ll just paint this up and boom. It looks great but there is some obvious more stuff required to get that result. My first biggest peeve is when they state this cost me $20 or £20 to make this “whatever” and then constantly using or applying random stuff they just found or had left over from a previous project. I’ve heard a guy say he used 6 litres of resin a friend gave him, or foam core from a previous project then crafted a mountain that was 6 foot tall. Another one neglected to mention all the buildings (5) were bought online and were plastic to the value of hundreds. In a video he tilted “I made all this with pva and cardboard for less than 15 dollars, you can too!” Yeah sure I can if I just happen to be storing hundreds of dollars worth of previously purchased crap or 9kgs of plaster of Paris I’ve had for ages lying around!!!!!! Anyway I appreciate you efforts

[@aeonat272]

Have you done any testing using Papier maché kitchen roll / tissue paper for finishing? It should give a very hard-wearing, textured paintable surface.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

I have in the past, though to be honest I'm not a big fan of the visuals :)

[@aeonat272]

@@RPArchiveOfficial fair play, I've never tried it over foam, so I'll take your advice rather than ruining my materials! Cheers :)

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

It's not terrible if done right to be fair, it just wasn't going to work for what I was using the texture for :)

[@pmac2217]

where's the link for spray painting foam?

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

In the equipment list in the description :)

[@bboeckman]

I wish there was more sand stone looks and less grey stone. Seems we've left out an entire type of terrain!

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Sandstone areas get used less in most campaigns, I think :) that's why I've started with grey stone, anyway 😅

[@bradyshepherd5335]

Where did you get that foam from?

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Links/explanation in the equipment list :)

[@limecraft9622]

nice shirt

[@nonya9120]

Geezer here... Must point out... There is no best way. Look around, there are lots of textures in rocks here on good old planet earth. Years back I was proud as punch when a character noticed the "artificial" look of one piece of scatter. That barbarian put the groups thief to shame. The thief had searched and all the rest for a good long time and given up. The barbarian found the secret "door". Game on.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

True enough, the purpose is more 'here's a comparison of different techniques so you can pick your favourites when deciding on a new project :)

[@s_l7916]

why is the XPS foam so freaking expensive. 1 plate for 12-20€? for real?

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

How big is the sheet? Xps tends to be sold in LARGE quantities, but it'll last you a long time.

[@s_l7916]

@@RPArchiveOfficial i found some on ebay for 12€ 450mmx1000mmx50mm and 7€ delivery.

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Ebay tends to be more expensive, delivery is a killer there. Are you wanting thick foam for mountainblocks? That stuff is naturally more expensive because it's thicker, but you still get a lot for your money. I'd recommend looking in building supply stores in your area or online through Google for local suppliers of it. And buy in more bulk so delivery is less of an issue. I got the foam I needed for the mountainblocks and cave tiles for about £50, and I used less than half of it, including on the many untextured support blocks I made. That's cheap given how much space I can fill with it...

[@s_l7916]

@@RPArchiveOfficial all shops are closed cuz of corona and ebay was the cheapest i could find. delivery is the problem

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

Fair enough. If delivery is the problem all I can suggest is buy in bulk to reduce the relative cost...

[@keng.2468]

Great video to show the technique, however I do not think it's safe to be using your own hand and arm to wipe off the excess of paint. It's not a healthy practice.

[@nocultist7050]

just breaking it badly looks ok.