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Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: BlasterNT on March 03, 2013, 04:01:36 pm

Title: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 03, 2013, 04:01:36 pm
The XB Vanir. 

http://p3d.in/TImWj/wireonsmooth

Lots of sliding panels and whatnot.  This is going to be interesting to script ingame. 

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Transfer/EMP%20Model%20Screenshots/Vanir%20Turret.PNG)

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Transfer/EMP%20Model%20Screenshots/Vanir%20Front.PNG)

And here's the conceptart
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Vanir/Vanir-Compressed.png)

I feel like it's the texture that's going to make this interesting, since the amount of greebling and whatnot is limited by the need for things to be smooth and stealthy. 
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: An4ximandros on March 03, 2013, 04:07:17 pm
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kdOI-Xiwk2k/URRgYxwqvUI/AAAAAAAAA58/--YP2jyqYAo/s1600/house-do-want.jpg)

 This looks really good. I am looking forward to seeing more of this ship! :nod:
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Phantom Hoover on March 03, 2013, 04:32:30 pm
The concept art has an excellently Esaroid flavour to it.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: esarai on March 03, 2013, 04:55:29 pm
That's some cool stuff, but I recommend giving it more vertical dimension, as right now the cockpit is so narrow that the pilot cant see anything, or this bomber is 30 m tall and 90 m long.

But other than that it's looking really good.  Keep at it!
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: An4ximandros on March 03, 2013, 05:36:18 pm
 Or he could give it no 'cockpit' at all. But we should remember this is a bomber, it might just be that big. ;)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Phantom Hoover on March 03, 2013, 05:56:33 pm
A giant bomber would be cool; the intermediate niche between normal bombers and cruisers isn't really one with many models available.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Scooby_Doo on March 03, 2013, 11:30:35 pm
Kinda reminds me of a vacuform model kit of a "B-2" way back when I was a kid  (minus the turret stuff)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Crybertrance on March 03, 2013, 11:59:39 pm
 :jaw: PANELS!!!11!!111!1!!1!!!1! :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Luis Dias on March 04, 2013, 12:03:40 am
I like its profile's narrowness. Very hard to see in the dark of space. You can make the pilot lie down or something bizarre like that :)

Paint it super-black. Still can't understand why BP's stealth fighter is only dimmed grey.

Oh, and yeah, that SAY HELLO TO MY SURPRISE TURRETS is awesome :D
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Kopachris on March 04, 2013, 01:08:28 am
I like its profile's narrowness. Very hard to see in the dark of space. You can make the pilot lie down or something bizarre like that :)

Paint it super-black. Still can't understand why BP's stealth fighter is only dimmed grey.

Oh, and yeah, that SAY HELLO TO MY SURPRISE TURRETS is awesome :D

Paint it super glossy black.  Give it a good shine map that will reflect stars so you can't see its silhouette.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Black Wolf on March 04, 2013, 09:37:56 am
Looked at it in p3d to understand how it'll all slide and fold away - seems very cool. Looking forward to this one getting finished. :nod:
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: guitarfan01 on March 05, 2013, 09:25:52 am
We will be watching your progress with great interest.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 05, 2013, 09:12:46 pm
I'm simply baffled.  http://p3d.in/TImWj/


(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Transfer/EMP%20Model%20Screenshots/Baffled%202.PNG)
And yes, the bottom ones do rotate.  Not entirely sure why you'd want them to, but there you go.  (The hinges on the side flaps in p3d are misplaced for some reason, but they're fine on the actual model)

Thanks for all the feedback so far!  I did a check, and it looks like I'll be able to fit a pilot and WO into the cockpit comfortably if this thing is 70ish m in length.  Still pretty large, granted, but it also fits with the rest of the stuff in my universe, and is comparable to some of the larger custom bombers around here. 

As far as functional things, looks like I still need to model in a rearm bay, landing gear/skids, countermeasure launch port, docking pylons, secondary logistics hatches, and an entryway.  Perhaps I should make the thrusters variable geometry..
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Trivial Psychic on March 06, 2013, 06:27:28 am
I feel as Esarai does, that it lacks some vertical variation.  Perhaps make the wing sections a bit thinner or the central body a bit thicker.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Cyborg17 on March 07, 2013, 01:52:23 am
Or add some angle: a ^ shape instead of a - shape. So that the cockpit area can be bigger without really needing to make it 70m long.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BengalTiger on March 07, 2013, 05:32:58 am
How about giving it holes in the wings, like the GTF Pegasus or GTF Icarus (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/GTF_Icarus) has?

It seems to be a signature feature of Terran stealth ships.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 07, 2013, 01:22:41 pm
I should probably make it clear that this isn't intended to be a fs-verse bomber. 

