ST4 Whaleprobe (My 1st successful modelling try) (updated 1/7/2008 cest)

[FekLeyr Targ]

Hello folks,
Finally, I've managed to make my own successful model: The whaleprobe from Star Trek 4: The voyage home. I'm planning to release it for BC, but perhabs I'll convert it for other games.
What do you think about this model? What can I do better? Please be constructive and please tell me what you think in the next 31 days before my ms3d trial has been expired.

PS: Any help will be appreciated.

[Jay Crimson]

That probe sure is happy to see someone.

I think it's a great start. My main advice is to use far more polycounts since the probe concists of such few cylinders already. Counting the 12 corners the cylinders have I assume you used the standard cylinder setup in Milkshape 3d. Try turning stacks into 1 (this means it'll just have one front and one end) and the slices up to 30 or 50 (this means you'll have 30-50 corners, which makes the cylinder far more smooth).

The main problem will be damage mapping. This is the burning iron graphic you get when there's holes on any ship. Since the probe has it's tractor thingy on the round ball this tractor beam may take damage mapping also since it's part of the model. I don't know if this can be disabled.

Keep going. You'll find that a second try usually makes you even more content and invites quickly to have a third and more tries until being satisfied. Since we lack a whale probe in BC as far as I know it might be a very great effect to use ingame. If you can manage to study the weapons breen ships use and can apply this effect into some sort of invisible rapid firing pulse you can recreate the effect of the disabling/damaging sonar it used on other ships maybe, but that's a whole different dirrection of modding.

A comment on the dimensions of the probe is that the ball is tiny compared to the probe herself, possibly comparable as a small round bean with a cucumber.

[lint]

you can disable it showing damage, but i dont know to implement that so the rest of the model can take damage

[FekLeyr Targ]

thank you all for all those tips.

Update:
Because I actaully don't have any idea how to smooth models in ms3d, I've remade the model.

edit:Perhabs I'll make that ship (nearly) indestructable and fit it with USS Sovereign's Phalantium wave and with movable ball using ftech to simulate the attributes of the probe like in the film.

edit2: Who has good texturing knowledge and isn't occupied at the moment?

edit3: Please also have a look at the bcs-tng version of this topic at http://bcs-tng.com/forums/index.php?topic=1592.msg20874#new

[Jay Crimson]

It is perhaps possible to animate the lightray which holds the small sphere, but am uncertain of how such a thing is done. I do know the Sovereign model has such a feature.

[Mark]

yes, in max you just map it to an IFL file

[uk_resistant]

Ah you beat me to it!

i could be wrong but the scale seems off, check this website for a good look...

http://www.merzo.net/

Im wondering, does BC support Either vertex or opacity maps? they would help for this...

[FekLeyr Targ]

@uk_resistant: Thanks for the site. I've just given you a cookie.
I had a look on the site uk_resistant has given me and I found out, that the probe is about the size of the 2nd Deathstar divided with 2. So I'll scale to the half size of the 2nd DS available at bcfiles.

[lint]

thats if it is properly scaled,  :lol:

[FekLeyr Targ]

Update time:
I've followed a suggestion by Nighthawk at bcs-tng and replaced the ventral cylinder with 2 crossed planes.

[uk_resistant]

check the proportions, that beam of light with ball looks too big compared to the rest of it. Im sure the cylinder was more longer too.

[FekLeyr Targ]

update:
Mainbody has been rescaled.

[uk_resistant]

thats a lot better good work. Only thing is in the couple of pictures on the net of the probe, the light mean actually covers most of the ball part, to make it look like a hemisphere.
what was the reasoning behind making the beam into planes? Im presuming it is because it would be easier to make them look like they are glowing. if so i would actually try a test with 4 planes, so it looks like 3 crosses off set on eachother for better coverage.

[FekLeyr Targ]

update:
Beam has been enhanced. If you all think it ok like this now, I'll convert this model, ok.

[lint]

looks good man,
you might want to texture her before converting it though ;)
 :lol:

[uk_resistant]

make sure to use as much reference when doing the specular map as well, as the spec highlights are really the only thing you see of the ship in the film for the part (aside from the ball).

[Asylum]

make sure to use as much reference when doing the specular map as well, as the spec highlights are really the only thing you see of the ship in the film for the part (aside from the ball).

agreed... at the end of the day the ship was a tube holding a little ball.. not much too it..  as uk_resistant  has pointed out, this model is going to be won and lost with the textures... you have done a great job on the model so far, you have taken your time with research and have listened to the advice given to you, so all is going well.... if you cant map i suggest you learn, im not being harsh.. but a cylender and sphere are easy to map and i could do them for you in 2 mins, and i will do if ya dont manage it.. but learn and you will not only improve on work your doing but learn knowledge for future projects..

keep up the good work.. 

[Glenn]

I'm glad to see that someone is finally doing the Whaleprobe lol.  8)

Granted it's not the most difficult thing to model, but it's a good start nonetheless. I've always liked the idea of a space battle with the whaleprobe, it's we never got to see anything like that in Star Trek IV. 

[Aeries]

I wonder if it would be possible to make it so when you pass within a certain distance, your ship is forced to power down or lose all power... or something? That'd be really interesting to see.... I'm no programmer/script person... so I dunno. :/ *sigh*

Just a thought. One step at a time...

Also, as already stated, you could totally learn to map & texture. Your textures and speculars could totally make or break this project, but no pressure, it's cool to see another modeler taking the initiative and learning. But if you really want to make a great mod, don't be afraid to spend all the time you need to learn and constantly improve. Rebuild this as much as you feel you need to. I don't know how to map or texture yet, either, so I'm in the same boat. Again, take all the time you need to learn. There are TONNS of people here whom I'm certain are very willing to help you. After all, that's the whole purpose of this site, I believe... at elast, it is for me. So you're already in the right place.

Anywho... enough from me. Your project looks really cool, and I look forward to seeing what comes up.

-Aeries.

[uk_resistant]

just want to add, reference is key. If you can get some dvd screen grabs of the probe from the movie, and really deconstruct what your looking at.