Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Wired on January 29, 2007, 07:43:57 am

Title: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on January 29, 2007, 07:43:57 am
So this weekend I started working on some sort of combat spaceship, actually I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. Mostly done it for fun I guess, as I didn't think to use it for freespace or anything. Thought about posting it at cgtalk or something. But since those guys are lightyears ahead of me in terms of modelling I didn't want to be laughed at so I'll post it here instead :)

At least it's slightly related, space you know.

It's not finished or anything, there's no details to speak of and I'm not too sure about the wings and the nose.
(http://img336.imageshack.us/img336/6347/fighterhy3.jpg)

edit:

Think I'll go with this kind of wing instead, but there's 3 variations that I'm trying to decide between:
(http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/6725/fighter2kn3.jpg)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: aldo_14 on January 29, 2007, 02:01:57 pm
Looks promising, but very hard to judge the wings without (?) an arse-end modelled.  It'd say the 1st one, but it's dependent on how the back of the ship is formed. :)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Bobboau on January 29, 2007, 02:16:21 pm
any of those last three looks fine, kinda looks like something from starfox.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Scooby_Doo on January 29, 2007, 04:57:15 pm
Apply the symtery modifer and I'm feeling strong vibes with it  ;)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on January 30, 2007, 04:12:04 am
Well I changed the wings and reworked the front as the old one had some issues.

(http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2576/fighter3yu6.jpg)

At the moment I have the engines on the wings, as you can see, but I'm debating if I should change them to fuel tanks instead and model in some engines closer in on the ship, on the sides on the cockpit or something.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: aldo_14 on January 30, 2007, 04:38:00 am
Well I changed the wings and reworked the front as the old one had some issues.

(http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2576/fighter3yu6.jpg)

At the moment I have the engines on the wings, as you can see, but I'm debating if I should change them to fuel tanks instead and model in some engines closer in on the ship, on the sides on the cockpit or something.

Why not just add more engines? :)  I actually think engines - or specifically how they look from the rear - are one of the most important things, as they can be pretty cruicial in helping you distinguish one ship from another.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on January 30, 2007, 04:42:42 am
Hmm, yeah I've thought about it. But wouldn't it be a bit unrealistic to have that many engines, though I guess I shouldn't be too stuck up on realism considering what I'm modelling :)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Janos on January 30, 2007, 04:46:52 am
Have you been watching BSG lately? This one has Viper vibes.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: aldo_14 on January 30, 2007, 05:17:26 am
Have you been watching BSG lately? This one has Viper vibes.

To be fair, pretty much everything with a centre-set cockpit, wings and long nose has Viper vibes :)

Hmm, yeah I've thought about it. But wouldn't it be a bit unrealistic to have that many engines, though I guess I shouldn't be too stuck up on realism considering what I'm modelling :)

Well, just justify the side pods as afterburner engines or something (actually, can you configure engine glows to only come on at, say, >50% speed?  That'd be topper :))
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on January 30, 2007, 05:39:57 am
Have you been watching BSG lately? This one has Viper vibes.

It's my favorite show, and yeah I noticed this as well, especially since I changed the front :)

Well, just justify the side pods as afterburner engines or something (actually, can you configure engine glows to only come on at, say, >50% speed?  That'd be topper :))

Eh, I have no idea how to make stuff like that work in Freespace. Actually this is my first model ever, hell I have no idea how to even texture it. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. That said I may try to make it work after I've finished it. But once again, one bridge at a time :)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on January 30, 2007, 02:10:15 pm
Phew, well after quite a bit of work and even more being lazy, here's a small update. I've made the wing engines smaller, my thinking is that they are there to give some extra power if needed. next to the wing engines I made missile launchers, or that's the plan anyway.

I've also modelled the back, added a pair of engines as well. The main engines is my thought. Unless I come up with something more I think the basic shape of the ship is done, I'll do some more work on the back as it's not perfect imo, dunno how yet though. Then there's some details I want to add here and there.

