Hard Light Productions Forums

Community Projects => The FreeSpace Upgrade Project => Topic started by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 11:15:45 am

Title: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 11:15:45 am
Sup, after getting the model from MjnMixael, I started work on a HTL Hermes.
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermes.png)
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Nohiki on November 21, 2010, 12:20:45 pm
Sweet, but i kinda liked that edgy nose (Don't brick me  :nervous: )
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: General Battuta on November 21, 2010, 12:32:19 pm
Yeah, change the nose back.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Colonol Dekker on November 21, 2010, 12:32:54 pm
I kind of agree.
Hermes nose should be Hermes shaped.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: mjn.mixael on November 21, 2010, 12:45:47 pm
 :nervous:

Told ya...   :p

However, I really like the engine area!  :yes:
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 12:56:35 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermes1.png)
not all that sure about the bottom part, though...
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Droid803 on November 21, 2010, 01:16:38 pm
Yum, engine greebles.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on November 21, 2010, 01:27:55 pm
I don't think that door should be recessed... that would be fine if it slid into the wall, but it looks like it's hinged. In this case it ought to be flush with the side, with a nice bevel.

Love the engine greebles. I hope you're preserving as much of the UV mapping as you can?
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 01:35:15 pm
I don't think that door should be recessed... that would be fine if it slid into the wall, but it looks like it's hinged. In this case it ought to be flush with the side, with a nice bevel.

Love the engine greebles. I hope you're preserving as much of the UV mapping as you can?
I actually started over from the retail mesh and made my own, so it'll need to be remapped anyway. Not to mention parts are so different it'll need a new texture anyway.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Spoon on November 21, 2010, 02:02:23 pm
Lookin' good~
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Colonol Dekker on November 21, 2010, 02:11:52 pm
I always felt the skids were kind of amphibious, now they look more fork-lifty. :blah:
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 02:15:30 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermdoor.png)
The doors looked hinged in the textures, I was just replicating that.

I always felt the skids were kind of amphibious, now they look more fork-lifty. :blah:
wat
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Colonol Dekker on November 21, 2010, 02:29:11 pm
You know, like one of those pontoon-equipped helicoptors.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 02:36:18 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermes2.png)
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Nohiki on November 21, 2010, 02:37:47 pm
Oh yea now we're talkin'! :yes:
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Colonol Dekker on November 21, 2010, 02:42:53 pm
You can stick a fork in that now Had.






It's done :yes:
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Zacam on November 21, 2010, 02:48:53 pm
I like it.

As for the door hinge, it can easily be a reverse-airplane hinge where instead of straight swing out, it pops out then follows the hull towards the front.

Good follow on the stock texture, nice implementation of details, Just needs mapping, LODs and Debris. I call it good.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on November 21, 2010, 02:50:01 pm
The smoothing needs a little fixing but it looks good
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 03:22:16 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hpipes.png)
Not done just yet. ;)
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Rodo on November 21, 2010, 03:26:44 pm
ok, it's looking good.

I'm liking the upper hatch thingy, nice detailing.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Nyctaeus on November 21, 2010, 03:30:22 pm
Wow! The Space Train now looks good! :D
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: The E on November 21, 2010, 03:31:15 pm
I have to wonder if those details on the doors would be better on the normal map. Given the size of this thing, I think that geometry details are less effective than normal map detail.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 03:35:55 pm
I have to wonder if those details on the doors would be better on the normal map. Given the size of this thing, I think that geometry details are less effective than normal map detail.
I just kept them there for screen-shotting purposes, really.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Thaeris on November 21, 2010, 03:41:33 pm
I'd agree. Re-extrude the door so it's flush with the hull, while leaving the gap. This can in turn be used to bake a normal map.

I will state that I'm not a fan of the over-accentuated upper docking mount. I'd personally rather see the smooth(er) original shape of the Hermes retained while the details are enhanced. Furthermore, be careful not to stray too far from the design with engine details - though the Hermes was always blocky, it did maintain the appearance that it could be shot out of something. If you break up the surface too much, you'll lose that design characteristic.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 03:49:11 pm
I will state that I'm not a fan of the over-accentuated upper docking mount. I'd personally rather see the smooth(er) original shape of the Hermes retained while the details are enhanced.
What. I haven't strayed in terms of smoothness from the original, and in some places, it's even smoother.

