Space Ships for the game Transcendence

PKodon · 02-07-2016, 07:24 AM

I just figured out how to color my objects, so bear with me if this looks plastic. The colors just let me know which parts will get different textures for now.

This is the ship I made a few days ago:

micheus · (This post was last modified: 02-07-2016, 09:30 AM by micheus.)

PKodon, beutiful model.
I don't think it looks like plastic, but its color remembered me an old car: Simca Chambord. Smile

If possible, always add a wireframe image.

cyseal · 02-07-2016, 10:54 AM

That was my parents first car. Smile

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I don't think it looks like plastic, but its color remembered me an old car: Simca Chambord.

Dimitri · 02-07-2016, 01:02 PM

Nice try. Be careful, however, with topology... there is a problem in some areas of its sides, where the mesh is appearing a little bit wrinkled.

PKodon · 02-07-2016, 05:02 PM

(02-07-2016, 01:02 PM)Dimitri Wrote: Nice try. Be careful, however, with topology... there is a problem in some areas of its sides, where the mesh is appearing a little bit wrinkled.

If you're referring to the area near the docking ports, I know, the mesh had non-planar faces, which I triangulated. Not sure what else I can do besides smoothing, adding more polygons (not that the number of polygons even matters, since the model will be pre-rendered into a sprite sheet for the game). I had another model that I did something else with, having a hexagonal extrusion surrounding the ports, I may see if I can copy that design into this model, instead.

PKodon · 02-07-2016, 06:05 PM

(02-07-2016, 08:45 AM)micheus Wrote: PKodon, beutiful model.
I don't think it looks like plastic, but its color remembered me an old car: Simca Chambord.

If possible, always add a wireframe image.

Okay, here is a composite of some wireframe images (I had not included any previously because the image was originally intended for sharing on Facebook).

The objects in the upper-right are objects that were merged from saved selections from other ship models. For some reason, the dark purple objects, even when all separated from each other (with the exception of the right tail fin) all change color when (and only when) I assign a material to the large crystal-shaped object (even if the others are not selected). Perhaps exporting the model to OBJ and importing it into another program (like Blender), I may be able to fix this (assuming I can figure out how to use it)? Also, the tail fins seem to be permanently locked in Ambient Occlusion (I suppose, if I have to, I can try to re-create the objects).

Hm, I tried to attach a file but it said I had reached my quota of 300 KB, so, try this link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3919..._comp2.png

Dimitri · 02-07-2016, 08:50 PM

'Not sure what else I can do besides smoothing, adding more polygons (not that the number of polygons even matters, since the model will be pre-rendered into a sprite sheet for the game).'

It is a matter of topology. Try another way of constructing the initial-control mesh. Usually such problems arise from the way the mesh is organized from its very first steps. It needs some experience regarding the peculiarities of the subdivision modelling route. After experimenting a little bit you will find the proper solution, for sure. : - )

PKodon · 02-08-2016, 06:33 AM

(02-07-2016, 08:50 PM)Dimitri Wrote: 'Not sure what else I can do besides smoothing, adding more polygons (not that the number of polygons even matters, since the model will be pre-rendered into a sprite sheet for the game).'

It is a matter of topology. Try another way of constructing the initial-control mesh. Usually such problems arise from the way the mesh is organized from its very first steps. It needs some experience regarding the peculiarities of the subdivision modelling route. After experimenting a little bit you will find the proper solution, for sure. : - )

The initial mesh is simply a flattened sphere. The problem comes when taking a set of faces on that sphere and flatening them in order to prepare them for circularization to make the circular door. The surrounding polygons become non-planar in doing the circularization (and probably the initial flatening), and trying to smooth those out without adding more vertices is what is causing the apparent creasing.

I'm trying another method, if I can figure out a way to cut out the damaged part of the sphere from an earlier save, cut out the damaged part from the current model (including the door), paste the original mesh into place (and weld them back in place) then I am going to try to take just the circular part, extrude the edges back toward (and through) the body, and do a boolian AND on them (with the old Manifold Lab functions).

If this all goes well, I should have a repaired ship with proper faces and edges that can then have hardness re-applied.
(Or, just extrude the door edge back through the body enough to look good, just as the other parts that were merged are extruded through the body). Anyway, all my learning this program and 3D modelling has been experimenting with what works and what doesn't. It's taken me 3 years of playing with it off and on to get this far.

micheus · 02-08-2016, 11:19 AM

(02-07-2016, 06:05 PM)PKodon Wrote: Hm, I tried to attach a file but it said I had reached my quota of 300 KB, so, try this link

I believe that small room is intended to be used for dump file attachments (log of errors generated by Wings3D). I suggest you to use a image host (there are some free). In the post editor you have two buttons for images, one you enter image link and other is direct access to your Photobucket gallery to pick a ready to use IMG bbcode.

(02-08-2016, 06:33 AM)PKodon Wrote: The surrounding polygons become non-planar in doing the circularization (and probably the initial flatening), and trying to smooth those out without adding more vertices is what is causing the apparent creasing.

and I believe they become worst because of the triangles set to hard edges.

PKodon · (This post was last modified: 02-08-2016, 05:06 PM by PKodon.)

I have DropBox, so will just use my public DropBox folder (as I did above) for now.

I ended up removing that whole section of the hull, replacing it with a section cut out of an older save and welding it in place (after saving just the doors).

Originally I intended the ring on the outside of the doors to be at the same distance from the ship center as the original edge of the ship. Now it's out further than that (same on both sides of the ship), hoping it won't make a huge difference in ship hull visible width (the game uses the pixel width of the image to determine if the ship will go between other objects in the game, there is an "arena" in the game that the ship has to be able to enter). This will take some experimentation, once I get to the actual working render stage.

At any rate, thanks for the help and suggestions.

Oh, I figured out something, with regard to the material changing problem (the color of the crystal/sensor coloring the guns, gun mounts (but not the central turret) and tail fins). For some reason, it seems, there are two materials associated with those objects. If I change the transparency of the material used for the crystal, the other material shows through on the other objects (but then the crystal becomes transparent).

Correction, the color of the central turret the guns are mounted to changes the color of the guns and tail fins, then the color of the crystal seems to cover up that color if not transparent. This is very confusing.

Ah, I found a solution. I exported the ship as an OBJ, then imported it back in, and now I can select the objects (or even faces on them) and change the materials at will (and the tail fins don't look permanently in Ambient Occlusion). Success!