Author Topic: WIP of TheUnknown - The Akula (mk II) (Read 106481 times)

Nebula · « **Reply #80 on:** July 23, 2009, 01:45:14 PM »

That's awesome!!

btw are you ever going to do the Kessok Mine or the Kessok Sunbuster??

majormagna · « **Reply #81 on:** July 23, 2009, 01:52:42 PM »

You could be the first person to make a Kessok fleet... I can see a Kessok fighter owning a Hideki...

You seem to have their design ethics down; great work... any chance of a cut-down version for an outpost?

Phaser · « **Reply #82 on:** July 25, 2009, 01:24:15 PM »

Indeed, you do seem to have their design pegged! This looks very...'Kessoky'.

I've been getting back to dabbling in modeling with 3DS Max, and while you aren't using that program, I'm curious nonetheless: How'd you model the original pylons that were on top of the station? While they might have been too high-poly for BC, they looked great.

X_TheUnknown_X · « **Reply #83 on:** July 25, 2009, 03:24:09 PM »

For the pylons; after creating the concave area, I just selected the some faces which would be the base of the pylons and Extruded them, Scaled them down, Rotated them a bit (about 30 - 45 degrees) and then repeated it a second time.

It doesn't sound that inspiring now... :?

Small update, I'm starting to get the Dome textures looking right. I've decided to change the phaser domes into pods similar to the torpedo launcher-plus-phaser things on DS9. And they will probaly be done with textures. No pics, nothing too special to see.

Lionus · « **Reply #84 on:** July 25, 2009, 10:42:49 PM »

you know, when I saw that tiiiny little Galaxy-class in that pic, I suddenly remembered the theme music for the Kraken in the pirates of the caribbean.. :shock:

X_TheUnknown_X · « **Reply #85 on:** July 29, 2009, 11:56:21 AM »

Well, it's been a while and I've got the basic textures for the station in place now. The one thing I find slows me down a lot it keeping strictly within the lines on the UV map. I've gotten to know photoshop's Lasoo tool very well in the last few weeks. I still can't settle on a suitable phaser placement for the station - strips don't seem very Kessok but pods look a little awkward. Anyway, pictures - as always - are included.

On another note, the idea of creating a fleet of Kessok vessels seems interesting. Especially the idea of a Kessok fighter-type ship, I can imagine it having a simillar body to the Kessok Heavy but with cannons or launchers instead of the oddly placed impulse engines.

And, yes - the station does look like a jelly fish or mythical super-squid. Which brings to mind two ideas. The first: I could add a tractor beam to the bottom of the station to pull in enemy ships (for the purpose of being captured or slavaged). The second: do I dare add a cloaking device to a space station? All Kessok ships (including the sunbuster) have one...

Images removed

Nebula · « **Reply #86 on:** July 29, 2009, 12:42:52 PM »

hmm I still say towers... would look good... kinda like the forks on the heavy...

Billz · « **Reply #87 on:** July 29, 2009, 04:50:22 PM »

I wonder, how would it stay in orbit without any kind of propulsion, lol?

But it looks great. I glad that someone is finnal showing some love towards the kessok.

FarShot · « **Reply #88 on:** July 30, 2009, 07:44:46 AM »

Quote from: Billz on July 29, 2009, 04:50:22 PM

I wonder, how would it stay in orbit without any kind of propulsion, lol?

Perhaps the same way that our space stations stay in orbit? When you are in true orbit, you need no propulsion. Ballistics takes care of everything.

Billz · « **Reply #89 on:** July 30, 2009, 09:03:00 AM »

I feel so stupid now. I can't believe I forgot how true oribing works just then.

Cookie for FarShot.

gdata · « **Reply #90 on:** July 30, 2009, 10:53:33 AM »

Quote from: FarShot on July 30, 2009, 07:44:46 AM

Quote from: Billz on July 29, 2009, 04:50:22 PM
I wonder, how would it stay in orbit without any kind of propulsion, lol?

Perhaps the same way that our space stations stay in orbit? When you are in true orbit, you need no propulsion. Ballistics takes care of everything.

You will need propulsion if you are close to the atmosphere, because you still have friction there and your space station will loose height. Best example: ISS.
Anyway, if you're farer away from the planet and move slower you can maintain orbit without any kind of propulsion.

