Warhead (Space Fighter)

[LyCheSis]

Hi, my current project, a space adaptation of my fighter jet.

Up until now it is completely done with Subdivs but I think I'll do the cockpit with normal polygons.

I still need a good idea for textures. I don't want this dirty realistic look. I am looking for something that really looks like the surface from a real aircraft but I don't really have an idea how to achive that yet.

[loki74]

"dirty, realistic?"

I think it looks unrealisticly clean...add some nurnies and dirty it up a bit... ambient occlusion might add to it as well.

Nice design though. you plan on animating this?

[LyCheSis]

It is very clean at the moment because I haven't started texturing it yet.

I once made a Mech which I textured with photos from a dirty old metal plate. That was ok for a Mech but for a fighter plane I want a surface that look like the surface from a F-22 Raptor.
If you look closely at those you can see that they are mostly dark grey with a slightly bumpy surface which seems to vary in the specularity and diffuse channel. But I usually fail to recreate the lighting so that this specularity effect kicks in. I'll try to post a test image, maybe I'll get it right this time :) I don't want to add to many nurnies because it is still meant to be a convertable aircraft which can be switched from Plane to Spacecraft in a couple of hours.
I am planning to use these planes in a comercial that is supposed to look like the manufacturer is advertising the features of this concept.

I attached an image from the aircraft version for comparison...
This object has already been converted from subdivs to polys so that I could add the undercarriage doors and I already added a simple cockpit but I am redoing those for the space version.

[LyCheSis]

so, several weight maps later and the whole thing looks a little bit more used. I think it will probable look better animated and I will have to tone the dirt a little bit down then but until then this will do...

http://forum.lychesis.net/userpix/2_SpaceHead11side_1.jpg

...but I think it still needs an additional bitmapped texture for markings and colours so those will come next, unless I start the cockpit first *g*

[LyCheSis]

http://forum.lychesis.net/userpix/2_SpaceHead12cockpit_2.jpg

This is my current progress on the cockpit. The interiour and ejection seat is only roughly there, instrument panels and the pilot is completely missing.

I separated the canopy from the rest of the object which brought along the usual problems when using subdivs. I froze the mesh, then cut out the canopy and then cleaned up and connected the frozen mesh back into the original mesh so that I could continue to have subdivs, but there are still glitches especially at the front and side of the canopy.
I hate it when edges on subdivs look like soft wobbly fabric instead of hard corners but this is always the challenge when using subdivs in LW (and I am not sure that LW9 will fix this problem...)

I'll try to correct those but unless this works I will have to freeze further parts of the mesh because it is still not easy loosing all those lines when going from highpoly mesh parts to lowpoly mesh parts, but I believe you all know this problem.