Thanks for the kind words everyone! I've been battling pneumonia for the last couple of weeks, so haven't felt much like modeling... I'll try and post up some updates in a bit...
@Morpheus... the way I went about modeling the treads was to model a single link and then make an array of that link along the z-axis... then I moved and rotated several links into the position I wanted them in. I don't think that I will be able to animate them using this method, but for still shots, etc. it was a fairly quick way of doing it....
Here are some updated WIPs for the Razorback variant of the Rhino... I managed to finish modeling the Lascannon and Heavy Bolter weapons over the holidays. I still have to do the Multi-melta variant...
Also completed the Lascannon for the side sponson mounts on the Predator variants... hopefully the heavy bolter will just be a modification of what I modeled for the Razorback....
soooo many variations to model and keep track of.... :rolleyes:
Sorry to hear about the pneumonia, hope your feeling better now.
Looking good there alpha_omega, VERY GOOD :thumb:
I've not had much time either, Xmas is too busy at work and home (2 little kids), so I've not done any modelling, but have been playing with lighting and textures. Hopefully will be posting something soon (far from finished, as I'm struggling with both!!:()
Keep up the Excellent work, looking forward to those updates.
Sorry to hear about the pneumonia mate. An alternative to medication and rest is to pop by the local forge and have your lungs replaced by a nice set of Mars Pattern rebreathers. Y'know, if you fill up your Mechanicus customer card, they'll throw in some chromed mechadendrites too :thumb:
I like the Predator, ... Looks Good Alpha :thumb:!! ... Is there a reason you're doing all these Variants using the Rhino Chassis for something planned later or ? You should be OK to keep track of them if you have the Imperial Armour book.
For your Predator Annihilator, it looks like you've done the MK IV Turret, .. as apposed to the MK IVc ... There are a few differences you might want to double check in your Imp. Armour Book .....
@Meph - I'll have to check that out! I've been looking for something to go with my new chromed tailpipe! (DOH! :devil:) Now, that was a devil of a procedure let me tell you...
@Jas - I mainly started this set of models to (1) work on my modeling skills (and my mapping and texturing skills as well) and (2) I will probably contribute the models to the community - there are a great group of people over at 3d-heretics who contribute 40K models for use in generating 40K related art in various 3D applications.
I'm fairly new to 3D modeling and know almost nothing about animation or compositing, so I don't really have any kind of big project planned for these (other than the personal satisfaction of actually finishing this rather ambitious (for me) project)!
Thanks for the advice on the Annihilator - I'll check out the references again... I've basically been using a combination of the Forgeworld books and the physical GW model as references for the 3D versions...
Alpha, ... From all the variants of the Rhino Chassis, ... my favourite is the Predator .. particularly the Mk IVc Annihilator :cool: ... guess that's why I picked up on it ....
Here's a comparison between the Mk IVb & Mk IVc Annihilator Turrets ..... Yours is actually a Mk IVb .... All you need to do is change the letter on your WIP pics ... Unless you want to model a Mk IVc Turret :cool: ...
You're doing a great job with your 40K Vehicles :thumb:
The Annihilator is nice alright, although the Baal Predator also isn't too bad. GW definitely took a few cues from real-world tanks for the Annihilator turret.
Hehehe indeed, as opposed to the Mk1 which was kinda like 'Look, I can draw a tank while blindfolded!' The round turret and sponsons were cool but mechanically laughable... (Although I do have a Mk1 painted in Ultramarine colours in a closet somewhere...)
@Jas, thanks for the reference pics on the variations in the Annihilator turret - maybe if I find some extra time, I'll model up the mk IVc later on (gets out eraser and starts correcting his WIP images )!
... and I'm glad you like the vehicles. That means a lot coming from someone with your skills!
@DCB, the Baal Predator version is on my "to do" list, as I really like that one as well! I think it would be good for shredding up pesky Bloodthirsters!!! :devil:
Well, I thought I'd post my (minor) progress on texturing up my Rhino... I'm determined to try and advance my texturing skills on this series of models! So far, I've got seperate maps for the road wheels, tracks, and each side of the chassis. I've just blocked out the colors on the body, with a bit of weathering on the wheels and tracks (not sure if it shows up well enough)... no bumps, specular, etc. yet.
Oh, and the text was just to test out the UVMaps when I mirrored the side of the chassis.
