Huey - Drone from Silent Running

EscapeArtist · 7 Sept 2009, 12:01

Bruce Dern: The First Eco-Terrorist

Just kidding. I actually liked that movie quite a bit, you did a great job modeling huey. Now I've got to see if I can find that movie somewhere and watch it again.

mhtaylor · 7 Sept 2009, 14:26

I left it running all night but it never got rid of the 'fairy dust' in the shadows around the light source - I don't know anything about renderring - I guess I'll have to go back to the manual and try again.

RustyShack · 7 Sept 2009, 15:18

Believe it or not, I actually raised Silent Running in conversation this morning! Good luck with the render. It'll be nice to see this one progress.

dolphus · 7 Sept 2009, 16:37

Cool great looking model well done

redot · 7 Sept 2009, 16:46

I remember nearly crying when Bruce left the poor little fella to tend the forest.
Great looking render Martin and thanks for the model.

mhtaylor · 8 Sept 2009, 13:56

Here's another attempt with Twilight - without light emitting surfaces it went through the threads much quicker.

Durant Hapke · 8 Sept 2009, 16:57

Mh to the Taylor,

Rock star phantasmagoric! Those drones rule all over.

Put trees in orbit.

Durant "film is no longer" Hapke

michaliszissiou · 9 Sept 2009, 00:04

Really great stuff here.
BTW I must see this movie. Thanks.

mhtaylor · 10 Sept 2009, 17:46

Thanks for all comments - I finished modeling the 3 different drones - here's the last one, Louie. I'm starting to understand light emitting surfaces in Twilight a little so while I am at work, my workstation at home is rendering a complicated image (4 core machine still taking 9 minutes a thread). Until then, here's the Louie: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=6e0b0bbba0c25358b573489cede05c27

solo · 11 Sept 2009, 00:17

Cool model, I gave it a quick go using Vue, no post work (lighting is volumetric with dust)

mhtaylor · 11 Sept 2009, 01:33

@solo said:

Cool model, I gave it a quick go using Vue, no post work (lighting is volumetric with dust)

That is too cool Solo - I need to learn to do that - I love how you made him lean and pick up the flower and all the grime too - so much more human than my efforts. I'm still struggling to get something half decent out of Twilight (my lack of knowledge not the tool I think); just to proove the point here's the image that cooked all day while I was at work (any suggestions on making it look less clean?):

Fletch · 11 Sept 2009, 18:06

You will need to add different textures, "dirt" is a nice option in the Vue material pallette... Twilight will have this in the future.

For now, you will need to add the dirt in the textures in SU... I will see what I can do, and post

I looked at the model, and there's a tiny problem in the corner in the smoothing of it...easy fix. It's noticeable with the plastic materials.

Also, click each material and apply a good material template instead of the "quick" templates... so choose "Plastic" or choose the metals.

Also, the glass "flash bulb" needs some realistic modeling to render with real materials...

Vue is great with 'faking' the materials. The material editor, and eco systems are my favorite thing about vue.

mhtaylor · 11 Sept 2009, 20:36

@fletch said:

You will need to add different textures, "dirt" is a nice option in the Vue material pallette... Twilight will have this in the future.

For now, you will need to add the dirt in the textures in SU... I will see what I can do, and post

I looked at the model, and there's a tiny problem in the corner in the smoothing of it...easy fix. It's noticeable with the plastic materials.

Also, click each material and apply a good material template instead of the "quick" templates... so choose "Plastic" or choose the metals.

Also, the glass "flash bulb" needs some realistic modeling to render with real materials...

Vue is great with 'faking' the materials. The material editor, and eco systems are my favorite thing about vue.

Thanks for the tips - I really should read your manual properly - I'll give them a go this weekend

Martin

Fletch · 15 Sept 2009, 07:05

sorry haven't gotten to 'play' with this scene at all for a few days...
just thought I'd say that Boofredlay posted this nice Tip/Trick at the Twilight Render forum on how to creatively use SketchUp materials for all sorts of things... I was particularly thinking about your desired for "dirt" on the robot...

boofredlay · 15 Sept 2009, 14:20

Aww shucks, thanks Fletch.

david_h · 15 Sept 2009, 14:35

You know, I was going to give those a try myself back during the ROBOT speed challenge, but obviously it wouldn't have worked. I loved that movie as a kid. In fact my Architectural Thesis was a space station not unlike Freeman Lowell's Domes in Silent Running. It came out in about 1973 and was the first film that spoke about "ECOLOGY" and the dire fate of earth if we didn't take care of the planet.

I loved the little Bots, Huey, Duey and Louie. .. who unfortunately got swept into space. It was like losing Bambi's Mother!

Anyway. . .Lowell teaches the drones how to play poker, and they try to cheat. It's pretty cool.

Great models.

mhtaylor · 15 Sept 2009, 17:36

Thanks for the comments and suggestions - I put the rendering aside as I got sucked in to modelling the Spaceship "Valley Forge" from the same movie. I'm about half way done so give me a week or two and I'll have something to share in the warehouse other than just one of the biosphere domes: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=be91d70e92b87ddab573489cede05c27

I loved the movie as a kid but probably more for the props and special effects than anything else. I bought and watched it again a year or two ago and it does seem a little dated and heavy handed - ripe for a remake?

david_h · 15 Sept 2009, 19:10

Probably, cuz even tho' Bruce Dern MURDERS his crewmates, this is a rather tame piece of SciFi and updating it for today's attention challenged audiences would probably have to include Aliens and Zombies, , the Rock, light sabers, weaponry of all kinds and R2D2, or as my daughter called him. . .Arty TooToo!

Simon B · 15 Sept 2009, 19:58

I wanted to cheer when I saw these models; brilliant job!