First modeling attempt.

[Sophisanmus]

I knew I should get started with some 3D modeling sooner or later, right now UFO: AI has my interest, and thus I make my first foray into modeling with a weapon proposal for your game. 

The weapon is a plasma-based weapon, but instead of firing plastic-coated blobs of plasma, it launches a spread of shells similar in design to a plasma grenade, electromagnetically accelerated down its multiple barrels.  The ammunition pod at the back seems rather large, but in truth does not hold quite as much ammunition as it may seem.

The weapon, at least as I imagine it, is among the heaviest class, used by alien 'warbeast'-size fighters (much along the lines of the 2x2 beasties of X-COM).  The weapon is meant to be a part of the alien, which has been conditioned/engineered around the weapon.  Hence, the spine and pelvis of the creature are actually integrated with the weapon, hence the unusual shapes in the midsection (they can be removed if this is not the direction you wish to take). 

The screenshots are observing the weapon from the back, front, and side, respectively. 

Feedback.  Please.  Thank you.

(Also, if someone could PM me some info on skinning this thing, I would appreciate it).

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[Mattn]

what is the license you release your work under? GPL2.0?

[Sophisanmus]

I haven't read up on the GPL recently, but I'll put this under there.  I have no request other than credit, if used. 

[Danimal]

Hello man, it looks really nice (you have to tell me how did you do to make the phoos shrink and enlarge) but how many faces and vertex does it have? also you should PM Winter because they already have in mind what weapons and gizmos to do, so you wont waste your effort in something they wont use. But i like it a lot good, good work!

[Sophisanmus]

I am aware that at the moment there is not a great need for new weapons.  However, if my memory serves I read somewhere that the project was in need of new aliens.  The idea behind the weapon is it is suited for a new, hopefully scarier alien I'm theorizing.  Due to my inexperience with 3D modeling, I started with the smaller, simpler weapon, and now that I have a general grasp of the program I'll try for the creature to which it belongs.

[BTAxis]

Personally I'd love to have the alien you are describing, including the gun. In fact, the Shevaar was supposed to be exactly that when I thought it up.

[Winter]

Personally I'd love to have the alien you are describing, including the gun. In fact, the Shevaar was supposed to be exactly that when I thought it up.

How things change over time, eh?

It'd be nice to have a 2x2 alien tank, I look forward to getting that model in, textured and animated.

Regards,
Winter

[Sophisanmus]

With the alien's body drafted, I realized the weapon as-was would be badly shaped for the body, and needed re-thinking (as well as re-modeling, as it was over 600 polys).  Attached is a basic re-modeling of the weapon, retaining the same four-barrel and blast-shield construction, minus the implants (which would be invisible inside the creature, anyways) and clocking in at a bit under 350 tris. 

Okay, I poked and prodded a little, lengthened the side connectors and weapon center, nudged the trigger around a bit.  I'm going to attach the updated wings file, but the screenshot will still be of the old one.  Chalk it up to comparison value.

[Note that this post originally had the alien's body posted here, but I have since moved that to a topic of its own and will be keeping the body and weapon(s) apart.]

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