Author Topic: a few days modeling (updated!)  (Read 5821 times)

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a few days modeling (updated!)
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/4_views.jpg


Airbus A330-300, in British Airways colours - BA don't actually fly the A330, which is a shame.

Modelled in Rhino, Textures made in PSP7, and textured and rendered in Truespace 3.2.
Its around 55000 polys, I wanted to make a model that was detailed in its textures, as apposed to the mesh itself.  Had some fun rendering up huge textures, the "white" section of the fusilage is about 3000 x 700 pixels.
I'm really pleased with this model, it came out as well as i could have expected.  Its still really in development, I've learnt a few important things in the past day - transparent textures and keyframes, so decent animations are on the horizon.
Also planning to add in landing gear, possibly flaps, but that's a realy polygon-monster.

Note that some of the levels of detail in these shots vary, since its still WIP.

In rhino, with temporary landing gear....
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/a333_partial_to.jpg

In rhino again, note the 'back to front' Rolls Royce logo on the far engine - thats been sorted now.
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/eng_nose_partial.jpg

One of the first from Truespace.  Still missing a few bits.
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/a330_progress_eng_clouds.jpg

Some basic enviroment mapping (using one of Truespace's defaults). Thats a real photo, from the back of my house.  Unfortunatly i don't live quite that close to the airport.
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/a333_sunset_under.jpg


My first enviroment map - thats another thing i learned to do whilst working on this model. Check out the engines!
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/a333_high.jpg

Now with the wings complete, notice the flap supports (cannoe shaped things on wing).
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/a333_firstfarings.jpg

You can take the modeller out of Freespace, but you can't take the Freespace out of the modeller.  Using Solarcell and Glitterato...
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/star_high_red_flashbmp.jpg (250kb)
Should have put some lights inside....

...by using transparent textures.  First time i'd really investigated the image utilities of TS3.2
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/first_transw.jpg

*Bump-map-age".  Engine pylon, with generic rivets.
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/eprivets.jpg

Enjoy...
« Last Edit: May 10, 2004, 11:04:16 am by 671 »

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Offline Janos

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Nice! :cool:
lol wtf

 

Offline DragonClaw

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Re: a few days modeling....
Very nice, yes

Quote
Originally posted by beatspete
Unfortunatly i don't live quite that close to the airport.


You should be glad you don't. :p

 

Offline karajorma

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Impressive. :yes:

Remind me why you don't model for FS2? :p
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Offline Lightspeed

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Maybe he's planning a FlightSimulator campaign for FS2 ;)
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Offline TopAce

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Not bad, mate! Looks a bit long to me, but I am certain that it is only me. Frankly, that model is not complicated in architecture, it was probably not as hard as making a destroyer model for FS.
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Offline mikhael

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I can't wait to fly that in a mission. ;)
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Offline Thorn

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Quote
Originally posted by TopAce
Not bad, mate! Looks a bit long to me, but I am certain that it is only me. Frankly, that model is not complicated in architecture, it was probably not as hard as making a destroyer model for FS.

Jets can be quite a bit harder to make than a lot of spaceships...
Getting the smoothing/nurbs/subpatching/whatever just right is a bloody pain in the arse......

 

Offline Lightspeed

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heh a MOD with his ships certainly would be interesting ;7
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Offline TopAce

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Quote
Originally posted by Thorn

Jets can be quite a bit harder to make than a lot of spaceships...
Getting the smoothing/nurbs/subpatching/whatever just right is a bloody pain in the arse......


Yeah, if you insist on keeping the proportions, and you want to model it to seem the same as the original.
If you make a spaceship, you can use your imagination, or be satisfied with it how it succeeds.
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Offline aldo_14

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I want a Spitfire in FS2, hactually.  I had one made way back when I started modding, but couldn;t UV map the model with the RAF insignia in the right place........

Nice model, BTW :)

 

Offline Corsair

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:eek2:
I really really like that nighttime image.

Did I mention that the cockpit looks a bit bare? :D
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Wash: *shrug* "Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die"?
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Offline Taristin

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The takeoff one needs engine-heat distortion, but other than that, tres cool. :)
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Offline Setekh

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Quote
Originally posted by mikhael
I can't wait to fly that in a mission. ;)


"British Airways flight 103, entering subspace now"? ;)

Real nice, beatspete. Get her in FS :D
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Offline Thorn

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Quote
Originally posted by TopAce


Yeah, if you insist on keeping the proportions, and you want to model it to seem the same as the original.
 

Isnt that the idea?

 
"Remind me why you don't model for FS2?"
Thats really why I started modeling in the first place, but I don't have the imagination.  The few FS ships i've done are pretty crap, I've only ever actuall put one into Freespace, and it was just a generic block that flew about and shot stuff.
The whole POF conversion bit confuses me (placing glow points etc) too.  
I suppose I could model for conversions (ie the star wars one)...


