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3DChiefBrex's Model Thread

ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
edited August 2019 in Work in Progress #1
Hey all! ChiefBrex here. Been a long time member of Sci-Fi Meshes, but never took the time to post anything here, since most of my work was intended for Star Trek: Bridge Commander. But, those days are long gone. So, I figured I would post some of the projects I'm working on here. The first project I want to share with you guys, is one that I've been itching to complete for a long, long time.

It is called the Poseidon Class. It is inspired by the Intrepid Class, Sovereign Class, and Prometheus Class. With the help of my friend Farshot, we took what was essentially a kitbash, and tweaked it to look more original. It is a post-TNG era ship (circa 2380s). It's stats:

Length: 547m
Decks: 20
Top Speed (Conventional Warp Drive - TNG Scale): 9.975
Equipped with a Quantum Slipstream Drive

Images:
Here's what I've got so far:
HTRoqGpl.jpg

vYacqRHl.jpg

OHfVoBJl.jpg

dmFQlVFl.jpg

ktrdoysl.jpg


These are the sketches my friend Farshot put together for me based off my own orthos:
6yQsAgKl.jpg

VkiLZMml.jpg

Tell me what you guys think. I admit that I'm pretty much an amateur to you everyone here, but look forward to getting better!
I apologize for the image sizes - I tried to resize them, but I couldn't get it to work :(
Post edited by Guerrilla on
evil_genius_180Lizzy777FreakJESJMP11
Tagged:
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Posts

  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    It looks pretty nice, from what I can see. It looks like you've got a really nice hull shape going on there. The ginormous Photobucket "watermarks" are making it hard to see your work. Man, I remember when that website used to be good.

    And, don't worry about your work being amateur. While there are some professionals on here, the majority of us are amateurs. The best way to learn a hobby like this is by joining a forum like this one and getting advice and feedback on your stuff.
    scifieric
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    It looks pretty nice, from what I can see. It looks like you've got a really nice hull shape going on there. The ginormous Photobucket "watermarks" are making it hard to see your work. Man, I remember when that website used to be good.

    And, don't worry about your work being amateur. While there are some professionals on here, the majority of us are amateurs. The best way to learn a hobby like this is by joining a forum like this one and getting advice and feedback on your stuff.

    yeah, photobucket used to be awesome. I'm looking for another place to host my images. Might switch to imgur, assuming they're not gone the way of photobucket.

    Thanks for the feedback @evil_genius_180. This is my first time trying TNG/Post-TNG era ships. I've only ever done TOS ships before.

  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Getting into those oblong shaped saucers and more "organic" builds is a whole new world. It's fun, but can also be frustrating, especially once you start getting into finicky subdivision. Though, the TOS era has its share of parts that can be challenging too.

    I believe a number of people use imgur, and it seems to still be OK. Though, Photobucket used to be too. I used them more than a decade ago, back when they were nice.
  • ViperViper1678 Posts: 717Administrator
    I really love that bridge design. I also like the rest of it. Looks like a tankier version of the Sovereign :) What software are you using to model?
  • RekkertRekkert4037 Buenos Aires, ArgentinaPosts: 2,302Member
    Very nice concept sketches, and very nice modeling so far. I'm really liking this design! The bottom of the "saucer" merging with the deflector area, the bridge superstructure connecting to the impulse engines... very cool ideas!

    As for hosting, I use ArtStation and it seems to work perfectly so far. Just create a private project and dump all images in there, then you're free to link to them.
    For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
  • admiral hortonadmiral horton201 Posts: 145Member
    Glad to see you here Brex can wait to see this finished
  • commandersozocommandersozo492 Posts: 628Member
    like this design a lot too. keep it up. look forward to see the development of this great ship.
  • FreakFreak1088 Posts: 4,361Member
    Nice Concept.
    Looking forwards to seeing how this turns out.
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1998 Central OhioPosts: 1,232Member
    Very neat concept. Looking forward to seeing more!
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    edited August 2019 #11
    Thanks for the comments all! Right now, I'm working on the Deck 2 portion, which has the main shuttlebay at the back, and I'm running into some issues of getting the shape just right. Goes back to all those "curvy" shapes.

    @Rekkert I will try out ArtStation. I've never heard of them before, so this'll be a new experience for me! And I will update the photos so that they're off of photobucket. The watermark is really annoying, and it frustrates me that photobucket has become a money grabber to get rid of it.

    UPDATE: Switched to Imgur, using Large Thumbnails. Now you guys should be able to see the work without any issues.

    @Viper I am using 3DS Max2020.

    I will try to post regularly. School is about to start back, so I'm gearing up getting ready for my students and all that. So, if you see irregular updates, please forgive!
    Post edited by ChiefBrex on
    Lizzy777
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Very organic shapes like you said. That wrap around section on the underside leading to the (I think) impulse engines. Lots of interesting elements to this ship.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    Here's an update to the project. The dark blue cylinder is a place holder, because deck 3 has to be cut and extruded from the saucer and shaped. This will be the most challenging part of the model, as the "extruded" deck 3 runs along the back of the saucer/secondary hull and tapers off before it gets to the main shuttlebay, so I have to figure out how to make that work. The bridge and deck 2 are not finished yet, as there are details that need to be added, but I wanted to show you guys what the ship would look like once they're done and in place.

