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Old March 25th, 2009, 03:10 PM   #1
Punisher454
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Default Battlestar scale

I have been working on a little BSG themed Crysis game mod for a while and in the course of designing interiors for the landing bays and shuttles I have come up with a way to determine a workable scale for the galactica.

I'm new here so I will not be able to attach pictures yet (soon I hope) but I will later to illustrate the examples.

I start off with with the interior of the Colonial shuttle, for what I'm doint it is the key to the whole scale solution. Using screen captures along with the studio blueprints I come up with dimensions for the shuttle interior, and test this in Crytek's Cryengine2 game engine using average size human models.

When the shuttle passenger cabin scale if finalized, I then adjust the scale of the shuttle model around it as close as possible.

The next step is a VERY low poly galactica model. I built mine based on the 2008 Jim Stevenson drawings, which I realize have a short nose, but I'll stretch the bow section out a bit later.

I then take she properly scaled Shuttle and position it in the landingbay entrance, and scale the battlestar model untill I am satisfied that the shuttle looks to be the right size when landing/launching from the landing bay.

At this point I have a battlestar model that is aproximatly 8000 feet long. My original thought was that it would be about 5500-6000 feet long.

Now for tricky part, how do I position the launching bays and launch tubes? My solution was to elevate the launching deck about 10-12 meters higher than the landing deck. The launching bay are not located above or below the landing bay, but to the side. And yes there is just enough room to do it.

My launching bay configuration is based on the studio blueprints, with a few modifications. The first is the angle that the launching bays are inclined towards the bow of the ship. To make it all work out right I had to use a 23.5 degree angle. The total distance right now from the elevator door behind the viper to the exit of the launch tube is 168 feet, 110 feet of that is the launch tube itself. the elevator which is located behind behind the rollup garage door behind the viper is 36 feet long. the 110 foot launch tube is shorter than what is implied by the show, but I feel it is the one dimension that can be adjusted with the least impact. In My game level I have the launching tubes very darkly lit, and you can only walk about half way down the tubes before hitting a "force field".

The Viper elevators have 3 stops. 1st is the landing bay deck, 2nd is the launching bay, and then they go up quite a ways to the hanger deck which is located above the landing deck on the forward half of the landing bays.
The warrior lift (elevator) in each launching bay goes up to a level that is above the launching bays but below the hanger. This is there the "Warrior Tubes" end.

My initial attempts at placing the launch tubes below the landing bay deck didnt work out very well. Right now its all just roughed in, no really detailed areas yet, but I managed to get it to fit.
I'll attach images later. I shared some of this at Foundation3D last year, but there are a lot more BSG modelers here.

Marvin
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:03 PM   #2
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

Marvin, if you've managed to work out the interior of the Galactica and it make sense more power to you. Believe me, we'd all be interested in your images.

Btw, the Galactica is 6,080 ft long.
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:40 PM   #3
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

I have for a very long time held that the 6080 foot length was correct.
However, in order to use the 6080 foot size(which I would really prefer) the opening of the landing bays needs to be taller.
so many different scales were used for everything that nothing really works right together without some adjustments.
What I have struggled with is "what to adjust" to make it all work out with the least significant changes to the exterior Galactica model.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg launchingbay_005.jpg (397.5 KB, 2 views)
File Type: jpg launchingbay_012.jpg (443.7 KB, 3 views)
File Type: jpg launchingbay_014.jpg (153.0 KB, 2 views)
File Type: jpg MWSnap006.jpg (204.7 KB, 4 views)
File Type: jpg MWSnap008.jpg (192.7 KB, 1 views)

Last edited by Punisher454; January 10th, 2011 at 01:11 AM..
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:46 PM   #4
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

some more wip images from my project:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg MWSnap009.jpg (192.2 KB, 12 views)
File Type: jpg scalestudy_1.jpg (77.3 KB, 26 views)
File Type: jpg scalestudy_3.jpg (53.7 KB, 16 views)
File Type: jpg scalestudy_5.jpg (96.7 KB, 15 views)
File Type: jpg scalestudy_8.jpg (24.7 KB, 13 views)
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:49 PM   #5
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

and one more:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg wip_render_005.jpg (866.3 KB, 21 views)
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:52 PM   #6
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

more shuttle interior:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg MWSnap017.jpg (163.2 KB, 18 views)
File Type: jpg MWSnap018.jpg (158.4 KB, 15 views)
File Type: jpg MWSnap025.jpg (129.2 KB, 9 views)
File Type: jpg MWSnap026.jpg (138.1 KB, 10 views)
File Type: jpg MWSnap027.jpg (150.6 KB, 10 views)
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:55 PM   #7
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

duplicate, sorry.
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:58 PM   #8
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

The external shuttle model in some of those shots are David K's model. The close up shuttle model is mine, but the outer dimension are based on davids.
this is the scale that is giving me about 8000 feet. For a 6080 foot battlestar the landing bay opening should be taller. Maybe that would be a good place to compensate, I decided to just scale up a bit(if 2000 feet is a "bit").
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Old March 25th, 2009, 04:58 PM   #9
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

I t would be better if you uploaded them as attachments when you post, there's a box that allows you to add them and then they're just thumbnails.

But they're great.

