It’s a new year, so it’s the perfect time to remind everyone about the super-amazing Valve + Shapeways partnership that we announced back in September. It’s only getting better as designers stretch their imaginations into the Valve game universe(s). In November, we called out the coolest Dota® 2 products on Shapeways, and today we’re excited to share our favorites from one of Valve’s iconic properties: the Portal® games.
These first-person puzzle games took an innovative concept and meshed them brilliantly with a tight, well-written story that was equal parts disturbing and hilarious. While the first Portal® would have been a simply fresh idea at the time, the sardonic tone the game is known for is mainly the result of the game’s antagonist, the AI GLaDOS. This artificial intelligence with a complete disregard for human life but ultimate regard for science and sick burns made her — and the game — an instant classic. It’s such a fixture in the gaming sphere that fans of it in our creator community have wasted no time in bringing the most memorable characters and symbols from the game into the third dimension. Check out some of the most interesting, clever, and fan-art-tastic Portal® merch Shapeways designers have to offer.
Approved Aperture Science Decorative Apparel
Portal Companion Cube Cufflinks by Sandman Artistry
The Weighted Companion Cube will never try to stab you…
If GLaDOS was the embodiment of all that is evil in the Portal® universe, then the Weighted Companion Cube was the singular ray of hope. The one shining example that things might be alright for Chell, the game’s protagonist. Then GLaDOS made you incinerate it.
Regardless, this little cube is unanimously one of the most ubiquitous Portal® creations seen here on Shapeways, and it just makes sense that we’d start off the best Companion Cube wearables we could find, like these cuff links from Sandman Artistry. They’re available in a variety of different precious metal platings, the above picture showing off their looks in 14 karat gold. Whichever one you’d pick, you’re getting an incredible amount of detail that will give you that hint of gamer bling for the next time you want to get all fancy.
Weighted Companion Cube Pendant by NiqueGeek
…Also, it cannot speak.
Sure, having a great pair of cuff links to celebrate the love between human and weighted cube is nice, but cuff links aren’t a solution for those who want to profess their love for the cube every day. For those people, NiqueGeek has given them this beautiful pendant. Like Sandman, Nique has made this piece available in several different metal finishes, but the stainless steel pictured here really gives it the most character, looking like it does at the end of Portal® 2. However, this version is condensed into a much more manageable size that you can carry around your neck every day. And you will definitely feel its weight — it comes in several solid metal finishes, giving it heft just like the companion it’s representing. Truly a celebration of love.
Aperture Science Laboratories Pendant by Andrew Bougie
Does not qualify as an official badge.
The Aperture Science logo. Simple. Perfect. Bringing it into jewelry just makes sense, and this piece by Andrew Bougie shows just how beautiful that simplicity can be. Available in a wide variety of materials, this piece is better suited to reminiscing about your fond times with the game than it is showing your pride in a company like Aperture Science. You know, the company that created lemon grenades? That consistently demonstrates the dangers of technology? You can’t trust them any further than you can throw them (without a gravity gun, of course).
Seriously, the center of their symbol is an octagon — just like a stop sign. Maybe take the hint and don’t sign up for an extended stay at the Enrichment Center, no matter how much cake you are promised.
GLaDOS Earring by Prexus
Making a Note Here: Huge Success
After all the hell she put you through, GLaDOS still does remain one of the best-written, most intelligent, and funny villains of any video game, ever. She’s the guiding, mocking force that consistently reminds you how replaceable you are, even while she tries to bolster your courage (giving you advice and trying to kill you aren’t mutually exclusive, you know).
This earring, brought to us by Prexus, is a perfect replica of the hanged lady herself, brought to life by the wonders of 3D printing. We’re not sure what she’d have to say about it, but we’d like to think that she wouldn’t immediately incinerate it.
Approved Recreational Materials
Companion Cube Dice Set by Tiny Tokens
They are sentient, of course. We just have a lot of them.
Dice are a prerequisite for any fan of tabletop gaming. And Tiny Tokens makes a set of dice for those DnDers who are also Portal® fans! Seven dice, each made to look like a companion cube. How perfect is that? They all look like they would fit in at Aperture as well, but unfortunately, the only shape that makes any kind of practical sense is, of course, the cube. Can you imagine trying to stack icosahedrons on top of one another?
Anyway, these dice are available in a range of materials from the metallic plastic pictured here to a wide range of colored steels. And in case you were curious like we were, the heart represents the highest number on all of the dice except for the d4.
Portal Gun by mingles 3D:
Do not look directly at the operational end of The Device.
Making 3D printed custom LEGO-compatible toys is a thriving business for creators on Shapeways. As such, people like Michael Inglis have decided to make some truly awesome custom pieces with it. Case in point: this LEGO-sized Portal® gun. Playing with LEGO minifigures always made you feel like you were some kind of overlord, be you good or evil. And now you can send your own version of Chell into the twisted hallways of Aperture Science. But this time it’s with LEGOs and your imagination. It’d probably be a good idea to skip that whole incinerator thing, though. Plastic and uncontrolled blazing fire don’t necessarily mix well.
The detail on this piece is wonderful, even though it’s so small. It’s as exact of a replica as you can get at this scale, and giving it a paint job worthy of the piece itself really makes it pop.
Portal ID Card Holder by MyGadgetLife
Aperture Science: We do what we must because we can.
And finally, for those who need a security lanyard to profess their love for their favorite soulless scientific corporation, MyGadgetLife has you covered. This little snap-in card holder fits a credit-card-sized badge perfectly, with the Portal® logo on the back. It’s a perfect combination of modern-era security systems and nerdy accoutrements. Also, props to MyGadgetLife for mocking up the best fake photo ID as possible to fit in on this piece. It almost looks official, until you realize that GLaDOS would rather dip her circuits in acid than give Chell any kind of recognition that she’s a member of Aperture Science, even if she’s a glorified lab monkey.
Science to Be Done
The future looks great for the Shapeways + Valve partnership. The well of innovations and ideas from the Shapeways creator community never runs dry, just like their love for their favorite games. However, there’s one thing we can’t help but notice didn’t make our list — your model!
This partnership is still a new thing to us in general. So if you’ve created something based on a Valve property, share it in the comments! It just might make it into an article like this one. Until then, happy creating!