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Fred's artsy stuff

Opening a thread like this so that I can offer the stuff I've been up to without stringently classifying it under a specific topic.

* * *

For starters, some of you might remember the series of confusing scribbles I did awhile ago. Well, I kind of worked on that since.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... a_03_a.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... a_03_b.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... a_03_c.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll27 ... a_03_d.jpg

Disclaimer: definitely still a work in progress. Proportions, angles, curves are all subject to change. I'm more in the shape-creation stage.
 
I, for one, welcome our fighting catgirl spacepod.

In all seriousness though, it looks like it's coming along sweetly. Can't wait for updates.
 
They are looking good Fred. You can see the evolution from the Hoshi to this.
 
Looks like that's coming along pretty awesome! :)

For a moment I thought you were using Maya to make your model...interface on 3DS Max sure has changed a lot to look like it since Autodesk bought it lol
 
One small craft I'm working on it the Ke-T4-2A Kitsune. I recently made a progress blurb on the subject. I sketched over two sheets - the first was mostly ideation, with me juggling elements around, and the second (pictured below) shows off what I settled on.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Kitsune_sketch_zpsffa5e6d3.jpgOnly half of the top view and rear view are drawn, but considering how it's nearly impossible to mirror something accurately by freehand, I didn't bother. Besides, when I do my 3d modeling, I generally only build half and then apply symmetry on it anyhow.
 
Runabouts do end up being a bit roomier. I still have to pass this up as a shuttle, though I'm trying to hit most needs I've seen plotship demand out of their shuttles too.

Speaking of roomier things, here's a work-in-progress picture of the (dropped) Kiroshi-class mission craft.
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_mission_craft_dropped_zps195291f8.jpgThat was something I inspired myself of the Fushigi no Umi frigate and tried to make a more modern-looking version. Was also the first time I decided to start with an interior sketch first, and then try to wrap the outside styling I wanted around it.

I wasn't very successful, though. I think I had several good ideas, but they just couldn't seem to come together right the way I wanted.

The Kitsune sketches however seemed to apply ideas I had for the Kiroshi much better. As the Kitsune herself seems to fill the many of auxiliary ship needs the Kiroshi was slated to do, I decided to drop the latter.

Also, still on the topic of the Kitsune shuttle, one thing Wes asked was to give it a detailed interior. Pondering on the issue, I've been looking at shuttle renderings like this and wondering if it was within my reach to do.

Though, with my modeling experience, it seems a little far-fetched. I've not even yet to make an actual UVW texture map work, and going for something this complex might just be... too 'perfectionistic' of me (perfectionism is sometimes the laziest form of laziness, since I end up aiming so high that I never deliver in the end).

I suppose I should start by just making the shuttle's shape for starters, then see if I can imbrick an interior piece, and after that see about modeling/texturing both of them separately.
 
Great! :D

I like the Kisune's shape -- a bit more aerodynamic than most shuttle designs, though it puts me in mind of a flying saucer, too :p
 
I managed to sit down and create a rough 3d mesh of the Ke-T4-2A Kitsune. It's still a work-in-progress, but at this point I've shaped out most of the shuttle; next step is refining the shape and cleaning up my curves.

The Kitsune is a little bit more stocky than I initially envisioned. Hopefully this'll be something I can address once I clean up my curves. Failing that, I can always change its proportions some with the Scaling tools.

Here's some isometric shots of it below:

Front
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Kitsune01_fore_zps8033dcdb.jpg

Rear
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Kitsune01_aft_zpsd6620300.jpg

Side
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Kitsune01_side_zps11e5b658.jpg

Top
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Kitsune01_top_zpsb6cef0f3.jpg
 
Byakuren says "Hi, please pardon my state of undress."
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Byakuren_wip_zps283fdf64.jpg
Work in progress, obviously. And aside from non-optimal proportions, the sketches to the bottom and side could be revealing of what it could look like at the end.

Is this a fusion of what was here and here? Yes.
 
Mm. No comments in reply. I guess I've left you guys unimpressed.

Okay.

How about this?
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Byakuren_wip_02_zpsda9d288f.jpg

Front view. I'm also doing a partial experimentation with my meshsmooth/smoothing groups on parts of the model (which is why some parts look sharp, and other more 'buttery'). Proportions and curves are still being played with - namely the wings being stubby is something that'll improve.
 
