Possible new craft

[Hoehrer]

landing gear: what winter said.

general modeling/texturing/uv-mapping guideline: please only use one texture (and one uv map) per model. I know that blender can to a lot more, but the md2 format can't ... at least in most cases.
We have a self-built model assembly to combine several md2 models though (if you are curious search the base/ufos/models.ufo file) For more info on this just ask me or mattn
   
And of course: never ever delete the original non-triangulated and low-poly model (duh)

Code: [Select]

x^2 + 17 = 0
When keeping it real goes wrong.

I think the things you wrote in your sig are just imaginary

Werner

[ion]

this craft is so cool. looks like U2 bummer :0)

[Psawhn]

Took a bit of time. I finished all the geometry that I'll use for the low-resolution mesh. This included rigging everything up onto an armature. All I added, geometry-wise, were bay doors, landing gear, and deploying weapons hardpoints.

https://webdisk.ucalgary.ca/~djetowns/public_html/misc_files/xcomfinter_geom_FINAL.blend

Many objects are separate meshes, to keep track of them easier. For export I will combine them all into one mesh. I'll fix up the hull and make it flush for the flight versions.

I don't know if there are animations at all for the fighters. I assumed there weren't going to be any. I plan to release multiple models, like for the Saracen:
1) Flight Model: All bay doors closed, landing gear up. Engines/thrusters forward thrust.
2) Hangar Model: Landing bay doors open, landing gear down. (Weapon bay doors open? Hardpoints Extended?) Engines/thrusters forward thrust.
3) Combat Model: Only weapons bay doors open, hardpoints extended. Engines/thrusters forward thrust.


In the .blend, you can play around with the stuff.
Scene layer 1: Hull and thrusters
Scene layer 2: Armature
Scene layer 3: Main engines
Scene layer 11: Bay doors
Scene layer 12: Landing Gear
Scene layer 13: Weapons Hardpoints

Scene layer 5 is just an old wireframe model I forgot to delete, and scene layer 10 has all the lighting and cameras.

All the important bones are on scene layer 2, bone layer 1. I've set limit rotation constraints on all of these (except landing gear) so they'll only rotate inside their legal values - so just rotate whatever however to see how the stuff works. The landing gear and main engines have animations on them. Press ALT-A to watch.


Next: Texturizing!

[Winter]

Hey Psawhn, any word on the texturing progress?

Regards,
Winter

[Psawhn]

I've got the entire model unwrapped. The next things to do are to texturize, and then optimize the different models.

I have two weeks left of university, though, so time is in short supply. I'll get it in when I can get it in .

[Psawhn]

Texturing finished! (I hope!)



https://webdisk.ucalgary.ca/~djetowns/public_html/misc_files/UFO_AI/stingray_hi_detail_texture_FINAL.blend

Is the link. Those versions are way too high-poly, though. I'm going to provide several optimized versions. In the optimized versions, I'll delete landing gear/bays as needed to lower down the polycount.


As far as textures go, I tried to produce a scheme similar to that of the F-22 - daylight sky camoflague. I also put a voronoi texture to try to make it a bit alien - considering there are alien materials at work.

There may be a few artefacts, as the original texture is 2048x2048. The gimp .xcf file is almost 13 megabytes!

Luckily the 512x512 .png is 291KB (It's packed into the .blend above), and the .jpg is 159 KB.
https://webdisk.ucalgary.ca/~djetowns/public_html/misc_files/UFO_AI/stingray_texture_lores.jpg

I also thought of a better name than Stiletto 2. How about Stingray? The shape (and colours) kind of bring to mind an aquatic creature.


So, any comments, crits, suggestions?


Edit: Okay, making the lopoly flight model was easier than I thought.
https://webdisk.ucalgary.ca/~djetowns/public_html/misc_files/UFO_AI/stingray_lopo_flightmodel.blend
The polycount went up a bit higher, though. This one's about 1840 tris. Is that too high?

[Winter]

Texturing finished! (I hope!)



So, any comments, crits, suggestions?

My only criticisms are that the texture looks so uniformly bland, and the colour scheme doesn't resemble alien technology at all. And is that a big black seam on the front of the cockpit? Whatever it is, it looks like a badly aligned UV map.

