Topic: Romulan battlecruiser WIP (FKA D'Xorac)

[Raven Night]

Alright, here are a few links for you guys.........

Here is the link to the pic that shows the desired changes for the Dxorac.....

 needed changes

.....and here is the link to the 4 engine quvhegh, in both mod and max format, and the dxorac in max and mod as well.

 quvhegh file

I hope this is what you guys needed.

[TheBigCheese]

Thanks Raven,

The trouble I have been having is due to your picture being so damn good, I dont want to balls it up by straying away from your concept

My first Dxorac model textures looked similar to the Osprey in TNZ mod
but I will try your Warbird suggestion now  

[Captain KoraH]

I'll make the change to the D'Xorac you want, it seems pretty simple. That model was NOT easy to make, and I used a lot of Max features I've never used before to do it, as well as having hand-meshed nearly every single triangle on the entire ship, so I'm particular about any changes that get made. As for the Quv'Hegh, I know the original drawing had 4 of the winglike structures with Nacelles on them, but I have to say that it really doesn't look as good. An X-Wing doesn't belong in the Klingon Navy, it just looks strange. With just the dorsal ones, it resembles the Scimitar somewhat, which is why I made it a super-battleship in the TNZ mod. I'll whip up two seperate versions and we can include them both in one download so people can use whichever they like best.  

[Raven Night]

The good thing about basing them on the current warbird is that it makes it very easy to texture........just look at the bop from enterprise, it is using the same soft bright green with airbrush that the DDeridex has. Then all is needed is some slightly darker detail lines to spice it up a bit, and you have a convincing set of textures. I can easilly add the details.

[Raven Night]

I am prepared to buy both, as I like the look of both models, my original and your modification. I can distribute and use the 4 nacelle version as a high speed version, the two nacelle version as a high armor assault ship. I will adjust the textures slightly to make the ships look different.

You did a great job on the Dxorac........if you can get with me on msn, perhaps you can school me on a few max techniques so I can help. I am learning as I go.

[TheBigCheese]

Check your mail Korah I sent you a pic of the Dxorac using Ravens idea of warbird type texturing, It looks better than my first prototype.

I have not been able to put the time I would have liked over the past week as I have been doing finishing work for the new Combat mission BB special edition ( out in October ) CCMOS project.I am freed up from that now though  

[Raven Night]

Sorry about the multiple posts lol........I am trying to make sure I am more involved in the development of these designs.

Here is another pic to show the original intent of the wing tip nacelles.

 2nd example pic  

[Raven Night]

One thing I would like to ask guys........first is that I have to create polygons, then select a section I wish to make a group, then change or alter that group. I do not know how to return the model to a solid object however.

Second, I need to know how I can render to the color of the mesh object. I change the color to a green hue, but when I render it remains grey. My only choice is to remove the blue and red in the rgb, which then makes the pic bright green. I would like to know how to get the render to match the object color that I set, instead of grey.

One last thing.........I dont know if you model as a solid object, or if you make sections and join them together. I can help more easilly if you make the models in sections so I can tweak them.

The Dxorac mesh was altered slightly.........I lowered the height of the body a bit, and leaned it out to create a more pass through feel inside the wing. I did not however modifiy the other model, with the exception of the added nacelles on the bottom.

I would like to modify the Dxorac a little bit more if you would not strangle me lol. I know it was a difficult model. It is definitely a masterpiece.

Thats it.

[TheBigCheese]

My advice is to get a BIG thick book on studio max because the manual sucks,
you will not regret it

p.s.

work in starfleet command format ,I find it makes life a lot easier.
do the model element by element , export as single section ,then import it , then do another element.
do this for texturing also.
I find it easier than the Max format  

[Captain KoraH]

When I make a model, I work with sub-objects. Each defined part of a model is a sub object. First I look at the drawing and mentally devide it into sub-objects which I model individually in Max, and when it's finished if you export in .mod format properly it automatically combines all the objects into one. The thing to remember is that SFC3 treats ALL models as break models for purposes of exporting.

As for the color problem you have, you need to assign a material to the object. First select the object you want to assign a color (ie: material) to. Then in the top menu, go to the Material Editor and in the Blinn Basic Parameters section, click in the grey box next to Ambient and select a color. This is how many major motion picture studios use Max to create movie character textures too, since you can assign things like weathering and rust as well as just color as a material. Note that none of these exports into the .mod format. The only thing you can do to make a .mod display with color in it's native environment (ie: the game or the mod viewer) is texture it.  



PS
To return a model to a solid object, unselect any categories you have selected in the Modifiers rollout, and then go to the Select by name icon on the top toolbar. Select one of the sub-objects. Then right click on it in the viewport and select ATTACH. Then go back to the Select by name menu and start doubleclicking the objects listed until they are all attached. When you are done right click in an open part of the viewport to stop selcting more object to attach.

[Captain KoraH]

Raven, I don't know about the nacelle part here. Here is my observation of the original drawing:

http://www.nightsoftware.com/compictures/korah/dxorac_changes.jpg

I know my model is different from the drawing there, but perhaps we could change the concept to accomodate the new geometry? I sort of envisioned some additional detail on the wing tip area that made the entire wingtip area forward of the wing armor feathers to look like a nacelle.

[Raven Night]

I see what you are saying, and a blade nacelle would be unique. How about this, if it is not too much trouble. Why dont you try it the way I have listed in the pic included, and save the one you have, and look at both to see which you see as best. Perhaps I could purchase both versions.......we could change the blade one a bit to make it a little more sleek in stature. Here is the pic........

 example of nacelle assembly  

[Reverend]

THis is gonna be a really nice ship- I have been waiting for a new good Romulan ship- this one is going to be great- keep up the good work guys!!  

[TheBigCheese]

This is a nice ship,

I spent two weeks texturing the first prototype,
wasn't happy with it , binned it and started again

I am now happier with the second prototype thanks to Ravens suggestion of doing it in
the Warbird texture style  

[Captain KoraH]

Raven, your changes can be done, though it will require some fairly extensive reworking of the mesh, since the upper wings and lower wings do not meet together like in your drawing. In the model, the wingtips are actually part of the upper wing, and in the drawing they are seperate. it might take a couple days for me to get that done.  

[Raven Night]

Well, here is what I was doing, and where I had to stop. I created polys, hightlighted one of the blades, separated it from the mesh, cloned it, rotated it around so it mirrored the other one. Then I was attempting to create two objects.......a flat right trapezoid to connect between the end of the blade and the bottom of the ship, and a pyramid shaped cylinder to place inside. The problem was I am not very good at creating shapes yet, and I do not know how to create free polys, so my results were not exactly grand.

[Captain KoraH]

After playing with it for a while, it looks like I'll have to completely redesign the wings to make this change, which I'm not really up to at this point. I'll keep it on my plate, but it may be some time before I get back to it.  

[TheBigCheese]

I'll carry on with the texturing reguardless as I can always texture the new model easily enough.
Though this weekend I have been giving my PC a spring clean and have formatted my HD  

[Raven Night]

Alright, I want to avoid causing you to get frustrated, so work it with the two engines as they are and I will play with the mesh myself. I made the bottom blades ok, I just have to learn how to create the shapes I need to fill it up right.

[Captain KoraH]

Well there is a little frustration there, but it's not because you want changes. I should have paid closer attention to that part of the drawing in the first place. In my world of constant babysitting chronic problems on the TNZ server this is truly  minor concern. Don't sweat it. I'll be positively elated to see Cheese's textures for this model.