mighty gorgon Posted November 29, 2003 Author Posted November 29, 2003 With most of the major modellin of the outside done (just added the nose veniers this morning), I am now starting the cockpit area. I have plenty of references on the VF-1, but... any idea for the VF-4? A VF-1 cockpit should be OK? I have been watching the few seconds of Macross 2012 to no avail. I've seen some nice detail on the rear part of the cockpit, but little to none of the control panel, seat, etc. Thnkx in advance (my name is gorgon, mighty gorgon) Quote
sktchrtst2002 Posted November 30, 2003 Posted November 30, 2003 Hi, I am new to these forums. I just have to compliment the artist on such a good job he is doing on CG VF-4!!! Quote
Nied Posted November 30, 2003 Posted November 30, 2003 With most of the major modellin of the outside done (just added the nose veniers this morning), I am now starting the cockpit area. I have plenty of references on the VF-1, but... any idea for the VF-4? A VF-1 cockpit should be OK? I have been watching the few seconds of Macross 2012 to no avail. I've seen some nice detail on the rear part of the cockpit, but little to none of the control panel, seat, etc. Thnkx in advance (my name is gorgon, mighty gorgon) I always figured that the VF-4 would have a cockpit that is nearly identical to the DYRL style VF-1 cockpit. In story terms you could say the the VF-4's cockpit came first and when they refited the Valkyries to Block 5 they modeled the cockpit after it. Quote
Macross_Fanboy Posted December 1, 2003 Posted December 1, 2003 I'm not a big fan of the VF-4, but damn, that's damn good. Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 1, 2003 Author Posted December 1, 2003 I always figured that the VF-4 would have a cockpit that is nearly identical to the DYRL style VF-1 cockpit. Thnx! I'll review my Hasegawa cockpit then. Just a new image to show a new (again!) tailboom, nose and underside veniers, some texturing and some additional detail. The pilot has a 60's P4 helmet and a Martin Baker Mk2, ejector seat from one ongoing project. I'll use for general proportions of the cockpit (I plan to do a proper Macross pilot for this one). I try to keep these images small, until I reach a more advanced stage (bump maps, diffuse maps, etc.) Bye & Thnkx Gorgon Quote
NoSuchFile Posted December 1, 2003 Posted December 1, 2003 It simply gets better and better and better ..... Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 4, 2003 Author Posted December 4, 2003 It simply gets better and better and better ..... Well, my computer "thinks different", and decided to hang up in such a way that I had to reinstall tje OS Anyway, I went back to the model and started a little surfacing, upper wings (port side), and tail. Regds Gorgon. Quote
Doktor Gonzo Posted December 4, 2003 Posted December 4, 2003 Looks like you've also stuck a pilot in there... Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 4, 2003 Author Posted December 4, 2003 Looks like you've also stuck a pilot in there... Oh! yes, but it is from a different project, only to check general proportions of the cockpit. The guy wears a P4b (1960's) helmet and the ejection seat is an approximation of a Martin Baker Mk.2, probably from a late Gloster Meteor or something like that (see image)... But don't worry, I plan to put a proper pilot in it. This afternoon I have been photographing toy helmets to start modelling it. Hope to work on the cockpit or textures, this evening... Bye, Gorgon Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 7, 2003 Author Posted December 7, 2003 (edited) Ok, finally I could resume the work on the VF-4. My computer crashed again, and finally I decided that it was time to replace it. Now I'm running a 2.8 GHz, 1Gb RAM which makes the rendering a less tedious work. I was goin to do some modelling of the cockpit, but with all this computer changes, just did some fancy texturing. I was assembling a A-1H Skyraider (US NAVY) and I liked the color scheme of the VA-145 ("Swordsmen"), Vietnam era. Here are the results with some pannelling and diffusion maps thrown in. Colors and numbers from the Hasegawa 1:72 A-1H. Regds, Gorgon at 2.8 GHz p.d.: the images were rendered at 1024x768 and resampled at 800x600 for display purposes Edited December 7, 2003 by mighty gorgon Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 7, 2003 Author Posted December 7, 2003 ...some of you will surely notice that I did not do a "proper" inner color map... actually, only the port side map was completed... Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 7, 2003 Author Posted December 7, 2003 (edited) (another image, port side again!) Edited December 7, 2003 by mighty gorgon Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 7, 2003 Author Posted December 7, 2003 (edited) and a final one with a nice space background. You may notice a new helmet, an approximation of a Macross 2012 one (but I should do a close up). Some reflections on the panels from the bump map don't look right yet, and there is a wrong polygon on the nose. Other than that (and all the above comments as well), this image would do a fine wallpaper!! Regds, Gorgon Edited December 8, 2003 by mighty gorgon Quote
