Huge Update! 7 new original Starships for 'Dragons'!

Fuzzy Modem · Post by **Fuzzy Modem** » 2003-10-03 05:26pm

I havent had internet access for the past two months as I'm been bouncing around San Francisco California and then Albuqurque New Mexico looking for a place to live.

I have, however been putting a good deal of work into new designs for my upcoming short film 'Dragons' and I thought I would share them with you.

The designs are all highly optomised with LOD versions for each ship so I can litterally have a fleet of 100 ships and 1000 fighters. Wee.

Comments are welcome. Keep in mind that the modeling is done, so don't expect me to change any designs no matter how good an idea I think you have. (Though good ideas have a way of becoming future projects) Small additions and subtractions to the models may be possible however.

The textures are still very much a work in progress, so any ideas there will be double appreciated.

I'm making these models and this short film for people like you, my fellow sci-fi fans, so don't be timid with the suggestions. You are my target audiance after all

Thanks for popping your head in. Hope you like the new designs.

---> http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/fuzzymo ... 2fleet.jpg

_____

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-10-03 05:45pm

If your ships had legs, I'd hump them

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-10-03 06:32pm

*very* nice.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-10-03 06:47pm

Could you make a Space Empires IV shipset with these? That would kick ass.

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2003-10-03 07:00pm

Dalton wrote:*very* nice.

^^^^ What he said!

You've got some great designs.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2003-10-03 07:32pm

Schweet!

Only two nitpicks...you spelled missiles as "MISSLES" for the Nobility, Viper, Hammer, and Chivalry; the Hammer is also listed as having a "Duel" Pulse Turret, though I believe you mean "Dual" instead

.

Sorry, my mother was an English major.

Amazing art. I definitely look forward to seeing a film with such vessels.

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2003-10-03 07:37pm

WOW cool ship especialy the Runner MK2

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-10-03 08:40pm

Great job.

I'm a little iffy on the front of the Oracle scout, but I love the back.

Fuzzy Modem · Post by **Fuzzy Modem** » 2003-10-04 12:06am

Update: A 5 second animation showing an initial compositing and LOD test with a fleet of 80 ships and 1500 fighters. Enjoy. It's my first attempt at a fleet of this size, and I'm just begining to learn Shake, so feel free to critique my compositing job.

---> http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/fuzzymo ... ODtest.avi

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-10-04 12:10am

Awesome awesome awesome.

Fit for a TV show, perhaps even.

Fuzzy Modem · Post by **Fuzzy Modem** » 2003-10-04 12:19am

One problem I can already find in my compositing is that I can't motion blur the fighters becuase it distorts their matte lines and they just end up looking like little balls of lint. Oh well. Live and learn.

Bob McDob · Post by **Bob McDob** » 2003-10-04 12:40am

Design-wise, I'm bleh on most of them, but I love the Temperance and Chastity.

Fuzzy Modem · Post by **Fuzzy Modem** » 2003-10-04 12:41am

Another Update: This image shows the trasformation of the runner into FTL mode.
http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/fuzzymo ... Ltrans.jpg

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-10-04 01:53am

So this is coming out... when?

Fuzzy Modem · Post by **Fuzzy Modem** » 2003-10-04 02:22am

DPDarkPrimus wrote:So this is coming out... when?

Before Siggraph 2004. IE I have roughtly 8 months.

Expect a teaser trailer within half that time

Fuzzy Modem · Post by **Fuzzy Modem** » 2003-10-04 03:36am

All the fighters in the background will be instanced particles. This means that each fighter will be replacing an individual particle in a simulated system emmited from a point (the hanger), will accelerate to a specific velocity, and then will be drawn to enemy vessels using an attraction/repulsion system that will pull the particles in and then push them away before they impact the ship, simulating strafing runs or 'skindancing' They will also be drawn to enemy fighters and repulsed with a turbulence field when an enemy fighter is behind them, causing them to jink and juke. The end result is alot of action with minimal effort on my part.

Fighters in the foreground and all the larger ships in the game will be animated on fixed motion paths. This means I draw a line in the third dimension and the ship follows it. If the line curves, tilts or dips the ship moves along it and moves acordingly. Think of it like a roller coaster, only you can't see the track. Some cameras will be animted in this fassion aswell.

I plan to have animated characters but I havn't begun work on that yet. If anyone is interested in helping out feel free to contact me at fsstw@uaf.edu. I plan on taking alot of animation shortcuts with the charecters. Thigs like viewing them from behind and backlit, and having the pilots wear facemasks to cut down on phenome animation, so the workload will be fairly light, expecially if we split it up between a few people. Anyone who wants to help will get credit, and will get their work seen at the San Diego Comicon and possibly Siggraph next summer, but as I'm not planning to sell the film, their will be no money. I plan on modeling sets and equipment for the characters, so again the work load would be fairly light. If you are interested, especially if you use Maya, I'd love to hear from you.

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2003-10-04 12:25pm

Fuzzy Modem wrote:Another Update: This image shows the trasformation of the runner into FTL mode.
http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/fuzzymo ... Ltrans.jpg

Too complex. No military in their right mind would go for such a design.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-10-04 02:27pm

Warspite wrote:
Fuzzy Modem wrote:Another Update: This image shows the trasformation of the runner into FTL mode.
http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/fuzzymo ... Ltrans.jpg
Too complex. No military in their right mind would go for such a design.

Honestly, I can barely even make out what it's doing...

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-10-04 04:52pm

It's shaped like a hammerhead before, with the wings angled behind it. The wings then go down and slightly forward and grows shorter. Ftl drives then slide up to sort of where the wings used to be.

That's what it looks like from here.

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2003-10-04 05:27pm

Shinova wrote:It's shaped like a hammerhead before, with the wings angled behind it. The wings then go down and slightly forward and grows shorter. Ftl drives then slide up to sort of where the wings used to be.

That's what it looks like from here.

Yep, that's what's happening.
Now, one thing: "... and grow shorter..." --- ????? Your engrish is much peculiar!

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2003-10-05 08:18am

Very nice. The Zeus, especially, rocks.

Grand Admiral Ancaris · Post by **Grand Admiral Ancaris** » 2003-10-11 05:38am

That's some very cool stuff. Can't wait to see more.

And I gotta say the Zeus is my favorite design of the ones shown. The Chastity looks a little wrong though. I can't see why anyone would build a carrier craft so long and narrow like that... it just doesn't look right to me. *shrugs*

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-10-11 05:41am

Warspite wrote:Yep, that's what's happening.
Now, one thing: "... and grow shorter..." --- ????? Your engrish is much peculiar!

Bah! Have the free time to nitpick someone's grammar, don't you? I envy thee.

(though you're like my official human grammar-checker over at the guild.

)

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-10-11 06:41am

Hamel wrote:If your ships had legs, I'd hump them

Since when has that stopped you before!

okay that was uncalled for but you did walk right into it.

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2003-10-11 10:02pm

What more can be said except...

Damn...