Cargo Images [COMMITTED]

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Cargo Images [COMMITTED]

Post by rivalin »

I thought I'd have a go at doing some cargo images, I know most of the images are classified as "release quality" but a lot of those seem to be either photos, which looks a bit, well, odd, or computer graphics that look a little bit circa 1998, so I'm hoping that the cargo image renders I'm doing will be good enough not to need the six month international peer review voting process that the wiki describes as being necessary if you want to replace release quality assets :D. I should be able to do a fairly large number of these fairly quickly, and I'll render them to a high res of 4096x4096 or something so that the masters won't become too low res as screen reolutions rise.

These two took about 10 minutes each, just to give an idea of how fast they can be knocked out;

Image



Image



I'm thinking that if a lot of the images get redone it might provide a slightly more coherent look. Anyway, suggestions for particular images people want replaced and crits/ideas welcomed
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Post by Deus Siddis »

Awesome images and really awesome that you are rendering them at 4096 square uncomressed so that they can be used absolutely forever without showing their age. If you released the models and any textures you used to render them as well, that would be icing on the cake imo.

I don't know who decides this kind of stuff, but if it were up to me I would certainly give you the go ahead to make a complete set of cargo/upgrade images of this quality.
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Re: Cargo Images

Post by pyramid »

Excellent images. Please go ahead to update cargo images as you think fit.

The listing of outstanding images on the wiki is for phase 1 only, i.e. only missing cargo images are marked OPEN. For phase 2, I was envisioning to replace those images that are below 256x resolution or have a questionable visual appeal, which are most of them.
So, please feel free to pick and create.

As for the vetting process, I agree that it might be exaggerated for cargo images. It was initially designed for large and not so common images (planet textures, base backgrounds) that already have a high quality. It's worth re-editing this part on the cargo development page.

You could render all images with 4096x, which I think is exaggerated at this point in time, considering that the image takes about 20% of the screen resolution. Until screen resolutions become 20k resolution, there will be more that 10 years to pass. No that we should not provide for more than 10 years ahead. I'd however rather keep the masters 512x and store also the source files (project files, models) in the masters svn so that we can recreate those images in the future with higher resolutions IF needed.

Personally, I would even go to the extreme to actually *require* source files for all commitment to data for the above mentioned reasons. This, however has not been discussed with the project leads. Still it is important to keep sources, as the past has shown (we have ended with a lot of 128x cargo images and no sources).

Btw, what cargo items are you envisioning those 2 images for?
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Post by rivalin »

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll get on with replacing as many images as possible.

The main reason I was going to do them 4096x4096 is that while I'm happy to contribute the source files, the renders are done with Modo ($$$). Maybe the obj files would be enough, and if they're ever redone someone would just have to apply procedural materials in their own 3D app, which wouldn't be much effort.

The above cargo images were really just samples, but I was thinking that I'd basically just make stuff up / let other people suggest ideas, so if there's somewhere they'd be useful then just put them there. One thing that would help me out would be if people could tell me which basic scenes that I come up with could be useful for multiple similar cargo images; eg if there's ten different metals, I could use one basic scene with a different metal applied each time for a different cargo. For the ones I've done so far, for example, if it's useful, I could re-render the chemical container things with a purple liquid, blue liquid, orange liquid, or the weird missile warhead (or whatever) with different glows to show different types of missile.

Basically just tell me what to render and I should be able to do it, just try to start with the easier stuff first and go from there. :)
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Post by pyramid »

Maybe object files *plus* the Modo project files would be great. We never know, but it may happen that other contributors also have access to commercial software.

I think 4096x is exaggerated, not to mention the space requirements (~240 images * 5MB jpg = *astro-dimensions* ) which I am not sure to which extent sourceforge is willing to tolerate.

512x would cover screen resolutions of up to 5k pixels horizontal at good quality, which should keep us good for the next 10 years.

One of the basic scenes with different final aspects could be the armor. Most of the others would probably require a bit of tweaking of the models or at least duplication and rearrangement thereof (see reactor 1-3).
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Post by rivalin »

Ok, well I've zipped a cargo image at 1024x1024 + Modo file + Obj file into a little package, tell me if the files should be prepared otherwise (different formats for anything etc).

I hope it's not too much trouble having the masters at 1024, but that's the default settings for Modo's renderer, and rendering at that resolution means I don't have to mess around with adaptive subd and micropoly displacement and so on to match it to res, which speeds up the workflow somewhat.

Image



here's the files;

http://www.box.net/shared/8mzxybeo0k


anyway, any more suugestions welcome
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Post by pyramid »

A zip with all the files within is just fine, as is also the 1024x resolution for masters.