Coming along nicely. It's certainly getting closer to the sketches. Any other views you can show us? how's her rear end?
 
That smoothness is something else. It's unlike KFY's generally "sharp" designs, but also doesn't replicate Nepleslia's. In fact, I'd say it doesn't evoke any other faction in the RP.

Which is pretty darn cool.
 
It's unseemly for a lady to reveal too much on a first date, Kai. Especially to those so bold as to seek her rear end! But I'll work on it, and when she feels more presentable, you just might get a better glimpse at her.

As for design lineage, I do think that she has ties.

The first is to the Himiko-class herself, as they have some lines in common. The front is not unlike a Nozomi-scout without the cutout, and the nose at the prow is similar again to the Himiko-class, and I'd think the Yui destroyer. The center dorsal crest where the torpedo launcher will be nested draws inspiration from the Nozomi's. The deck-like platform at the end of that center-crest is actually based off the Sharie's fighter deck. The vehicle deck at the bottom holds similarities to the Plumeria-class' hangar.

The forward swept wings is likely the feature that stands out the most. Those, though, mostly have the same role and presence the Himiko's backswept fins had.

But she's not a DOGA model, and she's home built, and Miharu Light Industries has certain stylistical touches. I'll admit my impression always was that KFY's schtick was to make sleek, aggressive-looking and sexy ships. Looking at 2d images of the Yui, Nozomi and Sakura did evoke that feeling, but when the SAoY got a bigger influx of models, the majority ended up looking more roundedly utilitarian.

I'd like to think what I'm designing is what a KFY ship is meant to be like. My divergence likely lies in my preference with smooth hulls unbroken by the presence of turrets.
 
Okay. I did some extra work on Byakuren, though not all of it will be very obvious. The most noticeable change is how I shortened how far back the gravimetric drives went to have the 'tail' of the dorsal crest stand out a bit more.

Kai asked me for extra views, so here you go:

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_112b994a_d377_49f9_bbfa_d42ef5e5fb7b_zpsb62a514f.jpg
Side view.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_e96f251e_ed01_4c54_960b_144d75330c59_zps2858928c.jpg
Dorsal view.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_a4c572ed_3db8_4280_9df0_7cf12de980f1_zps89827c35.jpg
Rear Dorsal view.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_c61e9a00_b2b9_496b_a6c0_8b88093a3147_zps6d3cf7af.jpg
Rear view.

My current plans are to define a bit more the tail-end of my gravimetric drives; they're too blocky right now, and I want them to be more tapered and angular. After that I'm thinking of working on the scale/sweep/angle of the wings and better establish how they join in with the rear because that's pretty nebulous right now.

I'm not wholly happy with the rear end, but I figure once I decide what I want the adjoining elements to look like more firmly I'll be able to iron out what I'm not satisfied with. After that, I'll likely need to straighten my curves/proportions for the whole thing.
 
That rear view is the enlightening one. I see what you're talking about with the shapes, how it doesn't look as filled out. It's a different kind of design, with the dorsal half of the ship taking up a lot of the shape of the craft, then dropping off suddenly at the aft. Then the mass of the ship suddenly is in the ventral half.

I'm interested to see how the rear end evolves. The ship right now almost makes me think it's like a boat.
 
I haven't posted in here for awhile. What can I say; I'm secretive!

But I've been pushing toward some unusual stuff for me, and figured I could allow others to take a gander on some work-in-progress concepts.

Guns!
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_MLI_gun_concepts_01_zps131ce47d.jpg

Then some more guns.
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_MLI_gun_concepts_02_zps952594af.jpg

Also, I recall some people asked me to show more rear ends, so...

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_Himiko_3d_wip_15042014_03_zps2f9e22df.jpg

But screw that! I didn't like it and it wasn't working out. So, here's another rear end... a couple of saves ago relative to the iteration I'm working on presently:
ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_rearend_teaser_zpsa403ad9b.jpg
 
Hum. I guess texture-less models are always kinda hard to look at, since it isn't obvious what the focus points are supposed to be. I like the overall shape, through.

