88 réponses à ce sujet

[havoc373]

Hi,
i love the design of the Normandy SR2. so i took it upon myself to start making a Maquette/toy model of the normandy SR2.

The final model will be around 1.2 meters in length (or 47 inches).
and feature several moving parts:

* First the wings will partialy retract into the fusilage in two stages.(by pulling a single lever on the bottom of the ship, both wings will retract)

* Also while the wings are moving the rear part of the engine will extend outward (I havent finalised the mechanism for that part yet, so i dont know if it will make it into the finished product)

* If I can fit it in the wing, it will also have 4 dart launchers (or two its hard to tell where the disruptor torpedo's are fired from.)

* The cockpit windows will have armor plates that slide down over it. (using a fairly simple rail system)

* A dart firing Thanix cannon extends from the bottom of the fusilage. it will be concealed like in the game.

* The hanger door can open and close

* The small airlock on the left side of the fusilage next to the cockpit will slide open.

* And last but not least it will have a small battery hatch (also concealed) for the LED lighting system. (engines and cannons will light up blue, fusilage windows will light up yelowish orange)

here are the first two parts i finished (their not painted yet obiously) i dont know exactly what to call them so i'll just the call them maneuvering thrusters. this is the one attached to the big engine closest to the fusilage.






The thrusters have a 50 degree range of movement. 25 degrees up and down. i know it doesnt do that in the game but... i saw no harm in making them do that.

i'll keep updating this thread with my progress over the comming weeks/months
Also i would like to know. in ME1 you see this piece actualy has a thruster that fires on the SR1 when it lands on the citadel. In ME2 you dont see the normandy actualy fire this thruster so should i or should i not add lights there.

enjoy and let me know what you think.

P.S. i know i made a small mistake on thruster itself where there is a small piece thats lowered. that will be fixed when i re-do this piece

Modifié par havoc373, 31 juillet 2010 - 07:37 .

[Kabelzaag]

 How come I already love this, even though I've only seen two thrusters.
I wish you many luck with this project, as I know I wouldn't have the patience for it.

[Mx_CN3]

Seems a little big for a "toy," but I nonetheless am interested. Keep us updated!

[havoc373]

Here is the first part of the CG model i am using to test and design the mechanisms with
just to give you an preview of the level of detail i am going for.
i'm using game textures as reference for the structural detail.



Still needs alot of work. Enjoy

Modifié par havoc373, 16 juillet 2010 - 11:08 .

[Sursion]

Someone made one out of Lego once. I look forward to seeing the result.

[havoc373]

Sursion wrote...

Someone made one out of Lego once. I look forward to seeing the result.

yeah it was Ben Fellowes's lego model of the normandy that actualy made me decide to go this big. his was 1.25m i believe.
which later turned out to be the right course cause the 3d printer i am using for this cant make the tiny gears at its previous size of 80 cm long. it would have to make some gears that were 4 mm in diameter... it doesnt like doing that and they turn out horribly mishapen or it wil just refuse to print it altogether. that and i just like large model can then i can pump it full of glorious detail and its a little easyer to paint.

[havoc373]

ok the mechanism for the rear engine parts is complete,
this part will be attached to a gear on the main wing that will turn when the wings retract causing this engine part to slide outward

also if anyone has any suggestions about features i could add or has any ideas about the mechanisms please feel free to share i might incorporate them into the final model.

Modifié par havoc373, 22 juillet 2010 - 09:57 .

[Sgt Lindog]

wow this is so awsome, cant wait to see the finished product!!

[Katamariguy]

Bioware aught to hire you

[HBC Dresden]

Good luck to OP, will enjoy seeing the process of making it.

[Repellerar]

Awesome work, will follow your progress with excitement!

[havoc373]

hi guys another update. i know its mostly been cg model updates but i have to make sure the model is correct and fits together in cg before i can send it off to the printer. that said i have had to make a replacement part for the manuevering thruster because of a simple observation error. i used ingame screenshots for one piece and made a judgement call on how it would look on a high detail model. i later held this piece up to the cinematic model and noticed it didnt look like what i made at all. so here is a screen of the old and the new. bottom one is the old one and the top one is the new one.
i should get the new piece either monday or tueseday. i'll post a screen of it then.



also i thought it might be interesting to share a more total picture of whats going on inside these models. so i upped the transperancy of the exterior and highlighted the interior pieces that will not be visible on the final model.
Green is support structure
red is the mechanism
again still Work in Progress, enjoy and let me know what you think

[Caihn]

Good job.

Can't wait to see the final result.

[havoc373]

I recieved the new front maneuvering thruster, here you can see a comparison between the old and the new. dimensions have remained the same apart from the connecting joint, the old one wasent wide enoegh and the pins that held it in to what ever position you wanted didnt extend far enoegh for the mechanic to be effective. resulting in a fairly weak joint that would fall down if left hanging for a while.

Also i've done more on the whole wing itself, again progress is slow because i am constantly calculating wether or not a certain component will be strong enoegh to bear the load. Also you can see more examples of the mechanism. i'll post a video later to show how it will all work once i finish the wing assembly.

The blue and purple pieces are the ones i ordered and should be recieving in a few days.
red = Mechanism
Green = Supports


I've started a blog for this an all my other escapades at:
http://havocanimatio...s.blogspot.com/
Enjoy.

Modifié par havoc373, 31 juillet 2010 - 07:52 .

[Kurt Cobain]

this is so awesome. Make sure to make A LOT of pictures to share with us!

[M1tt3ns]

Depending on what kind of material you're using, be sure to insulate the resistors in your LED lighting system with some electrical tape or something so it doesn't melt anything. I find the yellow LEDs I use for prop making require a much bigger resistor than most other colors and it heats up pretty fast, not ignition temperature or anything, but I can see them damaging a soft modelling substance like thin plasticard.

