Bridge Commander Central
BC Forums => BC Modding => Topic started by: Furyofaseraph on September 23, 2009, 12:17:20 PM
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Hey guys. I recently started on a ship (you can see the render below). I have a few versions going - they all look identical, but there are slight differences in the way I've made them.
1) I have the armor and the internal structure as separate elements (9,142 triangles)
2) I have the armor and the internal structure as combined elements (8,994 triangles)
3) I have the armor and the internal structure as a single optimized (by the modifier) element (7,926 triangles).
My question is this: Is the optimize modifier something you guys use? Is it acceptable to use it or should I reduce the poly count manually?
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Generally, i'd say it is best to try and reduce it by yourself, optimise can leave it looking similar to what it was but from what i've found it leaves the wireframe view looking a mess. It is also useless if you have mapping done. I know in later versions there is another thing for reducing polies called multires which reduces polies while preserving mapping co-ordinates but i've not used it myself so I can't say how it works.
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well, I used the optimize modifier, then I went in and cleaned it.
Here's a side by side of pre-opt and opted.
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Yeah, I got it to work well :-)
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I don't know what this ship is but it looks cool.
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Thanks Wiley, that means a lot coming from you.
This ship is an original design of mine. Years ago I tried making a fleet - it didn't turn out very pretty. After gaining a few years of experience I decided to try it again, this was the result.
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Ugh - the buzzkill of unwrapping.
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looks like something out of homeworld or nexus jupiter incident, awesome work
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It kinda has a 'Halo-esque' feel to it.
Its certainly an interesting design though. Looking forward to it.
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I know it resembles certain other universes. I'm more interested in what you guys think of the design itself, not how it compares to _insert some other sci-fi here_.
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I think it looks great!
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The ship it's self is killer, and the textures your doing, wow, can you make a tutorial on who you did the awesome detail. Cookie.
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hmm...this will be interesting. I just hope your not going for those nearly invisible industrial blacks, greys and silvers usually associated with these kinds of ships. I'm kinda tired of grungy is real :P
personally, I think It could come from the Piers Anthony's "Bio of a Space Tyrant" series, or what a real earth "armed forces" could come up with for a starship.
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I like what you're doing with the textures, though I was sold on the untextured look too, kind of a Portal aesthetic vibe going on there.
What sort of size is the ship going to be? It strikes me as rather vast, 800m to 1.5km in length.
Although, looking at the gun emplacements, it's probably considerably smaller.
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I hadn't thought of a portal look - should be rounder, I would think, to be a real GLaDOS ship.
I think I've settled into what the final texture look will be, at least for the armored parts. The underside will be more greeble-ridden.
EDIT:
Sorry I forgot to include: with the spinials at the front and the engines at the back she comes in at 320 meters.
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More texture work
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To me it looks like it could easily fit in to Halo and Babylon 5. :D Good stuff here.
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If you want a hint to make it more original to play, make the turrets mostly fire sidewards only. The ship will actually have to flank enemies, using it's thin profile when viewed from the front to cut through enemy fire. ;)
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To me it looks like it could easily fit in to Halo and Babylon 5. :D Good stuff here.
Thanks for the "good stuff", but ...
I know it resembles certain other universes. I'm more interested in what you guys think of the design itself, not how it compares to _insert some other sci-fi here_.
If you want a hint to make it more original to play, make the turrets mostly fire sidewards only. The ship will actually have to flank enemies, using it's thin profile when viewed from the front to cut through enemy fire. ;)
I see where you are going - but to be honest, It doesn't make sense to restrict field of fire. Any sane captain would take advantage of the ship's narrow profile on an approach - but the ship has a pretty solid 360-coverage - all of them can fire to either port or starboard - about 3 can fire forward, 2 backward, 3 upward and 3 downward, plus you've got to figure that ship-to-ship missiles don't necessarily need a clear line of site from the turret to the target. Plus there is the forward pain-giver-weapon built into the hull.
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A cool idea would have doing the turrents in MVAM an let the AI attack other ships wile you controll the main ship.
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I'll let the coders handle that stuff - I just build the ships.
Textures are pretty much locked in, I think.
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Dude that thing is awesome...
It's a great splice between Homeworld and B5... hehehe (yes I know you said ignore this but it's just to great of a resemblance not to...)
Anyway the design itself is really really cool everything on it just fits and blends well together.
I can't wait to see this thing completed!!
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Trial colors! :-).
Yeah, she's definitely a hybrid of HW2, Halo, and B5 - which is exactly what I wanted, with a bit of FoaS sprinkled in for good measure. I am going to add a bit more detailing to the greeble textures, but thats for tomorrow.
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The textures of the hull plating look extremity good but the color on the forward comms and weapons array and on the top look a little cheezed out. Maybe a weathered dark gray or even the same black thats on the under carriage. It's jest my opinion, you got mt download.
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I prefer the rust scheme as a matter of personal taste, but the multi-steel works just fine.
I think you deserve some overdue cookies. find yourself a good hardpointer for this one.
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The textures of the hull plating look extremity good but the color on the forward comms and weapons array and on the top look a little cheezed out. Maybe a weathered dark gray or even the same black thats on the under carriage. It's jest my opinion, you got mt download.
I agree - I need to rework that particular texture.
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very nifty looking, what is the poly count
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7,939 triangles
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At last she is done!
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I'm still not sold on the orange tips, i think it look better is you follower the dark color all the way, but this rocks. I love the detail you've done on the textures. You need to make a tut for texturing. Do you have a release date yet?
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I agree. the splotch cameo looks so completely natural on that ship, you should put out a tutorial. the Edinburgh would make any millitary service proud. I'll be plenty happy to DL this when it's ready.
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Wow - i figured that the splotchy thing would be easy to figure out.
