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August MMC Castle - The Fortress
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These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.
They are retained here for archive purposes only.
August MMC Castle - The Fortress // Work in Progress
Post by Nez // Aug 7, 2008, 3:36am
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Intended to do a second entry for the SMC but decided just to get on with an entry to this interesting MMC topic instead and join the fun - especially as I tend to start these too late... Going for a vaguely sci-fi feel, big fortress in an urban zone probably.
Not an awful lot to show yet; first image was from half an hour yesterday lunchtime working up some approximate 'massing' - i.e. where the main volumes are intended to sit. Most of these need to be either replaced with more detailed elements or added to.
Second image is following some additions over today's lunchbreak - didn't like my original corner towers, so they've been replaced; added some link bridges and started on some windows for the towers. So about an hour and half spent so far.
Lots more still to do; the corner towers are intended to support platforms at the top which will be gun-towers of some sort. Need to sort a gate or gatehouse at the front, lots more detailing to the walls and towers, plus start building an environment... maybe some vehicles or aircraft... and I'm away with no access to my pc this weekend so probably won't be able to do any more til next week. |
Post by kena // Aug 7, 2008, 5:18am
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kena
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good blocking. This should be fun to watch too! |
Post by rjeff // Aug 7, 2008, 7:24am
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rjeff
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Ahhh crap..I always stand a chance till Kena and Nez throw in... looks relly cool man..!! |
Post by Jack Edwards // Aug 7, 2008, 9:07am
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Jack Edwards
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Man! You guys sure have some vision! Great work, Nez!
Don't give up RJeff, yours is definitely one of the top contenders! :D |
Post by Breech Block // Aug 7, 2008, 9:31am
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Breech Block
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Great work Nez. And, a very interesting project. Its style reminds me of the 1960's built Tricorn Shopping Centre in Portsmouth. It was pulled down recently, despite a huge campaign to save it. Apparently, it was one of the last remaining structures in the country that represented a style of architecture called Brutalism (can't think why :D).
Here are a few piccies I put together to show you the style. Is there a related comparison? |
Post by Jack Edwards // Aug 7, 2008, 9:38am
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Jack Edwards
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Wow cool architecture. Looks a bit like a prison though... :cool: |
Post by Tiberius // Aug 7, 2008, 10:00am
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Tiberius
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I've been there, its not that interesting inside, but it does look pretty cool for a shopping centre. |
Post by Davin // Aug 7, 2008, 10:18am
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Davin
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I like how much detail you are putting into th castle.
And I agree that the second version of the towers looks a lot better. |
Post by Nez // Aug 11, 2008, 1:11am
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Ahhh crap..I always stand a chance till Kena and Nez throw in... looks relly cool man..!!
Don't give up RJeff, yours is definitely one of the top contenders!
Jeff - I'll take that as a compliment, but I totally agree with Jack - I really like your entry and it's my favourite so far. It was partly the fact that you had gone with such an interesting style that made me want to go with something vaguely sci-fi for my own scene. Actually, your tower would fit really well in my wider scene as I want an urban environment really...
Its style reminds me of the 1960's built Tricorn Shopping Centre in Portsmouth. It was pulled down recently, despite a huge campaign to save it. Apparently, it was one of the last remaining structures in the country that represented a style of architecture called Brutalism
Thanks for your postivie comments; I hadn't made a direct mental association with the Tricorn or Brutalism (which I have run into elsewhere too) but I was definitely aiming for something that could probably be considered brutalist... personally, it's not a style I like in buildings (in Britain anyway!) and I was glad the Tricorn was torn down. But as a model for authorative sci-fi buildings, they have their uses. Might see if there's some elements from those photos I can incorporate somewhere :D
Kena/Jack/Davin - thanks for all the positive words, hopefully I'll get some time this week to add a lot more to the model. |
Post by Nez // Aug 11, 2008, 6:20am
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Just some more details from today's lunch break; 'heavy' and 'light' gun turrets - the former will probably appear on the main corner towers, the latter in various locations such as faces of various walls.... given that they're going to be pretty small in the finished render, there's probably too much detail, but I'm prone to that... intricatitis?
would be useful if I had some form of instancing in this version of TS so that I could put them all into place and texture one later, with textures then being applied to all... I know I might be able to do this in 7.6 but until a new pc comes along that's not an option...
edit - the 'light' turret will appear smaller than the heavy one in the final setting - just not apparent from these pics! |
Post by Heidi // Aug 11, 2008, 6:55am
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Heidi
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Off hand, I'd say that's going to be one well-defended fortress. :D
I like the detail. It's sort of like exploring... every time I look at it there's something else to see. :) |
Post by W!ZARD // Aug 11, 2008, 4:50pm
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W!ZARD
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Looking good Nez - I'll bet your castle doesn't get many encyclopaedia salesmen or Jehovahs Witnesses! |
Post by Nez // Aug 11, 2008, 9:55pm
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Heh, no, I think they may be banned under this regime... :D Kind of thinking police state...
Cheers Heidi - I'll try to get something else up today in that case so you can keep exploring! |
Post by Steinie // Aug 12, 2008, 1:40am
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Steinie
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Nez,
I really like your modeling. However your design makes me feel like it's OZ gone Military!
Just remember my Castle has the "Holy Hand Grenade":D
I'm keeping an eye out for this one.
Yours truly,
Igor |
Post by rjeff // Aug 12, 2008, 2:28am
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rjeff
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well Nez it seems that me and you have similar minds. We both have very simlar themes and I to am planning on mounting a gun..so please don't think I am stealing ideas...you just beat me to the gun part!...heck we need to mount my tower to yours when we are done..looks like they were meant to be!! |
Post by Nez // Aug 12, 2008, 3:50am
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Jeff - actually, I think that would be pretty cool - or at least some kind of combined scene... I could certainly see them fitting in the same setting.
Maybe after the challenge is up we could look at some kind of collaboration...
I certainly won't start complaining if guns start sprouting on yours, don't worry...
I Kind of wondered if you were going to go for an overtly sci-fi look, or maybe a more 'steam-punk' kind of look with a combination of futuristic and olde-worlde elements (like some of W!zards stuff for example)....
Steinie/Igor... keep that hand grenade away or I'll have to open fire! D'oh - I haven't actually attached any of the guns to the castle yet, so rather defenceless at present (apart from the huge walls, etc)... of course, there's no way in either, so the place is presumably deserted...
Stuck a few more details on over lunch - some more windows, ductwork, ramparts and radar dish... still need a way in and to stick the turrets on, plus maybe some other details. Don't pay too much attention to the lighting, just toyng with that still to try to find some good settings.... |
Post by Breech Block // Aug 12, 2008, 12:40pm
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Breech Block
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Great work as usual Nez. Can't wait to see what kinda mood you come up with for the final render. |
Post by blakeo // Aug 13, 2008, 11:22am
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blakeo
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Looking great Nez... love the guns. Is there another side to the fortress or do we only get to see it from the one angle ? .. just curious...
Just had to mention the Tricorn - I have fond memories of running around in the dark in that place, LaserQuest-ing myself stupid back in the early 90's ! But is was a grim, grim building ... :p
B |
Post by Nez // Aug 13, 2008, 10:17pm
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Blakeo - thanks for the comments.
It's basically a square arrangement with concentric inner and outer walls, each with four corner towers. But You probably will only see it from something approaching this angle, which will hopefully save me having to detail all three of the other sides - but expect I'll have to detail at least one more of them, depending on the final view angle. |
Post by Nez // Aug 15, 2008, 4:52am
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Right, neither of these are 'finished' views, just latest stage in pulling things together. Have incorporated all the armaments, included some backdrop and some basic textures, trying to tinker with lighting but not getting entirely what I'm after... first image uses fog in foreground shader but lighting a bit meager, second has marginally better lighting but without the fog... neither is final version - needs more work still. Wanted to add some background smoke too - will probably have to resort to some alpha planes. Hoping to maybe add some aircraft too, but I basically have to call it a day on Tuesday because I won't be around till the end of the week, which menas I lose a couple of days... Don't know how much time I'll get over the weekend, but at least it's getting there.... mild irony is that the 'moat' doesn't show from this low camera angle... |
Post by b_scotty // Aug 15, 2008, 11:23am
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b_scotty
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I really *really* like this last image. Nice work!!
That's one entrance that says "Go Away. NOW!" :) |
Post by Steinie // Aug 15, 2008, 11:26am
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Steinie
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I bet your fort would look less intimidating in Pink!:p
I'm waiting for a small door to open and a head pops out saying
"Nobody gets to see the Wizard, now go away or I'll blow your *&^%$ off"
I too like your style. |
Post by Breech Block // Aug 16, 2008, 11:49am
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Breech Block
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Err wow, what can I say. Now that you have added all those gun turrets it really does look like Portsmouth's shopping centre. :D
Great work Nez. |
Post by W!ZARD // Aug 17, 2008, 2:20am
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W!ZARD
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Nez, you should get a refund from your shrink - it's clear you've got some serious insecurity issues issues there!;):D
This rocks man - you sure nailed the Brutalism angle. One day when I'm rich and famous I'm gonna buy you a computer that will run tS 7.6 (although it's probably be tS 16.2 before I'm rich and famous!) just coz I'd love to see what you could come up with with the latest gear.
Your engineering background and eye for proportion gives you work a very convincing 'solid' feel - I like it. |
Post by Jack Edwards // Aug 17, 2008, 1:39pm
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Jack Edwards
Total Posts: 4062
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I agree with Wizard. We need to get you on 7.6, Nez. This is another great piece. :cool: |
Post by Nez // Aug 18, 2008, 6:04am
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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You guys crack me up! Got some strange looks from the folks nearby as I laughed at all your posts...:D
I really *really* like this last image. Nice work!!
That's one entrance that says "Go Away. NOW!" :)
Cheers man, that was certainly the idea. Although you've got me thinking about including a sign out front along the lines of 'The Fortress Club; Happy Hour 6-8pm, 2 for 1 on all cocktails' or something along thos lines....
I bet your fort would look less intimidating in Pink!:p
I'm waiting for a small door to open and a head pops out saying
"Nobody gets to see the Wizard, now go away or I'll blow your *&^%$ off"
Cheers Steinie; hmm, pink, not quite what I had in mind but the sheer horror of such a sight could work. If I have time, maybe I'll try that out. Or maybe not.. ;) I think this might not be a suitably philosophical home for OUR W!zard, but I like image...
Err wow, what can I say. Now that you have added all those gun turrets it really does look like Portsmouth's shopping centre. :D
Cheers! I wanted to go with a few more, plus some laser blasts etc to really make the point! Don't think I can pull off more as the poly count will get silly (especially when I've added some of the other missing items - see below - but might still try to post in some lasers...
Nez, you should get a refund from your shrink - it's clear you've got some serious insecurity issues issues there!;):D
This rocks man - you sure nailed the Brutalism angle. One day when I'm rich and famous I'm gonna buy you a computer that will run tS 7.6 (although it's probably be tS 16.2 before I'm rich and famous!) just coz I'd love to see what you could come up with with the latest gear.
Your engineering background and eye for proportion gives you work a very convincing 'solid' feel - I like it.
Thanks W!zard - yeah, I guess you could say I have the odd insecurity moment! I work in central London and my office is only a few minutes away from the street where the bombers blew up a bus a couple of summers ago - I heard the bang from my desk. Using public transport every working day still occasionally leaves me a bit anxious... :o But mostly it's not something I worry about - or so I though until I started this image anyway! :p I appreciate the kind words about the upgrade/gear - I'll take you up on 16.2...!
I agree with Wizard. We need to get you on 7.6, Nez. This is another great piece. :cool:
Cheers Jack, your continued support is much appreciated. In all honesty, I'm seriously daunted at the prospect of 7.6! My main aspiartion really is better hardware - I'd be moderatley happy plooding along in 5.1 on a faster machine! At the moment, my interest in the upgrade is more to get the 6.6 capabilities - mainly the newer version of Lightworks as I won't have access to VRay anytime soon. But that means I have to move up to 7.6 (and a new machine) anyway, unless someone wants to donate me a copy of 6.6 they don't need anymore! I'm sure in time I'll start sneaking in to Workspace (I'm encouraged that folks like W!zard - who I see as a prime example of a 'model-space' veteran - getting on so well with the new tools), but I think it will be sometime yet.
Due to committments over the rest of the week, I basically only have until tomorrow to work on this challenge, which is a shame as I'd like to take it a bit further, but that's life. I managed to get a couple of hours over the weekend to knock up a flying police-car - see attached. Intend to have a few of these in the air in the final shot, although they won't be seen close up. Typically, they've ended up at a much higher poly count than needed for the distance, even though they're not that detailed.
If anyone can point out a good tutorial or give me any tips on achieving good fog/smoke effects without using the fog foreground shader, that would be handy... I still want to be able to see the background 'matte' so the zrender approach probably won't do it.... |
Post by W!ZARD // Aug 18, 2008, 6:31am
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W!ZARD
Total Posts: 2603
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'I think this might not be a suitably philosophical home for OUR W!zard,'LOL - You could be right there! I tend to favour less guns and more interesting curly bits!;)
"I work in central London" ?! You commute from Rainham? On public transport? Dude you are surely entitled to a few insecurities and anxieties! It's over 20 years since I was last in that neck of the woods and getting into London was horrendous then - I dread to think what it's like now! Still, I suppose it gives yu plenty of time to think about whatever you are modeling next!:D
"W!zard - who I see as a prime example of a 'model-space' veteran"LOL, you make me sound like a very small retired astronaut!!:D - But thanks for the kind words.
Re "good fog/smoke effects without using the fog foreground shader," Alpha planes, big ones, a whole bunch of them - use your favourite 2d paint app to make some noise maps and gradients and away you go. It's the old fashioned approach but it still works:D - take from me, I'm a model space veteran!!:D;) |
Post by TomG // Aug 18, 2008, 6:40am
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TomG
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On the fog, render to a PSD with depth mask and use that - you could render again to PSD and get your object mask, allowing you to blend solid background with fogged buildings, etc.
See Marcel's "Multipass rendering" for tips on that - can make some very nice fog, with a great deal of control over it, using that approach.
HTH!
Tom |
Post by Nez // Aug 18, 2008, 6:42am
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Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Cheers W!zard
I thought your type of place might be a bit more curly...
Yep, I commute, crazy though it is - it's about 2 hours each way from door to door, with an hour on the train, plus walking, waiting and buses/tubes etc... I get lots of time to read though which is a valuable commodity to me, so I don't mind too much - most of the time!
Actually, with all you space-y scenes, I could easily imagine you as an astronaut (albeit with a pointy helmet with runes on, of course!)
I thought I remembered you mentioning alpha planes before - could you show just a small grab of what a typical plane might look like and how you tend to arrange them (i.e how many, inclined or vertical....)
Thanks! |
Post by Georg // Aug 18, 2008, 6:46am
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Georg
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My main aspiartion really is better hardware - I'd be moderatley happy plooding along in 5.1 on a faster machine! At the moment, my interest in the upgrade is more to get the 6.6 capabilities - mainly the newer version of Lightworks as I won't have access to VRay anytime soon. But that means I have to move up to 7.6 (and a new machine) anyway, unless someone wants to donate me a copy of 6.6 they don't need anymore! I'm sure in time I'll start sneaking in to Workspace (I'm encouraged that folks like W!zard - who I see as a prime example of a 'model-space' veteran - getting on so well with the new tools), but I think it will be sometime yet.
.
Hi Nez, your fortress is great and I think you should consider to DL 7.6 this evening! I have a very humble PC myself and find that working in Workspace with the bridge off is going very smooth and that it can handle inmpressive amounts of polygons without blinking compared to the older versions. The new tools are so easy to use and add so much speed to your workflow that is a shame to pass on, especially with your talent for modeling. You will have to go to the model side for rendering of course and some tools have not made it over the bridge yet, but I find myself more and more only using Workspace.
Georg |
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