I was envisioning a use case where wings of these things would glide into an ambush point under conventional power (subspace transitions are noisy) and cripple large enemy forces in the area before they have a chance to respond, either as an opening to an attack, or some kind of critical strike.  Because of that, they need to be rather large and self sufficient, and so I was thinking 70 m was an acceptable size. 

When I'm done, I might make a more fs compatible variant with more conventional scaling, and I'm certainly planning on making smaller strike bombers. 
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Phantom Hoover on March 07, 2013, 01:42:05 pm
It's not that it doesn't look Freespacey, it's that the model is essentially a thick, rounded triangle. It doesn't have much shape to it.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 07, 2013, 01:49:43 pm
Hmm, I'm not so sure how to give it much more definition, without making it feel unstealthy/borking its target profile. 
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 07, 2013, 02:37:49 pm
All the sliding panels are neat. I think the problem with this design is in the fundamental reality vs interesting issue. Sure, a nearly angleless/greebleless design is probably more realistically going to be stealthy. However, it's pretty boring. Even with all the opening panels, it's just a boring looking mesh from the outside. I think it would benefit you to try and find a middle ground between it looking like it has the desired functionality and it having real character. Does that make sense?
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: An4ximandros on March 07, 2013, 02:58:49 pm
 I though the exact same thing about the stealth craft in WIH A3
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 07, 2013, 05:28:00 pm
I though the exact same thing about the stealth craft in WIH A3
:-/  That aesthetic is kinda what I'm going after, (rather than the HEY I'M A STEALTH FIGHTER SO I'M REALLY SHINY AND I GLOW TOO). 


All the sliding panels are neat. I think the problem with this design is in the fundamental reality vs interesting issue. Sure, a nearly angleless/greebleless design is probably more realistically going to be stealthy. However, it's pretty boring. Even with all the opening panels, it's just a boring looking mesh from the outside. I think it would benefit you to try and find a middle ground between it looking like it has the desired functionality and it having real character. Does that make sense?
Yeah.. I see your point.  Do you have any specific suggestions?  I appear to be hitting a mental brick wall here... 

I am, however, planning on working on these next, so hopefully they'll contain a bit more "character". 
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Diax/BSBT%20Diax%20Hires%20Data.png)
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Aesir/Aesir.png)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: esarai on March 07, 2013, 06:36:46 pm
Oh god that FNA-2 model looks cool.  Do eet.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: An4ximandros on March 07, 2013, 07:21:54 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/tvE71.gif)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 07, 2013, 10:15:28 pm
Oh that's not all...
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/BSFT%20Osprey%20Highres.png)
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/BSGA%20Juarez%20Hires.png)
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Civillian/BIS%20Stellar%20Forge.png)

Right then, back to work.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Crybertrance on March 08, 2013, 06:26:56 am
Dat Capship :eek2:

Btw, are all those your drawings? They are really cool!
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: pecenipicek on March 08, 2013, 06:48:02 am
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Diax/BSBT%20Diax%20Hires%20Data.png)
Is there any chance we could get a topdown drawing of that one?
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Phantom Hoover on March 08, 2013, 08:14:41 pm
I though the exact same thing about the stealth craft in WIH A3
:-/  That aesthetic is kinda what I'm going after, (rather than the HEY I'M A STEALTH FIGHTER SO I'M REALLY SHINY AND I GLOW TOO). 
Right, but the Ainsarii has 3 clearly defined components to it: the fuselage, the wings and the tailfins, which break up the contours and make it more interesting to look at. The closest thing your design has to that is the slight bend inwards on the forward edges. To be clear: this isn't about greebles or glowmaps or any other surface detail, it's about the hull's main mesh being fairly bland.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 08, 2013, 08:20:20 pm
Is there any chance we could get a topdown drawing of that one?

Sure, I'll work on one this weekend. 
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: pecenipicek on March 09, 2013, 04:04:46 am
Is there any chance we could get a topdown drawing of that one?

Sure, I'll work on one this weekend. 
cheers :)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 10, 2013, 05:38:44 pm
In the meantime,
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Aesir/Aesir%20Text%20Compressed.jpg)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: MatthTheGeek on March 11, 2013, 02:45:14 am
Somehow I get strong Esarai vibes from this general direction.

Which is a good thing.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 16, 2013, 09:09:19 pm
Wheee. 

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Vanir/Bottom-Animate.gif)
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Vanir/Top-Animate.gif)

Still working on those top-downs. 

