Vaf-6r Render Wip

[Mux213]

Hey everyone,

Chrono told me to get my ass over onto this board and did so right away. Still took me a week because for some reason emails are not getting through Probably a spam filter somewhere way before it even hits my mailbox..

Anyways, I've been posting my progress on this on scifi-meshes.com and its comming along nicely. So far all rendering is done with only materials and no texture mapping, that is one of the things that is up next. I'm far from finished though..

Just some bg info on me when it comes to modeling, I'm a software developer and have been doing 3D modeling on and off as a hobby but never did anything note worthy. A few months ago I found some cool tutorials and decided to have a go at it again. First thing I made was an ARMD (I'll post 1 pic), then I started work on this Alpha. They were the first 2 models I made in over 6 years I guess..

So I'm by no means good, experience, qualified or whatever, but I hope you guys can appreciate the effort I'm putting into this:D

Any suggestion, pointers, tips, tricks, etc. are very welcome indeed!

Owh and thanks to another mate on the scifi forum the animation is up for grabs aswell (13.2Mb!) :

http://www.i-zoom.net/~efritsch/Mechamorphosis.avi

and

http://www.basenlily.nl/modeling/Mechamorphosis.avi

[Mux213]

Oops,

Forgot the ARMD:D

[jenius]

Great stuff, I've always wished I had a modicum of talent when it came to things like this.

[Mux213]

Great stuff, I've always wished I had a modicum of talent when it came to things like this.

420777[/snapback]

I never thought I have any talent at all either, still don't, just gave it a shot and with practice you get a fair amount I guess:D

[Mux213]

I've redone the whole noose section, I wasn't happy with it. Still haven't done much with the texturing though, bit at a dead end, I just suck at it thats all:D

[Knight26]

Looking good, but what are you using for reference material? I ask becuase it looks a little too short and stocky in fighter mode and the wings look way too small.

[jenius]

He may be going off the actual dimensions listed by sites as the dimensions for fighter mode. Seriously, the dimensions the fighter is supposed to have are wacky short and stocky with tiny wings. IIRC, the MPC Alpha is over an inch too long in fighter mode.

[Mux213]

I've been using some pictures I found on the web for a reference, dimentions so far have been guess work allthough later on I got some scans from one of the guys at scifi-meshes, not sure what the origin is but they were very detailed and helped me alot.

Its seems I am close to the dimentions but it would never fly with these stubby wings:D

Also I have to mention I did the wings way before I did the legs and the legs really made it all look way bigger. Note that in the cartoons you often dont actually see this drawn in such a way that it becomes clear how much the legs really stick out behind the fighter.

I have been thinking about enlarging them so the look more right. Probably they are on the small side anyways.

Anyways here's another render I just did, nothing changed yet but it gives a better idea of the dimentions atm.

[mechaninac]

You may find this drawing helpfull:

Edited August 1, 2006 by mechaninac

[Mux213]

Thanks mechaninac, that's great.

Just a little render of some larger wing area

Now I'm gonne spend some time and use that bitmap from mechaninac to change loads of stuff:D

[mechaninac]

Thanks mechaninac, that's great.

Just a little render of some larger wing area

Now I'm gonne spend some time and use that bitmap from mechaninac to change loads of stuff:D

421608[/snapback]

Your mesh looks damned good already, but I'm glad if the drawing proves useful; just keep in mind that the proportions are optimized for fighter mode, and are not 100% accurate, so allowances will need to be made to accommodate GERWALK and BATTROID.

[Mux213]

Yupz I noticed that, there are alot of things in there that are really nice when drawing stuff 2D but become tricky 3D. Also if you transform that into battloid I think you'll get a very wide short midsection. I had this problem on earlier version of my model.

But the drawing was great to get the proportions right, my noose was way to small, and the wings were aswell. Though the wings fold a bit bad now, they are actually to large for gerwalk/battloid mode.

I'll post some new pictures tomorow, time for bed now:D

[Mux213]

Started doing some texturing:D

[Phyrox]

I can't quite put my finger on it, but it almost looks like a super-deformed Alpha.

