Topic: The "Defiant"

[markyd]

Hi fellas,

  Been squeezing this in at BCC when I have had time, and now that the mesh resides at 9800 polies I thought I would share as I may release an SFC version.

[intermech]

markyd, so when you do a model like this, are there any overlapping polygons, or are the seams also a poly line? For example, if we were to remove one of the warp nacelles, would we see a big gap in the hull, or does the hull continue underneath the warp nacelle? If it is the former, what method you do use to do that?

[FoaS_XC]

Far as I know markyd always makes watertight meshes. One way to do it is to just be conscious about it when you're building the model - the other is to Boolean it all together when you're done - first one is harder but always ends up with cleaner meshes, second one invariably needs cleanup.

[Klingon Fanatic]

NIcely done sir.

Now when can we expect a NON-Flathead shp from you?

Going from the Defiant to say a Cardassian ship, such as the Heidiki scout [sp?], shouldn't be that much of a stretch for you.

Qapla'

[Rod ONeal]

Hi markyd, Would it be possible to see a wireframe? I know you model one piece and would like to see the mesh. Thanks

[Kreeargh]

OMG is that back grills modeled in? 9800 poly , Please release at min pics of the wireframe this i need to see the mesh so i cant figure out how done with low poly like that.   Damn good job  Ive been modeling for a  while but ive never seen this detail with such low poly 

[markyd]

OMG is that back grills modeled in? 9800 poly , Please release at min pics of the wireframe this i need to see the mesh so i cant figure out how done with low poly like that.   Damn good job  Ive been modeling for a  while but ive never seen this detail with such low poly 

Thanks mate, Wire is attached. Yeah the grill is unified to the rest of the model, it took a fair few hours to sort that one out, I think the grills almost come up to 2000 polies by themselves, so in theory for SFC I could use an Alpha transparency map for the grills, and cut the polies to 7800 or so.

Hi markyd, Would it be possible to see a wireframe? I know you model one piece and would like to see the mesh. Thanks

Hey Rod, attached.

NIcely done sir.

Now when can we expect a NON-Flathead shp from you?

Going from the Defiant to say a Cardassian ship, such as the Heidiki scout [sp?], shouldn't be that much of a stretch for you.

Qapla'

Hi KF, not too sure about that, mabey I should build summat non fed next, mabey a new BOP or summat like that.

Far as I know markyd always makes watertight meshes. One way to do it is to just be conscious about it when you're building the model - the other is to Boolean it all together when you're done - first one is harder but always ends up with cleaner meshes, second one invariably needs cleanup.

 

markyd, so when you do a model like this, are there any overlapping polygons, or are the seams also a poly line? For example, if we were to remove one of the warp nacelles, would we see a big gap in the hull, or does the hull continue underneath the warp nacelle? If it is the former, what method you do use to do that?

Its watertight mate like FOAS said, so if you were to look inside everything would be hollow, no wasted mesh elements etc etc.  I use different methods to achieve it, I will either brake the model into parts boolean segements needed, Isolate them and clean them up, attach them to the mesh then clean up the smoothing groups. Or i will cut the required shape out of the hull and out of the object i intend to attach before connecting them up. Its quite hard to explain that one without going through the whole process. Infact I made a tut on it in early 2009, its not very good, and you may need VLC player to watch it but it does get the point across.  http://www.mediafire.com/?duzo6px1msv

looks pretty darn smooth

Cheers mate.

Thanks for all the comments fellas, textures start today.

[Rod ONeal]

Very cool! Thanks for the shots. Look forward to it's completion.

[Kreeargh]

Damn nice work! Is this a one side model  flip  and mirror the other to finish or did you make the mesh total and turned the edges to match the rest? I see a center line just wondering how you did it?

[markyd]

Damn nice work! Is this a one side model  flip  and mirror the other to finish or did you make the mesh total and turned the edges to match the rest? I see a center line just wondering how you did it?

I tend to build the model as one object mate, and keep in mind that I will need a center line all the way through the build. For instance when i build the main chunk of the hull, i needed to add a line to make the centre, with the head it was not nec. Once the model is complete but rough, I will delete one half of it and add a symmetry modifier leaving me with half the work to do, this will also cut the uvw mapping time in half too and provide me with a more efficient map.

