TOS Akula remake in the works

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robert_defore
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TOS Akula remake in the works

Post by robert_defore »

I decided to go ahead and get the common parts I needed for TOS and TMP Federation Vessels ready. Here is the results of my modeling the TOS Akula, not sure how cannon it is, although I believe it to be at least what is called soft cannon. It is pretty much the Saladin with an extra warp nacelle.

I should have it textured within 2 days of this post and then on to another ship. At some point I will go back and take all my new knowledge and improve the model and textures of all my released ships. (Sometime wayyyyyyyy down the road.)

So for now, here is a teaser.


edit: got it fixed!

edit2: Also, Anjel are you having any difficulty getting your Saladin to seperate correctly. Mine is giving me a hard time with the Nacelle Pylons and the Saucer section not wanting to sep. Also, didn't know if this version of the Akula should have the dangling Navigational Deflector. If it does, it would be easy for me to add it before conversion.

edit: Here she is in a ship pack.

Old link deleted

edit: this is the 2nd version with better hull form and lighting, also adds the navigational deflector.[/url]

edit2: I am currently remaking this model with better nacelles and a remodeled bridge and lab module.

edit3: Here is the remodeled and retextured TOS Akula

http://www.4shared.com/file/pARxXKte/TO ... _pack.html
Last edited by robert_defore on Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:31 am, edited 9 times in total.
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airwolf
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Post by airwolf »

It would be great to see the images, but the links do not work?????
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anjel
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Re: TOS Akula almost ready!

Post by anjel »

I think this is fantastic !!!!, looks really good, i could watch the images without problem.
robert_defore wrote: edit2: Also, Anjel are you having any difficulty getting your Saladin to seperate correctly. Mine is giving me a hard time with the Nacelle Pylons and the Saucer section not wanting to sep.
Didn´t make the attempt yet, i´ll just texture it first, and then i would do it, because once you know the max poly you can handle, then you know if the final conversion will work... sometimes 8O :lol:.
But i must tell that i use another way of separating, that at the end generate more vertex numbers but the separation get preatty clean too. Let say it´s the easy way... 8), but as i told you, generate more vertex that it should, this affect the final stage of the conversion in .hob exportation. and maybe the complexity of the mesh.
robert_defore wrote: Also, didn't know if this version of the Akula should have the dangling Navigational Deflector. If it does, it would be easy for me to add it before conversion.
In my opinion you should do it, i think it´s more cannon, but hey!!! it´s your model, so you can do it your way. I am sure there are people here who would be really interested in your model, in order to put in a new mod... :wink:. So if people are agree with your model as it is, go ahead !!!
This hobby, it kind of a divide sentiment, first for your personal achives, to make a beatifull ship that you´ll enjoy and why not, this great community, second the gratifiying feeling of making peolple happy with your moddel, so it always doesn´t harm to listen suggestions and more suggestions... :lol: .
Here is a pic i´ve found:

I´ve noticed you use imageshark to upload your images, if you want to show your images directly in the post, without pasting the url route, there´s an extra option there in the urls addresses that show you the same route but with "IMG" between brackets at the beggining and the end. Copy and paste that in your post, then before submitting, make a preview and BOILA !!!, your images inside your post !!!!
Hope this help.
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anjel
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Post by anjel »

I´ve forgot to ask, how many polys and vertices does it have ??? in 3Dmax.
This is important, because, even as it isn´t an exact fact, you can know if the final conversion will work or not.
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Army37
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Post by Army37 »

Your Akula ship looks pretty good....yummy more TOS ships hehehehe
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Post by Tethys »

Oh my... more ship modelers.. :P

I am actually looking forward to playing the TOS mod now lol :P
Not for the weak of heart...
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robert_defore
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Post by robert_defore »

I really need to work on getting my poly count down There must be some tricks I am not using right now. For instance your Saladin is only around 900 polys, but on mine I am at 2600. It will sep as I already tried it, but the two buzzards and the warp nacelle ends on mine both are almost 150 Polys a piece. Thats 600 polys just to have the rounded ends on the nacelle. I think I must remake the nacelle and lower the polys by making with fewer sides. Not as rounded, but should still look ok.

I am cutting as many unseen polys from the model as possible and also trying to extrude and manually shape things to cut down on the number also. Good thing is I can add running lights now with very little additional polys. That way just the poly that is colored will light up in game.
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Post by robert_defore »

Ok got her down to 2000 polys, all that detail on the nacelles really eats up the poly count. I may go back and add the dangling navigational deflector in the near future.

My next task, if anyone is interested, well at least I am. Would be to replace the early T1 colony ship with TOS Tug and Container tyoe vessel. It would be more realistic than the Vanilla colony ship and the Curry used in UDM is more of a TMP TNG type colony vessel in my opinion. This would be goon for those early stages of the game when you want a real authrntic TOS feal.

It will share textures mainly with the TOS Akula, with another Texture for the Container, unless I can Squeeze it onto part of the existing textures. Also, all my current textures have utilized a single palette in game. I plan on keeping this up with all the Fed TOS vessels I do.

Feel free to use any of my models in your mods if you like and you may alter the textures if you please, and if you think you have improved one, post it to let the rest of us try it out.

