Imperial 528's Starship Thread [No 56k]

[Imperial528]

So, I've recently hit a creativity block, not so much that I don't want to do more 3D or new starships (I do), but that I want to render what I have.

One problem: I cannot understand ANY real 3D modeling or rendering program out there, they're just too... freehand, for lack of a better word. Basically, I do my modeling from a CAD standpoint (The first 3D programs I ever used were CAD), and I'm awful without some form of keyboard-based numerical input function, and in every non-CAD program I've tried so far (Blender, 3dsmax, Maya), I either can't find them or they're a pain to use.

Now, I may not have gone deep enough into learning the software yet, but I really don't want to have to figure out the rule set of another program now that I finally understand Sketchup's.

So I ask thee internet, any help out there?

[Dwelf]

Blender can be a pain to learn and thats a case of finding tutorials and watching them. Looking for a nice chart of keyboard shortcuts helps as well. I'm not sure if this is what your looking for but it seems to me blender provides what you are after.

What version of blender are you using? If you haven't got version 2.5x get a copy the UI is significantly better than 2.49 which I think is still listed as the last stable version on the website.

As for keyboard based numerical functions this is something that blender does well. Showing you that it does this might not be it's strong point but I found you could do almost everything from the keyboard.

The general rule for blender is select your action, your axis then input the number.
To double the size of an object on the X axis select it then (S) scale (X) X axis (2) double the size.
Hitting escape at any stage will cancel the change leaving you with what you started with so you can tweak till it looks right.
This works for almost all functions available in blender and for many the axis is optional. I found this particularly helpful for rotations which can be a pain to do free form.

As for camera control for rendering Blender has camera view which is probably what you want for positioning the camera. Ctrl + Alt + numpad 0. What you see is what you get.

Apart from the basics I haven't gotten too far with blender but I preffer it over sketchup.

[Norade]

3DS Max is what I learned on back in high school and while I'm no expert I'm pretty sure you can use numerical inputs. This is my schools webpage with some step by step tutorials for learning the basics of the system. http://www3.mbs.sd23.bc.ca/staff/dmuir/ ... /index.htm

[Imperial528]

Thanks for the information, guys. I'll look further into 3dsmax, but for now I think I'll try out Maya, since a close friend of mine is actually educated in it. As for blender, well, I tried the latest (2.5), but I was just uncomfortable with it (the cursor-pointer circle thing confused the hell out of me).

Now, as I was reading some tutorials I gained a moment of inspiration, and I decided to design a space station and find a greeble plugin for sketchup.

And here's the results so far:

Top:
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/1125 ... imetop.jpg

Side:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2172/c ... meside.jpg

Render:

[Imperial528]

So, I've been tinkering with sketchup, and here's my latest creation, which judging by the lag is one of my most complex ones so far:













Unlike the super dreadnought, this one doesn't even have any rotational symmetry, or at least none that isn't redundant with the y-z symmetry already there.

[Knife]

Kind of like that one

[Imperial528]

Anything specific you find appealing about it?

One major difference between it and my other models is that it doesn't have big honking guns or even massive gun turrets, which I'm trying to stray away from.

[Knife]

Anything specific you find appealing about it?

One major difference between it and my other models is that it doesn't have big honking guns or even massive gun turrets, which I'm trying to stray away from.

Like the boat like keel and bow of the hull, like the engine set up and the general aesthetics.

[Imperial528]

I've spiffed up the engines on it, but unfortunately I'm on my netbook so I can't provide shots of it now, but I will when I can.

However, I've started working on a new ship while I'm on my netbook.









And yes, it is based off of the design of Executor SSDs.

[Imperial528]

Details of the engines on the other ship, the things at the front are the base of what will be retro thrusters.

[Knife]

Nice detail. Although all the boxes on he mid-line look a little funny to me. Otherwise, cool.

[Imperial528]

So, I've been not updating for a bit, because I've been making another model. This time it's on the hard end of sci-fi, and its for a story I might write as an original fiction, or maybe a whole book, sometime in the future.



As you can see, it is complete with a solar sail, four antimatter engines, propellant storage, habitation modules, and cargo modules. Since in its setting it is also supposed to be capable of carrying other, smaller ships, I'm going to be adding on modules for that function as well.