Furthermore, be careful not to stray too far from the design with engine details - though the Hermes was always blocky, it did maintain the appearance that it could be shot out of something. If you break up the surface too much, you'll lose that design characteristic.
The part you're talking about was only like that because the ship itself was low poly.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 04:04:44 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermessmooth.png)
I did, however, tae it into consideration and smoothed a little more. :p
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Mongoose on November 21, 2010, 04:24:43 pm
Just make sure you back your work up.  I think we've lost the last one or two attempts at a Hermes. :p
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Angelus on November 21, 2010, 04:30:05 pm
this looks good.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: pecenipicek on November 21, 2010, 05:00:41 pm
wireframe and polycount plz? :p
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Ulala on November 21, 2010, 05:05:10 pm
Nice rails. :yes:
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 05:07:00 pm
1999 untriangulated and;
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermes3.png)
That thing on the side, under the window and in front of where the door is going to be a nameplate. I'd read 'EP 01' for Escape Pod 01, etc.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Spicious on November 21, 2010, 05:10:28 pm
Looks good. Does the door open?
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on November 21, 2010, 05:13:11 pm
Why would it?
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Droid803 on November 21, 2010, 05:27:51 pm
For...cutscenes?
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: CommanderDJ on November 21, 2010, 06:53:57 pm
Rofl. On topic though, I like how this is going. I especially like that pipe in the middle.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 07:23:59 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermes4.png)

Final mesh and LODs.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Angelus on November 21, 2010, 07:32:44 pm
Shouldn't the LODs be done after UVing?
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 07:37:47 pm
Well Zacam told me to go ahead and LOD it and send it to him to UVMap. :p
Anyway I'm redoing the lods because of valuable feedback from Axem.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 08:03:40 pm
Just make sure you back your work up.  I think we've lost the last one or two attempts at a Hermes. :p
Yep, since I'm done (just finished redoing LODs) I put it up on the FSU SVN so someone can take a shot at doing the rest.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 08:38:45 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/finalhermes.png)
Ok, now I'm done. :P

Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Ulala on November 21, 2010, 08:50:36 pm
Fantastic and impressive work.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on November 21, 2010, 09:48:01 pm
Those LODs are way too heavy. You should use the lowest one in there as LOD1, with the retail model as LOD2 and a simple cube as LOD3.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 21, 2010, 09:59:07 pm
Those LODs are way too heavy. You should use the lowest one in there as LOD1, with the retail model as LOD2 and a simple cube as LOD3.
They've been revised, and Axem's advice was to have their polyconts be 4700 (the first lod, triangulated) to 1500 polies, to 600, to 200, and that's how the current lods are that are up in the FTP.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 22, 2010, 12:38:58 am
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermengine2.png)
new engine on the left.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on November 22, 2010, 01:37:55 am
They've been revised, and Axem's advice was to have their polyconts be 4700 (the first lod, triangulated) to 1500 polies, to 600, to 200, and that's how the current lods are that are up in the FTP.

Still too heavy, IMHO. For a ship this small LOD3 ought to be no more than a 12-polygon cube. On all but the very lowest detail settings, it will only be used if the pod is the size of four or five pixels.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Kolgena on November 22, 2010, 09:21:14 am
Whoa. Talk about speed modeling. How did a new mesh come into existence here since the last time I logged in?

Looks fantastic. Give it higher res textures! :P
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 22, 2010, 01:05:52 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/smoothed.png)
I smoothed some parts to make it less sharp.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Droid803 on November 22, 2010, 04:14:23 pm
I liked it better sharp. now it looks like a blob.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Rga_Noris on November 22, 2010, 05:27:49 pm
I like the current shape. A texture will give it more definition, but I think this mesh looks good and is certainly suitable.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Kolgena on November 22, 2010, 07:20:04 pm
I liked it better sharp. now it looks like a blob.

Maybe I'm just used to seeing a Hermes with knife-sharp edges, but now it looks like putty, instead of a tough escape pod.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 22, 2010, 07:26:41 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/smooth2.png)
How about this?
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: mjn.mixael on November 22, 2010, 07:32:00 pm
Good compromise  :yes:
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Droid803 on November 22, 2010, 07:32:49 pm
Better, but I still prefer the one with the blocky sharp edges.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: CommanderDJ on November 22, 2010, 07:40:04 pm
Well I like the current one.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Kolgena on November 22, 2010, 07:44:12 pm
Okay, the outside's good enough.

