Hard Light Productions Forums

Community Projects => The FreeSpace Upgrade Project => Topic started by: Krallis on January 20, 2010, 03:41:51 pm

Title: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Krallis on January 20, 2010, 03:41:51 pm
Iv ebeen working on this model and I just wanted to post it here to see what you thought of it.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: The E on January 20, 2010, 03:47:37 pm
Looking nice so far.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: TopAce on January 20, 2010, 03:58:01 pm
Pretty. Looking forward to the next update.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Renegade on January 20, 2010, 03:59:39 pm
Looking amazing  :) :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Dragon on January 20, 2010, 04:32:10 pm
Can we move this to FSUP board?
I think it belongs there, not into GenDisc.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Thaeris on January 20, 2010, 09:36:20 pm
In general it looks good... but only because of the smoothing.

In truth, the smoothing simulataneously kills it. Right now it's just overdone; the Seth needs some sharp edges. Keep on it though: effort pays off.  :nod:
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: ssmit132 on January 20, 2010, 10:06:27 pm
I think it looks a bit too long, to be honest, although it may only be me. Also:

the Seth needs some sharp edges.
Otherwise, quite a nice model. Keep it up. :yes:
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on January 20, 2010, 10:12:14 pm
Hmmm, ok what you have looks like a nice start, but a few things:

1) You'll need to turn off the smoothing cos that will needlessly rocket your polycount up if you plan to keep it, and completely disguises what the ship actually looks like if you don't.

2) Geometry scale - since this is a fighter sized ship you definitely don't need to be modelling in tiny vents or tiny ribbing of any sort, and those modelled greebles are mostly too small to be visible in-game as well. Those parts can all be handled by normal map.

3) The struts on either side of the cockpit bulb are pretty iconic for the Seth, so I would definitely suggest enlarging them up to the same proportions as the original.

4) The Seth has 5 bulbus lumps with blue lights on the front end of them - 3 on top, 2 on the bottom. It looks like you've made the 3 on top into recesses with ribbing over them, which I find rather funny because that's not the first time those texture elements (they appear mostly on some FS1 era Vasudan ships) have been interpreted as recesses on HTL models, yet I just can't see them as being anything other than extruded oval domes with a recessed light at the front. :D
See the HTL Aten, Tauret or Horus for that interpretation.

5) The fins on the rear look like they've been built into the hull (and...changed shape) - but if you could make them attached by struts again, and then separate them from the rest of the model I reckon it'd be an awesome little feature to make them do something when the afterburners are engaged as the ones on the Horus do now. Probably having each one roll (Y axis) out of the way of the engine would work best.

6) Be a bit wary of the kinds of greebles you add where - not saying it's a problem yet, but if you add terran style greebles where there were previously only vasudan scales it risks significantly changing the look of the ship as a whole.

All that said, it looks like you have a very good eye for shape and form, so keep it up and I look forward to seeing where this goes! :D :yes:
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Commander Zane on January 21, 2010, 12:55:03 am
Very nice.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Krallis on January 21, 2010, 06:32:42 am
This is the hi-poly thats why Ive been modelling all the little vents.
They get baked into the normal map.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Snail on January 21, 2010, 12:57:09 pm
It seems like you've changed a lot of the proportions on the Seth... It looks stretched, the midsection seems to have been slimmed, and the engine flaps have been deformed... I really appreciate the work you're doing, but please preserve the shape and essence of the Seth in your version, it was one of the more iconic ships.



(this post was edited for correct grammar)
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Galemp on January 21, 2010, 02:21:11 pm
You dipped it in chocolate!!  :shaking:
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Snail on January 21, 2010, 03:45:38 pm
You dipped it in chocolate!!  :shaking:
It does look that way, what with the weird shading and overdone smoothing... Ambient occlusion renders anyone? :nervous:


But seriously please take the concerns outlined earlier into account.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Titan on January 21, 2010, 08:48:59 pm
It seems like you've changed a lot of the proportions on the Seth... It looks stretched, the midsection seems to have been slimmed, and the engine flaps have been deformed... I really appreciate the work you're doing, but please preserve the shape and essence of the Seth in your version, it was one of the more iconic ships.



(this post was edited for correct grammar)


My first impression.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: High Max on January 22, 2010, 03:40:09 pm
;-)
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Snail on January 22, 2010, 03:56:50 pm
It looks more like liquid steel, maybe like viewing nanobots at a large scale.
But the Vasudans don't use nanobots!

