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Local TutorialHow to build the Starship Enterprise in TrueSpace 3

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  • scaramangascaramanga331 Posts: 0Member
    This is an excellent tutorial which isn't really bound to one application. Many of the methodes are workable in other 3D apps.

    May I ask where you found the schematics?
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    Three different sets of blueprints and where to find them are right in the first post!
    I'm going to use Alan Sinclair's Enterprise blueprints because IMHO, they are the best out there but you may use whatever you choose.
    Alan Sinclair
    Charles Casimiro
    Franz Joseph (I think these are the plans Vektor used for his excellent Constitution Class starship!)
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    scaramanga wrote:
    This is an excellent tutorial which isn't really bound to one application. Many of the methodes are workable in other 3D apps.

    May I ask where you found the schematics?
    Thanks for the compliment!
  • scaramangascaramanga331 Posts: 0Member
    scifieric wrote:
    Three different sets of blueprints and where to find them are right in the first post!

    Hmmm, yes, sorry bout that, I'm still a bit drowsy of my meds ;)
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    No problem! There's a lot of posts in this thread and finding just the little bit of info you're looking for could be intimidating.

    I'm sure there's more to choose from out there, but it's not as easy to find as you might think.
  • U.S.S. WINGERU.S.S. WINGER0 Posts: 0Member
    only is best is AC3D 6.0 CHEAP! YOU TRY CHECK ON IT.;)
  • U.S.S. WINGERU.S.S. WINGER0 Posts: 0Member
    Oh Also Very Easy Job, I Love That Ac3d 6.0 Was Great Ever I Had..you Try Test If You Like Or Not..;)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    That's easy for you to say. :cool:
  • StarshipStarship464 São Paulo - BrasilPosts: 1,976Member
    One year ago, I presented a simple tutorial with the basics to build a saucer using 3dsmax 7. Since some peoples asked how to build a saucer using max, I´m providing the link to my old tut: http://starships.host.sk/tutorials/31032006-Enterprise_A_Saucer.pdf
    Scifieric I´m not trying to hijack your thread, just to help a bit the max guys. ;) Hope you don´t mind about to post the link here. :)
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    I don't mind! However I should point out that this is page 10, so it'll probably get lost! You should start a thread that points to tutorials!
  • StarshipStarship464 São Paulo - BrasilPosts: 1,976Member
    scifieric wrote:
    I don't mind! However I should point out that this is page 10, so it'll probably get lost! You should start a thread that points to tutorials!

    :thumb:
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    More tutorial!!!!!! I started my saucer. I'll throw up a WIP in a few minutes. Y'know, I saved pages 1 & 2, got off the internet, and started working. Now, many hours later, I have version 10 of my saucer. I started off with a lot of spline points thinking it would look better, instead it looked like hammered sh*t. So, I finally got one down to 18 spline points and it looks decent. Then I go through your tutorial and see this exact thing mapped out!!! (mock anger) Couldn't you have started with that saucer map??? :devil:
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    Sorry eg180! I put up the first section just so that people could get the general idea of using a spline to build a section.

    Now that we've got a two part hull, we're going to go into detailing the saucer (might as well finish this area before moving on) including adding windows either through texturing or boolean subtraction. Then, we move directly to the engineering section. One of two more very difficult sections to get right for rendering. A lot of mesh errors can crop up!

    18 points eh? What a coincidence! ;)
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Yeah, I'm working in tS 4.2, but the splines work the same way. I have a new favorite toy to screw with in tS. :devil: Actually, if you texture without doing any UV mapping with a simple panel map, that first version of your saucer textures quite nicely in 4.2. I'd imagine it's the same in 3.2 because the textures work practically the same for simple maps. :D I'll throw up a preliminary texture render in my WIP I'm about to start when I'm done rendering the bare pics.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    If you're not actively updating this tutorial, would you mind if I throw a few posts up? I'm working on the lower sensor dome and I've got some ideas that I think would make that prety easy to accomplish. :thumb:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    dammit, Eric!

    *shakes fist in anger* You make this seem so easy, I'm currently downloading tS 3.2 and I have to follow this tutorial. Seeing how I've never been able to properly model a trek ship before (secondary hull and nacelles get me every time) i'm having to try this one out...

    hrm...may even have to try it out in max7...that way I don't have to learn a new package. :devil:

    Scabrous pirates to you, Eric!