1) On an empty layer: Filter > Render > Clouds
2) On the same layer: Filter > Artistic > Cutout (adjust settings as you want)
3) Create a Gradient Map adjustment layer
4) Clip the gradient map adjustment layer to the clouds/cutout layer (hold down alt and click between the two layers in the layer palette).
5 optional) For the gradient map I actually used two different shades of grey that are close to center, ie: 160,160,160 and 96,96,96 - I then created a solid color layer above that and changed it to overlay at 75%. Also clip this layer to the Cloud/Cutout layer.
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Oh, that all.* puts head down and kicks a rock and mumbles to him self* Show off. LOL. Jest kidding, i never thought of that. Cookie.
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Also, if you look at my dA page (http://furyofaseraph.deviantart.com/) amongst my deviations there is a texture action set for photoshop. There are two actions that produce tilable textures that I use for the basis for all my metallic textures.
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You got some cool ships there. I'd love to get my hands on thous Fed fighters. My next project is to make one for the show. Can you post a link to your texture action, i could not find it.
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No problem on the link: http://furyofaseraph.deviantart.com/art/FoaS-s-Texture-Actions-27384739
As far as the fighters go, no one really seemed that gung-ho about them - which I can follow - they were very macross-esque. I have the MAX file if you want it.
By the way - now that the frigate is done, I'm thinking the destroyer through. I will not be starting it tonight, but rather tomorrow.
BTW: so far, there are three variants of the frigate: Standard, Command, and Escort. The command adds various comm gear and what not, the escort replaces many primary armaments with defensive weapons. I've expanded the idea of how a wolf pack would function. Basically the squadron breakdown would be 6 ships total: 1 Command, 3 Standard, and 2 Escort. In fact its even likely that a Command Frigate, with its specialized CCI (Command, Communications, Intelligence) gear would actually be an integral part of even a destroyer squadron.
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I'd love to have them.. you cane send them to my Email, jest hit my profile for the address, Thank you. I had an idea for the destroyer but the only way i can explain it if you could post a side and back view of you frigate i could do a quick PS and post it for you as an idea, i don't want to infringe on you creative thoughts.
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sure thing - i don't mind more ideas, even if I have a solid one in my head - besides, who says that there only has to be one design of any type of ship?
I'll shoot you the max file tomorrow - assuming you can handle files from 3ds Max 9
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unfortunately, some of us are lacking a proper "clouds" function, which is one thing I definetly miss from my PP8. i have Paintshop rather than photoshop, and the cloud function is only a texture (otherwise, cool random bussards and showy plasma).
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I don't know if Paint Shop Pro can handle photoshop filter plugins - but GIMP can for sure.
Oh, here's that side view, bankrupt.
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Another frigate in the works. This one has much more frontal assault capabilities (for a frigate) but lacks in the way of turret coverage.
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I'm surprised that even is a frigate. It looks like 4 skyscrapers stuck together. :P
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thanks?
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so when do we get these for BC??? i could use some more targets :evil
JUST KIDDING!!!!
the new one looks awesome!
(BTW im stealing your camo technique for my metal gear rex model)
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so when do we get these for BC??? i could use some more targets :evil
"Targets" - Heh!
(BTW im stealing your camo technique for my metal gear rex model)
By all means - thats why I posted it. You can also mess with the cutout filter settings in order to get less rounded shapes, you can get very angular, sharp edges, too.
Anyways - The texturing of the new frigate has begun.
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:) they look great
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very nice :D
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Thanks guys,
Texturing work continues to continue.
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Coming along quite nicely.
That newer one's shape kinda reminds me of Christopher's ship from District 9.
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the new ship looks awesome
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Stunning :eek
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One last texture to go.
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that really is excellent work :eek
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That second frigate is even better than the first. Are those circle-shaped things related to the engines? They look like Xbox rings :P
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They look like Xbox rings :P
O_o
RED RING OF DEATH EDITION!!!!!
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Both of them are stunning. Are they trek ships, or ships for another sci-fi genre? If they are trek ships, this is fantastic...we need more non-traditional ships in game.
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Wow! They look great!
Like a cross between Father Ted and The Wrath of Khan!
I kid.
I love the texture work, sets a very distinctive aesthetic for your own particular universe.
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That second frigate is even better than the first. Are those circle-shaped things related to the engines? They look like Xbox rings :P
HAHA!
Naw, that's part of the reactor and FTL system.
Both of them are stunning. Are they trek ships, or ships for another sci-fi genre? If they are trek ships, this is fantastic...we need more non-traditional ships in game.
My own universe - I thought it was pretty obvious with the thread title and all.
Wow! They look great!
Like a cross between Father Ted and The Wrath of Khan!
I kid.
I love the texture work, sets a very distinctive aesthetic for your own particular universe.
Thanks :-).
While I think that the textures are still slightly lacking - they are growing on me.
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I hope you keep the orange markings. For some reason, they look good in them.
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When you say orange markings - do you mean the blue with the orange trim, or the complete orange with the white trim.
The Blue is for commissioned ships, the orange is representative of a technology testbed.
BTW: just for fun.
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THis is simply amazing!!!
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?!
:eek
HOW did you DO that?! it looks like it came right out of a comic book!
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When you say orange markings - do you mean the blue with the orange trim, or the complete orange with the white trim.
Both. It's weird; I would've never thought about painting a ship orange, but it works.
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Tau ala Warhammer 40k :-D
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That comic is quality :) I think you should wip up some nice renders of these. scene lighting etc
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I thought of half life 2 ... dont ask me why. kinda looks like stuff from those aliens. forgot their names. ahhh combine! xD
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I agree, actually.
WickedZombie made the same observation, too.
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Wicked ship, Furyofaseraph! The model is really slick, and the texturing is top-notch! I could easily see this ship being part of a commercial game.