I don't know if it's the shape of the nose, or the proportions of the back-end...but something.

hmm, well looking at these comparisions, your's seems to be pretty similar to the MPC in rear proportions...so that isn't it. Maybe it's the seemingly exageratted ovoid-ness of the nose section that gives me the impression. I'm still not sure, maybe the entire nose/forward fuselage section is too large?

Edited August 8, 2006 by Phyrox

[Ishimaru]

What program are you using to do this?

[Mux213]

Phyrox,

Its hard to get it right, it all depends on what reference you get, also its been alot of gambling on my part and I'm not perfect at this game.

Ishimaru,

This is all done in 3ds Max 6

Sorry for the lack of updates btw, I've been busy on other things lately and been hit with a lack of inspiration the past few days..

Owh and my hasagawa VF-1A model kit came in today will be some weeks if not months before I have time to start putting it together though:(

[David Hingtgen]

Re: Phyrox's concerns. I'd guess the nosecone is too symmetrical and ogival in profile. It should curve up more/be steeper on the bottom, and be slightly flatter on top. Honestly, I think it needs to be a bit more VF-1ish. (They have similar noses---the real-world reference for both appears to be the F-111, look up pics of it)

[Mux213]

Re: Phyrox's concerns.  I'd guess the nosecone is too symmetrical and ogival in profile.  It should curve up more/be steeper on the bottom, and be slightly flatter on top.  Honestly, I think it needs to be a bit more VF-1ish.  (They have similar noses---the real-world reference for both appears to be the F-111, look up pics of it)

424380[/snapback]

Is it really? I never gathered that from the movies. I always thought it was more F18 like then F111..

Awell I'll leave it the way it is for now, I've run out of inspiration and got busy on another project I've not touched for way to long (3D engine I was working for which I wanted to model some test objects in the first place when I got sidetracked into doing this alpha:D )... Texturing really turned me off because I simply suck at it:D

Btw, just out of interest, how come this got moved to anime or science fiction section?

[Phyrox]

Btw, just out of interest, how come this got moved to anime or science fiction section?

424501[/snapback]

Because it isn't Macross...I imagine.

[Mux213]

Btw, just out of interest, how come this got moved to anime or science fiction section?

424501[/snapback]

Because it isn't Macross...I imagine.

424547[/snapback]

Well, one could claim its Macross Mospedia or whatever the original was called I guess

[David Hingtgen]

Don't know, wasn't me (claims mod-innocence)

[Mux213]

Don't know, wasn't me (claims mod-innocence)

424567[/snapback]

Well don't really matter, just trying to be wiser in posting in the future

[jenius]

Anything that doesn't strictly fall under the name Macross gets placed into the Other Anime section. While Genesis Climber MOSPEADA was out not long after Macross it has no connection to that series other than the company that made it. Thus, it's not a Macross cartoon so it goes in the Other Anime section. If you were to discuss Robotech's The Macross Saga it would also end up in Other Anime. If it ain't Macross, it's Other Anime. Not that I'm a mod or anything, but that's how I understand it.

[Mux213]

Anything that doesn't strictly fall under the name Macross gets placed into the Other Anime section.  While Genesis Climber MOSPEADA was out not long after Macross it has no connection to that series other than the company that made it.  Thus, it's not a Macross cartoon so it goes in the Other Anime section.  If you were to discuss Robotech's The Macross Saga it would also end up in Other Anime.  If it ain't Macross, it's Other Anime.  Not that I'm a mod or anything, but that's how I understand it.

424779[/snapback]

Ah ok, bit purist but you have to draw the line somewhere Then again this is a macross board, not robotech board afterall.. Never knew MOSPEADA wasn't fully macross though, learned something new today

[Phyrox]

Never knew MOSPEADA wasn't fully macross though, learned something new today

424789[/snapback]

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=228

[Mux213]

Never knew MOSPEADA wasn't fully macross though, learned something new today

424789[/snapback]

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=228

424798[/snapback]

Ah cool thanks:D

[Mux213]

Did a little bit of work on the textures of the nose, I messed up the seam at the front of the nose abit, need to correct that..