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December 08 MMC - Borg Armada
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December 08 MMC - Borg Armada // Work in Progress
Post by Breech Block // Dec 10, 2008, 10:07am
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Borg Armada
Or, to give this piece its full title, Sirrus III is abandoned to the Borg armada!
Well, now that the SMC is down (but not out) I'm gonna turn my attention to the MMC. As the current host, I had decided not to enter and as I have effectively given everyone else a 10 day head start I'm gonna have to really get my skates on. Here is my initial outlay with everything still likely to change before the final render. I might just have time to make a Federation hero model to offer up some form of resistance (which of course will be futile :D), if not, I will just concentrate on improving the lighting and textures.
Note
This is going to be a competitive entry (else what is the point) under the understanding that in the unlikely event I should win it, that I can not run the next challenge and the reins will be handed over to the runner-up. If I have mis-understood the rules or any competitor feels this is unfair then I would be happy to discuss my withdrawal. |
Post by Weevil // Dec 10, 2008, 10:29am
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Weevil
Total Posts: 534
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I smell simbiont! Everyone likes simbiont |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 10, 2008, 11:16am
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Yep, all I need now is an assimilated teddy bear and it will be finished. :D BTW Weevil, many congrats on your entry to the Caligallery. |
Post by Weevil // Dec 10, 2008, 12:16pm
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Weevil
Total Posts: 534
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thanks breech |
Post by Mr. 3d // Dec 10, 2008, 9:19pm
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Mr. 3d
Total Posts: 747
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I look forward to the future additions in your "collective" ! |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 11, 2008, 5:18am
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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I look forward to the future additions in your "collective" !
LOL - Thanks Mr. 3D
Well today I have replaced the Simbiont planet texture with my new technique to get the lighted city effect. Why have I chosen this? Well 1, I think it looks really cool. 2, with my very limited knowledge it is very difficult effect to pull off without resorting to post work. And 3, when a Borg fleet pops out of warp on your doorstep, you don't exactly go around the house swithing the lights off.
The knock on effect of getting the city lights to show has meant that the Borg Cubes closest to the camera have come out all dark. However this is in fact beneficial as I'm going to attempt to set the 2 cubes up as light emitters so that when rendered they emitting a borgish green glow. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 12, 2008, 9:33am
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Today, I have just concentrated my efforts on developing the Borg Cube. I will try and post a render of it included into the master image later tonight. |
Post by tahnoak // Dec 12, 2008, 9:55am
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tahnoak
Total Posts: 487
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How many borg's live in a cube? Hmmmm, what if Rubick's Cubes were really Borg Cubes :)
Very interesting. I have not quite figured out where you are going with this (hopefully I have not completely missed the posting where you tell us.....). Admittedly I am not a big outer space genre fan but I like seeing what others can do. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 12, 2008, 2:34pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Very interesting. I have not quite figured out where you are going with this
Err...unfortunately, I'm not going anywhere with this. Because I only decided to enter the MMC at the last minute, what you see is what you get, there is not going to be a big reveal at the end like my last entry.
I have now replaced all the place holder borg cubes with their more sophisticated counter-part, a dual skinned model that uses a masked texture on the outside that enables you to see through certain parts to the inner skin which is glowing a nice borgish green (Mmm, sounds like some kind of vegtable :D).
The trouble I now have is that in order to get the mask to work correctly, I have used the "constant" shader. which of course paints the texture onto the model as is. The problem being of course that now that texture is not reacting to the different light levels in the scene. Is there a way around this? Is there another way of applying masks? Or am I going to have to create different/darker textures and apply them to the none lit sides of the cubes in order to fake the shadow effect?
Any help gratefully received. |
Post by Mr. 3d // Dec 12, 2008, 2:52pm
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Mr. 3d
Total Posts: 747
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..... I have not quite figured out where you are going with this. Admittedly I am not a big outer space genre fan.
"Space....The Final Frontier"....I take it you abandoned watching the Star Trek series.
With the BORG: "Life, as we know it, has ended" !!!....."Resistance is Futile" !!!
(abandon all Hope). |
Post by Finis // Dec 12, 2008, 3:21pm
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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Hi Breech Block. Try this for the transparency if you are using TS 6.6 or earlier or model side.
Use the transparency map setting on the color panel for materials. Then you can use any reflectance and bump you want to with it.
The button for this is between "color" and the red triangle. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 12, 2008, 4:24pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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"Space....The Final Frontier"....I take it you abandoned watching the Star Trek series.
With the BORG: "Life, as we know it, has ended" !!!....."Resistance is Futile" !!!
(abandon all Hope).
Thanks Mr. 3D. Sheesh, shows you what a sci-fi geek I am, I never cottoned onto the fact that tahnoak (or anybody else for that matter) might not have heard of the Borg before and thus not be able to workout why on earth you would abandon your home when they showed up.
Thanks for taking the time to post an explanation and screenshot Finis. However, that is indeed what I have done. Your post however caused me to try a couple of different test renders and now I have discovered something amazing. Yes, you are right, you can use any reflectance setting!
To explain, whenever I have used transparency masks in the past, I have had to use the "constant" setting on the reflectance shader in order to stop the parts of the texture that you were suppose to be see through from picking up stray reflections/being too shiny. So, I have assumed that for all these years, that was just part and parcel of using a mask. This also means that previously either earlier versions of tS were not particularly good at handling this or that Nvidia graphic drivers have been an absolute pile of kack for the last 5 or 6 years. So there you go, you learn something everyday. Thanks again finis, much appreciated. |
Post by mrbones // Dec 12, 2008, 5:06pm
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mrbones
Total Posts: 1280
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Heres a borg ship I was working on...