    4Bgg5lOl.jpg

    R0ldAASl.jpg

    sQSuNVBl.jpg

    JErT22wl.jpg

    VZhzfaNl.jpg

    qjyu2PVl.jpg

    cYunEgll.jpg

    Let me know what you guys think so far!
    evil_genius_180Lizzy777JESpubliusr
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    That top down shot is nice. I really like the shape of the saucer an the flow of the whole ship.

    Blending shapes together is definitely one of the more frustrating things to do in CGI.
    ChiefBrex
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    I've got new renders coming soon, just dealing with a problem on the bridge. I applied a mesh smooth to make it higher quality, and now some of the wireframe edges are out of alignment. It's not doing any damage to the shape, but it's irksome that the wireframe mesh doesn't flow in a perfect line anymore. Also thinking of redoing the Y-bit of the bridge, as, applying MeshSmooth to that causes all kinds of shapes to appear in the wireframe, while the mesh it self looks relatively smooth and clean.
  • LoopholeLoophole48 Posts: 67Member
    Great work, I would swear this is an official ship. About what size is it supposed to be?
    Standing among giants
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    edited August 2019 #17
    Loophole wrote: »
    Great work, I would swear this is an official ship. About what size is it supposed to be?

    Poseidon Class specs:
    Length: 548 meters
    Height: 76 meters
    Beam: 202 meters
    Number of Decks: 20
    Max Warp Velocity: 9.9975
    Cruising Speed: Warp 8.2
    Crew Complement: 435
    - Officers: 115
    - Enlisted: 320
    Additional:
    * Equipped with a quantum slipstream drive
    * Capable of saucer separation (saucer equipped with warp nacelles)
    * 15 Type XII Phaser Arrays
    * 3 Torpedo Bays (2 Fore, 1 Aft) - Capable of firing quantum torpedoes
    * Medium Duranium/Tritanium Hull coated with a 14 centimeter Ablative Armor

    This ship is designed for deep space assignments.
    Post edited by ChiefBrex on
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    I'm scratching my head on the fact that you can draw engines like that but were having trouble with your bridge. Anyway, it's an impressive model. :)

    I keep wondering what your idea is for the back end / shuttle bay area.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    I'm scratching my head on the fact that you can draw engines like that but were having trouble with your bridge. Anyway, it's an impressive model. :)

    I keep wondering what your idea is for the back end / shuttle bay area.

    I was coached through the nacelles. While I did all the work, my friend Farshot gave me suggestions on how to accomplish the task. Same thing with the secondary hull and the saucer. But, Farshot's been out of modding/modeling for some years, and he's a bit busy these days. And, it's been about 2 years or so since I've worked on this mesh. So, I'm basically relearning how to design these elements. Which is why I'm grateful for the advice of you and MadKoiFish, but you guys use tools I haven't touched before. Trying to get practice with them.

    Plus, with the bridge, there are so many ways to build it. I could use boxes, spheres, cylinders....all of which react differently in Max. And with MeshSmooth, starting out as a modder, I was told to avoid that tool at all costs, and rely on Smoothing Groups to accomplish the smoothing I needed. You guys, on here, don't worry about that at all. In other words, there's a lot of variables I'm contending with here. I want this ship to be on the same level as your work, MadKoi's work, and so many others.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    It was mostly meant to be a backhanded compliment on your engines. Sorry you lost your mentor. But we're here for you.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    It was mostly meant to be a backhanded compliment on your engines. Sorry you lost your mentor. But we're here for you.
    Sorry @Brandenberg, I didn't mean to imply that I took offense! I apologize if that was the perception I put out there! I know that you were complimenting me on my nacelles. I was just sharing how I managed to get them to look so sexy ^_^. So, thank you for your compliment. And I appreciate your support, and that of everyone else here. I know you guys will help me make the Poseidon the best ship I've ever done.
  • BrandenbergBrandenberg1655 CaliforniaPosts: 1,937Member
    Ooops I was the one who gave the wrong impression. I didn't think you took offense, I just re-read my own post and thought... maybe I wasn't very clear.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    Ooops I was the one who gave the wrong impression. I didn't think you took offense, I just re-read my own post and thought... maybe I wasn't very clear.

