CG Galactica

[Matador]

Just a quick update.

I threw in some vipers and shuttle for reference to scale.

[Matador]

Well I was able to create a new airlock door. I put a shuttle in front of it to help with the scaling.
I also added more lights and small details to the landing bay.




The following pictures, I ended up adding some lights to the enterance and exit of the landing deck. The exit was not in the original series. I just wanted to add it because I always felt it belonged there. Just in case cylons were covering one of the openings.




Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

[Matador]

Here is a close up of the Landing bay control tower.




Now I'm just working on the crane system.

Will start some animation soon.

[martok2112]

Holy moley, Matador! That is some truly awesome stuff!!! WOW! Keep it up!

[Apolloisall]

Originally Posted by Matador

Here is a close up of the Landing bay control tower.

Wow! Very cool stuff. Nicely lit.

[Matador]

Hey thanks...

Nice to know someone likes my work. I'm taking a couple days off from my project, but I'm currently working on detailing the crane system and I'll be adding some more details, like elevator lifts.

The launch tubes are going to be one deck below the landing bay.

Once I get things together, I'll do some animation tests.

Thanks again.

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by Matador

Hey thanks...

Nice to know someone likes my work. I'm taking a couple days off from my project, but I'm currently working on detailing the crane system and I'll be adding some more details, like elevator lifts.

The launch tubes are going to be one deck below the landing bay.

Once I get things together, I'll do some animation tests.

Thanks again.

I see that great minds think alike...and so do ours.
I too have made the launch tubes sit one deck below the recovery deck on my battlestar. It only makes sense. How else does one explain the long launch tubes that seem to sit on the same level as the recovery deck? Your battlestar decks look awesome.

One area in which we differ on our approach is that while you have the landing control area set inboard on the recovery deck ....looks like it terminates at where the troop conveyor tube runs along the lower axis of the ship. Nice approach, Matador.

For me, my control area sits just above the entrance of the recovery deck.

In any case, very, very well done on your works thus far.
I am about to finish my Colonial Viper, which will make about the fourth or fifth model I've done in Blender in just the last week.

Keep up the good work, Matador!

[Matador]

Originally Posted by martok2112

One area in which we differ on our approach is that while you have the landing control area set inboard on the recovery deck ....looks like it terminates at where the troop conveyor tube runs along the lower axis of the ship.

Thanks martok...

I've always debated in my own mind were the control tower should be... I got the idea from aircraft carriers and plus I saw Taranis's version and I decided to stick with it.
I always figured the troop conveyor would run in the area in the middle of the ship. That funny cross section that you can barely see. But was there...
Although this was actually used to hide the support for the acutal model. I always imagined it served as a way to move stuff from one end of ship to another. So I kepted it in my model.

I used that section in my model and this will be used for the troop transport and also how they move the ships from one side of Galactica to the other.
That tunnel will eventually lead to a storage bay... A safe place to keep extra vipers, shuttles, and spare parts in the belly of Galactica.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Punisher454]

Yes I ageree, I'm currently trying to model the galactica interior, and thats what I have in that area of the ship. I have a very large passageway that could accommodate shuttlecraft moving both directions. near the top of this lateral support is what I call the "warrior tube" tunnel. I see this as a way to move ships from side to side as well as the transport of large amounts of cargo and equipment. On something like the galactica I would expect some very large pieces of equipment would occasionally need to be replaced. A ship this large would also need some large cargo hold areas.

[martok2112]

Exactly, guys.
We seem to have the same thoughts in regard to that big cross beam that runs under the ship....I thought I'd seen somewhere that the superstructure directly underneath the battlestar's main hull was the pilot/troop barracks....so we are definitely on the right track...or at least, on a common track.

Keep up the great work, guys.

[Apolloisall]

Originally Posted by martok2112

Exactly, guys.
We seem to have the same thoughts in regard to that big cross beam that runs under the ship....

It's the tunnel that the warriors got to their Vipers through, IMO.

[Matador]

Cool, gload I'm not the only one that noticed the cross section.
It used to always catch my eye and wondered if this was supposed to be noticed by the original special effects guy or if they were trying to desguise it.
Either way, it always made sense to me that it was some type of access tunnel between the mid ship and other landing bay.

Can't wait to do some modeling of the access tunnel.

[martok2112]

I had done a setup of the pilot tunnel with the truck that was supposed to convey them from the barracks to the launch bays....unfortunately, iClone tends to bog down after I put so many avatars in the truck. (Avatars are heavy in face/poly count).

[Matador]

Originally Posted by martok2112

iClone tends to bog down after I put so many avatars in the truck. (Avatars are heavy in face/poly count).