Mechmaster Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 Damned fine. It looks so sleek and shiny I just want to hug it! Quote
Jedi Knight Posted December 8, 2003 Posted December 8, 2003 That looks AWESOME!!! I just have one comment. The intakes look a little.....flat, empty. I think they could use a few details. I'm not a 3D artist, but I think the intake shutters should be pretty easy to add. After that, I would love to have a copy for my desktop wallpaper. Quote
Lightning Posted December 8, 2003 Posted December 8, 2003 well, i'm finally back on, (i hate 56k!!!) and i must say...... (all at once!) that thing is looking very nice! good job you two, it's coming around very well. Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 8, 2003 Author Posted December 8, 2003 (edited) Thanks!!! That looks AWESOME!!! I just have one comment. The intakes look a little.....flat, empty. I think they could use a few details. I'm not a 3D artist, but I think the intake shutters should be pretty easy to add. After that, I would love to have a copy for my desktop wallpaper. You're right. The intakes look flat in the last image because of 2 reasons: #2, the light is very "harsh"... most of the details are lost (panel lines, shadings, etc.) #1, THERE IS NO DETAIL IN THE INTAKE YET!!!! I should fix both (especially #1!!!)... maybe tomorrow. This evening I've been playing with the cockpit. No hud yet, no sticks, and no seat... only the first iteration of the panel. Ah! by the way, the blue color on the main MFD is the BLUE SCREEN OF WINDOWS! Regds, Gorgon (next project? VF-11?) Edited December 8, 2003 by mighty gorgon Quote
Nied Posted December 8, 2003 Posted December 8, 2003 Great work MG! That color scheme looks awesome. In the next iteration you might not want to repeat the tailcode on the inside of the fins, ditto with the UN Spacy on the inside of the nacelles. Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 8, 2003 Author Posted December 8, 2003 Great work MG! That color scheme looks awesome. In the next iteration you might not want to repeat the tailcode on the inside of the fins, ditto with the UN Spacy on the inside of the nacelles. You are right. I should define inner and outer nacelle surfaces and do a proper "clean up" of the color map of the inner (I'm using planar projections, not UV maps). Hope to correct that today... Thnx, Gorgon. Quote
Doktor Gonzo Posted December 8, 2003 Posted December 8, 2003 Ah! by the way, the blue color on the main MFD is the BLUE SCREEN OF WINDOWS! Model is lookin' awesome. The VF-4 runs on WINDOWS?!? Run for the hills! Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 9, 2003 Author Posted December 9, 2003 (edited) ...Mmmmm.... maybe I became too obsessed with windows at that stage of the modelling????? Gorgon (Intel Inside) p.d.: as a Mac-groupie friend of me likes to say: "the intel inside sticker is not an ad... IT IS A WARNING!!!!" p.d.2: the textures are already corrected. As soon as I add some "intake detail" I'll publish the upgrade. Edited December 9, 2003 by mighty gorgon Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 14, 2003 Author Posted December 14, 2003 After a week abroad, I got back to the VF-4. Not too much (still no detail in the intakes, sorry), but did some work on the cockpit. First a general render... Nothing too new here... Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 14, 2003 Author Posted December 14, 2003 ...and tried 2 alternatives for the HUD. First a model "based" on the new F-14D HUD (FVI), and another one based on the EF2000 (BAe Marconi). Attached two images for comparison. I think I'll stick to the BAe Marconi model, but any suggestion will be welcomed. (p.d. modified the old "blue windows" panel, for one more macross...) Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 14, 2003 Author Posted December 14, 2003 (another view here)... Regds, Gorgon Ah! by the way, see the link to a gorgeous front shot of a Typhoon (I love that HUD) ef2000 cockpit Quote