Those rearward facing block thingies on the bottom are flare(s IN SPACE!)/chaff launchers.  The panel that opens in the center is the support bay. 
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: An4ximandros on March 16, 2013, 09:19:39 pm
(http://memeorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/aww-yiss-owl.gif)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Scooby_Doo on March 17, 2013, 03:43:20 am
Holy cow  :eek:  :eek2:
You really put my script through a workout!  More impressive you got translation to work too!  :eek2:
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 17, 2013, 08:14:58 am
Right now the translation is still faked with rotating about a really distant centerpoint.  But some day...
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Herra Tohtori on March 17, 2013, 09:53:18 am
Weren't there some issues with the external camera going really far away when the centre of rotating subobjects is really far away? :nervous:
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: General Battuta on March 17, 2013, 09:59:13 am
Weren't there some issues with the external camera going really far away when the centre of rotating subobjects is really far away? :nervous:

Yes.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Hades on March 17, 2013, 10:19:24 am
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Civillian/BIS%20Stellar%20Forge.png)
I would def like to see a cleaner version of this with top/down as well, if possible.

About the stealth bomber, I think you could possibly extend the upper part of the neck upwards to make a hump that goes the entire distance of the ship, allows for a slightly different cockpit design too (one that doesn't betray the scale of a 70 meter long bomber and one that wouldn't be functionally disastrous (all cockpits would be, realistically, but I guess there are degrees of disastrous :P)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Trivial Psychic on March 17, 2013, 10:34:14 am
I believe that the alternate method for submodel translation involves using a pair of rods underneath with an elbow joint.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 17, 2013, 03:57:20 pm
Weren't there some issues with the external camera going really far away when the centre of rotating subobjects is really far away? :nervous:

Yes.

Isn't that how the Varjadasfhwufhlakfnd deploys its main railgun?  Meh, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. 

About the stealth bomber, I think you could possibly extend the upper part of the neck upwards to make a hump that goes the entire distance of the ship, allows for a slightly different cockpit design too (one that doesn't betray the scale of a 70 meter long bomber and one that wouldn't be functionally disastrous (all cockpits would be, realistically, but I guess there are degrees of disastrous :P)
So I discovered that if I nudged the nose down just a tad bit, the cockpit would get a whole lot more viewing space.  So I did that.  The bomber's going to remain the size it's at however, since it works, in-universe.  But this means a fs-scale one could get made pretty easily without changing the exterior. 

Started work on a cockpit. 

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Transfer/EMP%20Model%20Screenshots/Cockpit%20Internal.PNG)

Basically, I'm thinking (http://images.wikia.com/jamescameronsavatar/images/7/74/Valkeryie_cockpit.png)

Oh, and an idea of what the final paintjob would look like:
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Transfer/EMP%20Model%20Screenshots/Hunter.PNG)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on March 31, 2013, 05:52:47 pm
Started work on another model.  I think I'll focus on detailing the cockpit and such of the Vanir over the summer, when I have an unbroken block of time. 

http://p3d.in/GRCSo
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: MatthTheGeek on April 01, 2013, 01:06:56 am
Niiice.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Legate Damar on April 01, 2013, 01:16:25 am
I approve
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: AndrewofDoom on April 01, 2013, 01:17:11 am
That fighter is sexy.
Title: Re: Bomber! A Stealth
Post by: Hades on April 01, 2013, 04:47:20 am
The hell are all of the polygons coming from? The ship has a lot of mess on it in the way of redundant edges and faces that should be cleaned up, but nothing to even suggest 16k polygons.
Title: Re: Bomber! Stealth A
Post by: BlasterNT on April 01, 2013, 07:38:44 am
The pilot placeholder/reference model I'm using.  extracted it from x plane :-P
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on April 02, 2013, 10:11:05 pm
Adding weapons and such.  Not sure whether to keep the rotary cannon in the nose. 

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Transfer/EMP%20Model%20Screenshots/Osprey%202.PNG)

Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: Mobius on April 03, 2013, 02:38:54 pm
I strongly suggest to add more turrets. :)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on April 03, 2013, 02:42:56 pm
On a space superiority fighter?
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: MatthTheGeek on April 03, 2013, 05:15:43 pm
Derp.
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on April 03, 2013, 10:01:36 pm
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Diax/BSBT%20Diax%20Hires%20Data.png)
Is there any chance we could get a topdown drawing of that one?

Finally got around to doing an acceptable topdown of the Diax:

(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/215663/EMP%20Scans/Generation%20N/Strikecraft/Diax/Diax%20Top%20Cropped.png)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: BlasterNT on May 04, 2013, 01:50:15 pm
BS-N2 Diax (click to view in 3D (http://skfb.ly/5lkh2f1d0a))
(http://sketchfab.com/urls/wPH04kFah4nO86K5xgon7sK7OKX/thumbnail_448.png?v=1367686055) (http://skfb.ly/5lkh2f1d0a)
Title: Re: A Stealth Bomber!
Post by: An4ximandros on May 04, 2013, 03:34:15 pm
Both models look pretty good. :yes: :yes2: