Spacecraft Models

For the Galactic Allegiance project, although Ive had to cease coding temporarily, my main man, 'Static' has been busy tied to his modelling kit, I reckon he deserves some acclaim for his hard work...

<edited - automatically parses IMG links>

Raptor Mk2 skirmish-class fighter
<img src="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/l.goncalves/GA/s_fight2.JPG">




Raptor Mk3 skirmish-class fighter advanced
<img src="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/l.goncalves/GA/s_fight3.JPG">




Prometheus Assault-Class fighter
<img src="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/l.goncalves/GA/s_fight4a.JPG">




Unknown Xenobiological probe class lifeform
<img src="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/l.goncalves/GA/alien.JPG">



There are more, but that's just a taster!

I'm quoting myself here:

They're all quite ordinary and the texture scaling is different over the body.

I would suggest thinking about how these are supposed to work and what the components actually do, this way you tend to create something that has a reason.

If you think about it as, for example, this is a cargo vessel. It needs engines, a bridge, a cargo hold, work these components and your design into them. Does it need weapons? If so add these in. Does it land in atmosphere, if so it'll probably need wings and landing gear of sorts. etc etc.

You get the idea.

Also, inspiration for space ships can be found in many many places, lighting catalogues are usually really good for space ship designs for some reason, they seem to be really intersting shapes.

[[[edit - by 'ordinary' I don't understand. These spaceships do not exist, so how can the models be ordinary??? If you mean perhaps unoriginal, I know Static has painstakingly created each one from scratch. If you suggest the shapes are perhaps similar to many tried and tested methods, well - I would agree that these are quite likely shapes for spaceships. Static received instructions regarding the general premise for each factions' spacecraft 'architecture' and has faithfully reproduced what I had hoped for.]]]
Perhaps, from a 'expert modeller's' point of view. To me, they're so much better than I can do, and will certainly 'do the job'. The skins are a basic premise, and will be re-done properly near the end of the project. Thanks for the comments, however.

As for your other points, if you popped over to the 'Galactic Allegiance Media discussion' forum, you will see that each ship has a detailed histroy and breakdown highlighting the features of the craft. [[[EDIT - Static knows which ships are capable of atmoshperic flight etc., and it's my job to assign the various sections of the hull to be engines, fuel tanks etc for the in-game collisions other than that, Static has complete artistic license to shape his creations. I trust him and he's never let me down yet!]]]I dunno if you actually read the lines above each picture, but, with the exception of the 'alien vessel', they are fighter craft. These images are of the ship meshes. Without cargo modules, gun emplacements and missile pylons etc.

Check out the forums where the ship creation and modular expansion for each craft is discussed.

Finally, the main, non-alien craft shown above share a similar style as they were (in-the-game) endorsed by the same military regime. The rival 'Factions' will have similar, and equivalent classifications of craft, but an altogether different appearance and style.(Almost like different makes of cars.)

Anyway, I merely wanted to display the models as they were... Models of spaceships.

Hercules Mk IV (Light Transporter Class) With Cargo Pod module installed.
<img src="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/l.goncalves/GA/s_transp.JPG">

Some of the textured parts are good, but he probably painted onto a base layer that was just noise and a gausian blur as you can see. Make that into some techno detailing and it'll be good.

The models are nice :D

I think by "ordinary", Rob ment in terms of the science fiction depiction of futureistic spacecraft.

Given the vast amount of video games, comic books, even movies featureing futureistic space craft, these designs are rather ordinary or genaric...don't take that as an insult...what it means is that they don't stand out, there is little alluring about the shapes.

One of the things many amature designers try to do when developing spaceship designs "built by the same military, fource, nation, planet, whatever" is reuse the same basic shape changeing only the details...the modular design principal...engineering, even here in the real world does not work that way.

In Star Wars the Millenium Falcon is supposedly buit by the same company that manufactured the rebel blockaide runner...yet the two ships have vastly different shapes, however they both look to have come off the assembly line together simply because the paneling, the hull details and markings are quite simular...so simular in some places that the two ships would seem to share the same modular componets...simply put its the details that should be shared, NOT the overall shape.

Another area amature designers need to work on is THE shape of the ship...far to often (and pretty clearly seen in these designs) the shape seems to be developed from a top down plan view with little reguard for dimentionality, thus leading to rather horizontal pancake like designs...the ship can look interesting when seen from above, but comeing at you, or even from the side, it looks like nearly every other amature designed sci-fi ship...Remeber there is no "up" in space, there is no gravity...work on developing shapes that can be instantly recognised without one haveing to see any details (this holds especialy true if there is ANY element of action in your game).

As it stands now, take a look at your Raptor mk2 and mk3 designs...think of thier place, abilities, merits in the game...right now, seen from even a reasonable difference the player is going to have a hard time telling the two craft appart because thier overall shape is very simular...and for whatever reason the player needs to know that ship A is a mk3 and ship B is a mk2, you then DON'T want the player to have to depend on the games UI to spell out the difference for them.

I'm not telling you all this to critisize the talents of your or your modeler friend, so please don't take it that way...this is simply hard learned lessons any respectable industrial design and graphic arts school will teach you.

In Star Wars, the populated universe seemed to have an infinite resource of sapceship-building minerals. They did not have to worry about cost.

I do not see how the Prometheus and the Raptors share a shape?

The Raptors are only slightly different and that's fine. One is an improvement on the former. Whatever was fine on the original was left unchanged. There's no requirement for the player to distinguish the two, the name would be displayed indicating this anyway.


Because I really do believe the millitary, combat spacecraft (As the above are)will have that form. I am fine with that. It's not a bad thing.

The transporter is well thought out. A small, single-man cockpit at the front, to see where it's headed visually; the majority of the craft is fuel tanks and engines, able to clamp around the heavy cargo Pods and pull them through the void. It's about efficiency.

If Id wanted non-cliched, different shapes I would have requested Chris Foss design them, but then, the craft would really not have a look to suit their purpose.

I'm just browsing "The book of Alien" that has Cobb / Foss concept designs, and I also have "Diary of a Space Person" on my personal reference book library - and I agree fully what you said about Foss! :)

Foss art (mostly from the DoaSP book):

http://www.masterpics.hpg.ig.com.br/anakin/cfoss1.htm

[Ron Cobb on the other hand is totally different case; I really like his designs]

as a matter of interest.. do you design your ships on paper first, and then go to make your 3d model and then make a 3d model based apon that design?

Im not sure on Static's actual procedures, I haven't ever seen any concept art, so I presume he starts off on the 3D modeller.