Mark Bradley, who posts here as Bradleyfett worked out a scale for the shuttle that could work for the stage prop and the miniature.

The only drawing I could find was http://www.flickr.com/photos/1086755...7601823411369/

It might be worth asking him for some advice re the shuttle's size.
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Old March 25th, 2009, 06:47 PM   #10
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

Its not letting me do attachments yet, as soon as I can do them I'll re-edit this.
and ya, those are bigger than I remembered.
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Old March 26th, 2009, 01:06 AM   #11
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

okay, I can now attach files, so I fixed the earlier posts, and added a few shuttle interior reference shots.

My shuttle interior is based of the pre-"living legend" version without the skydiver drop chambers. If a shuttle would have anything of the sort they would be on the lower deck anyhow. With the seating configured as in the above image it allows enough room for two character models to walk past each other in the aisle between the chairs. The pilot and co-pilot will sit on the starboard side. Unlike The model kit that has the pilot and co-pilot occupying the entire front of the passenger cabin.
The height of the windows works out nice with the David Kerin shuttle model configuration. At the rear of the cabin a standing (average height) human can see out the bottom of the window, while at the front of the cabin the pilot and co-pilot have a decent view through the windows in the seated position.
I have a short hallway behind passenger cabin at the bottom of the little set of stairs leading down a meter or so. This hallway runs from side to side and currently I have a staircase leading downward to the lower deck on the port side. The staircase takes up a lot of room, and polygons, so Im thinking about installing a small elevator instead, and a traditional ladder on the starboard side.
Using a good landram model I downloaded (and scaled to realistic size), there is just enough room to clear the engines at the rear cargo ramp. If the shuttle was smaller a side cargo door would have to be designed.

Anyhow, I am satisfied that the shuttle scale is good. Since My Galactica scale is based on the shuttle size vs the landing bay entrance size , the way I see it I have two options.
option 1, galactica 6080 feet, enlarge the entrance to the landing bays.
option 2, galactica 8000 feet, conform to the 2008 Jim Stevenson drawings.

My initial choice has been #2, but I have been having second thoughts for a few months , and its still early enough to change to #1 without much work. I do value the input of fellow BSG modelers and fans.
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Old April 10th, 2009, 12:23 AM   #12
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

I have a working landingbay layout now.
I had a little time to model this week so I worked on the landing bays a bit.
I spent a few hours in photoshop making some easy to align battlestar isometric refernece images. I usually dont go this far with a background image setup for modeling, but once done it was sure worth it. I have 6 views all on identical sized square bitmaps. So in max step one was to just make a cube, flip the normals and assign the apropriate textures. I usually only do this in two or three angles, but a full 6 view cube around the model really makes it easy! I'll try to use this method a lot more in the future.

I did notice that the 2008 Jim Stevenson based image I'm using is really well done, but there are some differences from one angle to the next. I have chosen the overhead profile as the primary guide.

Going with the 6080 foot length is not nearly as big a problem as My earlier critically flawed test seemed to indicate. The landing bay opening in the drawings is still a little bit too small, but I have compensated by lowering the landing deck slightly and widening the inner mouth a bit. it all still fits within the outer skin profile just fine and is barely noticeable.

Right now the landing bay interior is 238 feet wide, minus the structural ribs which I have yet to build. The entrance of the landing bay is 78' high and in the main part of the landing bay the peak ceiling height is 119'. The landingbay is 1340' from the opening to the main bulkhead wall which is near the middle length of the flightpod.

The launching bay deck is 28' higher than the landingbay deck. I have the launching bays angles at 21.5 degrees forward rather than the 23.5 degrees I had posted earlier. The launching bays measure 54' from the elevator door to the launchtube entrance, and 27' 9" wide between the girders which are 10" thick. The launchtube is a total of 111' 8" long. The elevator is 37' 3" deep including the thickness of the elevator doors.

My launching bay dimensions fit closely to the film set blueprints. If I were to angle the launchtubes at more like a 45 degree angle which is implied by the exterior model the launchingbays would look completely different on the interior. Since I'm working on a first person perspective game mod, interior
layout details trump exterior model details (since the player wont see the outside of the launchtube exits anyhow).

From the edge of the interior landing bay wall to the outer edge of the flightpod is 119'.

My landing bay layout is very similar to the version done by Taranis, except for the hangers. I have the hangers above the landing bay, with none below the landing deck. There is ample space inside the flightpod shell for this and I even have the warrior tube running above the hanger deck with plenty of room to spare.

I think these will be the final dimensions, as it all fits together nicely. Overall I'm much happier with the 6080 foot scale rather than the 8000 foot version I was working on before.

Hopefully I'll have some more modeling time soon and I'll have some images to add.

Marvin
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Old April 10th, 2009, 04:33 AM   #13
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

That sounds great but we want to see pictures!
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Old April 10th, 2009, 03:05 PM   #14
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

oohh I'm looking forward to this
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Old April 19th, 2009, 02:38 PM   #15
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

Quote:
Originally Posted by peter noble View Post
That sounds great but we want to see pictures!



Yes, pics please...
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Old April 19th, 2009, 10:41 PM   #16
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Default Re: Battlestar scale

Sorry about the lack of new pics. I have been real busy all last week and will probably be the next week also. Soon though, I promise.

Marvin
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