X_TheUnknown_X · « **Reply #91 on:** July 31, 2009, 12:19:30 PM »

Propulsion. If you're absolutely desperate I could add some impulse engines / thrusters - but for now that's not necessary.

However, I'm now completely happy with the design and the textures. I took Nebula's advice and now the phasers are mounted on claw or spike-type things on the side of the dome. I've also added ceramic looking armour plates onto the dome, windows to the main sections (for all those who like Kessok to have windows

) and also some engraved writing to the curved pylons. (It's actually a Cardassian font I found on the internet - not Kessok, I know, but there isn't much in the way of Kessok scriptures in BC)

Images removed

Nebula · « **Reply #92 on:** July 31, 2009, 12:25:45 PM »

awesome!!

Phaser · « **Reply #93 on:** August 01, 2009, 10:58:06 PM »

Very nice, but you seriously need to up the resolution of those textures. Remember, this thing is big. Look at the Galaxy class in comparison with your station. That thing is much smaller but it packs a ton of detail. You're going to have to up the resolution just to get that station to look the proper size, let alone make it detailed.

Oh, and I think you described your method for modeling the newer pylons. I was interested in how you modeled the originals; the ones that were too high poly for BC.

Darkthunder · « **Reply #94 on:** August 01, 2009, 11:10:53 PM »

I'd have to agree with Phaser on that. The station looks really cool (model-wise), but as stated the textures need to be a higher resolution and more highly detailed (imho). BC has needed new Kessok designs for a long time, so i'm glad your taking it upon yourself to try and do some new designs.

Billz · « **Reply #95 on:** August 02, 2009, 04:00:58 AM »

I'd hve to side with Phaser and Darkthunder on this one.

But I otherwise love the fact that new Kessok ships are finally being made for BC. If this is released before I get back on my home computer, it'll be the first thing I download when I do get access to my home PC again.

X_TheUnknown_X · « **Reply #96 on:** August 02, 2009, 07:14:29 AM »

Well, the problem with increasing the resolution of the textures is that they are already at 1024x1024. I could shrink down the base texure layers but the resolution would stay the same. Or, I could make the texures for the larger structures 2048x2048 and scale the smaller sections (ie weapons pods and ops) to 512x512. I just don't want to make the final filesize too big.

My main problem, however, it exporting the model from Blender to the Model Property Editor, every time I try to load the NIFs in MPE, it crashes. The scripts I've downloaded to export Blender files to NIFs even has a Bridge Commander NIF button :? . Since the two programs aren't too different, if anyone using 3DS Max can tell me how they get exported ships working, it would be helpful.

Lastly, for Phaser: When I modelled the original pylons for the dome, I still used the Exdrude and Rotate method - but I also applied a SubSurf Modifier to it - which is called something like MeshSmooth in 3DS Max, I beleive.

Kirk · « **Reply #97 on:** August 02, 2009, 04:48:05 PM »

If you can get me something Max can open (obj, 3ds, etc.) and the textures, I'll export it for you.

X_TheUnknown_X · « **Reply #98 on:** August 05, 2009, 05:38:37 PM »

Well, after some trouble with the Model Property Editor

, I have got the Kessok Space station ingame and fully functional

!

I've given the base an almost complete cover of phaser fire, with some blind spots, and a few rapid-fire torpedo launchers. It is equipped with fairly strong shields and ablative hull armour. I've tested the Station against a fleet of 7 Carsassian ships (Hidekis to Keldons) and the station held up pretty well.

I do have a question, however: every time the station sustains visible hull damage, the game lags slightly. After looking in the nif folder there is a text file called Voxilizer_debug. In it, it tells be it's had to remove tonnes of 'Double-sided Triangles'. I suspect this is causing the lag. If so, what are double-sided triangles and how do I get rid of them?

Anyway, here's some game pictures:

Billz · « **Reply #99 on:** August 06, 2009, 08:28:56 AM »

Blue shields?

I thought Kessok ships had a different shield colour. I can't verify this since I am not on my home PC and I have a absolutely rubbish memory

News:

Author Topic: WIP of TheUnknown - The Akula (mk II) (Read 106481 times)