for density you think I should add more?
Remember, poly's are a consideration at this point. I can't do all the connecting conduit like I want so like the physical model all I will have is geometry resting on the surface below.
Like I said I am not happy with what I did, which means I am going back in, I was thinking of making a few object larger in size, then filling in with objects already made here. Hard to imagine without seeing it but you have to imagine a bit.
gp
I agree, you definitely need to fill in some of those gaps.. it feels really loose. From the perspective of someone who doesn't know DS9 as intimately as you do, my impression was that the pallets were CRAMMED with detail. I never paid much attention to that area of the station, so that may not infact be true, but I think it's what people would expect them to look like.
Of course, there's always the possibility that you could add that extra detail in the textures. Will anyone really be looking too hard at this section of the station?
no doubt, true there are spots and sections that are crammed with detail, and there are spots that aren't. I think I am going to make a few choice pieces that are really big (to eat up space) then fill in the open areas with the smaller stuff. Still I am going to make it a bit more uniform and follow my idea of useful detail instead of random objects.
gp
Yes Gp, I believe that some of them needs to be larger, and others taller, to give you the appearance youAâre looking for. But it will increase the final polly count. Still, if you need some ideas for the greebles, not how to model them (IAâm totally sure you already know how to do it ) , take a look and get some inspiration here: Alternate Perspective Online. 3D Animation, Network Render Farm Services and Web Authoring .
You can always consider a mapped detail and bump maps, and still got the aspect youAâre looking for. Take a look at this tut from Kier: Space Environment Tutorial.
good score on that link Starship, I was thinking of doing detail maps like that but wasn't sure if it would work. I will consider it seriously tho . .
Also about the poly count . . . There is a limit that is accounted for so I could build detail until I reach it. There is plenty of room I think it's 80,000 poly I have just for the sensor details (per section) alone. With that number I should be free to do what I want, within reason, I just don't want to push it needlessly.
gp
^that's a pretty cool tutorial... I suppose you could also use a displacement map to get more actual relief, but you'd probably just get back a huge poly count again.
**update change**
I changed the method of the greebles layout just a tad, I added some low poly conduits to fill in the spaces a bit and to make it look more like there is something going on. I made some larger pieces so that the smaller ones wouldn't have to be so many, still there are gaps between the greebles that I can't fill in without going poly overload. I guess I am going to have to image-map some details to the surface below just to make it look "busy" as per Starships suggestions.
Anyway this is the direction I am going with the sensor pallets, hope it comes out right . . .
gp
Very cool looking! This is one place where if LW had instancing you could come up with about 10 or 20 different greebles for these sections and then just replicate them all over, without much of a memory hit. Or at least less of a memory hit...
I guess LW has a way to go before it gets up to speed . . . .
right now I am setting my vcr up to record BSG tonight . . . . I'll be at work putting aircraft away so I won't get a chance to see it. Thank god I didn't throw the vcr away . . . it still comes in handy, now if I could only find a VHS tape D'oh!
Time for a DVR from the cable company! (if they have them available...)
You can usually find HD versions of the eps. after they air on some of the bittorrent trackers, too if you miss it... I still wish my cable company would get scifi in HD. But no luck for me yet on that.
You mean you don't boolean all your greebles into the hull? So it's just me then?
Yep this is looking superb, I wasn't too keen on the tier 1 greebles, but these look much better! If possible try and add some secondary layer /overlapping greebles in places, so it doesn't look just like some spare parts glued to the hull hehe. This is going to be one heck of a chore - aligning them to the workplane - a sloping curve :S
This is shaping up to be one hell of a model gpdesigner. The detailing this far is impressive to say the least. Looking forward to seeing more.
Thanks Comco, I am really looking forward to texturing this thing, I have never done texture mapping before, so this will be a chance for me to learn the technique.
Yep this is looking superb, I wasn't too keen on the tier 1 greebles, but these look much better! If possible try and add some secondary layer /overlapping greebles in places, so it doesn't look just like some spare parts glued to the hull hehe. This is going to be one heck of a chore - aligning them to the workplane - a sloping curve :S
Thanks Tobian, I wasn't too fond of the way those came out either . . . .
The sloping curve is already done . . . "C-Plane" baby . . . . . .
I don't know how one can exist without that plug-in . . . . :thumb:
gp
Wings3d has a "align to selection" which puts the current view into alignment with the normal of the selected polys, which does pretty much the same thing. I would think that in silo you might be able to rotate using the numeric tab and then just rotate back when you're done... may not be totally accurate though.
GP... I don't envy you when it comes time to texturing this beast!!! doh!!
Jeffry I totally am with you on that . . . Urmmmmmm, I mean yep.
I have an idea of how I want to do it, been planning it for sometime now. Not every surface is going to be mapped. The underlying hulls will be mapped, and the Panels will be mapped as well, small details will not. Procedurals will have to play a huge part I am good with those.
How I plan on putting this together is still to be seen, but I am on it.
I am going to step away from this for a week and do some renders maybe, I need a break . . . plus I am planning to build an FA/18 Super Hornet so I will be gathering refs on that . . . . 3D is cool . . .
gp
The station is a major economic center. During the occupation it serviced everything from freighters from all corners of the universe to the Cardies warships. I understand that it was never meant ot dock anything larger than a Cadassian Galor but in the pilot the Enterprise took up a great deal of room when it was docked at a pylon and it would have restircted the size of ships that could have docked at the other 2 pylons. Being at the edge of the wormhole it would be getting even more traffic than before and, not having any idea of the size of ships that would be just passion through, it would be a good idea to have more than 3 docking ports that could handle very large ships without restricting other ports. It would also deliver passengers and good more quickly to the promenade and been an excuse to upgrade the station's defenses since it never did get much in the way of protection from Starfleet.