Hey Martok, I was just checking out iclone. Is that a good program for creating characters.

I want to create pilots and crew members for my scenes. Is that program compatible with 3ds max?

I've been shopping around for a program to create people fairly quickly so that I don't have to spend too much time modeling them.

Any suggestions?

[Punisher454]

It's the tunnel that the warriors got to their Vipers through, IMO.

The little corridor(tube) that the pilots take to rapidly get to the launching bays is VERY small compared to the size of this external feature of the hull. Its BIG, the warrior tube only occupies a TINY fraction if this.

I am placing the pilots quarters in the forward part of the central block of the ship. these "lower" areas I am using for cargo and equipment.

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by Matador

Hey Martok, I was just checking out iclone. Is that a good program for creating characters.

I want to create pilots and crew members for my scenes. Is that program compatible with 3ds max?

I've been shopping around for a program to create people fairly quickly so that I don't have to spend too much time modeling them.

Any suggestions?

iClone can use models created in 3DS MAX, but you have to buy a second program that can convert .3DS models into iClone models, called 3DEXchange (another Reallusion product).

3DEXChange can convert .obj and .3DS files into iClone usable models, and it can also take iClone models and characters and convert them into .obj to export to external 3D programs that use .obj files.

The thing is, with iClone, you have base characters (characters that have a basic casual clothing mesh for which to design costumes) already in the program. You usually get a male (Jack) and a female (Jane). With iClone, you can create their costumes (different costume types may require different clothing meshes/bases to be purchased from their Backstage store site). You can also morph any face you wish onto the iClone characters directly in the program. You can take a photograph of anyone(as long as it is a good, straight into the camera, expressionless photo) and graft that face onto the avatar. (I use a lot of celebrity likenesses for my characters. For the role of new character Lt. Shaen, I used Natalie Portman's image. For Sheba, I used Eliza Dushku's. And for Athena's I used Ellen Page.) Thankfully, they're lifelike, but not so hyper-accurate that you can say: "Hey, that's so-and-so!" Even if their photo is slightly off angle, you can make adjustments. iClone is an extremely flexible character design and animation tool.

An external 3D modeling program is best used for fashioning props and accessories for your characters. I mean, you can make props for your characters in iClone, but they end up being block models for the most part. With a powerful external editor like .3DS Max or Blender, you can make much more detailed and accurized props. I used Blender to create the Viper pilot's helmet (my iClone version looked okay, but you could tell it was thrown together), and the chromium armor for the Cylon Centurions. I had made Centurions in iClone, but they looked too cartoony...at least my current ones look a little more menacing, and a little less like the characters in the "Money for Nothing" video by Dire Straits. LOL! All I did was fashion the armor (I converted/exported a male character from iClone over to Blender so that I could properly shape the armor, and then converted/exported the armor back into iClone--again, for conversion from one to the other, you need 3DEXchange-- and applied a reflection texture, and attached the armor to a solid black male nude character since that would represent the skin tight wrap underneath the armor, I'll do the same thing when I get down to creating Imperial Stormtroopers.) When you attach an object to a character, that object immediately is considered an "accessory", and you can save it as such in iClone. When all your armor is in place and linked, you can save the avatar as a Cylon Centurion.

I also plan on making actual gunbelts and better looking blaster pistols for the Colonial Warriors.

Anyhoo...that's my thesis on the benefits of making characters within iClone.

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by Punisher454

The little corridor(tube) that the pilots take to rapidly get to the launching bays is VERY small compared to the size of this external feature of the hull. Its BIG, the warrior tube only occupies a TINY fraction if this.

I am placing the pilots quarters in the forward part of the central block of the ship. these "lower" areas I am using for cargo and equipment.

Oh, absolutely....there's no way the tunnels are THAT large.

But that is also a good idea there regarding the underside superstructure on the Galactica, being a cargo storage unit. Then again, it's quite possible that the pilot barracks and cargo storage are all in the same superstructure. I mean, that area alone is just way too large to entirely be barracks for the ship's entire compliment of fighter pilots.

[Punisher454]

But that is also a good idea there regarding the underside superstructure on the Galactica, being a cargo storage unit. Then again, it's quite possible that the pilot barracks and cargo storage are all in the same superstructure. I mean, that area alone is just way too large to entirely be barracks for the ship's entire compliment of fighter pilots.