<<There's an image here, but Imageshack is messing with me today>>
(http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3361/fighter4ql7.jpg)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: bizzybody on February 01, 2007, 01:06:03 am
What software are you using?
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on February 01, 2007, 03:22:44 am
3ds max, tried using blender but it's too confusing :)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: aldo_14 on February 02, 2007, 10:10:40 am
Max beats ten shades of ****e out of blender, anyways :)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Unknown Target on February 02, 2007, 10:55:43 am
Hmm, very cool :) I love the engines in the back, but I'm not too keen on the assemblies in the front. They're too flat - they should be more interesting IMO. :)
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Janos on February 02, 2007, 12:53:05 pm
Have you been watching BSG lately? This one has Viper vibes.

To be fair, pretty much everything with a centre-set cockpit, wings and long nose has Viper vibes :)


I think it has something to do with the sum of a certain kind of blockiness, cockpit shape and size and yeah, long nose and small wings. I can't really put my finger on it though. There just is something.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Centrixo on February 02, 2007, 01:10:46 pm
looks really good so far, would be a good idea to listen a lot less to other people and do an unsual design like a nephilim bomber or a shivan scout ship from fs1 era, i would say that with the symettrical stuff it looks like every other design imho. these unusal designs are so much better besides, did'nt someone say on another thread that wings are usless in space, only useful for going into an atomosphere?

but that looks really promising
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on February 02, 2007, 07:30:12 pm
Well, it's shelved for a while. Just couldn't think of anything more to do with it for now, have some Ideas but I'll wait a bit until trying them. And since the ship was the very first model I've made in the last decade or so (no exaggeration, made some models in lightwave back on the amiga... and they sucked) I decided to try to model some other stuff as well, to get my skills up and all that.

A few notes, first about the uselessness of wings and how symmetry isn't allways the best way to go. I totally agree (though I like wings). I just find it easier to figure out how to greate a ship WITH wing rather than without. For me at least. :)


working on this at the moment  (only link since it's totally unrelated): SCI-FI Gun (http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/8283/gun4kq7.png)


edit: spelling and layout, I was way tired when I first posted.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on February 03, 2007, 08:53:39 am
Crap, okay I went back to the ship way sooner than I thought. Had been thinking about what you guys said about the uselessness (that's a word, right?) of wings in space. So I reworked the model somewhat and came up with this, it's still symmetrical though :)

(http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/2932/ship2it7.png)


EDIT: Slight update, changed pics.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Trivial Psychic on February 03, 2007, 11:10:50 pm
I'd say either decrease the size of the cockpit by 50%, or double the size of the surrounding ship.  Looks reminiscent of the A-Wing for some reason.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Scooby_Doo on February 03, 2007, 11:38:52 pm
Ya definetely an A-wing....

or the nose of a much bigger fighter.... Hmmm starting thinking  :drevil:
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: JGZinv on February 04, 2007, 01:47:08 am
Ah I like the rocket pod look as part of the wing...

Just a note as I've found out.... smaller model makes it a lot harder to hit.

Awing - maybe, taser gun too.  :yes:
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Wired on February 04, 2007, 06:25:08 am
Yeah, the cockpit has always been a bit large. Although I always intended this to be a small fighter. In any event I reduced it's size and this is how it looks now, there's three pics. In the second the missile pods are shorter. Trying to decide between them (think I'll go with the shorter one), in the third I've narrowed the front a bit.

What do you guys think about the lenght of the front of the ship? Is it a bit to long maybe?

(http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/176/ship4di2.png)

(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/2851/ship4bhj7.png)

(http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/9193/ship4che9.png)

EDIT: Added third pic where the front is more narrow.
Title: Re: Started working on a model
Post by: Paladin1 on February 04, 2007, 02:58:28 pm
The version you have in the third picture is pretty damn cool, good work mate.