Bridge Commander Central

BC Forums => BC Bridge Modding => Topic started by: Excal_Luke on September 05, 2007, 04:59:32 PM

Title: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 05, 2007, 04:59:32 PM
ok, so for a while ive wanted to create a bridge, its only till now ive decided to actually get 3ds max and get moddeling.
 
I can see why not many people do bridge modding - it was a daunting task for me just to get used to the whole aspect of 3d moddeling,

Ive never moddel'd anything before, what-so-ever, so as you will see, the mesh may not be quite right. Basically be nice with your feedback, its my first attempt.

As you will also see, my texturing leaves something to be desired.
Constructive critisism welcome.

EDIT : PICS REMOVED SEE BELOW

shocking, isnt it.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Billz on September 05, 2007, 05:09:04 PM
Not bad for starters.

Try to keep the poly count under 20,000 though. Apart from that, best of luck to you.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 05, 2007, 05:17:05 PM
thanks,? :)
lol, as i stated above, im brand new to this, lol,what im saying is i dont know how to find out the poly count. :oops:
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Legacy on September 06, 2007, 08:20:36 AM
thanks,  :)
lol, as i stated above, im brand new to this, lol,what im saying is i dont know how to find out the poly count. :oops:


Which max version?
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 06, 2007, 10:37:54 AM
max 9.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Legacy on September 06, 2007, 11:10:20 AM
Press the "7" key.
Then go to the viewport configuration (in customize menu i think) and set it to display triangles instead of polies.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 06, 2007, 12:34:55 PM
super, thankyou, im currently at 12 000 pollies,
now i just need to learn how to texture  :?
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Legacy on September 06, 2007, 03:36:37 PM
Search for mapping coordinates, UVW map and UVW unwrapp.

Before learn to draw textures, you need to learn how to use them.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 08, 2007, 05:39:06 PM
Ok, after getting used to mapping ive created some displays/ LCARS and put them in the model.
Now with legacy just mentioning ''UVW map'' he basically told me where to go. - so thanks

Im extremley proud of the following pics, to say ive only been moddeling (and texturing) for a short while.
Enjoy.

EDIT : pics removed see below.

as you can see, its still not right, if anyone can give me any tips on mapping better, it'd be much appriciated. :)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Teh 1337 on September 08, 2007, 11:49:05 PM
Pardon me for asking, but what ship is this bridge for. I am assumung that the bridge is for the USS Raven from Voyager?

Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: startrekw_george on September 09, 2007, 12:01:43 AM
thing looks wicked!, cant what to try it out!!
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Adonis on September 09, 2007, 02:32:51 AM
Dude, one small thing...nuke'em polies you don't need (like the sides of the pillars that won't be visible from the inside). The bridge looks cool for a first. :)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: cpthooker on September 09, 2007, 03:23:29 AM
looks good so far
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: startrekw_george on September 09, 2007, 05:26:53 PM
my advice though is to have some more gray in there. more of a mettle look to some of it. and make sure that during red alert that the bridge gets really dark. that always looks cool :D.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 10, 2007, 03:59:57 PM
Ok, so now ive just about gotten the hang of texturing, ive wipped together some displays, ,
Any advice/ critisism would be appriciated.

Pics removed
enjoy, and pardon my poorly-made displays
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Legacy on September 10, 2007, 05:55:26 PM
AS for the displays, i recommend tunning the color down (desaturate then), or they risk looking a bit cartoonish.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: newman on September 11, 2007, 11:18:32 AM
For a first model - great job. As for the displays, you might want to browse the net for lcars panels and use real ones as reference. You could also photoshop together the panels using parts of the existing ones.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: cpthooker on September 11, 2007, 04:46:01 PM
look at the episode when you actually see the raven bridge and see what lcars they used and try to recreate the colour scheme as well :)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: killeen21 on September 12, 2007, 06:31:29 AM
Great work so far!
These might help a bit;
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: cpthooker on September 12, 2007, 10:41:38 AM
what are you using for the textures by the way?
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 12, 2007, 02:26:27 PM
drawplus 6.0, just copying and pasting (which is why they dont look super)
and thanks for those piccys killeen!
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 18, 2007, 04:51:31 PM
Here are some more pics,
As if anyone cares anyway lol, i think i should practice on another bridge.
i dont think that the raven bridge was really going to be succesful anyway, lol
enjoy

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/rtefvd.jpg)
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/reg.jpg)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Billz on September 18, 2007, 06:30:18 PM
Here are some more pics,
As if anyone cares anyway lol, i think i should practice on another bridge.
i dont think that the raven bridge was really going to be succesful anyway, lol
enjoy

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/rtefvd.jpg)
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/reg.jpg)