That's completely contradictory to canon.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Zacam on January 22, 2010, 04:11:44 pm
...

I like the model, and I concur with VA's points.

Very nice piece of work.

Are you planning on re-using the textures, or drafting some new ones, or handing it off for texturing once you are done?
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: High Max on January 22, 2010, 04:43:54 pm
;-)
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Snail on January 22, 2010, 06:37:41 pm
I just don't like how the proportions are off.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: headdie on January 22, 2010, 07:18:12 pm
hmmm i have to agree that the slender dare i say sexy waist looks wrong it looses the heavy fighter look which the seth is supposed to be.  Might be worth splitting development with the HTL Seth having the chunky looks of the original and create a new fighter with the "sexy" looks of this new fighter im sure someone round here will find it useful

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/File:Gvfseth-old.jpg (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/File:Gvfseth-old.jpg)
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Galemp on January 22, 2010, 09:55:46 pm
If I were to make a high-poly Seth it would probably look a lot like the one in the FSPort high-res interface art.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Krallis on March 13, 2010, 02:27:30 pm
Ok I found this model a while ago and im going to hopefully try and get it done.
(it might eb slow as im currently working on a project for a 3d art competition)

Anyway i deleted the old engine flaps and imported the actual seth model so I could make some proportional manipulations.
This is what I have

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Zacam on March 13, 2010, 04:25:30 pm
Ooooooo. That is nice. I do think the cockpit area should see a little bit more smoothing to match along the lines on the left, but other than that, it looks really good.

In any case, I'm glad to see progress has resumed on this model. Keep it up!
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Krallis on March 13, 2010, 04:35:07 pm
Thank you.
As ive said progress will be slow due to my other 3d project but i hope to get this finished.


Ive actually had a great Idea regarding the model actually.
I think ive found a way to keep the proportions exact to the original.
Let me explain.

Using the original as a base in XSI is a terrible idea as it is comprised of triangles which are hard to model with properly.
However. It might be possible for me to use a new programme i have to solve this problem but im not too sure how it'd work. Id have to do some experimenting.

...EDIT its not working.

I may have to restart this model as creating a normal map from what I have so far would be a headache that need not happen. and i can drastically decrease the time this would take. But we shall see.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Galemp on March 13, 2010, 05:47:47 pm
Those oval areas at the back need to be completely redone to match the same element on the Horus and the Aten. I'm actually not impressed, so far it just looks like a bunch of extrusions, not very imaginative.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Krallis on March 13, 2010, 06:27:30 pm
Thats because it is a bunch of extrusions and yes it does look bad. Which is why im going to start the model again using new techniques i have learned. And put some things ive learned over the past while to the test.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Kolgena on March 13, 2010, 08:32:11 pm
Also, I'd personally prefer that major alterations are not made to the original model. Like, deleting engine flaps and such shouldn't be done.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Aardwolf on March 13, 2010, 10:12:09 pm
Those oval areas at the back need to be completely redone to match the same element on the Horus and the Aten. I'm actually not impressed, so far it just looks like a bunch of extrusions, not very imaginative.

Thats because it is a bunch of extrusions and yes it does look bad. Which is why im going to start the model again using new techniques i have learned. And put some things ive learned over the past while to the test.

Hooray! Proof that telling someone there stuff's no good produces better results than letting them think it's good when it's not!

There have been a lot of cases where this DOESN'T happen, and the guy keeps modeling poorly... or the guy doing the modeling doesn't take it this well. Not to say it was crap, mind you... but it definitely wasn't mediavps-worthy
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Galemp on March 13, 2010, 10:15:21 pm
Well, let me add that any contribution effort is appreciated, and any modeling skills are worthy of improvement. So we're glad you're here and that you're working on things.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: High Max on March 13, 2010, 10:48:58 pm
;-)
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Raven2001 on March 14, 2010, 08:35:16 am

Using the original as a base in XSI is a terrible idea as it is comprised of triangles which are hard to model with properly.


I don't know if that is possible in XSI. But in Max, I can remove the triangulation easily (by deleting the "cross" edges manually), while at the same time retaining the UV's.
Title: Re: PVF Seth WIP
Post by: Krallis on March 14, 2010, 03:55:36 pm
I can quadrangulate in xsi but that doenst remove all the triangles completely.

FYI I didnt delete the engine flaps I just deleted the old ones. I currently have engine flaps on the model but like i said i will probably redo it form scratch anyway.
I can get better results that way.