Just a picture test, don't read !

[Cham]

I'm just trying to make the picture to appear. Don't lose your time here.

[Tanketai]

I have plenty of time to loose these days..

Nice pic, looks like the Mothership form the Homeworld game series. Is it related?
Although the thrusters look really small for a ship that big, it is a great model.

[Cham]

The thrusters aren't the three small tubes on the middle. They are the two long rectangular shapes.

This ship isn't related to homeworld.

And it's part of an armada building up in the Zeta Reticuli system ! Many more ships were made for this system I'm preparing. Takes some times !

Here's another one from the same fleet :

[Cham]

Just in case someone ..., well, ... ok then.

Latest version of that thing, whatever what it is ...

[Dollan]

Okay, that is just a wonderful design. I love the texture, as well.

[Cham]

Okay, here are two pictures of some colonial ship from the Zeta 1 Reticuli system, exploring the Zeta 2 Reticuli without asking permission from the residents there. Guess what will happens next ...

[Dollan]

I REALLY need at least a month of no work, no distractions, so I can buckle down and learn modelling. These ships are extremely NEAT.

...John...

[Cham]

Thanks Dollan.

The Zeta 2 armada is building up and a space blockade is trying to stop the Zeta 1 colons to mess around in the Zeta 2 system.

Well, I don't think the Zeta 2 civilisation is prepared to Zeta 1 determination. Things are getting worst there.

[Cham]

And here's another small thing, in the same system. No comments yet :

[selden]

I think most people, like me, are just going o_O in admiration

I think it would help a little if you could display the models against a lighter colored background, though.

[Cham]

This SF-Fantasy-Fictional addon is building up slowly. If people are interested, I'll upload it to the Motherload when it will be ready. However, all models (about 15 of them, counting some asteroids), are really very high polygonal, so they'll slow down Celestia to a crawl on some systems. Here's the story :

The addon is located in the Zeta Reticuli (1 and 2) systems (I know, I know, there is no real nebula in the Zeta Reticuli systems, but this is just a fictional addon, and the nebula is there for aesthetical purposes only). There's a (fictional) telluric planet in Zeta 1, and another one in the Zeta 2. Both are supporting an advanced civilisation. However, the Cyl civilisation located in the Zeta 1 system are becoming too much populous. Their planet is highly polluted, and the natural ressources are lacking in all their system. So they begin to explore the Zeta 2 system. The fun with the Zeta systems is they are only 0.5 LY away from each other. This gives the possibility to define some highly excentric orbits for ships that can travel to BOTH systems !

For example, here's a Cyl exploration starship. The first picture display it near some Zeta 1 planet. The second picture display the ship between both stars, and you can clearly see Celestia 1.4 at work here ! The third picture below shows the same ship near a Zeta 2 planet, after it traveled 0.5 LY from Zeta 1 to Zeta 2.








But then, the Cyl exploration starship encounter some Zeta2 heavy cruiser :



The tubes on this cruiser aren't necessarily weapons, guns or canons. They may just be some kind of antenas or navigation devices.

More to come.

[maxim]

The models would be worth getting some more sophisticated textures. Some more hull marks, engineering marks, doors, bays... not only these standard patchwork patterns.

BTW, do you thinks it's possible to add some plausible glow impression to the thrusters and panorama windows?

maxim

[selden]

I've been wondering how well a "fake" star or emissive planet would work to simulate an exhaust. Or a combination of the two.

[selden]

Cham,

You might want to consider posting your Works-in-Progress on http://www.scifi-meshes.com/. There are quite a few skilled modellers there who can provide useful critiques.

[Cham]

The models would be worth getting some more sophisticated textures. Some more hull marks, engineering marks, doors, bays... not only these standard patchwork patterns.

BTW, do you thinks it's possible to add some plausible glow impression to the thrusters and panorama windows?

maxim

The texture on the saucer-like model is very light (not visible on the previews here). I wanted this ship to look like some very advanced futuristic technology, so no need for marks, traps and doors. IMO, it's already looking very nice, live, in Celestia. The preview doesn't do justice for this model. But really, this is a matter of taste. Maybe a junk like texture could be good looking too on this model, but like I said, it was supposed to be associated with a very advanced civilisation. Also, I wanted to gives some contrasts between both civilisations in the Zeta systems. One is based on complicated "dirty'n rusty" textures mapped on some curved or "organic" like shapes, the other is based on almost "clean" cylindrical shapes (the Cyl civilisation). But I must admit there are some contradictions here.

As for the thrusters, I tried Jestr's trick to use some glowing "planet" inside the trusters, but it then becomes VERY tricky, if not impossible, to adjust them on all models. I may try this again in a later stage.

[jestr]

Cham you need to put an invisible sphere or box around the entire model,then export the unglowing bits+invisible box as the normal craft,then export the glowing bits+invisible box and make them emissive.This way both objects can have the same size and orbital parameters,Jestr

[Cham]

Jestr,

will this double the model's size and affect rendering in Celestia ? It will put Celestia to a worm crawl, isn't ?

[jestr]

It depends on the complexity of the bits you want glowing.These and the surrounding box/sphere make up the second object.Overall the combined model will be almost the same size+2 invisible spheres/boxes,Jestr

[Cham]

Here's an update of the two space stations that will be included in the addon. The first one is some kind of factory or research facility, the second one is a standard colony, or an house for beaten women and alcoholics (ahem !)

[maxim]

I wanted this ship to look like some very advanced futuristic technology, so no need for marks, traps and doors. IMO, it's already looking very nice, live, in Celestia. The preview doesn't do justice for this model. But really, this is a matter of taste. Maybe a junk like texture could be good looking too on this model, but like I said, it was supposed to be associated with a very advanced civilisation. Also, I wanted to gives some contrasts between both civilisations in the Zeta systems. One is based on complicated "dirty'n rusty" textures mapped on some curved or "organic" like shapes, the other is based on almost "clean" cylindrical shapes (the Cyl civilisation). But I must admit there are some contradictions here.

Well, of course one can start a discussion about hypothetical futuristic technology, but only something I would find elemental: No whatever advanced technology whould ever be advanced enough that it doesn't needs doors anymore (Not before it would be advanced enough that it even doesn't need spacecrafts anymore ) Same for signs and marks: What kind of civilisation wouldn't need to display (and exchange) information anymore?

Another thing that strikes me whenever I'm looking at any model that anybody in this forum created:
Obviously there are strict rules for building a spacecraft - "Whatever material you use for spacecraft construction" they say to the engineers, "make sure it is grey! 50% standard grey would be perfect! Okay, you may use 53% grey or 47% grey if you like. You even may use 60% grey if you think it's neccessary, but you need to have a written permission from the administration for that - and don't forget to send us a copy for our files!"

maxim