Dont give up on this bridge just yet. I would like to see it all the way through to the end at least. I think its an excellent bridge. Really! I do!
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Vortex on September 20, 2007, 03:21:24 PM
Agreed it's looking great. The more bridges the better.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: newman on September 20, 2007, 04:47:43 PM
Worst thing you could do is give up, you'll learn much more by sticking with it. Be persistent, pay attention to detail, and just keep plugging away. You'd be amazed how a few spot on details can change the whole look of a bridge. I'll give you some examples on your bridge, if I may:
the colors of the walls and floor seem way too saturated - check your refs again and try to match that as closely as possible. When you're drawing lcars panels, try not to simplify - again, check your ref pics; if, for example, there's a line with a slight gradient and it gets thinner on a segment, don't just make it straight and flat orange - details are everything.
Finally, you can greatly improve the quality of your renders with a good lighting setup. For starters, even just the skylight would do to get the ambient occlusion, that alone will greatly enhance the look of you renders.
And if you need help or advice, feel free to contact me, I'll do my best to help you with what I know.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: startrekw_george on September 21, 2007, 06:23:28 PM
this bridge is incredible! don't give up on it D:
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 22, 2007, 11:30:28 AM
Thanks all.
i'd love to carry on, but my free trial of max runs out in 10 days from me posting this post lol.
ill keep going, if anyone wants the bridge to carry it on then i suppose i can sort something out.
 thanks again for the support
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: newman on September 29, 2007, 09:58:20 AM
Maybe you could try this:
http://www.turbosquid.com/gmax

Basically, it's a free*, stripped down version of max, made for game modelling. It doesn't have all the features the full max has, but it should be enough for your purposes at the moment.

* free is a relative term here, I'm not sure what the licence agreement states, but you probably have to pay for it if you mean to make money with it. At any rate, if you dl it and use it, be sure to read the licence agreement.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on September 30, 2007, 03:11:09 PM
Hey, thanks for that newman, and thanks for your PM. :D
Heres a quick piccy of the floor, now that ive learned to take uwv maps.

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/raven4.jpg)

Still gunna change some colours, and darken the walls.
Im gunna do the displays eventually aswell. 
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: newman on September 30, 2007, 04:37:12 PM
Glad to see progress on this. Looking good.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: cpthooker on October 01, 2007, 01:17:00 AM
I just noticed something on the helm, you missed out the light on the console
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: newman on October 01, 2007, 04:12:34 AM
You probably already have this, but just in case, it's a nice big cutaway, and these are always useful :)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on October 04, 2007, 03:29:06 PM
Hey, thanks Cpt hooker , i diddnt realise that, ill sort that out, and thanks for that aswell newman. Much appriciated. :D

Here are some texture corrections, and lighting, the walls have been darkened, and more stuff added, 1200 polies.
enjoy.

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/raven6.jpg)
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/raven9.jpg)
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/raven7.jpg)

Its now nice and dark like on the episode
im happy with it, for a first bridge. :)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: newman on October 04, 2007, 04:25:15 PM
Looking much better, congratulations! You might also think about adding ambient occlusion, in the renders now and also when lightmapping. In max, it is usually generated by using skylight...
more on AO:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambient_occlusion

Hope it helps, as always, PM me if you need help..
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: rengers on October 04, 2007, 04:28:12 PM
I'm glad to see that you don't give up, this bridge looks really cool :D
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: intrepid90 on October 04, 2007, 04:52:06 PM
one of the last really new bridges for bc and it's amazing.
though I think it could be a bit dark, think about how dark it will be in red alert?!
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: cpthooker on October 05, 2007, 12:59:33 AM
Looks good :)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on October 06, 2007, 09:26:50 PM
Ok, here's an update, after cpthookers post ive sorted out the lights around the helm, still to be tweaked abit more.
And after newmans post,  ive added some ambient occlusion, heres the effect, with the changes:
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/hgvfc.jpg)

Now i have a secret to tell. :wink: Ive secretly been applying the skills learned on the raven bridge to a different bridge, a bridge that i like more, and that i think people in general will be more ''exited'' about than the USS Raven.
Heres a sneaky render:
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/welss.jpg)
Can you guess what it is? - but thats for a different thread.  8)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Darkthunder on October 06, 2007, 09:34:22 PM
Heres a sneaky render:
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/welss.jpg)
Can you guess what it is? - but thats for a different thread.  8)

That would be the Relativity's transporter area. Looking forward to seeing what you can do on that bridge, once the Raven is done :D
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Excal_Luke on October 08, 2007, 04:47:23 PM
 Heres an update: Ive stuck those textures on the other side of the bridge, and corrected some minor texture placement errors.

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/intercepter1/raven95completed.jpg)

I really HATE doing textures, so i haven't done many.
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: rengers on October 08, 2007, 05:17:03 PM
that looks really good, can't wait for her :)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: cpthooker on October 08, 2007, 05:19:05 PM
I don't like textures either ;)
Title: Re: USS Raven bridge WIP - my first bridge also.
Post by: Darkthunder on October 08, 2007, 07:11:11 PM
Texture-wise it's really looking good. I just hope you make each "station" with a bit more individualized textures, so that it doesn't look too repetitive. That was one of the problems with the stock Galaxy bridge, in that they used the same textures in alot of places (such as the aft stations).