Hard Light Productions Forums

Community Projects => The FreeSpace Upgrade Project => Topic started by: FireCrack on February 27, 2006, 04:29:59 am

Title: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: FireCrack on February 27, 2006, 04:29:59 am
I'm not going to be working on this for a while, but i thauight i'd post it and let some comments accumulate...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/FireCrack/Rach.jpg)

EDIT: better image
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: bfobar on February 27, 2006, 04:32:26 am
ooooooh. My only request would be that the front spikes be less polygonal.
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: Fineus on February 27, 2006, 04:38:22 am
Agreed. Something more claw-like perhaps?

Very nice start though, I particularly like the forward pylons.
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: FireCrack on February 27, 2006, 04:42:30 am
Err.. on a question of terminology...

What's the difference between the fornt spikes and the forward pylons?
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: bfobar on February 27, 2006, 04:46:00 am
forward pylons is the main body forward of the engine which consists of the two pylons with the gap in the middle. front spikes are the pokey bits on the front of the forward pylons that the beam cannons are on.
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on February 27, 2006, 05:18:20 am
Wow, that's pretty awesome so far. :)

Apart from the aforementioned front spikes, my suggestion would be to model in those rounded rib things shown on the main side ribs texture. If you placed the ribs over the tops of those areas where you've currently got the glowing red indents, the modeled detail there would pretty much match what the textures depict, as you've done very nicely everywhere else. :)

Keep it up. :yes:
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: Raptor on February 27, 2006, 05:49:00 am
Finally some more Shivan ships get the HTL Treatment!

Looking good so far.
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: FireCrack on February 27, 2006, 05:54:43 am
More terminology


Rounded rib things?
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on February 27, 2006, 08:55:40 am
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/VA--Twisted_Infinities/RakshasaRibsSuggestion.jpg)

^ In the base texture, instead of glowing red indents, it has what look like ribs that have red back-lighting. If you could do that with the actual model, then it might give a very cool impression. :)

(Obviously you'd spend a bit more time on making the ribs look good though - mines a complete 20 second botch job. ;) )
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: Raptor on February 27, 2006, 10:49:42 am
(Obviously you'd spend a bit more time on making the ribs look good though - mines a complete 20 second botch job. ;) )

An extremely good 20-second botch job. :nod: :yes:
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: FireCrack on February 27, 2006, 12:01:35 pm
Ah, i kinda thaught that was what you were talking about. It does have ribs, but they arent very pronounced in that screenshot. Alos, i sohuld make them more pronounced by seperating them form the "big panels" between evrey set of three ribs.
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on February 28, 2006, 04:14:22 am
Ah, now that I look at it more closely I see what you mean - but I'd recommend adding separate bigger ribs to it instead of making the existing ones more pronounced. What you currently have - with the ribs looking much more like separators breaking up the block of red behind them, looks like a really good base to add 'propper' ribs to.

I don't think it'd have quite as good an effect if the current 'separators' became ribs, leaving the block of red behind them.
Could be wrong though. :)
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: FireCrack on February 28, 2006, 04:17:20 am
Ah, okay, i realy see what you mean now.

The one problem with that is polycount, modeling in the ribs to be full objects would suck down quite a few more of those things quite fast.
Title: Re: HTL Rakshasa
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on February 28, 2006, 04:34:39 am
What's it currently at?
Adding some fairly basic triangular, twice bent ribs as I stuck in that demo pic would add around 1000 polys.
I'd say if you plan on UVing it and texturing it with a big single texture (which I'd strongly recommend again ;) ), the performance cost of adding them would be negligable enough to warrent sticking them on.