EDIT: It's a laser sail, actually.

[Agent Sorchus]

Looks quite cool, in part because it isn't a massive space warship. And being a relatively hard sci-fi ship doesn't hurt in the slightest.

edit: reminds me of BTech Jumpships, but in a good way.

[Imperial528]

For a hard sci-fi ship it's actually massive, the sail has an area of 2.7 square kilometers, and the ship itself is a bit under 4 miles (6.5km). Of course it is essentially a giant string attached to a giant mass of trusses (the frame only appears to be solid because it is coated in a protective layer, underneath it's just trusses).

Although I am thinking of shrinking it as I do the math to see what kinds of engine power requirements come up.

The softest part of it right now are the four pods attached to the central framework, as those are for the setting's FTL drive, which if I understand vacuum energy correctly is theoretically possible without destroying the known universe

[Imperial528]

I've spiced up the cargo modules, placed what are currently radiator shields onto the frame, added in proper piping between antimatter storage and the frame so the engines can be fueled, and I've also finished the large ship docks, complete with mechanism!
Right now it has eight battleships docked to it.



Note that these battleships are 572 feet (174.5 meters) long for scale, or about 64% of the length of the Iowa class. They're also on their sides right now, bottom side oriented towards the dock.

Close up of the docking mechanism:



Basically, there are ten holes, each containing a piston. The pistons are fitted with electromagnetic and physical clamps at the end, and they can extend outward from the ship into a matching hole where a retracted piston is, and then the extended pistons connect to the retracted pistons, allowing the docking tunnels to extend and mate with each other.

[Imperial528]

Well, I took a break from the previous model and started learning Blender again, this time working only within blender and using an external image editor when needed. Here is a screen shot of a little practice model I have made, with a practice texture I made to test out the UV map:



Also, I have grown tired of thumb-nailing everything, so this thread now has a no-56k warning since after this post images will be full size.

[Imperial528]

Well, I have taken to using 3dsmax after learning how to work the far clip plane, so that when I import models I can actually see them. I don't know as much about the program as Blender, but I find the interface easier to use. This is a render of engine glow that I just made, using one of the tutorials on the site Norade linked me to:



So far only the 2 main engines and 3 small ones have glow lights.

[Norade]

Glad the links helped.

[Imperial528]

They helped quite a bit.

However, I've been having trouble making volume lights work. The above render should have volume lights, that make the glow more realistic, but for some reason they simply don't show up, despite having set them to the correct lights and all. I've been able to use lens effect to make a result that is similar to what I want, but it only works if the camera is facing it almost directly.

[Imperial528]

IT MOVES!

Slowly.

[Imperial528]

I still haven't been able to figure out volume lights, and my attempt at making the camera follow the dreadnought didn't end well. So in the meantime, I have taken to using sketchup for what it is supposed to be used for, architectural modeling.

I ported the model into 3ds max and made these renders of it. It's like an interstellar senate assembly chamber or some such:



View from the entrance.


Looking up into the dome.

[Imperial528]

Well, I haven't posted an update in almost a month now. But I have not abandoned the world of modeling!

Those who view my updates may remember an old ship of mine, which I called the Andromeda. Well, I decided that it was too sub-par for my tastes, and rather than scrap a good concept, I made it anew.

And so I present, the Andromeda-class Battleship. Original concept on the top, new version on the bottom:


((Warning!! Large images!))



Front:


Side:


Top (the old version picture is a bit new because I made it for the sake of this comparison):


Back:


Iso:


Iso(Back view):



I also have a render of engine glow I made in 3ds max:

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

Epic spaceship breaux! My only suggestion for the engine glow is to make its base color a hair less saturated 00FFFF cyan and more like 80BFFF blue.

[Imperial528]

I tried out your suggestion. The color doesn't really work for the core of the thruster, at least with the light setup I have now. But it works quite well with the exterior light. I have also added a directional light to give it an exhaust jet:



EDIT:

Just made a video of engine activation:

[KhorneFlakes]

Dear god that thing is hideous from the front. Looks cool from behind, though.