I'm not suggesting the mutilation of a station by tacking on pointless extras, this would have made a lot of sense, like the equipment pods on the Nebula-class (fast refitting and a high degree of flexibility).
Or they could have just built a completely new station to defend the wormhole, with far greater defenses and docking facilities, once it became obvious how big a threat the Dominion was. DS9 could then be put back into Bajor's orbit for planetary defense and trade.
There's no point in making DS9 different, it's great the way it is. And this mesh is looking great.
Agreed. A few minor changes, small tweaks, etc are acceptable. Rewriting Trek canon is not...if Starfleet had the resources, they would have built a "wormhole fort" that could double as a small economic base. As it was, DS9 had to suffice.So yes, in preparation for the Dominion threat, they completley overhauled the defensive grid and power relays, upgraded the shields, weapons and installed a heckuva lot of photon torpedoes. (i dont think obrien got any sleep for an entire season ). For really massive ships that didnt have room to dock, DS9's heavy-duty transporters would be sufficient, otherwise they could use shuttles or runabouts. no need to get all carried away here
ok . . back at it . . . I finished this first section and started on the second.
in order to save on poly's I did decide to go with a bump map for extra details that will fill in the open spaces on the sensor shelf . . this will make it look a little more busy as far as overlapping details (tobian), I will have to see how the bump mapping affects the look . .
gp
It's looking really good. I agree with homer about the small tweaks that should have been done to the station (not your mesh) I always thought they should have placed the docking ports facing outwards instead of facing inwards. (I hoope that makes sense)
Looking pretty good now, though if you can have more things overlap, to avoid it looking like you just placed some objects into an empty triangle to fill it.
That said you have inspired me to do more greebling, but it'll have to wait till next week now
Haven't had a lot of spare time this week . . . I did manage to start another sensor pallet but did it a different way . . . .
The greebles in the second pallet are larger than in the first section . . . which means I use less of them and use it more space . . . I think I am going to try this approach on the rest of the pallets and see what comes out looking the best . . . .
if you can tell the difference let me know . . .
gp
Posts
Remember, poly's are a consideration at this point. I can't do all the connecting conduit like I want so like the physical model all I will have is geometry resting on the surface below.
Like I said I am not happy with what I did, which means I am going back in, I was thinking of making a few object larger in size, then filling in with objects already made here. Hard to imagine without seeing it but you have to imagine a bit.
gp
Of course, there's always the possibility that you could add that extra detail in the textures. Will anyone really be looking too hard at this section of the station?
gp
You can always consider a mapped detail and bump maps, and still got the aspect youAâre looking for. Take a look at this tut from Kier: Space Environment Tutorial.
Also about the poly count . . . There is a limit that is accounted for so I could build detail until I reach it. There is plenty of room I think it's 80,000 poly I have just for the sensor details (per section) alone. With that number I should be free to do what I want, within reason, I just don't want to push it needlessly.
gp
I changed the method of the greebles layout just a tad, I added some low poly conduits to fill in the spaces a bit and to make it look more like there is something going on. I made some larger pieces so that the smaller ones wouldn't have to be so many, still there are gaps between the greebles that I can't fill in without going poly overload. I guess I am going to have to image-map some details to the surface below just to make it look "busy" as per Starships suggestions.
Anyway this is the direction I am going with the sensor pallets, hope it comes out right . . .
gp
right now I am setting my vcr up to record BSG tonight . . . .
gp
You can usually find HD versions of the eps. after they air on some of the bittorrent trackers, too if you miss it... I still wish my cable company would get scifi in HD. But no luck for me yet on that.
Yep this is looking superb, I wasn't too keen on the tier 1 greebles, but these look much better! If possible try and add some secondary layer /overlapping greebles in places, so it doesn't look just like some spare parts glued to the hull hehe. This is going to be one heck of a chore - aligning them to the workplane - a sloping curve :S
Thanks Comco, I am really looking forward to texturing this thing, I have never done texture mapping before, so this will be a chance for me to learn the technique.
D'oh!
Thanks Tobian, I wasn't too fond of the way those came out either . . . .
The sloping curve is already done . . . "C-Plane" baby . . . . . .
I don't know how one can exist without that plug-in . . . . :thumb:
gp
That's a pretty neat tool.
*maybe I can talk some Silo coder into making one...*
GP... I don't envy you when it comes time to texturing this beast!!! doh!!
I have an idea of how I want to do it, been planning it for sometime now. Not every surface is going to be mapped. The underlying hulls will be mapped, and the Panels will be mapped as well, small details will not. Procedurals will have to play a huge part I am good with those.
How I plan on putting this together is still to be seen, but I am on it.
I am going to step away from this for a week and do some renders maybe, I need a break . . . plus I am planning to build an FA/18 Super Hornet so I will be gathering refs on that . . . . 3D is cool . . .
gp
Or they could have just built a completely new station to defend the wormhole, with far greater defenses and docking facilities, once it became obvious how big a threat the Dominion was. DS9 could then be put back into Bajor's orbit for planetary defense and trade.
There's no point in making DS9 different, it's great the way it is. And this mesh is looking great.
ok . . back at it . . . I finished this first section and started on the second.
in order to save on poly's I did decide to go with a bump map for extra details that will fill in the open spaces on the sensor shelf . . this will make it look a little more busy as far as overlapping details (tobian), I will have to see how the bump mapping affects the look . .
gp
deg
That said you have inspired me to do more greebling, but it'll have to wait till next week now
The greebles in the second pallet are larger than in the first section . . . which means I use less of them and use it more space . . . I think I am going to try this approach on the rest of the pallets and see what comes out looking the best . . . .
if you can tell the difference let me know . . .
gp