I'm not sure whether to weather () the bitz I've done, or finish "blocking out" the rest of the chassis, doors, etc. with the base color maps first... it takes me forever to UVMap things, so maybe I'll alternate between mapping new things and working more on the textures for these parts.
This is a render in Poser (ducks and peaks over the nearest piece of heavy furniture)... the marine is not mine, and is shown for scale, which will be tweaked as I complete the model. For those who are interested, the marine and many other 40k models are available at 3DHeretics.com
I'll try and produce some better renders via Lightwave, but lighting and rendering are yet 2 more areas that I have yet to explore and know almost nothing about! Isn't there some sort of neural jack I can just plug into my brain and download everything there is to know about 3D?! :rolleyes:
As always, comments and critiques are most welcome!
Then, import into photoshop and set blend mode to overlay. For the best effect, apply highlights or worn paint effects along edges. You can do this by tracing a grey brush along the edges, then erasing parts using a grunge brush (google for some of those). Then apply a shiny metal texture to the brushed areas, and trace a thinner white line down to give it a highlight.
These are still in the works, I've just gotten stuck on the texturing... that and real life have conspired against me lately.... but, like the Tau vehicle, I hope to get back to this soon!
Hi Tom! I (very) briefly used Rhino 4.0, but quickly moved on to Lightwave... I guess I've been using it a couple of years now, but don't have much time to model or practice! :rolleyes:
OK, I'm almost at my wits end... so thought I would start asking for some serious help! I sat down at the ole PC for the first time in weeks to work on the Rhino some more and tried for several hours to UVMap and Texture the thing, but it just falls to pieces (me and the model)... there are quite a bit of hacks I did during construction, and I'm now willing to try and sit down and learn to do it the right way!
I'm going to take the mesh I have, cut it apart and try to redo sections the correct way... my question to you guys is where do I start, and where do I post these questions? Should I post them here in my WIP thread, post them in the Q&A section, or look for a mentor (hint hint) to work one-on-one with...
Once I get some feedback on how to proceed, I'll start posting up my questions with annotated screens of where I am stuck / confused / pulling my teeth-eyes-and-hair out! :rolleyes:
Something made up of large flat blocky areas like a Rhino should be relatively straight forward to map, but a lot will depend on how much of a PITA your program is to work with. What are you using to map it?
Edit: Ah, I see Lightwave mentioned above. Are you using that? Can't offer any help with the specifics of that program as I use C4D/BodyPaint.
I know a little about UVW mapping in max but from what I've done, your on the right track if it's taking forever and a killing you in the process. (grumbles about UVW maps)
this one looks badass. To me unwrapping and mapping flat surfaced vehicles is harder than organics. You don't mess with stretching but You have lots of surfaces to combine and weld together.
I am not into w40k but I wanted to ask something, is there a site with W40K blueprints? I couln't find a decent site with w40k materials.
Thanks guys... I'll post up a sample question when I get some screens done so you can see what I'm talking about...
@DBC, I'm using UVMapper Pro to create the maps with...
@ozcan, I don't know of any sites with blueprints either... I use the Imperial Armour series of books from Forgeworld, which contain lots of good orthographic vehicle views and blueprints. They are expensive, but well worth it in terms of quality and material covered.
ok... here is an example of a question I have. It's more or less a topology type question.
In the first screen, I have tried to re-do the mesh for an area on the side rear of the Rhino. On the old mesh, I just did a quick triple / untriple to get my ngons down to 3 or 4 sided polys. The new mesh was redone using all quads. So far, so good... I know (sort of) that the newer mesh is more "correct" than the old one, at least as far as mesh topology goes. I was even able to add a nice bevel to the edge after re-doing the mesh!
So, I put that section back into place on the main mesh, and now my question (see second screen). Do I have to try and continue the quad mesh out into the rest of the model (that would surely make a mess of the rest of the mesh), or can I just tack the section in place, by welding the vertices at the four corners?
The third image is the UVMap I've spent a loooooong time coming up with... basically I've laid out everything by hand, and the edges etc. don't always line up or match - which makes painting the chipped paint on the edges quite a problem for me. Also, it seems like the bolts etc. should be laid out on top of the sections of the mesh they go with, rather than being off by themselves in the corner (which is where I want to go lately)...
Other than taking the mesh into a 3d painting application (which I don't have), I don't really know how to achieve the details of texturing that I want on the model... again - I feel that part of the problem may be the mesh topology itself, which is why I am hoping to get some help from you wonderful folks!
