Welcome to the Art Work-In Progress forum

[Titon]

Hello all. Welcome to the new artwork forums. Here we will be showing in progress artwork of any kind. Whether cgi, real world model building, pen or paper bring it here. We'd love to see it all!

[Darrell Lawrence]

Just to clarify, any artist an post BG relate art here if it's a Work In Progress.

Finished art goes in the Finished Art forum

[Titon]

What he said.

[Stevew]

Excellent. The more BSG stuff we can get out there the better off we will be

[gmd3d]

Cool , its better to have them all in one place ..

[ernie90125]

Philosophical question : Does the increase in art content, encouragement of fans learning the trade, and increased awareness of fan CGI, mean it is more likely that a fan-made CGI Continuation will happen ?

[Titon]

hilosophical question : Does the increase in art content, encouragement of fans learning the trade, and increased awareness of fan CGI, mean it is more likely that a fan-made CGI Continuation will happen ?

That's the hope.

[rjandron]

Given both the proliferation and quality of Star Wars and Star Trek fan films out there, there is no reason why a fan-based production could not be done.

Okay, the Cylons may seem to be a bit of an issue since Cylon costumes are not as available as Imperial Stormtrooper Armour, but given that the Cylon warriors on NuBSG are computer-generated and composited, the old-style Cylon warriors could be done the same way in any fan production.

There are a LOT of fan films out there, and a LOT of them blow away even the big budget studio pictures in terms of quality and appeal.

I am currently writting software that you can produce CGI fan films with. It will come in several flavours - one of which is battlestar galactica

You will be able to use actors - set them paths to move along, saying where and how they move, you will be able to read a voice file and mark on it the sylables/letters and get it to lip sync, you can get them to interact with consoles, using hotspots etc.

You will be able to control vast space battles, using (depending on the distance from camera) hi poly and low poly

You will have sets that you can use that are made from the original blueprints. Such as bridge, imperial chamber, the launch deck, cylon cockpit etc.

This will take time though, and I have earmarked the next two months for the project. Once finished to an acceptable release level, I shall release it to the community and release the source code (once I have cleaned it from the usual mess that I make of coding)

I cannot guarantee that it will be of the best quality but if nothing else someone could use it to plan a fan film

this will take time

[Titon]

rjandron you and i need to talk. You don't happen to use icq do you?

Don

[gmd3d]

Originally Posted by Redgeneral

I am currently writting software that you can produce CGI fan films with. It will come in several flavours - one of which is battlestar galactica

You will be able to use actors - set them paths to move along, saying where and how they move, you will be able to read a voice file and mark on it the sylables/letters and get it to lip sync, you can get them to interact with consoles, using hotspots etc.

You will be able to control vast space battles, using (depending on the distance from camera) hi poly and low poly

You will have sets that you can use that are made from the original blueprints. Such as bridge, imperial chamber, the launch deck, cylon cockpit etc.

This will take time though, and I have earmarked the next two months for the project. Once finished to an acceptable release level, I shall release it to the community and release the source code (once I have cleaned it from the usual mess that I make of coding)

I cannot guarantee that it will be of the best quality but if nothing else someone could use it to plan a fan film

this will take time

That sound awesome!!! and awesome is not a word I use alot. just ask anyone here Redgeneral.. I have Lightwave 8.3 and while I am not fantastic (only had it 3 months or so) I am intrested in a animated fanfilm or anykind of fanfilm.

Lighting is something I am trying to work out and to get the best scenes possible
in my picture renders.. Its cool to see you have this in the works we have a thread here all about a fanfilm in animation.. I will try to locate it and postr a link...

Keep us informed Redgeneral and Titon.

The modelling package that I will use is gmax - although limited, it is free and you can export to more formats than it supports using custom plugins.

Most of the work will be done by the software. The lipsync will either be by manipulation of the bones or it will be the easier "aardman type" [british animation company] - where seveal mouths ar made for each sylabul, and the imbetween the sybyuls as it goes between them. the mouths are then swapped faster than you can see and you can get very smooth looking animation which is often more natural looking than the bone method.

Almost everything I make for the battlestar version of the software will be based on origenal blueprints or on accurate drawings - I have already made the basis of the cylon cockpit interior - next comes the rest of the ship, and a couple of cylons.

Screenshots will be uploaded as soon as possible

[Titon]

Man we could really use a guy like you Redgeneral!

Can't wait to see the cockpit.

Man we could really use a guy like you Redgeneral!

That's very nice to hear.

I should stress though that progress will be slow due to a number of components that would need sorting before anying substantial appears - expect version 0.01 out at about early september.

Website should be up in about two weeks or so where I can keepo everyone upto date with this project.

Any help with this will be aprreciated - although i aim to make all of the models myself, I will need any accurate drawings/bluprints that anyone can get their hands on.

Initiallly this will be original Battlestar Galactica - I have some blueprints for it already, but I will aim to have both new and old.


Oh, will post concept drawings up soon.

[Titon]

Thanks General! Great to hear.

I'll see what i can do to help

Thank you

[gmd3d]

Redgeneral if you let us know what blueprint you have we can the look to loocate the other..

I have the following blueprints:
- bridge of the galactica
- viper ( full set size)
- viper launch
- cylon raider cockpit
- interior lazer station
- imperious leader's chambers
- small shuttlecraft
- land ram

I would like (as bluepritns or very acurate drawings):
- exterior cylon raider
- cylon radier bay of basestar
- basestar itself
- assorted locations in the galactica that I have not mentioned above
- the galactica itself
- control pannels in the viper

I know it is a long list, and that some of these might not exist, but I am hoping to make this a fully featured program suitable for use by the members of Colonial Fleets for fan films etc.

I have now got the basic user interface working though, with a opengl scene - soon I will have model loading and linkage between the gui and the opengl scene. So far so good, but this is a very challenging project and as I have said above - a basic release v0.01 will probably take me two months solid work.

[gmd3d]

Check this
ART of GALACTICA > ART Work - FinishedProduction Viper control layouts: By
justjackrandom... I don't know how do do a direct link for you perhaps one of those
with more skill than I to help.. great stuff

Thank you, will become part of my studio size viper - which you will be able to have people in and you will be able to have scenes with

[gmd3d]

Cool.. JJR put a lot of work in to them I was going to have a go at making a 3D mesh with my old Truespace prog but
never got around to it.. Know I am learning Lightwave and that taking up all my free time

Always been a 3dsmax (or its derivative gmax) man myself, although modo http://www.modo3d.com/ does look good and is powerful

I will release my models seperately as well, so that those who do not like the program but like the models can use them in their projects