So when are you starting work on the interior?





I kid
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 22, 2010, 08:36:31 pm
Mesh is done now, gonna redo LODs and send it to Zacam so he can UVMap and texture it.

Also, a comparison of it to the retail mesh;
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/HermesComparison.png)
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on November 22, 2010, 08:44:04 pm
needz moar AO
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on November 22, 2010, 09:09:29 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/LODs.png)
As the LODs are done, it is ready for UVMapping and texturing.

Detail0: 5080 triangles, Detail1: 1174 triangles, Detail2: 132 triangles, and Detail3: 44 triangles.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on November 23, 2010, 12:01:14 am
Much better!
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: ssmit132 on November 23, 2010, 07:32:14 am
Maybe I'm just used to seeing a Hermes with knife-sharp edges, but now it looks like putty, instead of a tough escape pod.
They were tough? :lol:
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: MatthTheGeek on November 23, 2010, 07:45:52 am
Err, as long as noone is sneezing inside it, it should hold on...
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Angelus on November 23, 2010, 07:48:21 am
Err, as long as noone is sneezing inside it, it should hold on...

^ this.  :P
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on November 25, 2010, 08:04:58 am
Wow this popped up out of nowhere and got nearly finished before I spotted it - nice!

I am a big fan of the engines and that awesome random pipe. Well done. :)

Edit: Err, totally OT, but far out my sig MVP links are a bit out of date. Time to fix.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Sololop on November 25, 2010, 04:39:05 pm
Too bad usually whenever I see these in-game, I naught even glance at them, other than assigning a fighter or two to grant them cover.

Outstanding job, in the truest form.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Pred the Penguin on November 26, 2010, 08:25:32 am
You should play BP. You get lots of chances to stare at them and shoot them down. o_o
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Galemp on December 12, 2010, 12:37:14 pm
Thread split. How soon can we see textures? :)
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on February 19, 2011, 08:56:22 pm
(http://filesmelt.com/dl/hermes6.png)
I hope not before too long, but I've still got some more reworking on the model to go. This compares the old to the new, I was trying something new on the engine on the new one.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Dragon on February 20, 2011, 03:52:34 am
I don't think it's nessesary, you'll increase polycount on something obscured by engine glow.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 20, 2011, 04:13:43 am
What dragon said. Not only something round like that look odd to me at this place, but since it's gonna be under thrusters anyway, I don't think it's necessary indeed.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Nohiki on February 20, 2011, 11:51:56 am
I don't think it's nessesary, you'll increase polycount on something obscured by engine glow.
However the thruster anim might be scaled down to fit the new engine.

none the less, circular thing on hermes just feels wrong 8)
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Hades on February 20, 2011, 06:08:11 pm
No, it does not need any poly reduction, nor can I reduce it anymore. A cylinder being 'off' on the Hermes? You'll probably not like the Medusa, then.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: CommanderDJ on February 20, 2011, 09:31:47 pm
I like it, for one. It'll also look a lot better when a pod is disabled.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: SypheDMar on February 20, 2011, 10:33:31 pm
If you're going to have to add an engine, I'd rather have it be more detailed than a cylinder. Although I don't believe that we should stick with retail for this, the thruster only works on the top of the rectangle. If you really want cylinders, add a few small ones on the top. It looks too big as one giant thing.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: ShivanSpS on February 24, 2011, 12:03:00 am
and if disabled?? ive seem disabled pods.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 24, 2011, 05:35:33 am
It's just that... it's just a circle in the middle of a square. That just looks completely off as-is. I don't say it's a bad idea to change the engine shape, but what you currently have here just looks... off.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Snail on February 24, 2011, 05:53:34 am
Hey here's an idea there could be four additional thruster cones in the corners of the square.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: SypheDMar on February 24, 2011, 11:06:28 pm
and if disabled?? ive seem disabled pods.
Then make them look better.
Title: Re: HTL Hermes
Post by: Luis Dias on February 25, 2011, 09:34:04 am
Oh the haters.... :P, I like the engine as is... (don't mind the haters, make the ship exactly as you want it!)