Greetings!

Welcome to Scifi-Meshes.com! Click one of these buttons to join in on the fun.

3DMy Star Trek Thread

1679111244

Posts

  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Could go phase cannons like on the Defiant instead
    Not a bad idea. I don't even remember what they look like. I'll hunt up the images.
    Found them. They're just little forward-facing gun barrels.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Lettering. Refinements to shapes of things.

    s9nrbetf793w.png
    evil_genius_180Lizzy777MadKoiFish
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Another angle
    00ue1f2ce5v4.png
    evil_genius_180Lizzy777MadKoiFish
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Nice. Did you stencil the lettering in?
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    No. It's a texture. If I was going to stencil it on, I need to wait and try stuff first. The original drawing has no Starfleet emblems etc. No doubt due to copyright issues. So I am really experimenting with location of lettering and emblems on this ship if I am going to make it Starfleet Corp of Engineers.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Actually, come to think of it, stenciling might be quicker and easier than UV mapping and Affinity Photo artwork. What the heck? On the other hand arranging the stencils just right on curved surfaces could be ultra tedious.
  • FreakFreak1088 Posts: 4,361Member
    She coming along nicely.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Actually, come to think of it, stenciling might be quicker and easier than UV mapping and Affinity Photo artwork. What the heck? On the other hand arranging the stencils just right on curved surfaces could be ultra tedious.

    I go bold and solid drill stencil mine in there. Though, I usually maintain a "clean" copy.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Thanks Freak.

    Is it a flat stencil or do you slightly indent or raise the lettering. I really liked that scene in Discovery where they had little paint robots change the external paint on discovery.
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I do mine flat. Here's a look at the one I did earlier:

    screenshot-3.png?w=600

    Not that I'm saying my way is right, I'm sure there are lots of different ways to do letters. I used to do mine slightly raised, but not anymore. But, that's just an example of how I do mine, with the solid drill. :)
  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9709 Posts: 5,302Member
    Clone the hull where you want to cut the decal/lettering extrude it up by a few mm (depends on how close you can get it without bits poking through from underneath. Then stencil or boolean cut it in and remove hull that is not part of the decal and apply material "paint" you could later on UVW unwrap it or normal align a planarmap then shoot outlines and create a more work paint effect etc to it.
    Detaching the hull bit from the hull usually avoids any smoothing algorithm issues occurring across complex curves and whatnot. Stuff on flat areas or less complex curves can often be stenciled right into the hull though. Heck often I am lazy on completely flat faces ill align just extruded text and align it to just sit 2mm or so above the hull.

    I pinched this idea off a LW modeler and use it in max so it should work everywhere. If your really worried about shadows you can set the detached decal to not cast shadows.
    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    MadKoiFish wrote: »
    Clone the hull where you want to cut the decal/lettering extrude it up by a few mm (depends on how close you can get it without bits poking through from underneath. Then stencil or boolean cut it in and remove hull that is not part of the decal and apply material "paint" you could later on UVW unwrap it or normal align a planarmap then shoot outlines and create a more work paint effect etc to it.
    Detaching the hull bit from the hull usually avoids any smoothing algorithm issues occurring across complex curves and whatnot. Stuff on flat areas or less complex curves can often be stenciled right into the hull though. Heck often I am lazy on completely flat faces ill align just extruded text and align it to just sit 2mm or so above the hull.

    I pinched this idea off a LW modeler and use it in max so it should work everywhere. If your really worried about shadows you can set the detached decal to not cast shadows.
    Makes sense. I have done that a lot before but not with lettering. I copy hull polygons into another layer, stencil them and then put the stenciled pieces back in the layer I started from (sometimes I just left them in the new layer). I often did this for raised hatches and openings and things I didn't want to cause smoothing defects on the model - exactly what you said MKF
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    MadKoiFish wrote: »
    Clone the hull where you want to cut the decal/lettering extrude it up by a few mm (depends on how close you can get it without bits poking through from underneath. Then stencil or boolean cut it in and remove hull that is not part of the decal and apply material "paint" you could later on UVW unwrap it or normal align a planarmap then shoot outlines and create a more work paint effect etc to it.
    Detaching the hull bit from the hull usually avoids any smoothing algorithm issues occurring across complex curves and whatnot. Stuff on flat areas or less complex curves can often be stenciled right into the hull though. Heck often I am lazy on completely flat faces ill align just extruded text and align it to just sit 2mm or so above the hull.

