Aztek Posted February 21, 2004 Author Posted February 21, 2004 Looks sweet. I like Dats hands and Gonzos nose ... I hope that didn't sound gay ....
Doktor Gonzo Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 Care to join in, Az? We could easily make it a threesome. (Jeez, that DOES sound gay...)
Doktor Gonzo Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 Can you import .max or .3ds files? Yup - can do it with NUGRAF, PolyTrans or Deep Exploration - all 3 can go back and forth between Maya and 3DS (and also Lightwave, and probably also XSI, Cinema4D, Truspace....)
Gammera Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 Or you can get the free 3ds importer from the alias site, can only import into maya though, XSI has one also to import in from 3ds, and Maya, also free.
Doktor Gonzo Posted February 22, 2004 Posted February 22, 2004 Angel: Thanks! But half the work is Datterboy's. Az: So yeah, bottom line, we can get it in there if you want to give it a shot.
mighty gorgon Posted February 22, 2004 Posted February 22, 2004 thanks for the praise, guys but that old thing? and here I was thinking of scrapping that old cockpit and starting fresh on a new one... I still might start a new one, though. or, at least a heavily updated re-do. at the very least, I really want to make a highly optimized low-poly (high-end real time game engine quality) version (simplify the geometry, while making the texutre/spec/bump maps from the high-res version). my ultimate goal would be to do an entire VF-1 that way. I'd love to do it all myself, if I could just find the time. a collaborative effort might be more practical (and more likely to get finished...). I'd love to put together the best of everybody's work, and just collectively tweak it into perfection. who's game? If you scrap that cockpit send the leftovers to me!!! It is really a good cockpit. Regds, Gorgon
skatata Posted February 22, 2004 Posted February 22, 2004 Dude beautiful detail on those valks i love the look of Gonzos legs (err hmmm)
DatterBoy Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 (edited) DOK! You rule man, thanks again for all the tips. I think I can finally realize my dreams of a completed Valk now that I have an idea how to texture. Just threw up a few quick textures, totally rough just to see what it would look like. Was wondering, anyone got tips on how to make a good metal looking texture? Aluminum-ish as opposed to shiny metal. Kind of dull and spotted. Thanks! :Dat Edited February 23, 2004 by DatterBoy
Doktor Gonzo Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 Dat: NICE. Just... NICE. Told you it wasn't so hard!
DatterBoy Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 Thanks Dok, but you know, I still think I need to learn how to map by unwrapping polygons as well since there are some things I can't do with the projected maps. For instance, you'll notice the stretch on the intake arrows on the chest. I'm wondering, perhaps a texture assigned to a face would fix that issue, or would I have to learn some more advanced mapping techniques? :Dat
Angel's Fury Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 Another nice pic there Datterboy! Btw, good job with the other half of the pic you did with Doktor Gonzo.
Doktor Gonzo Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 Thanks Dok,but you know, I still think I need to learn how to map by unwrapping polygons as well since there are some things I can't do with the projected maps. For instance, you'll notice the stretch on the intake arrows on the chest. I'm wondering, perhaps a texture assigned to a face would fix that issue, or would I have to learn some more advanced mapping techniques? :Dat Dat: Pretty much either-or. You could assign the projection from such an angle that it wouldn't warp. OR (and I've done this more often than I care to admit) you could "counter-warp" the arrow decal in Photoshop, so that it appears straight as projected. OR if you want to really sink the time into learning how to unwrap meshes, the place to visit is Maya's UV Texture Editor. It has a lot of options, but most can be ignored at first. Concentrate on the Cut and Sew UVs options, and the "framing" options, and remember that you can drag around vertices in here over the 2D map the same way you'd move them in a Maya ortho view. Oh, and you might find the "UV Texture Snapshop" option very useful. This dumps out an image of the texture map with the current UV mapping superimposed.... good for modifying texture maps in Photoshop....
Chronocidal Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 I'd agree, that's probably your best bet. But I would become acquainted with the various different map types available, like cylindrical maps, and such, for rounded surfaces. Also, one thing I've found helpful is to use a "normal align" feature to assign UV coordinates to individual flat areas of complex shapes, and then move the pieces around on the UV map until they line up... It can be a pain stretching pieces around, but it'll allow you to map some really complex shapes very well. Btw, danbickell, I'm hoping to eventually get around to doing most of the more famous Macross fighters for MS Flight Sim, and personally I hate doing cockpits...I'd love to be able to use something of that detail in a flyable VF-1. I can't tell you when I'll get to it though, you may be able to finish the whole plane before I start.