    (if that reference doesn't sound familiar, I suggest you go read the X-wing novels)
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    If you're not actively updating this tutorial, would you mind if I throw a few posts up? I'm working on the lower sensor dome and I've got some ideas that I think would make that prety easy to accomplish. :thumb:
    I don't mind an occassional post that shows a different approach to how I do something but you could always create your own thread too! I will be posting more here, this last week has been rather busy; wife's birthday, anniversary, visiting parents over the weekend and work. Now that's all done, I should be getting more posts online.
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    malach wrote:
    dammit, Eric!

    *shakes fist in anger* You make this seem so easy
    Yeah, right! LOL!

    The sections of the tutorial that are missing are the "Dang it!" *hits delete button, tries again* "Dang it!" *hits delete button, tries again ...

    Someone posted a list of different terms for Max a while back in the thread saying that this tutorial would also serve fairly well for that application. Good luck!

    Oh yeah! "Scarabs and pilots" to you too! :D
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    If you're not actively updating this tutorial
    Okay, I've got a lower sensor dome and reference pictures. I'll post it tonight!
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    scifieric wrote:
    I don't mind an occassional post that shows a different approach to how I do something but you could always create your own thread too! I will be posting more here, this last week has been rather busy; wife's birthday, anniversary, visiting parents over the weekend and work. Now that's all done, I should be getting more posts online.

    Cool. That's why I asked first. It's your tutorial. Are you planning to show how to do deflector grid lines with the booleans? I spent all afternoon doing just that (you want to talk about something that will make you want to put a gun barrel in your mouth!!) I also saved a bald version of the saucer without said lines for when you get around to the texturing part of the tutorial. ;)

    I hope you post that stuff on the sensor dome soon. Since mine's done, it will be interesting to compare notes. :devil:
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    Go right ahead and post the boolean deflector grid lines. That should be interesting! I won't be doing anything like that for this tutorial.

    I've got to turn in but I just made my final comparison images so it should be all ready for tomorrow evening.

    Thanks eg180!
  • dan1701adan1701a2 Posts: 0Member
    Hi,

    I was curious. In Cinema 4D and 3ds max, you can import Adobe Illustrator paths (to model things like 3d logos, for example). I built an Enterprise in C4D using the Illustrator path for the primary hull as my starting point. Can trueSpace not import paths? Seems like that would be easier, if you have Illustrator...obviously, if you don't, it wouldn't. Great tutorial, and I can't wait to try out these steps in trueSpace!
  • TallguyTallguy350 Posts: 467Member
    Dunno if trueSpace can, but Blender can. More to the point, it can import paths from Inkscape (also free). We now return you to your trueSpace thread, already in progress.
    Bill "Tallguy" Thomas All I ask is a tall ship...
    Various Work: U.S.S. Constellation - Matt Jefferies Concept Shuttle
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    You can in tS 4, which I'm using. However, tS 3.2, which Eric is using for this tutorial, cannot. That was a new feature with version 4. :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    Okay, i'm working in tS 3.2

    is there a way I can "lock" the background image in place so I can move stuff around and not have to re-line it up to my image?
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Eric wanted me to post this, so I spent all last night going through the steps again myself and making pictures. Bear in mind that this is just one way to go. If you're like me and you are anal retentive about your modeled details, this is the tutorial for you. If you'd rather spend 2 minutes slapping a texture on this puppy to get the lines, Eric will cover that part later. Also bear in mind that this is a long and drawn out process that will make you consider throwing your computer out the window. :devil:

    Note: I'm using tS 4.2, so if you're using 3.2, your interface will differ slightly. However, all of the tools I'm using are available in 3.2.

    Basically, what we're going to do first is make a new saucer that's slightly smaller than your main saucer. I hope you kept your poly spline template, because you're going to need it. Don't use the one with the 3 cuts in it for those thick lines as you'll be setting yourself up for failure.

    Load your template into tS and copy it. You can either use the copy button or, if you don't want to look for that, just hit copy under the edit menu if you're using tS 3.2 or earlier. Once you have your copy, open the object deform tool you used for the B-C deck. You can't just resize this with the stretch tool as it won't work because of the shape of the saucer. Then reshape as outlined below:

    screen001.jpg

    Once you get your template to where it's slightly smaller than the original, save it and then lathe it as you did your main saucer:

    Screen002.jpg

    Once that's done, save it separately from your main saucer and create a cube using the primitives panel. Move your cube to where it's extending from just past the center point of your saucer to just past the saucer's edge. Note: I've removed my saucer from some of these shots so you can see where it lines up on the blueprints.