Which cargo item is the pic intended for?

Now just go ahead and make it real :)
Suggestion would be to go for the missing items first, e.g. repair robots.
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Post by rivalin »

Guess I didn't do a very good job on that one then :D It's meant to be the cryo pod one.

I'll have a crack at the repair robots next then.



Here's another one; (PAD reader)

Image

http://www.box.net/shared/g4m729g8c0

The obj file is in the zip, but I think you might not want the Modo file, as the one for the PAD reader is about 15 megs, and I'm guessing that's too much space.
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Post by rigelan »

Ha, I looked at the picture and thought it was one of those things that people get in on long space trips, and lo and behold it had a name, cryo pod!

I recognized it anyway. . .
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Post by rivalin »

lol. well at least someone did.

Anyway, another image, this was a slightly complex one;

Bob the repair bot;

Image

and the link to the repair robots cargo image;

http://www.box.net/shared/zgyqtajs48
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Post by Deus Siddis »

Excellent repairbot. It looks like the machine that quietly fixes your ship without complaint and then in the middle of the game/movie starts killing everyone onboard. :D
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Post by rigelan »

Yeah, it looks good!
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Post by rivalin »

Thanks for the replies guys :)

Cargo Expansion cargo image work in progress;

Image

Not really sure if it's particularly illustrative of the cargo but it's the best I could come up with.
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Post by rigelan »

I realize that this is a work in progress, but your image of the cargo expansion would look better if it were rendered with a brighter light. Its a bit dark for the eyes currently.
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Post by rivalin »

Finished some more;

Hull Patch cargo image;

Image



http://www.box.net/shared/dby8gc004s


and the cargo expansion cargo image;

Image


http://www.box.net/shared/5sl5y79us8



The only remaining missing images are some ridiculous fictional items that I have no idea how to model :) , does anyone know exactly what a pseudotherm or a bio remodeller is?
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Post by rigelan »

A bioremodeler could be like a startrek tricorder, some sort of handheld biological electric field scanner thing. . . Or it could be like a CAT scan tube, that a person enters and their biology is modeled.

The name pseudotherm means . "Fake Heat". So maybe it is some sort of temperature control thing, like an air conditioner, or a space suit that keeps your fever down when sick. Maybe its the fancy high tech name for a cold-pack for your sprained ankles.
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Post by rivalin »

Few more, these are a bit rubbish, but having to model something based on a random word someone made up without any further reference is a bit of an effort.


Bioremodeller

Image

Pseudotherm

Image




http://www.box.net/shared/ws27rm5ssw
http://www.box.net/shared/679cculxcs
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Post by loki1950 »

And the resultant model is ambiguous enough that it just might do :wink:

Enjoy the Choice :)
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Post by rigelan »

looks good. I can see the 'therm' exiting the nozzle!
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Post by elli222 »

oh i have a couple of suggestions:

Gold
Rare Earth

these are my own pet hates

:D

Bril work!
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Post by rivalin »

done :), well one of them at least.

Gold cargo image;

Image




http://www.box.net/shared/4ynxu7tc84
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Post by loki1950 »

Like the fact that you didn't go for the current ingot shape the hexagons stack so much nicer and practical 8)

Enjoy the Choice :)
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Post by rigelan »

Well, prettier anyway. I think they'd roll. But I supposed they wouldn't if you cross stacked them. Or stacked them inside a crate of some sort. These cargo images are good.
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Post by pyramid »

Nice pics. I'll commit them all tonite.

The pseudotherms actually is not what I would imagine by reading the cargo description: "The Aera originated on a warm world, and are subject to episodes of reduced functionality if caught unprepared in a frigid environment. These coveralls are packed with shielded isotopes and spectral converters that are guaranteed to warm an Aera back up to body temperature within a few minutes."

Coveralls should be at least aera shaped bulky space suit like things. I may try to use the image (looks like a light saber) as some other cargo item, e.g. laser drills.
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Post by rivalin »

pyramid wrote:Nice pics. I'll commit them all tonite.

The pseudotherms actually is not what I would imagine by reading the cargo description: "The Aera originated on a warm world, and are subject to episodes of reduced functionality if caught unprepared in a frigid environment. These coveralls are packed with shielded isotopes and spectral converters that are guaranteed to warm an Aera back up to body temperature within a few minutes."

Coveralls should be at least aera shaped bulky space suit like things. I may try to use the image (looks like a light saber) as some other cargo item, e.g. laser drills.
no probs, it's just most of those descriptions aren't in the wiki, and it's a bit tiresome having to fly around to different bases looking for specific cargo images so you can read their descriptions.
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