Nied Posted December 14, 2003 Posted December 14, 2003 That's pretty good looking. A few things though: I don't beilieve that the VF-4 has a sperate HUD, I think it just projects HUD data directly onto the canopy (ala the DYRL VF-1 and all later VFs). Also you might want to lower the top of the main MFD a bit. Right now it would kill most of the forward visibility for the pilot (I wouldn't want to land on a carrier with something like that blocking my view). That and the proportions on the main MFD look a little off anyway, It's a little too tall. Quote
Nied Posted December 14, 2003 Posted December 14, 2003 Hey Vinnie what ever happened to that picture you used to model the guns on your VF-4? Ever since WJ/Nanashi took down studio Kappa I can't find it anymore. Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 14, 2003 Author Posted December 14, 2003 (edited) That's pretty good looking. A few things though: I don't beilieve that the VF-4 has a sperate HUD, I think it just projects HUD data directly onto the canopy (ala the DYRL VF-1 and all later VFs). Also you might want to lower the top of the main MFD a bit. Right now it would kill most of the forward visibility for the pilot (I wouldn't want to land on a carrier with something like that blocking my view). That and the proportions on the main MFD look a little off anyway, It's a little too tall. Mmmm... the drawings of the Macross Design Works (attached), show a tiny HUD, as well as this image... (bclub magazine). Normally planes with curved windshields will have HUDs. Regarding the main MFD I'll try to lower it (it looks very low in the attached image!). Anyway, dont worry... because of the large AOA it is probable that you will not see the carrier in any case! Thanks, a lot for the comments, Gorgon. Edited December 14, 2003 by mighty gorgon Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 15, 2003 Author Posted December 15, 2003 (edited) Just lowered the main panel. To check the visibility from the modified cockpit, I put a camera at the pilot's eyes position and rendered from inside the helmet. The bird is flying at 0 AOA. Man... I LOVE these programs! The reflections... the engines in the rear viewing mirrors (convex) and the pilot's helmet in the main MFD! I tried to get a decent image in the HUD, but somehow half of it it gets distorted. Ufff! It should not matter that much, as the model is not intended for these images, but anyway... I'll try to fix it. OK, see you in a couple of days... Gorgon. p.d.: edited the original image. replaced the rendering for one with a background from a Flight Simulator program Edited December 15, 2003 by mighty gorgon Quote
Nied Posted December 16, 2003 Posted December 16, 2003 Nice. Guess I was wrong about the HUD, the Eurofighter one looks good on there (especially from the pilot's point of view). You still might want to shrink down that MFD though, the proportions look wrong compared to that B-club pic you posted (which incidently was the one I trying to find from Vinnie). IT should look something more like this: Quote
mighty gorgon Posted December 16, 2003 Author Posted December 16, 2003 You still might want to shrink down that MFD though, the proportions look wrong compared to that B-club pic you posted (which incidently was the one I trying to find from Vinnie). Yes, the MFD does not look right yet... On the other hand, both in the b-club and in the Macross Design Works images, the HUD seems too low... Real HUDs are centered at the pilot's eye level: BAe HUD. I guess I will have to strike a balance between the EF model and the VF4 references. Thanks a lot for the helpful discussion. Gorgon (the HUD smilie) Quote
Nied Posted December 17, 2003 Posted December 17, 2003 The HUD look to be at about eye level in the B-club pic. The Design Works one is a might small to tell. From the renders you've posted you're not going to have much room to raise the HUD any higher anyway. It's interesting that in the B-club pic the VF-4 apears to have that squared off gap between the canopy and nose that I had always assumed projected HUD data right onto the canopy. Perhaps the VF-4 uses a more primitive full canopy HUD that requires a primary HUD as well Quote
Vinnie Posted December 18, 2003 Posted December 18, 2003 Scan from Nanashi's Information Group. For reference only. Please do not post on a personal website. That enough cockpit detail? The sketch is by Kawamori. Quote
Lightning Posted December 18, 2003 Posted December 18, 2003 wish we could get the K-man in here, got a bunch of questions bout the -4... Quote
Knight26 Posted December 18, 2003 Posted December 18, 2003 What makes you think he's not here? *cackles evilly* Quote
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