The idea of the pistol grip being collapsible is cool, too.
 
Time for artdump!

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_01_zpscf36bdbb.jpg
I'm working on a Yamataian power armor that I'm labelling as the M15 Kishi. This is hardly my first sketches of the design, but above is me revisiting the helmet and trying to figure out its functionality/versus how it'd look like.
It's meant to have a few criteria:
  • Internal transparent durandium visor. Also meant to project visual HUD (think Star Trek 2009 movie viewscreen on the Enteprrise's bridge) if volumetric or in-OS alternatives are not possible/prefered.
  • External armored visor. Opaque, eyeslit is actually just a sensor slit that's around the operator's eye level.
  • Cowl-like insert. At base, the armor's insert serves as a hood to cover the wearer's head. The neck is especially thick to provide much improved resistance to head-directed blunt trauma as well as make most Mishhu head tearing/neck breaking tactics futile while retaining enough mobility to still move the head around.
  • Helmet canopy has enough headroom to slid both visors upward and have them remain 'inside' the helmet rather than outside like a motorcycle helmet.
  • The helmet is not removable by default. Rather it's part of the power armor's backing. Both 'jowls' split like mandibles, swivel up to align with the crown of the helmet along with the visors, and then the whole thing is moved around to rest behind the wearer's head instead.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_02_zps67ee1369.jpg
Silhouette explorations regarding volumes on the unit.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_03_zps1e9e424b.jpg
This is where I settle on a semi-final helmet shape, and try to make it part of the rest of the suit. As in, I'm trying to figure out my volumes while trying -with difficulty- to have the design's part look like there not disparate.

The chestplate, like the helmet, is meant to open up to allow the wearer easy horizontal boarding of the unit. Main components for that is the dorsal backing, each sides of the chestplates, and each sides of the lower ribcage.

There's some struggle to get the shoulders into a condition I'd like, but the thick helmet is making it difficult. I settle on a look I kind of like, but try to find variations on it because it looks too much like it's inspiration; the Mass Effect's version of the Blood Dragon Armor. Balancing out the thick neck gives the temptation to significantly enlarge the shoulders, but that threatens to have me stray too much toward another of the suit's visual inspiration; Samus Aran's Gravity Suit.

I do try to cover the legs as well, but aside from some base notions, I was actually pretty blank on what I wanted them to look like. The only thing I settled on was the boots/feet... and they do look like Samus Aran's here, but I flagged it as "couldn't be helped" because there were good composition reasons I needed them to be that way. A boot is a boot.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_04_zps62dde144.jpg
The above is more work on the shoulders to try to stray away from the previously mentioned inspirations. I tried to change the orientations of the banded pieces of armor to match the ones on the torso, for one, but wasn't sure if I liked it. Tried playing some more with the shoulderblocks themselves, mostly based on their functionality (they have components in them that's supposed to fulfill a purpose). Namely, the shoulderracks are there, and supposed to be motorized to double as semi-turrets.

I originally tried to have each side have two, one that's maneuver over the shoulder, the other from under the armpit - and both would join together to carry bigger equipment pieces. As time goes by, though, I find that having only one per side may be better. For one, four would be too much of a departure from the previous M2 and M6 power armors. Also, having four would make operating the unit more complex for players - and the unit offers a lot of versatility besides that already. I figure if I want four, I can try in a future variant and allow room for upgradability.

I'm still not sure I want the shoulder-rack on the shoulder armor itself - that thing has to pivot around; I'm giving it a lot of movement room and having a holstered rifle swivel around on every shoulder movement looks really impractical. I'm thicking that the best way to apply the whole concept would be to have a shoulderblade-like armor plate suspended from the dorsal backing, and have that be the mounting point for the motorized shoulder rack.

Torso also got worked on, mostly from the point of view of from where the arm branches out. Also tried to get (unsuccessfully, I believe) visual cohesion between the chestplate and the ribcage plating.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_05_zps518d35da.jpg
Smaller doodles, mostly meant to tackle the Kishi from a full body view in an effort to make sure. Rightmost doodle is a clumsy rendering of how I'm figuring it'd open up.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_06_zps497d9516.jpg
Changed topic. Now on shuttlecraft.

