All space stations are the same

Thinking about improving the Artwork in Vega Strike, or making your own Mod? Submit your question and ideas in this forum.

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Do you want the space stations to look all the same?

Poll ended at Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:57 pm

No, I would like to see some diversity in Vegastrike.
11
46%
No, I would like to see some diversity in Vegastrike.
11
46%
Yes, the old stations are good already.
1
4%
Yes, the old stations are good already.
1
4%
 
Total votes: 24

Kangaroo
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Post by Kangaroo »

It can't be any other way in Blender. I think it has a poor perspective for learning. Hardly any explanations, that only experienced modellers understand, complicated interface. When my sister saw how Blender looks, she sweared that she will never use it. That ain't normal. And the fact that Chuck once said - there are tons of functions hidden in hotkeys - how is someone, who learned the basics supposed to find them? Tutorials? But how was I supposed to learn it if I didn't have Internet? And now I found another thing - I injured my left hand. They recommended me not to use it. And now how am I supposed to access all the hidden commands or even do the simplest things? I couldn't.

If you have read this, forget about it. These are only the thoughts of a young kid.

After all, Blender has taught me to respect my work. And it is much more powerful then Wings in texturing and unwrapping.

Then again, don't take this for real.
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Post by Halleck »

Kangaroo22 wrote:It can't be any other way in Blender. I think it has a poor perspective for learning. Hardly any explanations, that only experienced modellers understand, complicated interface. When my sister saw how Blender looks, she sweared that she will never use it. That ain't normal.
I will reiterate that I reccomend Wings 3D for people just learning to model in 3D. It's the best program I've seen for that purpose. However, once they understand the basics and have had some practice, encourage them to move to Blender (or another free suite that people seem to like, such as Maya PLE.) Or do what I do, start in Wings and then move the model into Blender to spiff it up and render it.
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Post by Kangaroo »

After some days of work, this is what I came up with. Not yet finished, and it won't have any textures.
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Post by rockstar »

Ouh, tasty interior...
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Post by Oblivion »

I can never memorize hotkeys. :wink: I like 3dsmax the way it is. Lots of buttons. :D

Great interior! :D What is it for? Ship interiors?
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Post by Kangaroo »

Thanks for the feedback guys, I've updated the interior a bit. I think it could be an interior for an outpost. It's still far from complete.

Here are the renders with and without ambient occlusion, both 1200x800 pixels.
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Post by klauss »

Cool :D
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Post by Karnizero »

Kangaroo22 wrote:Thanks for the feedback guys, I've updated the interior a bit. I think it could be an interior for an outpost. It's still far from complete.

Here are the renders with and without ambient occlusion, both 1200x800 pixels.
Good designs, but i think that the floor reflection is a bit exagerated. Maybe a some scratches and/or a bit less reflective could be more realistic.
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Post by Kangaroo »

That floor is made of glass. It just hasn't got anything under it yet. Maybe what you say would be realistic if people would walk there (as you see there are no things that would interest an average human). The interior for people will be a floor higher.
Since I haven't made any gravity generators for the interior, that surface can't get scratched easily. :) Once again, it ain't complete. I don't like adding textures, so that will be the last thing that I do.
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Post by Oblivion »

as you see there are no things that would interest an average human
agrees. :)

It could do for an outpost but i think it would also be cool as a kind of engine room for capships. :wink: Um, just how it strikes me. :) Outposts, I think should have a more lived-in look. Unless this is some normally off-limits section. :D

I liked the one with the ambient light. The pillar shows up correctly as white, unlike the "untextured" grey look of the first render.
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Post by Kangaroo »

Hello folks, finally I some time to spend here. Well, I have decided to continue working on my space port interior. Still untextured, and not much changed since last time, but I just want everybody to know that I haven't given up on it and still want to know what needs improving.