Have you ever looked at the Star Trek Constitution class heavy cruiser(TOS enterprise) deck plans? they are mainly loaded with crew quarters everywhere, along with briefing rooms, rec rooms, gymnasium, transporter rooms etc... right out to the edge of the hull. On those plans there is very little internal volume of the ship taken up by equipment and structure. I picture the Colonial Battlestar as being exactly the opposite. Mostly hardware, with areas for crew placed in where they can fit. Like a battleship, aircraft carrier or submarine.
I also think that the purpose of a battlestar is not exactly the equivalent of an aircraft carrier. I picture it as a multi-role do-everything ship. The battlestar deploys fighters like an aircraft carrier, but it then can directly engage enemy capitol ships, like a battleship. I believe the battlestar would also be used for transporting/deploying several thousand troops. We see the same thing in star-wars and even the "Starship Troopers" movie.

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by Punisher454

Have you ever looked at the Star Trek Constitution class heavy cruiser(TOS enterprise) deck plans? they are mainly loaded with crew quarters everywhere, along with briefing rooms, rec rooms, gymnasium, transporter rooms etc... right out to the edge of the hull. On those plans there is very little internal volume of the ship taken up by equipment and structure. I picture the Colonial Battlestar as being exactly the opposite. Mostly hardware, with areas for crew placed in where they can fit. Like a battleship, aircraft carrier or submarine.
I also think that the purpose of a battlestar is not exactly the equivalent of an aircraft carrier. I picture it as a multi-role do-everything ship. The battlestar deploys fighters like an aircraft carrier, but it then can directly engage enemy capitol ships, like a battleship. I believe the battlestar would also be used for transporting/deploying several thousand troops. We see the same thing in star-wars and even the "Starship Troopers" movie.

Agreed on all points, my friend.

[Matador]

Originally Posted by Punisher454

I picture it as a multi-role do-everything ship. The battlestar deploys fighters like an aircraft carrier, but it then can directly engage enemy capitol ships, like a battleship.

I agree. The Battlestars were just massive multi-roll base ships. They also transported people from the high counsels... Like the 12 reps from each colony in the pilot episode "saga of star world".

[Matador]

Howdy... I'm taking a break from Galacitca, but started working on making some pilots and ground crew.

This is my first CG Character I'm working on making a uniform for.

I know, I know, he looks like a super hero right now, but I'm just starting and will do some better texturing later.

[martok2112]

Do keep us posted

holy moly, your kicking some butt, awesome work there

cheers

[gmd3d]

damn that not bad,, better than I have ever done ...

[Matador]

Thanks... Great to have feed back. Yeah I've been spending a few days tinkering with the uniform on my CG dude.
There are a few techniques on how to do this and I'm trying them all. I'm not used to modeling clothing on characters, so this is a new step in my evolution.
I'm trying to perfect it. As usual, trial and error.

I discovered a program called Bonespro 4 for 3ds max. It allows to create muscle tone for characters.
This may change the way I create characters.

[Apolloisall]

I'm old-school physical models.
Just keep doing your electronic mumbo-jumbo so we can all see the pretty, please!

[Punisher454]

If you have max 2011 (I think maybe 2010 also) it has incorporated "CAT" the character animation toolkit. It was a thirdparty character animation tool, now part of max. I think it will do most of what bones pro will.
So far my very limited character modeling experience has taught me That good edgeloops are VERY VERY important for good deformations. Problem areas are the shoulders/armpits, elbows, hips/buttocks/crotch and knees.
Character modeling is the hardest, but i can tell youre a bold modeler and seem to be improving very fast. I'm sure you already know but you can find real nice human reference images at 3d.sk.

[gmd3d]

Originally Posted by Matador

Thanks... Great to have feed back. Yeah I've been spending a few days tinkering with the uniform on my CG dude.
There are a few techniques on how to do this and I'm trying them all. I'm not used to modeling clothing on characters, so this is a new step in my evolution.
I'm trying to perfect it. As usual, trial and error.

I discovered a program called Bonespro 4 for 3ds max. It allows to create muscle tone for characters.
This may change the way I create characters.

sounds good ,,,, best of luck with it

[gmd3d]

Originally Posted by Apolloisall

I'm old-school physical models.
Just keep doing your electronic mumbo-jumbo so we can all see the pretty, please!

the only thing I got from physical models. is glued fingers lol

[Matador]

When I was a kid I used to love making star ships... I would take the left over parts from my model kits... Like the plastic molding and melt them and use them to make pipes and greebles... That was fun.

Most of them got destroyed because I was busy making my home made star wars movies.

Anyhew, back to CG, I'm working with a modifier in max called "cloth". You add this to your mesh and it simiulates how fabric would react to whatever it's collision target is... In this case, the body of the character. There are different fabrics that you can tell it the mesh will be... Cotton, leather, polyseter... The program will try to mimic how it would react when the charactor is moved.

I'm working on adding the bi-ped skeleton to the character, then skin it. Hopefully I'll have something to show you guys in the next day or so.