The other part of the problem is that I am too much of a perfectionist!
Anyway, I was just wondering if this is where I should post my cries for help, or should they go somewhere else?
As long as adjoining edges and vertices have the exact same co-ordinates, it doesn't make any difference to mapping whether they are separate or not. If you are using UVMapper then I imagine you are probably exporting your model as an OBJ. In that case, you should find that all your faces are separated, regardless of whether or not they were welded together in your modelling program.
Btw, why are you using UVMapper and not your program's inbuilt mapping tools?
Well, best way to 'glue' pieces like that together again is to position it as accurately as possible, attach the two pieces together, select all vertex points and weld the lot. Do keep an eye though on the resulting welding that you don't mess up some small detail somewhere else on the model. Or you could of course just select the rough region where your part is located. You could also always weld the points individually, but a 'mass weld' is just quicker and easier and gets rid of most isolated edges and verteces too.
I find it easier on large models to work like this. Isolate and detach certain big and easily mappable parts, unwrap and texture them and then in the end attach everything together again.
@DCB, I had used UVMapper before I decided on LW as my modeling application so I am more familiar with it. Also, Lightwave's UV toolset just seems more clunky to me, but that may be because I haven't really taken the time to learn it properly...
ok... here I am again. After a very long hiatus (due to real life and some personal issues), I am trying to get back into 3D modeling! I'm trying to clean up the mesh on my Rhino(s), and am stuck on something I have had problems with from the very beginning - cutting holes in objects. In particular, I am having problem with the exhaust stacks on the Rhino and the front lights... I've used booleans (I know, a no no ) and it makes a horrible mess of the mesh...
Also, does anyone know how to set the default smoothing angle in Modo 401?
Any tips, help, suggestions, pointers will be greatly appreciated!!
No idea what program you're using, but i think that's supposed to happen. If you were to export the model to say 3ds or obj, it would do that anyway. Being a modeller, you should know that 3d models try to work as much with triangles as much as possible.
I take it this is all relatively new to you?
If you are / were 3ds max, I'd say selecting the edges, choosing "remove", and seeing what's left.
This suggestion came a relatively amateur user.
Posts
@Morpheus... the way I went about modeling the treads was to model a single link and then make an array of that link along the z-axis... then I moved and rotated several links into the position I wanted them in. I don't think that I will be able to animate them using this method, but for still shots, etc. it was a fairly quick way of doing it....
C&C welcome, as always!
soooo many variations to model and keep track of.... :rolleyes:
Something about a giant Bulldozer plow with a large caliber demolisher poking out that warms the cockles of my heart.
Looking good there alpha_omega, VERY GOOD :thumb:
I've not had much time either, Xmas is too busy at work and home (2 little kids), so I've not done any modelling, but have been playing with lighting and textures. Hopefully will be posting something soon (far from finished, as I'm struggling with both!!:()
Keep up the Excellent work, looking forward to those updates.
Sorry to hear about the pneumonia mate. An alternative to medication and rest is to pop by the local forge and have your lungs replaced by a nice set of Mars Pattern rebreathers. Y'know, if you fill up your Mechanicus customer card, they'll throw in some chromed mechadendrites too :thumb:
For your Predator Annihilator, it looks like you've done the MK IV Turret, .. as apposed to the MK IVc ... There are a few differences you might want to double check in your Imp. Armour Book .....
Jas
@Meph - I'll have to check that out! I've been looking for something to go with my new chromed tailpipe! (DOH! :devil:) Now, that was a devil of a procedure let me tell you...
@Jas - I mainly started this set of models to (1) work on my modeling skills (and my mapping and texturing skills as well) and (2) I will probably contribute the models to the community - there are a great group of people over at 3d-heretics who contribute 40K models for use in generating 40K related art in various 3D applications.
I'm fairly new to 3D modeling and know almost nothing about animation or compositing, so I don't really have any kind of big project planned for these (other than the personal satisfaction of actually finishing this rather ambitious (for me) project)!
Thanks for the advice on the Annihilator - I'll check out the references again... I've basically been using a combination of the Forgeworld books and the physical GW model as references for the 3D versions...