    It's all good ^_^. No worries man.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    So, I practiced box modeling today for the bridge. Still needs some work. I also need to figure out why I'm getting artifacts when I make it a Editable Poly, but not when I go with Editable Mesh. Anyway - side by side comparison of the two modeling styles. Which one do you guys think looks better?
    [Top is box modeling, Bottom is cylinder & spheres]

    TnGhMTnl.jpg qjyu2PVl.jpg
    Lizzy777JES
  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9709 Posts: 5,302Member
    I think what was referred to is the meshsmooth within the poly editor and not the modifier. That one applied cannot be undone and does make a mess unless your needing for a specific purpose. Say doing battle damage and adding in a mess of edges and verts. Though tessalate works too it wont "round" out the jaggies.
    Example:
    1701-702.png?w=300

    As for editable poly or mesh I think I use poly cause mesh lacks tools. Kinda stupid really as I think both are just branches from when max HAD no editing tools. Hoever it does not make much sense with errors. Would need to see some examples and likely caps showing the UI set up prior to applying it. (well converting TO.)


    Top one looks to have better geo in it for the interior use EG a hall and room/office. KIM turbo and meshsmooth are just there to make it easier to make complex high poly shapes. As well as starting objects are all the same thing in max choosing one over another is just to make it easier to start your base mesh. Heck at time I just use a plane and edit that as I usually delete at least 2 faces of a box when I am working. I would suggest a bit more polygons to eliminate the segmentation. Keep in mind too to not only have enough polies to not see segmentation but to break a balance of how many are there based on the future details planned for that part. Fewer edges running across a window hole the easier it is to avoid messes when extruding them or cutting them in.

    In my way of working I will start out with a base mesh a control mesh I think is the OFFICIAL term. Then working with the goal of using turbo or mesh smooth. (KIM those smoothing groups still matter! as you can control that subdivision a lot with it) I then collapse it when I think the sape is right then clean it up and use box modeling techniques to add details/alterations of features I couldnt do in subdiv.



    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    Okay. I'll back pedal to a point in the mesh before I added the modifier MeshSmooth, and try using Meshsmooth in the poly editor instead.

    As for the geo, I'm going to do a mash up of the top and bottom. Mainly the base body for the bridge in the top, while using the Y-branching bit from the bottom image. I was thinking last night that those two different pieces would give me more of what I'm trying to achieve for the bridge. I also was thinking of doing some chamfering to reduce the segmentation and give a smoother look to the overall shape.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    I'm pretty happy with this result for the bridge. Now it's just a matter of collapsing the individual pieces and then adding the details.

    qXe3Vxfl.jpg
    Lizzy777JESpubliusr
  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9709 Posts: 5,302Member
    ChiefBrex wrote: »
    Okay. I'll back pedal to a point in the mesh before I added the modifier MeshSmooth, and try using Meshsmooth in the poly editor instead.

    As for the geo, I'm going to do a mash up of the top and bottom. Mainly the base body for the bridge in the top, while using the Y-branching bit from the bottom image. I was thinking last night that those two different pieces would give me more of what I'm trying to achieve for the bridge. I also was thinking of doing some chamfering to reduce the segmentation and give a smoother look to the overall shape.

    no, no, the modifier is what you want to use. I think what you heard before relates to the meshsmooth within the poly editor. As anything done with that is undoable in regards to the base mesh. Not to mention any edges verts or polies. I attached an image to show how the poly editor mesh smooth looks and what it does to a mesh.
    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    MadKoiFish wrote: »
    ChiefBrex wrote: »
    Okay. I'll back pedal to a point in the mesh before I added the modifier MeshSmooth, and try using Meshsmooth in the poly editor instead.

    As for the geo, I'm going to do a mash up of the top and bottom. Mainly the base body for the bridge in the top, while using the Y-branching bit from the bottom image. I was thinking last night that those two different pieces would give me more of what I'm trying to achieve for the bridge. I also was thinking of doing some chamfering to reduce the segmentation and give a smoother look to the overall shape.

    no, no, the modifier is what you want to use. I think what you heard before relates to the meshsmooth within the poly editor. As anything done with that is undoable in regards to the base mesh. Not to mention any edges verts or polies. I attached an image to show how the poly editor mesh smooth looks and what it does to a mesh.

    I don't see the image. I only ever use the modifiers, I've never used the poly edit version of Mesh Smooth.

    Anyway - the latest bridge I posted used the MeshSmooth modifier from the drop down menu.

  • MadKoiFishMadKoiFish9709 Posts: 5,302Member
    Image I refer to is in my previous post. It shows the use of the "MSmooth" button/field under editable poly.

    The torn open connie saucer. In editable poly under edit geometry next to tessellate is MSmooth. This will smooth whatever is selected on a mesh. You have a unit entry of 0~1 for smoothness and separate by smoothing groups and materials.

    I am suggesting this is the one you were warned to avoid. I would reinforce that idea unless you specifically need it as it is not undoable as a modifier is. IE mesh smooth or turbosmooth you can drill down the stack to edit the base mesh, the msmooth in poly edit you cannot return to the base mesh it applies to the mesh and that is the end of it.
    Each day we draw closer to the end.
  • ChiefBrexChiefBrex256 North CarolinaPosts: 110Member
    Gotcha
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