Some people here may recall that I moved into a warehouse some time ago with the intention of building sets for an original scifi series. This has finally happened and we've started shooting. I thought I'd share some production stills in case anyone is interested:
(a framegrab)
There are some more set pics here if you're curious...
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I take it it's a space themed show?
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
No I don't recall this but COOL!! Is that you in the last pic!?!
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Yes, space themed. Big space-ships, little fighters, some planetside stuff. A more martial feel than trek. That is me (somewhat reluctantly) operating the camera.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Oi. Talk about rugged good looks.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Roll Fizzlebeef!
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Daniel Butler: Oi. Talk about rugged good looks.
Indeed.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Is it wrong that I'm still more curious in how you decorated your awesome warehouse? Because, uh, I am! Posted by OverRon (Member # 2036) on :
From those pics and that description, I get a Space: Above and Beyond vibe going. Looks cool anyways. Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
*points* That mechanical thingie has green on it. That's the mark of a successful space opera.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Nice looking props- might I suggest you make up a bunch of real-world caution decals for the fighter closeup? A lot of military modeling sites will have all the warning labels that typicly frame a cockpit. It'd just look cool, IMHO and break up the blank grey of the outer cockpit.
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Yeah, glad you said that. We shot some cockpit stuff last week and while I feel like it looked pretty good, it was a huge pain doing the match move. Some decals might not only help add detail, but provide some points of reference to assist in matching that to the 3D. Gonna be shooting more of that today...
SAaB was certainly an influence. Before I started building the spacefighter cockpit, I watched the entire run of the series just to get a sense of how they shot theirs and what sorts of details sold it. Manoman am I envious of those sets. (Except that the mini steering wheels were silly.)
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
quote:Originally posted by Daniel Butler: Oi. Talk about rugged good looks.
Damn, I'm gonna have to turn over my signature now...
And I'm all for military markings. I put them on my art despite how non-Starfleet they may seem.
Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
I'm sorry, I see that and all I can think of is fgsfds.
So, name? Budget? Site? Forums? If you're letting anyone but me run the forums, I'm gonna end you. <_<
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
fgsfds: perfect. Also Eddie Izzard's take on political speech. (Affirming, then denying things)
Manoman, I would love nothing better than to have you run the forums, Charles, but as it is, I can't even afford the hosting for even a stripped down site at the moment.
A name? A name I got: Our Place In The Shadows. Budget? Err, I think I have around US$4 in my wallet right now.
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Bluggggh, I reallyreallyreally need to teach myself the Lightwaves. But since all I know is Strata... Here's an early version of what those spacefighters might look like:
On the actual sets I didn't really have the time or money to do the decals like I wanted. Watched Moon though, and so now I want to go stencil crazy on every surface! The fun part for me will be putting dudes like this one into the CG...
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Neato, but you dont need wings for a space fighter and that thing would never fly in an atmosphere shaped like that so why not lose the wings, replace them with long boom arms and have RCS clusters at their ends? You could string weapons or sensors or whatever along the booms- or just make them thin and sleek with a lattice suppoort....
Oh! You could make the booms like long armbones- two thin booms acting like a pivot for the RCS "hand".
that would be cool.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
But they don't NOT need wings to fly in space either, so let him have his wings man. I think it looks cool, a little cluttered but cool anyways.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
My main concern would be having the pilot so far away from the centre of inertia, unless you have a magical inertial dampening system, the pilot is going to black out every time he makes a turn. Of course without knowing the "rules" of this fictional universe, it's hard to judge.
You might want to try asking Axeman for a little advice, he's built a few 3D space fighters in his time.
Oh and I'd drop the name "Avatar" if I were you, what with the James Cameron film coming out.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Also, is that thing supposed to be a heavy bomber? Cause if not, then it doesn't need all that apparent ordinance, especially if there are also going to be capital ships.
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
You're setting yourself up for some serious CGI work. The way the ship is designed, you should be able to see all kinds of rocket launcher and wing parts on the greenscreen behind that dude. If left off, it'll be kinda obvious.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
What Guardian says is true. Never really thought about it before - but look at the fighters in Stargate... most of the back is blocked out and they sit on top of the rest of the ship - so you don't have to see too much out the 'windows'. Clever.
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Ooof, that wll be extra work, but OTOH, it might help tie the interior to the exterior. You're right though, this will mean I'll have to be extra meticulous in the match moves.
Thanks all for the feedback, guys! Yeah, the wings stay. The technology of the show has the fighter projecting artificial masses and gravity sources down the length of the wings (which are independently articulated) to propel and orient the craft. Various wing geometries will enhance stable flight or give certain advantages in combat maneuvers.
I appreciate the heads up, Rev, and am indeed stymied by the title impending Cameron film, but haven't as yet come up with a viable alternative. FWIW I've been calling them Avatars for years. Unfortunately the exceptionally logical idea of placing the cockpit at the center of inertia of the vehicle, must be set aside for what looks awesome (and what I've already built/shot). While the mass projection technology used in the show would sure be used to insulate the pilot (and I suppose it could be explained that the projected gravitation is always oriented in reference to the cockpit), the real truth comes down to neato factor. And I do think this looks neato...
Got a little more geometry to add and then to textures. (Egads.)
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Well you could try giving it an alpha numeric designation, like real aircraft. Like, for the sake of argument: AVT-17R "Seraphim"
As you say, if the in-universe tech allows for counter-inertial forces then the trick is in making sure it's consistently applied and that attention is paid to real physics in the show's other facets. The temptation is of course to just go for the cool factor and fudge the real stuff, but I think you'll find that the more fantastical the conceit, the more important it is the ground the rest of the story. For example, would the 'Lord of the Rings' films have been better or worse if Jackson had treated them as straight out fantasy with magical elves and funny critters, rather than what he did, which was to treat it as a "real" history? It's been my observation that the more you ground something, the more it reinforces the believability of the fantasy elements.
P.S. If you need some logos, give me a shout. Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
quote:Originally posted by Reverend: rather than what he did, which was to treat it as a "real" history?
Just want to point out that that was what Tolkien viewed it as, so more props to him than to Jackson :-/
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Got a little bit more done... Stupid school and work. Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
Plenty of bloom there, have you textured the fighters at all or are you leaving them bare metal? Also, what parts of the ship are animated? Do the rocket pods move or the wing 'flaps' move during turns? Any test animations?
As Rev says, always happy to help out.
Posted by cinecallgal (Member # 2193) on :
These look really great. I love your set up!
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Thanks!
Still very much a WIP, Axeman. There's going to be a lot of CG and match-move and me learning Lightwave yet to come. The pods and the wings are semi-articulated and will flex and pivot as the craft maneuvers (projecting artificial mass, etc. all the way) But not in Strata. Too much work. Test anims will have to wait still I have some more brain cells. Good spot on the bloom. The textures at present are a mottled metallic with a decal here and there. I like what the bloom is doing in terms of washing out detail. Helps to sell it.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
...so how to they Transform? o.O?
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
Learning match moving and green-screen technique is my downfall, I only just started practicing with various tools for doing that. I've made plenty of models and animations for fan films and the occasional TV show, but inserting live action into the foreground is something I never had to do. People have done it with stuff I've made and I was downright impressed though.
If you're game you could send the model over to me and I'll check it out, rig it up and do a couple of test animations. If there's one thing I like more than making models, it's not having to make the model at all but still getting to animate.
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