Special thanks to Dr_Breen, TC, and Anjel for all there help to getting this ball rolling. Maybe I will try my hand at Romulan and Klingon TOS ships when I run out of Feds!!!! :D
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Post by anjel »

robert_defore wrote:I really need to work on getting my poly count down There must be some tricks I am not using right now. For instance your Saladin is only around 900 polys, but on mine I am at 2600. It will sep as I already tried it, but the two buzzards and the warp nacelle ends on mine both are almost 150 Polys a piece. Thats 600 polys just to have the rounded ends on the nacelle. I think I must remake the nacelle and lower the polys by making with fewer sides. Not as rounded, but should still look ok.

I am cutting as many unseen polys from the model as possible and also trying to extrude and manually shape things to cut down on the number also. Good thing is I can add running lights now with very little additional polys. That way just the poly that is colored will light up in game.
Well, you must always keep in mind that the ship has to be low polly, it´s really easy to overpass the poly count, it happened to me the first time with the vesta, i was pride with what i got, and then Dr_Breen and tc shot me on the sky, get me down earth and told the poly count should be a lot less... :lol: :P
Here you have a link with my .max saladin ship in 3dmax 2009, watch it, analize it, though you must have in mind, this isn´t finished yet, i mean maybe at the end i´ll have to reduce the poly count just a little:


http://www.4shared.com/file/qIq7k1tl/saladin3.html

Tell me if you need the .3ds

:D
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Post by anjel »

robert_defore wrote:Ok got her down to 2000 polys
You have to reduce it more !!!! :( :lol:
robert_defore wrote:My next task, if anyone is interested, well at least I am. Would be to replace the early T1 colony ship with TOS Tug and Container tyoe vessel. It would be more realistic than the Vanilla colony ship and the Curry used in UDM is more of a TMP TNG type colony vessel in my opinion. This would be goon for those early stages of the game when you want a real authrntic TOS feal.
Is it the Antares Cargo ???? if it that the case, then i´ll have a few images i´ve downloaded, so i can send it to you.
robert_defore wrote:Special thanks to Dr_Breen, TC, and Anjel for all there help to getting this ball rolling. Maybe I will try my hand at Romulan and Klingon TOS ships when I run out of Feds!!!! :D
You are very welcome, feel free to ask everything you need, and there´s always nice to have more ship moddelers, so the Asking ship list get a lot lighter :lol:
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Post by robert_defore »

What are the guide lines as far as poly count goes. I know that at or over 5000 verts and it will not convert. But I do not remember seeing any exact numbers any where. If you could link me to a thread or just tell me if you can remeber the numbers. The Vesta did look awesome by the way, she is always in my UDM mod. :D
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Post by anjel »

robert_defore wrote:What are the guide lines as far as poly count goes. I know that at or over 5000 verts and it will not convert. But I do not remember seeing any exact numbers any where. If you could link me to a thread or just tell me if you can remeber the numbers.
That´s a good question, even now i can´t give a parametter, you´ll have to ask tc about that, he knows better that area. What i can say, in 3dmax speaking, it´s that when you reach more than 1200 polys, then you´ll get almost 5000 vertex in the .hot exportation. That my experience with proto-miranda. Buuuuut didn´t happened the same for K7 station, i have to reduce it a lot less of 1200 polys, don´t remember right now. I think it was something with the vertices number... :? Have to figure it out... someday.... :roll:
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Post by robert_defore »

Thats stange, the TOS Akula I just released had a little over 2000 Polys, and the Saladin you showed me is showing 1912 right now in 3ds max. I like your nacelle design better than mine. Similar , but still just got the right touch in the right areas. I am going to try and add the impulse engine like you did and see if my original will still convert then. Oh what the hell might as well go ahead and add the dangling nav deflector while I'm at it right?!

TC told me over 5000 verts is a no go for conversion, but I am no where near that. I also believe the TOS and TMP ships have more hull detail in the way of 3d shapes, where as the TNG and newer are pretty stream line and you can use alot of texture alteration to acheave the dame goals.
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Post by anjel »

robert_defore wrote:Thats stange, the TOS Akula I just released had a little over 2000 Polys, and the Saladin you showed me is showing 1912 right now in 3ds max. I like your nacelle design better than mine. Similar , but still just got the right touch in the right areas. I am going to try and add the impulse engine like you did and see if my original will still convert then. Oh what the hell might as well go ahead and add the dangling nav deflector while I'm at it right?!

TC told me over 5000 verts is a no go for conversion, but I am no where near that. I also believe the TOS and TMP ships have more hull detail in the way of 3d shapes, where as the TNG and newer are pretty stream line and you can use alot of texture alteration to acheave the dame goals.
What i forgot to mention, when i talk about poly count, it is square poly count, not triangle poly count in "3Dmax", then creator , tend to duplicate because the creator does that, but once you are there, before separate, there´s an option in "EDIT" --> "Combine faces" that, once you selected all the mesh, will combine all possible faces, and make it as if it is squared polys.... :wink:
Ask everything you want if i wasn´t clear enough :)
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Post by thunderchero »

robert_defore wrote:TC told me over 5000 verts is a no go for conversion,
Keep in mind game play,

while a station with 5000 vertex number is fine (only 1 per battle) ship will slow down combat with larger fleets. I suggest to try to keep vertex number less than 2500 :wink:

But even with 100 ships in same battle this could slow battle turns process to 5-10 min per turn. :cry: and some players don't like that kind of delays.

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