Orbiter 2010...

[harkonnen]

...is out now.

Found a nicely detailed big capitol ship for some cool screenies.

I believe the Author's name is John Murcare, and if I remember correctly, it was one of his simple tutorials on how to get a mesh into orbiter that got me hooked on 3D modeling years ago.

Orbiter is free, and there is a flourishing freeware add-on community.
I might have to work up a big ol' ship for Orbiter now that I'm playing with it again.

[jaeger52]

FIRST RESPONDER GET'S A FREE TEST DRIVE AROUND THE.....UNIVERSE!!!

Hark, does she come with four on the floor, or a crummy hybrid plasma (auto) transmission?

"She's my little deuce coupe.....you don't know what I've got!"
-------Beach Boys


Jaeg-

[harkonnen]

This ship is one of the first ones I found after installing the newest 'Orbiter', I've only had it a few days, and haven't tried to use the FTL drive. (Faster Than Light, yassir!)
I've got the bug again, after all these years, to see something of mine scooting around in space. I've been looking at texturing in 'Anim8or', it's a lot simpler than in gmax, but it seems limited, gotta look at if I can model in Anim8or, texture in gmax, then export & convert to a mesh for 'Orbiter'.
I have no idea how to implement animations in Orbiter either, but it would be pretty cool.
With 'Anim8or' models in 'Orbiter', you can go nuts using emissive materials for lights and windows, etc, resulting in some really interesting, 'eye candy' models, extra-fun stuff that's right up my alley.

[gbesoain]

This ship is one of the first ones I found after installing the newest 'Orbiter', I've only had it a few days, and haven't tried to use the FTL drive. (Faster Than Light, yassir!)
I've got the bug again, after all these years, to see something of mine scooting around in space. I've been looking at texturing in 'Anim8or', it's a lot simpler than in gmax, but it seems limited, gotta look at if I can model in Anim8or, texture in gmax, then export & convert to a mesh for 'Orbiter'.
I have no idea how to implement animations in Orbiter either, but it would be pretty cool.
With 'Anim8or' models in 'Orbiter', you can go nuts using emissive materials for lights and windows, etc, resulting in some really interesting, 'eye candy' models, extra-fun stuff that's right up my alley.

I really like Orbiter, it's one of the best and most complete simulation ever and free I would love to open an Orbiter download section here at SurClaro.... Hope to see some of your creations there

Regards.,
G

[rd]

Looks like we have an Orbiter forum now

.

[Haun]

HOLY CRAP! Hark, you MADE that? I haven't been back here in about two years, and BAM, you make a frikin space ship CITY!

[harkonnen]

No no No. This is the first add-on that I found at the Orbit Hangar after installing the new Orbiter.

This gorgeous 'ship city' is the astounding work of Jon Marcure.

It was so cool, screenshots with this ship didn't do it justice, so when I fired up Orbiter and saw this thing in all it's glory, my jaw dropped.

It's pretty big, and with the level of detail, and the fact that there are so many lights and self-emitting materials, well, as soon as you move the camera, or the ship - it sparkles.
(You'd kind of have to see it in action to enjoy what I mean.)

Certainly inspiring though, it kicked me hard in the butt to start playing with something for Orbiter - I want to have my own impressive, eye-candy model to fly around, and the dreaming it up and building it on the fly is so much fun. Decided on a gunship for this one, and no, it's not going to be nearly as amazing as that capitol ship by Jon. I just like the idea of having a big ol', threatening-looking craft bearing down on Earth.

Basically building weapons of mass destruction at this point.

[harkonnen]

I just got back from an Orbiter forum, where some kind soul clued me in as to how to merge 2 different Anim8or scenes. This had elude me since 2006! This is huge for me, as now I can find an old, unused spacecraft mesh from ages ago, and bring it into this scene here. (I was having a heckuva time coming up with a suitable new gunship mesh to put all these details on. )

[mel wilson]

Wow..... only away for a month, and this little gem appears........ Mmmm Nice Very Nice.

Mel.

[harkonnen]

Thanks Mel, I had actually completely forgotten that I had posted here.
The big gunship that I had been planning has since turned into quite the happening little fighter instead. I found a few old meshes that might make a good gunship with some work... and it didn't work. I played for about a week trying old stuff and started two or three from scratch and the big capitol ship that I envisioned just eluded me, none of them looked right. I'd get so far into the modeling and then discard them in frustration. Finally one of the 'from scratch' ones looked really good, but it screamed 'FIGHTER', not big capitol ship.
Try to picture A-Wing meets T.I.E fighter meets Hark's warped brain.

This one's niiiice. Some models almost build themselves, the design just comes together all of a sudden and you feel like you have a gem.

Umm, I had envisioned a big, menacing ship in orbit, and had enjoyed 'Orbiter' just before starting this one, so it was meant to be an Orbiter add-on.
Now, with an agile little fighter in the works, I think I'll just make it an FS add-on. Besides, I have to master texture mapping in Anim8or in order to release for Orbiter, I've already got a good handle on texturing in gmax, for MSFS.

Wait 'till you see this one, I'm stoked.

[harkonnen]

Anim8or into gmax test = good.

Gmax mesh into FS test = good.

In fact, I can go nuts with little details on this one, lots of room left before she gets too poly/vertice heavy.

I will start an 'Add-ons Developers' thread once I've got a handle on this.

Zoom Zoom.