DatterBoy Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 In MAYA, what are the best settings for glass? :Dat
Doktor Gonzo Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 In MAYA, what are the best settings for glass?:Dat HighEnd3D In their Maya Shaders section, there's a good glass - called "TrueGlass 2.0"
DatterBoy Posted February 24, 2004 Posted February 24, 2004 Another update. Sorry about all the similar looking pics, but I'm really excited about this whole texturing thing (I'm such a texture idiot) Added some backplate textures, thinned out nose and chest panel lines, fixed some discoloration isues between tyhe body and the nosecone, etc... :Dat
skatata Posted February 26, 2004 Posted February 26, 2004 Woo Dat that models looking sharp That thing just keeps getin better bring on the animations
mk16 Posted February 26, 2004 Posted February 26, 2004 (edited) Heres my small contribution, its not meant to be a high poly completely accurate reproduction, more like a game quality model with some appropriate proportion. What I did was cut up my previous plane model(which you can see somewhere back in the thread) and arranged the parts to more or less resemble the complete battroid mode, and i used this model as a base for my proportions, and made my changes. Right now i'm working on the textures( they are all like 128x128 pixel so = not much detail) and the right leg is missing because i haven't stated working on the UVWs. Edited February 27, 2004 by mk16
the white drew carey Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 mk16- I may be wrong, but compared to the little guy down on the ground, I think the scale is a little off, with the VF being a bit too big. Otherwise, great work. I dig the action pose.
Chronocidal Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 Actually, if you look at some of the shots in Mac+, you'd think that was the scale too...
skatata Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 (edited) mk16 nice 19. could the pedistrian under the giant robot GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE! I've built the hands and landing gear and fixed a few details and added some CF colours edit: the darn link doesn't work here the url instead edit: nope works again Picture Edited February 28, 2004 by skatata
mk16 Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 (edited) hmmm I did make sure that the mecha form was 14.50m high. i scaled everything proportionally to match the Batt at 14.50m. And the "Civilian" is 6.2 i can assure you of that. The image bellow is orthographic so theres no distortion due to perspective. The boxes you see are 14.50 meters and 6ft respectably. hmm but i do think that the feet are pretty bulky tho. they don't seem right for the use they get in valk mode. Edited February 28, 2004 by mk16
mk16 Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 (edited) Another view Edited February 28, 2004 by mk16
Chronocidal Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 Actually, the feet do extend... they're tucked deep inside the leg in fighter mode. The startup sequence when Isamu steals it shows the feet opening up and extending from a completely closed position when the engines are started. So I wouldn't worry about the sizes of the feet.. you can always just tuck them inside a little to make them look right.
Doktor Gonzo Posted March 10, 2004 Posted March 10, 2004 :: bump :: Good show! Sorry for the inactivity, been really busy elsewhere. Az: Sorry man, that last file you sent me didn't work out. I was able to get it converted to Maya format, but it had no hands, and I had some trouble anyway getting a battroid that looks like the one in your renders - obviously, you know how to handle your model much better than I do! Any chance you could send me a version already in battroid mode? Thanks! -Peter
David Hingtgen Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 (edited) I got a request for a VF-1's main gear retraction sequence explanation, so here goes. Closest real-life plane I can think of is actually the F/A-18's, though they're somewhat at an angle. Anyways, assuming the gear's down, you open up the gear bay doors, and retract the strut rearward. While it's doing so, the entire wheel/axle rotates 90 degrees so that the "face" of the wheel ends up facing downwards, when the gear's fully retracted. Then the gear doors close. (There's a lot of debate of which, if any, gear doors on a VF-1 remain open when the gear's down. I myself portray them closed where possible). Really depends on the plane. Most Navy planes keep them open, Air Force planes tend to close them when possible. (Though Air Force planes are also more likely to have them designed so they have to all stay open) VF-19's gear is similar, BTW. Though it may incorporate a Z-fold, even more like the F/A-18. Edited March 11, 2004 by David Hingtgen
Doktor Gonzo Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 Thanks David! Now I just need to find some good lineart for the thing.... either that or head over to MATS and just copy the F-14 gear....
Aztek Posted March 11, 2004 Author Posted March 11, 2004 I got my money on gear doors staying down. If not for the fact alone that the -14 and -18 have doors staying down. I DO think that the panel forward of the main gear doors ( with the colored lenses on them) is capapble of retracting seperate from the main gear doors. I have some refs for the main gears DG. I'll dig em up.
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