Topic: Dakota WIP (Read 3822 times)

Wolf2525 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 31, 2003, 11:31:21 pm »

I'd have it done by now, but I keep having problems with booleans. Either they pork the entire mesh, or they just flat out don't work....

Lol... Driving me crazy....

sandman69247 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 31, 2003, 11:44:12 pm »

Well, to lower the poly count, you can make the shuttles and fighter part of your textures...just a basic shape will do. That way, the poly count doesn't climb and if someone wants to alter or bash there are no misc.shapes to contend with.

To cut polies, try the optimize modifier; sometimes it works great, sometimes it destroys a bit of detail...just play with it a bit. Find it here: In the modify panel, open the modifier flyout go to optimize. It's best to do each element seperately, i.e. saucer, 2ndary hull etc.

For the texturing, remember, LAYERS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND!!

Proper use of layers will save you alot of headaches.

Hope this helps, and this is really looking good!

Wolf2525 · « **Reply #22 on:** August 31, 2003, 11:52:16 pm »

What has been driving me insane is the darn bays on the new hull I created. I've been using a box in the shape of the bay, then placing it into the hull. Then I subtract it from the hull.

My first go made a whole mess of open gaps. The one I'm on now went better. I've got all the bays down the sides in, with no errors in the hull, but when I try to put in the back bays, all it does is put a hole in the hull.

This is driving me nuts. It's the second hull I've built today. I know there isn't much to it, but geez....

The other parts are looking tons better. It should be pretty good once I get the stupid hull done. Figures, it's the part I thought would be easiest, lol....

Bernard Guignard · « **Reply #23 on:** September 01, 2003, 06:30:31 am »

Quote:

They're on the TMP ships aswell, you can see them in the cut-away diagrams of ships like Voyager, the Ent-D and Ent-E etc. BTW Bernard, where are they on the Connie refit? Just out of curiosity, I never could figure out where they are, and I don't have any fancy blueprints with all the tecchy stuff on them.

Hi Lestat
Heres a picture to show you the location the bottles are arranged in a Semi circular fashion to blow away from the ship.

the Book Starfleet dynamics shows warp reactor cofigurations for Constitution, Miranda, Oberth, Saladin and Menhaga class vessels.

Wolf2525 · « **Reply #24 on:** September 01, 2003, 06:54:06 pm »

Okie dokie. Finally got a decent hull thrown together. I figured out a how to do a ton of stuff in Max that I was completely clueless about. So I guess something good did come out of this maddening process, lol.

Anyway, I'm picking through the hull vertice by vertice to clean it up. I used the optimize, but it either does nothing, or really screws it up. It'll take forever the way I'm doing it, but at least I can preserve the quality of the model. I should have the mesh done in a day or two.

I'm going to try to texture it quick. I can't draw textures to save my rear, so I'm probably going to have to use someone else's where I can find what I need. Regardless, I'll need to get permissions before I can release it. I don't know what I'm going to do about the hull, I'll probably have to make those, but at least that won't be as difficult. Or so I think, anyway, lol.

As soon as I get the mesh done, I'll throw up a screenie. I'm very pleased with it so far. It's much, much better than the earlier ones I did.

And as always, I appreciate any input.

Wolf2525 · « **Reply #25 on:** September 01, 2003, 10:11:57 pm »

Finally. Boy, that was a pain. I'd hate to see the trouble some of you guys go through on the complex ships. I have this about as clean as I can get it. Or at least as I can right now. Been working on this stupid thng all day. This is like the 6th hull I've built for it. Fortunately, it got better and better as I went, as I learned more of the functions.

Anyway, here are some quick renders....

I hope to have it textured some time this weekend. If not, I'll be off all next week, so I'll have time to get it right. I'll probably try to release it with and without the doors open. I still might make a couple of little shuttles for the bays, as I fell lower than I expected on the poly count.

Let me know what you think!

Rod O'neal · « **Reply #26 on:** September 01, 2003, 10:19:37 pm »

You're right. Each one looks better and better.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Looking good though.

sandman69247 · « **Reply #27 on:** September 02, 2003, 08:43:53 am »

Good lookin' ship, matey!

OK, so my kids are watching Sponge-Bob right now.

What program are you using for making textures? If it's PSP or Photoshop, I can send you a couple files to show the layering process and such. That way you can see how it all comes together and figure some things out. That's the easiest way to learn. Let me know.

Wolf2525 · « **Reply #28 on:** September 02, 2003, 04:20:32 pm »

Thanks Sandman! I'll be using photoshop.

One of the hard parts is going to be trying to interpret what it should look like, as I haven't seen anything like this in any pictures outside of the schematics. But it shouldn't be too bad. The other hard part will be relearning photoshop. Since I've never really used for much more than cropping and combing a few pictures. And I haven't even done that in quite a while, lol...

Fire Blade · « **Reply #29 on:** September 18, 2003, 11:43:29 pm »

Bump for news

Wolf2525 · « **Reply #30 on:** September 21, 2003, 10:49:40 am »

I still have it. I just got frustrated trying to make new textures, and wandered off to work on some scenery projects for wargaming.

Fire Blade · « **Reply #31 on:** September 25, 2003, 09:17:43 pm »

BUMP

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