Ship developped has been delayed mostly because I wanted to make sure of its scale. That scale would determine how many vehicles would fit into it, and the relatively size of components such as torpedo launchers on the 3d model. But for that to happen, I actually need to figure out the smallcraft and auxiliary craft it'd use.

One notion I realized when designing how I'd allocate internal space was how delta-shaped vehicles were darned inconvenient to store. Yay rule-of-cool and aerodynamics, but you have up wasting a lot of space in a square area... and imbricking triangular crafts together like closed triangular sharkteeth is damnably impractical too.

The same goes for power armor weapons, really - the more squarish they are, the less space you're actually wasting.

So, the above was me trying to make a shuttlecraft more squarish - at least when seen from the top. I still wanted a sleek aerodynamic look.

I wanted the engine components to each side, somewhat inspired from the Banner of the Stars Calicke and the Kodiak shuttle from Mass Effect 2+. I wanted an unibody construction that wouldn't expose the sled-like engines like the T7 Raccoon does. I wanted to match other designs of mine with missle pods being mounted dorsally, fore and back. I wanted a cockpit usually manned by one, but with 2 jumpseats in case other people needed being involved in shuttle-oriented action. Then a passenger space for six person. An airlock at midline with ramps to the side, meaning that rear boarding was moswtly for cargo/power armor, while the side-doors would be for passenger and pilot usually. And the back is cargo space - meant for six power armor, typically.

Current state of the shuttle is not to my liking, but I'm getting there.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_07_zps8d2dbe4b.jpg
My ship doesn't just have shuttlepods; it also has a larger mission-specialized auxiliary craft - the Kanzashi-class corvette. Tried making a departure from the Hoshi/Byakuren/previous sketches and indulge rule of cool more to get a more aerodyne shape that would be able to fold back its wings when stowed inside a larger ship. Another departure from Hoshi/Byakuren is the bridge - there's none. This one is smaller enough that it doesn't pretend to be a Nozomi scout - it has a more shuttle-like cockpit.

I felt rule-of-cool was met, but practicality as a craft able to fulfill its expectations weren't. What exactly was I going to fit in that thing that wouldn't also sit nearly as equally well on a shuttlepod? I did arrange for twin armor bays, but previous roleplay with Hoshi indicated that having both of those got confusing location-wise to the roleplay of characters.

Another concern was how much internal space I was losing just to have the wings fold in. And why the slender neck? What would I fit in the slender neck that would have any use, or warrant some reason of having a structural weakness like that?

At the bottom, I ended up returning to the former shape - filling in the insides and sprouting another set of stubbier wings similar to sketches done before.

ai290.photobucket.com_albums_ll277_Zoberraz_artdump_08_zps73903ab4.jpg

Not that I was exactly contented by that. I kept working on the shape, and once I got to the one at the center-top, I felt it was kind of nice and started detailing what interior I could make of that.

Space was at a premium and I was trying to make something advanced for a very small spaceship. After all, the point of using that craft was to do what shuttles could not: go on extended missions and be homebase of several armor teams; be an able short-range scout/stealth ship; provide decent fire support. One thing I did to save space was think of making crew quarters double as escape pods... and that got me thinking of making its insides modular so that such a ship could be adapted to multiple specialities (i.e: Kanzashi-class medical corvette). So I created other module ideas for it.

But that got me thinking about how inefficient its silhouette was to stow in the allotment of modules I was trying to give it. Like the shuttle of earlier, the curves didn't seem to help it all that much on its top-down silhouette. That got me thinking of reducing them. That got me to the 2 ship sketches to the lower-right, with which I have good vibes.

The first I gave small sensor 'ailerons' to the front, and from the back was small forward-swept wings with 3 pivot points - when stowed those would curl over the roof of the craft and take less space.

The second... was at first inspired from the prevalency of pylons of the KFY gunboats/gunships and a previous idea about having a belly-mounted fold booster that would be pushed outerward/downward on struts before being in use. Pushing on with inspiration drawn from the Star Trek Online Aquarius Light Escort and the Banner of the Stars Flicaubh attack ship... I figured that it might be nice if I could have gravimetric drive nacelles that would extend out, and the graviton control in them could have them double up as railgun weapons at the same time.
 
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