Try using the diffuse map as a bump map on model side and it will automatically turn into a normal map on workspace side to give the illusion of more depth. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 13, 2008, 3:47pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Heres a borg ship I was working on...
Hey, Mr Bones, that's a nice model. Thanks also for the bump map tip, I will give that a bash.
Here is the latest update: |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 14, 2008, 11:30am
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Time to move on and start adding the Federation's presence to the scene. I'm going to try and make a USS Enterprise type starship, but one of my own design. That said, I think in order for the image to work properly, the viewer will have to be able to instantly recognise the model as a class varient so hopefully my design wont be too far off the mark.
In addition, in a departure from my usual highly detailed modelling approach, just for a change of pace I'm going to go for something relativly straight forward and then use the remaining challenge time to try and improve my UV mapping and texturing skills. So, in a SMC type vein, I am going to allow myself 2 hours to get a starship design together.
1 hour later...well, I am now at the half way point with the saucer section just about how I want it. Tomorrow, all being well, I will have the main body and warp engines completed and then its on to the part I hate...texturing. |
Post by Mr. 3d // Dec 14, 2008, 2:41pm
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Mr. 3d
Total Posts: 747
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.....
In addition, in a departure from my usual highly detailed modelling approach, just for a change of pace I'm going to go for something relativly straight forward and then use the remaining challenge time to try and improve my UV mapping and texturing skills.
"The needs of the many...outweigh the needs of the few" ! |
Post by Steinie // Dec 14, 2008, 3:14pm
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Steinie
Total Posts: 3667
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Resistance=E/I
I thought it looked complete however your taking this to the next level! Good for you. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 14, 2008, 6:47pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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"The needs of the many...outweigh the needs of the few" !
Indeed Mr. 3d, indeed.
I thought it looked complete however your taking this to the next level! Good for you.
Thanks Steinie. The plan was always for a Federation ship to be in there somewhere, but after last month's effort and all those late nights, I dont really want to go down the path of making another highly detailed model just yet. Besides which, I'm awful with textures and need the practice. :o |
Post by rjeff // Dec 14, 2008, 7:50pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Well Breach let me be the first and probably the only to say this is "borgorgeous".. you may now shoot me if you like! |
Post by Mr. 3d // Dec 15, 2008, 12:43am
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Mr. 3d
Total Posts: 747
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.....Resistance=E/I
I see your schooling was not a waste of "Energy" ! |
Post by Wigand // Dec 15, 2008, 6:02am
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Wigand
Total Posts: 462
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Nice work.
Only a hint: The cube on the left side should show the reflexion of the
sun on its right side. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 15, 2008, 9:11pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Well Breach let me be the first and probably the only to say this is "borgorgeous".. you may now shoot me if you like!
LOL, nice one rjeff, although I'm gad you said it and not me.
Thanks for all the support guys, much appreciated.
Well today I have adjusted the lighting in response to Wigand's comment, tried to make the Borg Fleet's planetary disruptor beam look a bit better/more potent and finally worked on the main hull of my Federation craft. |
Post by rjeff // Dec 16, 2008, 3:25am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Well if it does not work out as a ship, it could always work out as a electirc razor!.. just kidding..looks very cool. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 16, 2008, 5:13pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Well if it does not work out as a ship, it could always work out as a electirc razor!.. just kidding..looks very cool.
Well, I'm glad you liked it rjeff, which is more than I did! :( Read on.
Last night I went to bed thinking I had just about got the federation ship hacked and was fairly pleased with the results. However, today, as soon as I saw it I thought it was a complete pig's ear and set about some extensive changes. In retrospect it would have been better to have just copied a known model rather than branch out with my own design. So, this is where the model stands now. All the textures are just rough place holders to give me a better idea of scale and how the hull plating will get seemed together in the final version. On the plus side, my attempt at a warp nacelle is the first model I have ever made without the mesh blowing apart when I have applied SDS. Not sure if I will use SDS on the final version. |
Post by rjeff // Dec 16, 2008, 6:03pm
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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I like this model to...both to me look good..but I know how you feel about yoru models. You see what we can't most of the time. |
Post by Mr. 3d // Dec 16, 2008, 11:09pm
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Mr. 3d
Total Posts: 747
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..... On the plus side, my attempt at a warp nacelle is the first model I have ever made without the mesh blowing apart when I have applied SDS. Not sure if I will use SDS on the final version.
16931
........;) |
Post by Finis // Dec 17, 2008, 11:12am
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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I think the first saucer section would make a good ship of its own. Saucer shaped without the additional Star Trek style parts. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 17, 2008, 7:54pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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@ rjeff - I like this model to...both to me look good..but I know how you feel about yoru models. You see what we can't most of the time.
Thanks very much for the compliment rjeff. I guess all those times I was shouted at for not paying attention are beginning to bear fruit. :D
@ Mr. 3D - Mr Scott's photo.
Either that or "I canna change the law of physics, cap'n." :p
@ Finis - I think the first saucer section would make a good ship of its own. Saucer shaped without the additional Star Trek style parts.
You know, you could be right! And, having just come back from seeing the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still, I quite fancy doing a 1950s style spaceship. |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 17, 2008, 8:24pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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You have an incoming message from Starfleet Command: |
Post by Breech Block // Dec 17, 2008, 8:27pm
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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You have a second incoming message from Starfleet Command: |
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