The texture needs a bit more detail, especially in the cockpit, cockpit mounting and the main engines. Right now they're all too samey, indistinct, too much like the rest of the outer skin. The cockpit just sort-of grows out of the fuselage, except it has those really thin framing bars which have absolutely no detail or 3d feel to them. Like they're just grey bits painted onto the canopy.

I want to see some nice heavy-duty joinings there, maybe even the outlines of bolts, to give this thing a bit more impression of speed and solidity. Some texture greebles won't hurt either. Even the B-2 stealth bomber has more body detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:060622-F-5040D-162.jpg

I also thought of a better name than Stiletto 2. How about Stingray? The shape (and colours) kind of bring to mind an aquatic creature.

Nice name, works for me.

Edit: Okay, making the lopoly flight model was easier than I thought.
https://webdisk.ucalgary.ca/~djetowns/public_html/misc_files/UFO_AI/stingray_lopo_flightmodel.blend
The polycount went up a bit higher, though. This one's about 1840 tris. Is that too high?

1840 would be fine, I think.

Regards,
Winter

[Psawhn]

Aah! Greebles! That's the whole reason I applied the mirror on the hull - so I could apply them asymmetrically! I forgot! I'll definitely throw a bunch of those on there.

Strangely enough, that's not a UV seam across the cockpit. I think it's a badly placed cockpit strut, and bad lighting. I'll move it and readjust the lighting.

As far as the wings go, I wanted to get a streamlined, stealth paint-type look. I'll try making up a new alienish texture and making it more pronounced.


Of course, this is my first texture job in... 5 years? And I only made half a handful back then. I'm learnin'.

I'll get right onto work.

[Winter]

Aah! Greebles! That's the whole reason I applied the mirror on the hull - so I could apply them asymmetrically! I forgot! I'll definitely throw a bunch of those on there.

Heh, yeah, even our Saracen interceptor has to have some greebles to look interesting.

As far as the wings go, I wanted to get a streamlined, stealth paint-type look. I'll try making up a new alienish texture and making it more pronounced.

Streamlined/stealthy and alien can both be had -- the point was to make it look more like the UFOs we already have. In an ideal world all the art kind-of ties in together.

Of course, this is my first texture job in... 5 years? And I only made half a handful back then. I'm learnin'.

Heh, I know your pain.

Regards,
Winter

[Psawhn]

How's this for alien-looking?







I still have yet to put on decals/greeblies. I redit the cockpit struts, and put rivets in them. The material's shadeless for this render.

The seams are hard to make, uh, seamless. It's quite a new experience for me.

Edit: Here's a more zoomed in view of the cockpit. You can see the rivets, and the not-so-nice bits.

[Voller]

I think it looks much better, but I don't like the colour of the cockpit. It doesn't really seem to fit with the rest. Maybe too bright, or just the wrong shade of blue. I'd go with a quite dark gray.

Keep it up.

[Psawhn]

I tried to base the cockpit colour off of the Saracen's. Either way, after staring at it for hours I've gotten too used to it.

I've also got a bit of decal work done on the engines. The engines don't have the alien texture on to separate them from the hull better.

[Winter]

I tried to base the cockpit colour off of the Saracen's. Either way, after staring at it for hours I've gotten too used to it.

I've also got a bit of decal work done on the engines. The engines don't have the alien texture on to separate them from the hull better.

I like what you've done with the engines, there, though I too have doubts about the cockpit colour (definitely needs darkening).

If you're doing any further greebling on the body, could you try and get it reminiscent of our Scout/Fighter/Harvester UFOs? That's the feel we're hoping to capture, that this thing is derived from things that are alien, but made to fit the human imagination.

Regards,
Winter

[tempsanity]

The only thing I don't like is the fact it has wheels. Wouldn't it be better if it was landing vertically, without wheels - but with some engines that make it hover down? If you know what I mean.

[Winter]

The only thing I don't like is the fact it has wheels. Wouldn't it be better if it was landing vertically, without wheels - but with some engines that make it hover down? If you know what I mean.

It's always better to have wheels. Most heavy helicopters have wheels. Haven't you ever wondered why?

Regards,
Winter