Here's a comparison between the Mk IVb & Mk IVc Annihilator Turrets ..... Yours is actually a Mk IVb .... All you need to do is change the letter on your WIP pics
You're doing a great job with your 40K Vehicles :thumb:
Jas
... and I'm glad you like the vehicles. That means a lot coming from someone with your skills!
@DCB, the Baal Predator version is on my "to do" list, as I really like that one as well! I think it would be good for shredding up pesky Bloodthirsters!!! :devil:
Oh, and the text was just to test out the UVMaps when I mirrored the side of the chassis.
I'm not sure whether to weather (
This is a render in Poser (ducks and peaks over the nearest piece of heavy furniture)... the marine is not mine, and is shown for scale, which will be tweaked as I complete the model. For those who are interested, the marine and many other 40k models are available at 3DHeretics.com
I'll try and produce some better renders via Lightwave, but lighting and rendering are yet 2 more areas that I have yet to explore and know almost nothing about! Isn't there some sort of neural jack I can just plug into my brain and download everything there is to know about 3D?! :rolleyes:
As always, comments and critiques are most welcome!
find some stock scratched metal images:
Browsing Textures on deviantART
Then, import into photoshop and set blend mode to overlay. For the best effect, apply highlights or worn paint effects along edges. You can do this by tracing a grey brush along the edges, then erasing parts using a grunge brush (google for some of those). Then apply a shiny metal texture to the brushed areas, and trace a thinner white line down to give it a highlight.
I'm going to take the mesh I have, cut it apart and try to redo sections the correct way... my question to you guys is where do I start, and where do I post these questions? Should I post them here in my WIP thread, post them in the Q&A section, or look for a mentor (hint hint) to work one-on-one with...
Once I get some feedback on how to proceed, I'll start posting up my questions with annotated screens of where I am stuck / confused / pulling my teeth-eyes-and-hair out! :rolleyes:
Please Help!!!
Edit: Ah, I see Lightwave mentioned above. Are you using that? Can't offer any help with the specifics of that program as I use C4D/BodyPaint.
I am not into w40k but I wanted to ask something, is there a site with W40K blueprints? I couln't find a decent site with w40k materials.
@DBC, I'm using UVMapper Pro to create the maps with...
@ozcan, I don't know of any sites with blueprints either... I use the Imperial Armour series of books from Forgeworld, which contain lots of good orthographic vehicle views and blueprints. They are expensive, but well worth it in terms of quality and material covered.
In the first screen, I have tried to re-do the mesh for an area on the side rear of the Rhino. On the old mesh, I just did a quick triple / untriple to get my ngons down to 3 or 4 sided polys. The new mesh was redone using all quads. So far, so good... I know (sort of) that the newer mesh is more "correct" than the old one, at least as far as mesh topology goes. I was even able to add a nice bevel to the edge after re-doing the mesh!
So, I put that section back into place on the main mesh, and now my question (see second screen). Do I have to try and continue the quad mesh out into the rest of the model (that would surely make a mess of the rest of the mesh), or can I just tack the section in place, by welding the vertices at the four corners?
The third image is the UVMap I've spent a loooooong time coming up with... basically I've laid out everything by hand, and the edges etc. don't always line up or match - which makes painting the chipped paint on the edges quite a problem for me. Also, it seems like the bolts etc. should be laid out on top of the sections of the mesh they go with, rather than being off by themselves in the corner (which is where I want to go lately)...
Other than taking the mesh into a 3d painting application (which I don't have), I don't really know how to achieve the details of texturing that I want on the model... again - I feel that part of the problem may be the mesh topology itself, which is why I am hoping to get some help from you wonderful folks!
The other part of the problem is that I am too much of a perfectionist!
Anyway, I was just wondering if this is where I should post my cries for help, or should they go somewhere else?
Btw, why are you using UVMapper and not your program's inbuilt mapping tools?
I find it easier on large models to work like this. Isolate and detach certain big and easily mappable parts, unwrap and texture them and then in the end attach everything together again.
@DCB, I had used UVMapper before I decided on LW as my modeling application so I am more familiar with it. Also, Lightwave's UV toolset just seems more clunky to me, but that may be because I haven't really taken the time to learn it properly...
Also, does anyone know how to set the default smoothing angle in Modo 401?
Any tips, help, suggestions, pointers will be greatly appreciated!!
I take it this is all relatively new to you?
If you are / were 3ds max, I'd say selecting the edges, choosing "remove", and seeing what's left.
This suggestion came a relatively amateur user.