Death Star attack briefing, sort of...
Posted: 2009-12-03 04:54am
Hi kids, been out of 3D for a while but got dragged back in and starting to get the bug again. On one of the 3D effects forums I frequent I posted a link to this video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMeSw00n3Ac
It details how a guy called Larry Cuba made the original vector graphics for the Death Star briefing way back in 1977 with cutting edge coal-fired computers and weeks of work. I wondered how long it might take a hobbyist with modern kit to remake this epic CGI milestone, and there was talk of maybe making it a challenge. I also discussed maybe recreating other classic effects from movies, specifically the Genesis briefing from Star Trek II. After some quick debate they decided to combine the two into a retro challenge, recreate the briefing for the trench run and then pull out and actually hit the Death Star with the Genesis device instead. Since it's half SW and half ST, I thought some of you guys mike like this one.
Turns out making the Death Star briefing would probably take a competent hobbyist a few hours to make and render, where it took the original guy that long just to render a few frames of animation. My first proof of concept animation took me 10 mintues to make the model, 30 minutes to set up the animation and 1.9 seconds a frame to render. Last night I went back and made a more accurate recreation of the Death Star vector model and made the first part of the briefing, up to the point where it zooms in to the trench. The second part of the zoom and the trench run itself will be done seperately to avoid a huge and complex animation scene. I'll also have to spend an hour making a trench, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVMnwd4mZlA
Once it's done I need to then pull out and blast a more realistic looking Death Star with a Genesis device, which will be a genuinely taxing challenge. It might be so challenging I can't do it very well, but at least I'll always have my DS briefing.
It details how a guy called Larry Cuba made the original vector graphics for the Death Star briefing way back in 1977 with cutting edge coal-fired computers and weeks of work. I wondered how long it might take a hobbyist with modern kit to remake this epic CGI milestone, and there was talk of maybe making it a challenge. I also discussed maybe recreating other classic effects from movies, specifically the Genesis briefing from Star Trek II. After some quick debate they decided to combine the two into a retro challenge, recreate the briefing for the trench run and then pull out and actually hit the Death Star with the Genesis device instead. Since it's half SW and half ST, I thought some of you guys mike like this one.
Turns out making the Death Star briefing would probably take a competent hobbyist a few hours to make and render, where it took the original guy that long just to render a few frames of animation. My first proof of concept animation took me 10 mintues to make the model, 30 minutes to set up the animation and 1.9 seconds a frame to render. Last night I went back and made a more accurate recreation of the Death Star vector model and made the first part of the briefing, up to the point where it zooms in to the trench. The second part of the zoom and the trench run itself will be done seperately to avoid a huge and complex animation scene. I'll also have to spend an hour making a trench, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVMnwd4mZlA
Once it's done I need to then pull out and blast a more realistic looking Death Star with a Genesis device, which will be a genuinely taxing challenge. It might be so challenging I can't do it very well, but at least I'll always have my DS briefing.