Scifi Sketchup Modeling

GoldenFrog · 6 Jan 2011, 00:44

@liam887 said:

About three quarters done on the model now...

Wow, liam, great work again. Just so fun to stare at it for long periods of time...

liam887 · 6 Jan 2011, 19:55

@artysmedia said:

i like little cities

ken28875 · 6 Jan 2011, 20:11

Hey Liam,

I have not been in the forum lately...got busy with other stuff.

Pretty nice ship.

I like the Gentic slum too. Somehow it looks like a cardboard model...hey, that's why it's a "slum"...

I did not know you work for a game company. You also mentioned you're in school. What are you studying btw?

Best,

_KN

My interview with Sketchupartists.org:
http://www.sketchupartists.org/spotlight/artists/sketchup-art-in-the-online-game-industry/
My interview with ASGVIS/V-Ray:
http://software.asgvis.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=886&Itemid=466&utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Winning%20Subject&utm_term=Read%20more%20about%20Ken%20Nguyen
Sketchup for Fantasy Art:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=27028
Sketchup for Sci-Fi Art:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=27030

liam887 · 6 Jan 2011, 21:10

@ken28875 said:

Hey Liam,

I have not been in the forum lately...got busy with other stuff.

Pretty nice ship.

I like the Gentic slum too. Somehow it looks like a cardboard model...hey, that's why it's a "slum"...

I did not know you work for a game company. You also mentioned you're in school. What are you studying btw?

Best,

_KN

Yeah the slum was done in a few hours as an internal concept just to get the team thinking about some level ideas and layouts. I have worked on many mods and such usually just contributing concept art or low poly game ready models but I have ben working for an xbox live indie game developer for the last year or so. Its unpaid for now the whole team is made up of volunteers from around the world probably around 20 of us but everybody is a pro they already have one game out you can buy and we are aiming for march for the next release (screenshots below).

Im still in University studying graphic design but its a means to an end really as I dont want to go into GD when I graduate but its good to have a degree I guess. I would feel I would miss out if I didnt get into debt with loans like all my friends have also

I love digital painting and concept art I guess thats where I am headed maybe and sketchup does help further that when I paint over models very quickly. I added a digital paint I finished last year of the USS Kelvin from the new Star Trek film I had to scale it down to fit the max image size of the forum but you can still see it pretty well:

dolphus · 7 Jan 2011, 04:53

Cool.. what can i say...fantastic

liam887 · 24 Jan 2011, 23:35

@dolphus said:

Cool.. what can i say...fantastic

Thanks!

Heave a reading week in Uni so worked a bit more on my Avatar model, if you didnt look closley you would not see any improvements but there are many, mostly just bolts and latches and minor details. Also worked on the cockpit doors a lot so now when the door is closed it is not 'one' with the hull there is a gap of about half an inch wide and half an inch deep so it is more defined when rendering.

liam887 · 26 Jan 2011, 05:50

Almost finished work on the models save the minor details (not including the interiors) cant believe its taken 13 months but they are looking nice at last!
Here are the two most refined versions. The Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson on the left from the movie Avatar and on the right my own SA-H2 COmbat Search and Rescue variant designed by myself. Both made in sketchup with many many many revisions over the last year.

The combat search and rescue model differs in that it only has one mounted door gun, a winch, fuel tanks instead of pylon mounted ordnance such as quad missile launchers seen on the SA-2 two sets of of opening rear cargo doors, no wire cutters on the rotor hubs and a in flight refueling boom.

Pretty happy with how they have turned out and much better than I would ever have expected when I started over a year ago, amazing the tips and tricks you can pick up in such a time span.

However next comes the hardest part, the dreaded paneling fingers crossed on that sketchup doesn't like tiny geometry I have already scaled up the aircraft to something like 40 feet high so I can work on it!

GoldenFrog · 26 Jan 2011, 15:34

@liam887 said:

However next comes the hardest part, the dreaded paneling

I wish you luck mate. I hate paneling, personally

liam887 · 26 Jan 2011, 16:43

It is a pain and a sow and tricky process but if you model it, it gives such a better result than achieving the same thing through textures. Anyway had some time between real work to do a wide shot and label it. Its a bit small and you cant really read the writing but you can see a full size version here: http://liam887.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/full-shot2.jpg

jason_maranto · 26 Jan 2011, 17:00

Very inspiring modeling and I also really dig the texturing work... I enjoyed your tutorial as well!

Best,
Jason.

liam887 · 27 Jan 2011, 02:57

@unknownuser said:

@liam887 said:

However next comes the hardest part, the dreaded paneling

I wish you luck mate. I hate paneling, personally

Its a slow but rewarding process, here is a non render of it so far. Took a side profile shot of the model in SU then in photoshop drew out some panels then made that a texture in photoshop and intersected the lines with the model. Takes forever but getting there...

boofredlay · 27 Jan 2011, 04:11

Killer work as usual Liam.

stonebreaker · 8 Feb 2011, 21:12

Really nice work. How do you make the organic shape of the model?

Krisidious · 8 Feb 2011, 21:26

this should be inserted into Microsoft Flight, Lock-on Flaming Cliffs 2 or X-Plane... would love to fly it.

liam887 · 8 Feb 2011, 21:34

@stonebreaker said:

Really nice work. How do you make the organic shape of the model?

Making orthos in Photoshop and then making the rough shape using them in either sketchup with a few plugins or in 3ds max and import into SU to be worked on.
This shape is much smoother than usual luckily I have been able to use the new Artisan plugin for subdivision and smoothing.

@krisidious said:

this should be inserted into Microsoft Flight, Lock-on Flaming Cliffs 2 or X-Plane... would love to fly it.

Already on it, have somebody working on it for me, or me for them? anyway hopefully have a fully working model within the year for FSX.

stonebreaker · 8 Feb 2011, 21:48

@liam887 said:

Making orthos in Photoshop and then making the rough shape using them in either sketchup with a few plugins or in 3ds max and import into SU to be worked on.
This shape is much smoother than usual luckily I have been able to use the new Artisan plugin for subdivision and smoothing.

Thanks! I want it too

liam887 · 8 Feb 2011, 22:13

Well keep your eyes and ears about the forum I am sure more details will be released soon.

liam887 · 9 Feb 2011, 18:42

Have to take a break from personal projects for a few weeks now have to many live briefs to finish. Here is one I need to get boxed off asap, its a city for a video game so far I just have the plans and will have to build upon that.

SketchUpNoobie · 9 Feb 2011, 19:40

Ooh. Looking forward to seeing this one.

liam887 · 9 Feb 2011, 20:01

So am I, cant wait for it to be in the game and blow it up! Just edited a space elevator I made for fun a few years ago and started working on the city blocks skyscrapers etc. They dont look detailed and they are not but its going in a game so it cant be too huge, the textures will make short work of it im sure and make it look great! Plus the model wil be absolutely huge!