[EAD_Agamemnon]

While I was in high school I'd draw 2D battles between ships. At first I started out with typical 'saucer' ships fighting blocky human ships. Then I began doing it with ST-like ships, then onto ones that have a look I made up. Later on I made 2D one-side views of each ship...and now that I've figured out how to use TruSpace3.2 at last....here's one of those ships. Albeit with some improvements and modifications:







The two protusions on the sides I intended to mount turrets on, but I think I might expand on them and slap some wings on the thing. I'm not sure at the moment, but it will probably be classified as a cruiser or corvette. Despite my figuring out how to make models, I've still yet to actually make any models with LODs. Anyway, tell me what you think. Any textures I use will have to be stock FS2 textures or any from TBP2.0 (if this is okay) that might work.

[Descenter]

Is that a fighter, cruiser or, freighter?  Kinda looks like the latter to me.  And I'm semi-half-glad to see that I'm not the only one with simplistic models.

[EAD_Agamemnon]

I've tried the smooth-quad divide...but on the right side that last aft rib it will divide it, but it wont divide the rib on the other side. I suppose it could be a freighter, as it seems kind of high poly for a fighter.

BAH! PCS doesn't want to load it... Polygon Points > 20

I need to remove some vertices on the engine pods.

[Descenter]

Why I asked, was because the middle section  looks like it would be that of which holds cargo.  My opinion of course.

[EAD_Agamemnon]

Ah...actually the idea was for it to be like external supporting ribs for a curved hull.
Since that engine configuration is giving PCS fits, I'm going to try a different approach for the engine pods....that way I have room to add wings to this thing if I wish. Just the engines had half the vertices as the main hull itself

[Scooby_Doo]

If it wasn't for those side ridges, I'd say its a shuttle.  The front is screaming for a cockpit.

[EAD_Agamemnon]

Hmm. True. ATM this model is giving PCS fits. If its not saying >20...its saying YOU FORGOT TO GROUP THOSE OBJECTS....or something....I'll keep this one as a reference for how I did the ridges. Will try to make a proper cruiser or corvette using those ridges...

[Scooby_Doo]

Do you have the objects grouped? use Trueview to group them... If you have only one object attach a light to it.

[bizzybody]

Looking good, EAD! Here's my little tutorial on triangulating faces how YOU want them in trueSpace 3.2, since it has no ability to directly add edges between two vertexes.

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,41914.0.html

[EAD_Agamemnon]

Okay.  I was thinking that an added light might work out. Additionally, here's another ship I slapped together. It's kind of big: 135 wide, 135 tall, 64 long. A forward assault cruiser of odd shape....a deathwish to fight head-on, and nearly as bad when attacking from the sides...to kill it you'd have to get behind it.

Here it is at an angled view with no textures.


Here is the same ship, but with Shivan textures, and with view at its front, side, and at an angle.






I dub thee the Arachnid. Perhaps I need a better name, but its apt. It has 8 'wings', 8 guns on the central pod, and 8 pairs of guns (2 per wing).

[EAD_Agamemnon]

Ah, regarding the ship model I started this thread with, I installed a light into the mix, and PCS now says: Polygon Points > 20
Why does it say that? Its got less polygons than the other models I've made so far.

[Vasudan Admiral]

It means you've got a polygon that has more than 20 verts making up it's edge. My guess would be that it's a problem with your engines - as they look a bit oversmoothed to me.
Triangulating the model should fix that.

You might want to check your geometry against the general rules of FS geometry too. IPAndrews wrote them up here, though you can ignore the subobject polygon limit now - FSO removed that long ago.

[EAD_Agamemnon]

I'm getting it even with the version thats identical to the posted one minus the engine pods.

[Vasudan Admiral]

Did you try triangulating the whole thing?
If that doesn't help, then it's probably a more serious geometry problem. If this is the case, try selecting random faces and moving them. If they're properly connected to the faces around them, no holes should appear.

Also, make sure to give it a UV projection of any type, and a stand-in texture if you haven't been already.

[Trivial Psychic]

I'm not sure that I care much for that assault cruiser.  Now, if the main body was extended forward, and then say 4 of those fins (all 90 degrees opposed to each other, so in a "+" configuration) were made to spike-curve forward to match with the fuselage nose, then the other 4 fins were reduced in size by 50 to 75 percent and then spike forward parallel to the fuselage, it could make a reasonably cool Shivan RBC.  The beam is obviously in the nose, with the main fin-spikes available for a mini subspace cannon, and then the smaller fin-spikes have AAA mounted on the forward tips, with possible mini-spikes on the back end of the fin, for rear AAA defence.

[EAD_Agamemnon]

I'm not sure that I care much for that assault cruiser.  Now, if the main body was extended forward, and then say 4 of those fins (all 90 degrees opposed to each other, so in a "+" configuration) were made to spike-curve forward to match with the fuselage nose, then the other 4 fins were reduced in size by 50 to 75 percent and then spike forward parallel to the fuselage, it could make a reasonably cool Shivan RBC.  The beam is obviously in the nose, with the main fin-spikes available for a mini subspace cannon, and then the smaller fin-spikes have AAA mounted on the forward tips, with possible mini-spikes on the back end of the fin, for rear AAA defence.

I'll try that.

Re: my freighter/shuttle looking ship, I found the problem. the lower half of the hull that the ribs are attached to, it has 32 vertices........I need to pay more attention next time I try this modeling style.