[Kreeargh]

Damn nice work! Is this a one side model  flip  and mirror the other to finish or did you make the mesh total and turned the edges to match the rest? I see a center line just wondering how you did it?

I tend to build the model as one object mate, and keep in mind that I will need a center line all the way through the build. For instance when i build the main chunk of the hull, i needed to add a line to make the centre, with the head it was not nec. Once the model is complete but rough, I will delete one half of it and add a symmetry modifier leaving me with half the work to do, this will also cut the uvw mapping time in half too and provide me with a more efficient map.

I try and work up same but i dont make a center line as it adds more poly. But most of my final work fails so    Nice work any how you do it. 

[Rod ONeal]

I mirror it after it's triangulated. It can save some smoothing problems and makes a prettier mesh.

[Kreeargh]

I mirror it after it's triangulated. It can save some smoothing problems and makes a prettier mesh.

I mirror alot of stuff i have no problem with it ,  I still dont know what the hell the term triangulated is even if i have done it many times .  On many of my models i have saved several hundred poly just removeing that center line though maping has been harder for others its ok for them im told.

[Rod ONeal]

I mirror alot of stuff i have no problem with it ,  I still dont know what the hell the term triangulated is even if i have done it many times .  On many of my models i have saved several hundred poly just removeing that center line though maping has been harder for others its ok for them im told.

Most modeling programs use 4sided polies (quads). .MOD uses 3sided polies (triangles). When you export from Max, for example, the mesh is converted from 4sided polies to 3sided. This conversion is "triangulating" the mesh. You can also triangulate the mesh before you export it. I do this and then look at the mesh. Sometimes their are smoothing errors introduced when the mesh is triangulated. It's easier to fix by deleting one side of the mesh, fixing the errors, and then mirroring the mesh.

Often on some models, or parts of the model, it's easier to just model one half of the model and use a symmetry command to model the other half. This would obviously eliminate the need to delete half of the mesh before fixing smoothing errors. 

[Kreeargh]

I mirror alot of stuff i have no problem with it ,  I still dont know what the hell the term triangulated is even if i have done it many times .  On many of my models i have saved several hundred poly just removeing that center line though maping has been harder for others its ok for them im told.

Most modeling programs use 4sided polies (quads). .MOD uses 3sided polies (triangles). When you export from Max, for example, the mesh is converted from 4sided polies to 3sided. This conversion is "triangulating" the mesh. You can also triangulate the mesh before you export it. I do this and then look at the mesh. Sometimes their are smoothing errors introduced when the mesh is triangulated. It's easier to fix by deleting one side of the mesh, fixing the errors, and then mirroring the mesh.

Often on some models, or parts of the model, it's easier to just model one half of the model and use a symmetry command to model the other half. This would obviously eliminate the need to delete half of the mesh before fixing smoothing errors.

Hell then i should have stuck with lightwave back when i knew it

[markyd]

Poke and bump for updates..... its too good not to pester you about more pics  and progress update

Again, not a huge amount of progress, but I have put in many hours on this over the past few days, allot of them have been spent learning Illustrator as I go for the hull panel lines. These are just place holders for the panels so I can shade them properly later on.   

Hopefully I will get the top side all panelled out today. Illustator is a great piece of kit, I have had version CS for a while now since buying it from ebay, I should have used it many moons ago.
 

Can anyone tell me what colour the plasma vents should emit? (four round ones on either side) Also does the grill above main engineering glow? (two back rectangular features)

[Bernard Guignard]

Very nice work there     Looking forward to seeing the completed project

[markyd]

Thanks Bernard, I am making the textures as accurate as I can, to keep the look the same, but I am defiantely going to need to add more hull detail here and there 

[atheorhaven]

Can anyone tell me what colour the plasma vents should emit? (four round ones on either side) Also does the grill above main engineering glow? (two back rectangular features)

Believe they're blue, but I could just be remembering p81's..

No, they're blue.. screen cap from the show on Wikipedia shows those with a blue tinge..

[markyd]

Can anyone tell me what colour the plasma vents should emit? (four round ones on either side) Also does the grill above main engineering glow? (two back rectangular features)

Believe they're blue, but I could just be remembering p81's..

No, they're blue.. screen cap from the show on Wikipedia shows those with a blue tinge..

Thanks Alec,

JUles also informed me that the Engineering grills are red..  So that is all sorted