[IC] Aperture Laboratories Keycaps Development

[LOTA]

I'm working on recreating the Aperture Laboratories keyboard from Portal (2007), and I figured I'd make a post here to see if anyone else would be interested in a group-buy to spread out the production cost for the custom keycaps and, if so, what kind of keycap legends people would want. (This post is about the keycaps specifically. I'm still in early stages of working out what to do for the case and internals.)

For reference, here's a render of the model from the game:



We can see that the keyboard is a full-size ANSI 104-key layout with the 6.25u Space Bar, stepped Caps Lock key, and key-group-spacing of a Cherry G80-3000. The in-game texture doesn't include any keycap legends, but I want mine to be labeled. Based on standard ANSI legends (and using colors from Signature Plastics's ABS swatches), I made this mockup:



However, I'm considering alternate options for some of the keycaps, and want public input:

• I may not be able to get System keycaps with the Aperture icon, due to copyright constraints. If that turns out to be the case, there are a few alternative options. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, and the Aperture icon is off the table, do you want to instead have the Windows icon, a different icon, a text legend like "System", "Sys", "Super", or something else?
• Many keyboards replace the right System key with a Function (Fn) key that adds special actions to the F1-through-F12 keys, but what actions are added varies quite a bit. The ones I personally am inclined towards are "speaker volume up/down/mute", "microphone mute", and "screen brightness up/down", but that only takes up six out of the twelve keys and I'm not sure what to use the rest for. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, do you want two System keys or one System and one Function key? If the latter, what special actions do you want legends for?
• I personally never use the Scroll Lock and Pause/Break keys. My laptop keyboard doesn't even have them, and my standalone keyboard replaces the Scroll Lock key with a "Win Lock" key that disables the System (Windows) key for gaming. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, do you want to keep the Scroll Lock and Pause/Break keys as standard or use them for different actions? If the latter, what legends do you want on them? (This could tie into the above if "Win Lock" is made one of the Fn-modifier actions.)
• I'm personally a fan of the feel of the Windows Vista / Windows 7 System keycaps with the Windows logo in an inset bubble (Wikipedia Link). I think the round bump would especially fit with the round Aperture logo, if I can use it. However, as a non-standard keycap shape, this will probably cost extra. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, do you prefer a normal flat System keycap, prefer the bubble design, or not care either way?

[DirtyGingy]

I'd honestly rather just have the board with support for multiple layouts and do my own caps

[mul7i]

do the whole thing, boards and keycaps 

[mul7i]

i had this idea in mind but never had time or knowledge to design it so its really nice to see someone doing it

[spambox2312]

However, I'm considering alternate options for some of the keycaps, and want public input:

• I may not be able to get System keycaps with the Aperture icon, due to copyright constraints. If that turns out to be the case, there are a few alternative options. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, and the Aperture icon is off the table, do you want to instead have the Windows icon, a different icon, a text legend like "System", "Sys", "Super", or something else?
• Many keyboards replace the right System key with a Function (Fn) key that adds special actions to the F1-through-F12 keys, but what actions are added varies quite a bit. The ones I personally am inclined towards are "speaker volume up/down/mute", "microphone mute", and "screen brightness up/down", but that only takes up six out of the twelve keys and I'm not sure what to use the rest for. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, do you want two System keys or one System and one Function key? If the latter, what special actions do you want legends for?
• I personally never use the Scroll Lock and Pause/Break keys. My laptop keyboard doesn't even have them, and my standalone keyboard replaces the Scroll Lock key with a "Win Lock" key that disables the System (Windows) key for gaming. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, do you want to keep the Scroll Lock and Pause/Break keys as standard or use them for different actions? If the latter, what legends do you want on them? (This could tie into the above if "Win Lock" is made one of the Fn-modifier actions.)
• I'm personally a fan of the feel of the Windows Vista / Windows 7 System keycaps with the Windows logo in an inset bubble (Wikipedia Link). I think the round bump would especially fit with the round Aperture logo, if I can use it. However, as a non-standard keycap shape, this will probably cost extra. If you are interested in buying this keycap set, do you prefer a normal flat System keycap, prefer the bubble design, or not care either way?

• Would prefer "Super"
• Would prefer to have 2 system and a Fn key. I would prefer to just have F1-F12 without any changes to their legends or added sublegends
• Would prefer these be kept as "Scroll" and "Pause" so that they are single line legends
• Don't care either way if it doesn't change cost by much. If it does increase the price by a notable amount then would prefer the standard shape

[LOTA]

Would prefer to have 2 system and a Fn key.

Is there a typo here, or do you really want two System keys and a Function key? If the latter, where on the keyboard would you put the extra key?

[mul7i]

1 and 4: Bubble with Windows logo would be great
2: keep both system and fn, i feel like i never touch menu at all
3: keep them, better to add extra "novelty" keys than remove it

also consider having 7u bottom row and scooped F and J

[LOTA]

As a huge fan of the Portal series, I was incredibly excited to get my hands on these Aperture Laboratories keycaps. The design is absolutely spot-on, capturing the clean, minimalist aesthetic of Aperture Science while adding a touch of modern flair. The PBT material feels great to type on, and the keycaps themselves are incredibly durable. The attention to detail is also impressive, with small touches like the hidden Aperture logo adding a nice surprise.

I haven't made any physical keycaps yet. What Aperture Laboratories keycaps are you talking about? Has someone already manufactured what I want, and are they still available?

[Piperaceae]

I think that was just a fake comment from a spambot