"Looks a bit long to me, but I am certain that it is only me."
The main dimensions are to scale, lenght, height, wing sweep etc, so it should be ok.  The 300 series is longer than the 200, could that be it?


"Frankly, that model is not complicated in architecture, it was probably not as hard as making a destroyer model for FS"
"Jets can be quite a bit harder to make than a lot of spaceships...
Getting the smoothing/nurbs/subpatching/whatever just right is a bloody pain in the arse......"
Exactly. So a tubular fuselage is easy enough, but the nose is always hell.  Getting flat planar windows that don't lie along an orthographic axis onto a a curved surface and making it all look like one smooth surface isn't easy, I'm happy with this model's nose but if you look closely it still isnt perfect.

Also the Rolls Royce engines for the A330 are a pain to model.  Most engines you can just make the outline and revolve it, but on the Trent 772 the intake isn't quite round, and the assessory gearbox gives a bit of a bulge at the bottom.
Come to thing of it, the intake is angled forward too... i never modelled that...
pic
pic 2, closeup



"I want a Spitfire in FS2, actually. I had one made way back when I started modding, but couldn;t UV map the model with the RAF insignia in the right place........"
I could have a look at it if you want?
I'm quite intrested in doing a Spitfire or Gloster Meteor, actually.


Back to the A330:
Today i've been modeling the landing gear and they are mostly textured.  I haven't made the changes to the fuselage though ie opening for the wheels, and that could take a bit of work.
I'm also starting to think about landing flaps, but they are certainly the hardest part of the model. I can just about do them in a straight wing, but in a swept wing the cross-section changes as you move out the wing, and this buggers up all the rotation.  Its very hard to do them acuratly.

I've also been trying a few short animations.  Keyframes are quite new to me, but i've got the basics of a plane taking off - accelerating, rotating, climbing.

"Your cynicism appauls me Collosus - I have ten thousand officers and crew willing to die for pants !"

"Go to red alert!"
"Are you sure sir? It does mean changing the bulb"

 

Offline karajorma

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Quote
Originally posted by beatspete
"Remind me why you don't model for FS2?"
Thats really why I started modeling in the first place, but I don't have the imagination.  The few FS ships i've done are pretty crap, I've only ever actuall put one into Freespace, and it was just a generic block that flew about and shot stuff.
The whole POF conversion bit confuses me (placing glow points etc) too.  
I suppose I could model for conversions (ie the star wars one)...


Or you could ask for concept art and model from that :) I'm sure there are plenty of people who can draw ships but can't model them.
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Offline TopAce

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Quote
Originally posted by Thorn

Isnt that the idea?


That is, I suppose. I don't know how accurate beatspete wanted to be.
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Offline Xelion

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Very nice model, and great detail :yes:

 
Quote
Originally posted by TopAce


That is, I suppose. I don't know how accurate beatspete wanted to be.


I wanted it too look accurate.  Its not perfect, but its the best i can do from photo's.  I would need technical diagrams from the manufacturer to do much better.... that would be sweet though.


Quote
Originally posted by karajorma

Or you could ask for concept art and model from that  I'm sure there are plenty of people who can draw ships but can't model them.


Hmm, t'is true.  I'm pretty busy at the moment but keep that in mind...



Anyway, a re-visit of an older shot:
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/star_high_red_flashbmp5.jpg
Now with more lights...


And... the landing gear are done and textured.  A lot of the detail on them is made with transparent textures, so i slaughtered my usual "landing gear polycount" of around 70000 (on a good day) to about 3000, through clever use of textures.

Anyway, first "wheel down" render.
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/lhrclouds.jpg
"This is your captain speaking... we will shortly be arriving at London Heathrow... the local time is 09:25 am, it is 5 degrees C, and raining... Your not on holiday anymore..." ;)


The landing flaps are also modelled, and just need textured.  I've worked out quite an effective method for making them, which is good cause they used to be one of the hardest/least understood parts of a model.

I think flaps will be the last thing I add in terms of modelling, might add some more detail to the textures though.  Its all rendering and animation now - pretty much a first for one of my aircraft models.  All the previous models (with the exception of the A10) were too high poly to render in Truespace (on my system atleast), but I've used a few new methods and the entire A330 model, including flaps and gear comes to 47000 polygons - which is nice.
Its also got an aircraft registration now: G-BCPR
You'll see that when there's a few more tail shots.

One last shot for now, my entire 'jet family' thus far:
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/beatspete/a330/5jetmodels.jpg
Name them all and get a cookie. Name the aircraft series aswell for bonus cookie (ie Boeing 737-500 , DC-8-61 etc)

"Your cynicism appauls me Collosus - I have ten thousand officers and crew willing to die for pants !"

"Go to red alert!"
"Are you sure sir? It does mean changing the bulb"