ChiefBrex's WIPs List - Current Projects: Rigel Class & TOS Pack (03.05.17)

[Killallewoks]

Don't forget some docking ports!

[Darkthunder]

A cookie for both Brex, and "Adonis, the true Phantom Menace"

[ChiefBrex]

Okay, I totally stepped into that one Adonis. I'll post some Ventral and Dorsal images for you to download and draw, like DT has done, your suggestions. And as for stuff going on the secondary hull, I'm not that far yet. I'm focusing on the saucer only right now ;)

Here you go Adonis
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m61/ChiefBrex/Rigel%20Class/RigelTexDor.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m61/ChiefBrex/Rigel%20Class/RigelTexVen.jpg

DT: That was the kind of suggestion I was looking for actually. And as for the windows being all lit, they're staying that way for now until I can make the windows look more like WC's Akira windows, which are the best ones I've seen ever.

[Adonis]

Okay, I totally stepped into that one Adonis. I'll post some Ventral and Dorsal images for you to download and draw, like DT has done, your suggestions. And as for stuff going on the secondary hull, I'm not that far yet. I'm focusing on the saucer only right now ;)

I also concur with DT's and Killa's suggestions. You could add some color variations around the bridge, and the saucer, both in base coloring and in aztecs (I kinda stopped doing two colors a long time ago, I have a minimum of one base and 2 aztec colors these days), even if the difference in shades isn't big, but it'll give depth to the ship. ;)

I have added some (not all) of the stuff I was talking about. The bottom of the new dorsal pic shows an example of the side sensor strips on one of my own ships, the ventral has a simple detail example of a teleporter pad, and I've added the L shaped red stencil to only one of the cargo doors.

[Killallewoks]

Great suggestions there Adonis! Give the ship a more working feel to it.

[Darkthunder]

I really like those suggestions Adonis. Might need to thin out the amount of windows in the forward area of the dorsal saucer if you decide to have those "pads" there.

In the end, it's ofcourse Brex's decision. But I certainly encourage you (Brex) to take note of Adonis examples

[baz1701]

Looks good. You may also want to turn the lights off in some of the upper in the upper saucer.

[ChiefBrex]

Okay, here's what I've got so far.

[Edit: New Pics at end of thread]

Adonis, I'm going to have to get you to show me a tutorial on making exposed sensor pallets, because I've never made them, and wouldn't know how to begin.

[Darkthunder]

Cookie time. Looking better and better with each update

Will be fun seeing you tackle the texturing of the stardrive. I assume you'll be leaning more towards the Ambassador style stardrive (possibility of the "fake ribbing" on the neck") ?

[flarespire]

well this little baby will be going in my install, its a very beautiful ship and i look forward to both seeing her ingame and any future designs you have in the works!  *cookie launched*

[ChiefBrex]

Thanks Flare!

@DT: I'm not even done with the saucer yet and you're already looking toward the stardrive section 

[Darkthunder]

Ofcourse

I could rephrase my last bit, with simply stating: "It will be interesting to see your take on the look of the stardrive area, once you've finished the saucer."

[bdfd]

Quick to BC ! 

[Adonis]

Adonis, I'm going to have to get you to show me a tutorial on making exposed sensor pallets, because I've never made them, and wouldn't know how to begin.

Start out with the background color layer (that's the curved square on my one), then work out the mechanical part by using bevels (those layers are always black, but the fill is set to 0%, so only the bevel effect gets shown; use the background color at least instead of the black that is used for the darker part of it, it'll make it look better), each new height level is a new layer with the bevels. The last layers are colored panels, and this is all in one layer folder in photoshop (I think PSP can do those too, I use layer folders a lot to make my life easier to find stuff in the source files).

I always have named layer folders (you can see that with my Oberth, I've included the hulls source psd for making extra named variants)

I'll use the Oberth as a basis:
1) The first one is always called base, within it are the layers that make up the base color of a ship (and the layers are named with the hex codes of the color used). With the Oberth, it contains a single layer that is completely filled with color, hex code EFEFEF (and that's the name of the layer)
2) second folder is aztec, this one might contain subfolders (like with the Excal Galors for example, I can find the panelling i need much easier that way) like saucer dorsal, saucer ventral, bridge, neck, etc. each color used is a separate layer, might even contain a source folder where the paths are, and so on and they get turned off of course.
3) is the teal panelling, has one main folder for the Oberth's version and one for the Pegasus (since the coloring of those panels is different), and they contain each layers for each individual color used, named by the colors hex codes, and I just turn on the one I need.
4) is the panel lines, separated into subfolders by groups, same as with the example above with the aztecing. Each contains layers where the circular segments are and the rest is kept in their original vector states. The layer folders get the opacity changed, not the layers themselves.
5) would be details. Like impulse engines, mechanics, stencils and so on. Each of them has a layer folder within containing the layers that make it up.
6) would be ID's, the pennants, stripes, regs and names. each subfolder is named for the ship in question (Biko, Oberth, Grissom, etc.), and the pennants and regs are both in their individual layer folders below them.
7) would be the folder containing the windows. has a base, lit and unlit subfolder (I think you know which is for what ;) )
8) is the specularity that has all copy of all of the foldering I mentioned so far, and the colors are changed to denote what i want it to look like (in max, the best way to see how a specular map would look like is to apply it to both spec color and spec level, and set the spec color to RGB and the level to opaque)
9) is the fake shadowing
10) is the illumination that goes to the diffuse map alpha; black is the base color layer, then come the spotlight max renders, and the rest are each layers of a lighter shade of gray. This folder gets rasterized in a copy of the entire map and copy-pasted in the alpha channel before saving.

[ChiefBrex]

Okay, after taking Adonis' suggestions, here's what I've come up with so far.

[Edit: Pics at end of thread]

Any other suggestions?

[CyAn1d3]

a few TOO many cargo doors ventral side, but thats just my opinion. otherwise good thus far, keep it up 

[mckinneyc]

I would remove the port and starboard midships hatches and also perhaps change them to the clamshell type featured on the ventral saucer and secondary hull of the Galaxy and Intrepid classes.

I see your Rigel as a sort of step between the two and it would help tie in your ship in with two well established ones

[ChiefBrex]

The Rigel Class is pre-clam shell cargo doors

Not to mention that the Rigel Class it's intended as a transition between the Ambassador and Galaxy Classes.

[ChiefBrex]

Double Post. New Pics. Awaiting Suggestions. Deflector needs work. The way it's mapped, it's not working out the way I want. I think it's because of the symmetry mapping. May need some help with it. Anyway, enjoy.

[Edit: New Pics at end of thread]

[CyAn1d3]

Double Post. New Pics. Awaiting Suggestions. Deflector needs work. The way it's mapped, it's not working out the way I want. I think it's because of the symmetry mapping. May need some help with it. Anyway, enjoy.

ill beat adonis to it this time, whats the unwrap look like?

i use symmetry mapping all the time