Here is a render I made today. :|
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Post by rockstar »

Good to hear that, Kangaroo22. Keep on working from time to time... and I'm sure we all will be pretty happy with your final result!
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Post by Oblivion »

Hi Kangaroo22 :D

well, it looks pretty good to me, but some suggestions:

1)try adding atmospheric effects - flames, steam, mist
2)umm.. add lighting effects on the "bubbles" on the overhead pipe?
3)a billboard or something (a holo of something, an ad, an groundplan, a commscreen, anything) on the back wall would be nice. To add a sense of scale maybe.
4)visible entries/exits. links for moving from room to room.

Anyway, really set on making this a spaceport?
:wink: well, it looks nice to me already.
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Post by Kangaroo »

...

...

:?

So much time has passed...

And I have only started making the station's bar -

That render took 2,5 hours and still managed to do something wrong :x

Anyway,

thought it could be a good idea to show that render (mind that it's still buggy - glow effects on glass balls dissapear behind the bar's glass, the tables are experimental, the starry background somehow didn't work, etc, etc, etc...)

Link to the file

Btw, the chairs, floor and tables are magnetic, because that ship interior (?) has no gravity generator :)
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Post by klauss »

Very interesting.

Want to make it 5h?
Add a weak omni light (casting shadows, of course, with corresponding radiosity etc...) to the glowing glass balls. Otherwise, the glow effect looks fake (because it does not illuminate nearby objects).

The rest looks very well done, nice. I don't see all those flaws you mentioned, but you must know better. (except the glow - I did see that one - and the viewing angle, while cool, isn't all that well suited for a base background).
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Post by Oblivion »

8)

well, I reaaally like it.

I don't even mind the glow effects.

It good enough as it is.

...it reminds me a lot of strangelet's interiors. :D

ship interior(?) or base background(?) don't let us push you. Have it how you want it. For me it's a ship interior, but that's really just my opinion. :wink:

Can't wait to see the bar tho. :D
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Post by Kangaroo »

A bit more detail on the bar coming up:

Image
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Post by Kangaroo »

Decided to try rlaan style again, but this time I'll try texturing it as well.

Some renders of the geometry:

Front
Back
And with Subsurf turned on:

Front
Back
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Post by Kangaroo »

Finished! :D

Here are some renders:

1
2
3

Hope you like it!
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Post by Oblivion »

On the bar: :oops: :oops: I realized I was looking at the bar when I discovered that what I mistook for weird shaped lamps were tables and chairs. lol. Sorry. It's looking good imo, though it could do with a bit less granularity in rendering, that's the only thing that spoils it.

On the Rlaan: Too shiny, too be brutally honest... I don't like it. :wink: Too low poly maybe? The fins are not rlaanish. They should be webbed, with struts supporting the fin webbing. I like the way you shaped the wings, tho it needs more detail. :)

Anyway, like my own attempt at modelling rlaans ( :lol: ), the contrasts between the surfaces is too sharp. Nothing a good radiosity baking wouldn't fix tho. But me with my max skills don't know how to radiosity bake maps. :wink:
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Post by Kangaroo »

Umm, yeah, I guess I need to darken the edges a bit..

About the bar, I cannot escape the graininess... yet. The Ambient Occlusion in Blender does that to simulate radiosity.

I've noticed that I need to get rid of the graininess too, so lately I've been experimenting with the Povanim plugin that allows rendering in Povray. Still, I can't seem to export the material data correctly. :?
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Post by Oblivion »

well. I didn't realize how lucky I am to have built in renderer. :wink:

why not move on to heavier (but easier,a s everything's ahnded to you on a palet with maids to handfeed you, lol) modelling programs like maya?
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Post by Kangaroo »

Oblivion wrote:why not move on to heavier (but easier,a s everything's ahnded to you on a palet with maids to handfeed you, lol) modelling programs like maya?
$$$...

My current money ammount is $0 8)
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Post by Oblivion »

lol!

well, then I'm rich!!!

My current net personal worth is 1$

...that is if you count my clothes... :lol:
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Post by dandandaman »

Kangaroo22 wrote:so lately I've been experimenting with the Povanim plugin that allows rendering in Povray. Still, I can't seem to export the material data correctly. :?
the yaffray renderer worked fine for me out of the box... oyu may want to try that :-)

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