    I pinched this idea off a LW modeler and use it in max so it should work everywhere. If your really worried about shadows you can set the detached decal to not cast shadows.

    Yeah, I used to do that one a lot in Truespace. Ah, the memories. :)

    I've actually thought about going back to that method. Maybe I will for my next ship.

  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Reworked the pod above the "carrier hanger." Other things too. There are lots of panels / plating on this ship.
    931qvzcupxj2.png
    evil_genius_180Lizzy777
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Looks good. What type of light are you using when you render?
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    I have a number of "distant" lights and I turn off ray trace for this kind of render. Obviously I don't leave it that way. Later when I want to get that sheen of specularity on hull panels and make the ship appear in the darkness of space, I change it.
    evil_genius_180
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I was just curious because I like how well your panel lines show up. I can never get mine to show up that well.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    In most cases I cut them as a "V" in the surface and I have a variable called "Hull Scoring" that is dark grey and used for the panel lines.
    evil_genius_180
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    edited July 2019 #260
    Here is a closeup. The visual advantage to the V is that that at lower angles to the panel line it doesn't visually disappear. You can still see into it - the front edge doesn't hide the indentation as easily. In addition, changing the "surface" variable to something else (in this case "hull scoring") gives a nice sharp outer edge (it doesn't try to round it). AND finally, there are 33% less polygons used for each panel line.
    ccjvb96xp8jy.png
    Example
    Post edited by Brandenberg on
    evil_genius_180
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    I should add that the tedious part of this are the intersections. I go to the trouble of merging polygons and making each intersection just a single point in the groove. First you connect opposite corners by highlighting points and hitting "L" for line. You have created a cross that passes through the point at the center of the intersection. Then I merge the polys (8 separate merges) and delete the points in each of the four grooves (4 in all) leading to the single point at the center of the intersection. Yeah, it's tedious.
    evil_genius_180
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Ah, I see. Thanks for the explanation. I usually don't worry about it, as I like my panel lines to blend in with the ship. However, for WIP purposes, it makes it easier to see them if they're darker.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    You probably already knew that.
    This Eaves drawing emphasizes the grooves so I did them darker. On the Enterprise 1701-A they stay the same color as the hull, but still have a different "surface" name so that the edges are clean.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    My 1701-A saucer groove
    b86fa0fturig.png
    .
    evil_genius_180Freak
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Yeah, I just usually stop short of actually making them a darker color with materials. (less to redo later) But, it was still interesting to see how you got yours so magnificently dark and standing out the way they do. I didn't know if it was entirely with shadows or if you had them a darker color too. Now I know. :)
  • scifiericscifieric1122 Posts: 1,497Member
    Extraordinary work, and progressing quickly too!
    Brandenberg
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Thank-you. i don't know if I'll get it exactly like the Eaves drawing, but then in this case I am not sure I am supposed to.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    edited July 2019 #268
    I mentioned a while back that I have been working on trying to make a really accurate 1701-A. I have been using comparisons to an original model picture as an aid.

    alxo64b55dnw.png

    So the problems are:
    1) The end of the brown engine cutout on mine is blunter.
    2) The rear shuttle bay cuts into the real model further than mine does.
    3) Between the deflector dish and the original model hull there is a reduced diameter area that goes back into the hull further than mine.
    4) Oh and of course there is paint I need to finish. My red Starfleet emblem needs to be slid forward a bit
    5) The bottom sensor doohicky slopes up too fast on mine.
    6) The bridge mesh is a little bigger and taller on the original

    Admittedly there are problems doing it this way. Things can change depending on how close I put my render camera. However, there are still elements that can be compared and this method really helped me fix some glaring errors.
    Post edited by Brandenberg on
    evil_genius_180Lizzy777
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    edited July 2019 #269
    I am to the point where top detail is composed of little things. I finished more windows and detail involving the structure between the two pylons to the engines (above the carrier deck). There is detail on the escape pods and more surface paneling. I really need to work on the bottom side and have started preparing for that by refining under elements you can't see in this render.

    o06xyxxin6g5.png

    Post edited by Brandenberg on
    evil_genius_180MadKoiFishLizzy777Freak
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    It's looking great. :)
    Brandenberg
  • FreakFreak1088 Posts: 4,361Member
    Very Nice!
Sign In or Register to comment.