    Once your cube is in place, use the stretch tool to make it very thin, almost as thin as a plane:

    Screen002a.jpg

    After you have the cube, load your saucer you just created and booleans subtract it from the cube as illustrated here:

    Screen003.jpg

    Next, click on the axes tool. On the tS 3.2 controls, this is found by clicking and holding the grid mode button. You'll get a pink representation of your cube with the axis in white. Use the object move tool to drag this to the center of your saucer, being as precise as possible:

    Screen004.jpg

    Once that is accomplished, hit the axes control again to make the axis go away. For the next part, you will need 28 of these arranged in a circle. However, don't copy all at once. Just copy as you go.

    Select the object rotate tool, right click on the grid mode button and enter the number 12.86 into all 3 boxes. The number 28 actually goes into 360 12.857(really long series of numbers follows) times but I rounded up to the nearest hundreth. Next, copy your cube, hold the right mouse button down, and move the mouse down a tad. If it moves more than once, go back until it has only moved one slot, or if you're using the blueprints, when it lines up on the grid line. Copy that and do it again. Do that until you have all 28 points.

    Your screen will look something like this:

    Screen005.jpg

    After that's done, use the booleans object union tool to join those together.

    Now: a bathroom break. Next: The dreaded booleans!! :eek:
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Now comes the really fun part. If this doesn't make you question your sanity for attempting this asinine stunt, I don't know what will. The booleans tool is fun and cool when doing simple crap. The more complex the objects, the more a booleans is a pain in the butt.

    First, be prepared to see a warning that looks something like this A LOT:

    warn.jpg

    This stupid warning comes up when stupid tS seems to think it can't do the booleans. At that point, you'll need to make adjustments to the precision of the booleans but I'll cover that later.

    First, load your main saucer. Next, booleans subtract the cubes you just made from it:

    Screen006.jpg

    If all goes well grab a cookie. If not, right-click on the booleans tool and, when that little booleans control panel comes up, enter a lower number in the box. The default number is 50 and that works for most things. If you get the lines done right, it will look like this:

    lines1.jpg
    lines2.jpg

    Make sure you render and look at this from all angles. If there are distortions, you'll need to undo and booleans again, screwing around with the booleans settings. If there are no distortions, save this saucer separately from your others and go on to the next step.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    After the headache of that last part, this next part is pretty much a breeze. Having blueprints at this point will come in handy.

    First, creae a cylinder that has as many longitude lines as your saucer. Use the stretch tool and move tool to match it up with the center most round line on the plans:

    Screen007.jpg

    Next, copy this and use the object stretch tool to make it slightly smaller horizontally and taller vertically. Then select your first cylinder and booleans subtract the clone:

    Screen008.jpg

    Next: load your saucer I had you make in step one of this mini tutorial and booleans subtract this from the cylinder:

    Screen009.jpg

    THIS NEXT STEP WILL ONLY BE DONE ON THE INNER MOST CIRCULAR LINE TO PREVENT IT FROM HITTING YOUR GROOVES IN THE SAUCER'S BOTTOM!!

    Find the tool that says "decompose into objects" and click it. This will turn your cylinder with 2 parts into 2 cylinders glued together:

    Screen010.jpg

    Next, hit the down arow on the keyboard and click on the lower part of the cylinder. Delete this:

    Screen011.jpg

    Next, repeat the steps above for the other lines but DON'T DECOMPOSE OR DELETE!! If you do, you won't have lines on the bottom!! Once you have all of your circular lines, use the object union booleans to combine them and it will look like so:

    Screen012.jpg

    Next: save that object and go grab a drink and a cigarette because the next part is the worst!!
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Now that you've got your cigarette and drink (dont' think I was joking about that!!) load your saucer with the first set of lines in it and subtract the lines you just made:

    Screen013.jpg

    If all goes well, save it and rejoice as you just dodged a bullet. If not, play with your booleans controls again and consider resizing the cylinders slightly vertically so they cut deeper than the other lines. Also, if it's just not working, go back to your main saucer with no lines, subtract the cylinders first, then the straight lines (I had to do that. That's why I said, SAVE IT!!) :D

    If and when you get this crap successfully accomplished, it should look like this:

    lines3.jpg
    lines4.jpg

    Once you get all the lines in, render from all angles again and search for distortions. Remember that the more you booleans an object, the more you run the risk of getting distortions. That's why we cut these lines in with 2 big booleans. :devil:

    If it looks good, save it and pmpn

    Peace out.
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    dan1701a wrote:
    I built an Enterprise in C4D using the Illustrator path for the primary hull as my starting point. Can trueSpace not import paths?
    eg180 got it right in his listing, there was no such native device in TrueSpace 3.2 however you were able to purchase a plugin for this, although it never seemed to work correctly for me. I guess the structure would be perfect if you could, eh?
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