[havoc373]

M1tt3ns wrote...

Depending on what kind of material you're using, be sure to insulate the resistors in your LED lighting system with some electrical tape or something so it doesn't melt anything. I find the yellow LEDs I use for prop making require a much bigger resistor than most other colors and it heats up pretty fast, not ignition temperature or anything, but I can see them damaging a soft modelling substance like thin plasticard.

thanks for the tip. i'm not too savy with building my own electronics for props and model making (this is my first ever project of this kind) 
the material is a nylon based plastic and has a fail temperature of 80 degrees celcius. (and its flamable when held up to an open fire) how ever i was planning on using clusters of fiber optic wire to as it were, transmit the light to different places on the model. each engine pod would have their own white or blue LED (depends on what kind of transperant material i am going to use and if i can paint it and keep it transperant) and in the main hull there would be 2 LEDS taped up to several clusters of fiber optic wire and the ends of those wires would be attached to the hull lights. i'll probably need an additional blue LED for the Thanix cannon though... i havent fully worked out the entire lighting scheme yet. 

also on a side note after checking the thickness of the wings and the thanix cannon at this size i wont be able to implement dart firing cannons. in the wings i only have 1,2 cm of height space to put the cannon in. thats not enoegh room to fit everything. same goes for the thanix cannon. all the other movement mechanisms will still work though.

so the dart launchers are canceled, i wont sacrifice the likeness of the model for a feature like that.

[havoc373]

i have been getting a few e-mails from people that are concerned about my project and bioware stopping me half way. and they have got me a little worried.

This model is being produced for two reasons. 1 i love the mass effect franchise and wanted to make a physical tribute to it for myself, and to test the limits of my own observation skills, Modeling technique, and technical expertise. and apply those skills to a project in which i am limited by the design of someone else and still create a functional model that resembles the source material in its fullest extent.
and second as a portfolio piece. i am currently doing a study in international game architecture and design. in which i am specialising in art for video games and other CG applications. this model would show the above capabilities, aswel as impress my acedemic peers for its technical complexity and attention to detail.

i do not intend: for this model to be sold, mass produced, or used in any way as a means to commercial gain.
also this model is financed entirely out of my own pocket, There is no third party financial backer involved.

now that we have that out of the way. it would be nice if someone from Bioware could comment on my producing this model and more specificaly wether i am allowed to continue. it would be a total downer if Bioware decided to stop me halfway when i am Building the more expensive parts of the model. (fusilage and its interior support structure)

I would be most gratefull for any comment regarding this issue, thanks

Modifié par havoc373, 07 août 2010 - 08:30 .

[Rinion87]

First, great stuff, wanted a Normandy model for a long time, but lack the ability to make one myself. Second, if possible, how much is this costing to get each of the parts printed?

[joriandrake]

havoc373 wrote...

i have been getting a few e-mails from people that are concerned about my project and bioware stopping me half way. and they have got me a little worried.

This model is being produced for two reasons. 1 i love the mass effect franchise and wanted to make a physical tribute to it for myself, and to test the limits of my own observation skills, Modeling technique, and technical expertise. and apply those skills to a project in which i am limited by the design of someone else and still create a functional model that resembles the source material in its fullest extent.
and second as a portfolio piece. i am currently doing a study in international game architecture and design. in which i am specialising in art for video games and other CG applications. this model would show the above capabilities, aswel as impress my acedemic peers for its technical complexity and attention to detail.

i do not intend: for this model to be sold, mass produced, or used in any way as a means to commercial gain.
also this model is financed entirely out of my own pocket, There is no third party financial backer involved.

now that we have that out of the way. it would be nice if someone from Bioware could comment on my producing this model and more specificaly wether i am allowed to continue. it would be a total downer if Bioware decided to stop me halfway when i am Building the more expensive parts of the model. (fusilage and its interior support structure)

I would be most gratefull for any comment regarding this issue, thanks

you like the game and that is why you make the ship plus you don't sell it anyway, denying you the right to make a toy would be like to deny someone to draw their favorite character from a movie

[havoc373]

Rinion87 wrote...

First, great stuff, wanted a Normandy model for a long time, but lack the ability to make one myself. Second, if possible, how much is this costing to get each of the parts printed?

it isnt cheap.

so far the pieces that i have the first part of the engine and the deceleration thruster attached to that (picture in previous post) cost me 58 dollars, or 45 euro's. the next piece of the engine i ordered which is slightly larger than the mounting piece that the thruster is attached to, costs 30 euro's or 39 dollars. i am trying to use as little material as possible to keep the model as cheap as i can. but for some components you just have to use a little more material or

else its not going to be strong enoegh to support itself aswel as the mechanism.

even though 90% of the model is going to be hollow there is still alot going on under the hood of it.
here's a pic.



most of the costs actualy come from all the support structures inside the ship and the mechanism.

also another cool fact on biowares end. after checking out how far the wing actualy retracts into the fusilage and the extent to which the rear engine "nozzle"? extends. and i have found they are about equal which means i wont have to change any gear ratio inside the wing. the gears inside the nozzle and the gear that activates the mechanism are the same size. i wont have to change a thing and re-calculate the whole gear ratio. its like bioware designed the normandy to be made into a toy

Modifié par havoc373, 08 août 2010 - 02:57 .

[Arhka]

Instead of dart launchers for the disruptor torpedoes, I would substitute two blue laser pointers if you can fit them in. They look more like lasers b/c of how fast they can be launched.

[havoc373]

Arhka wrote...

Instead of dart launchers for the disruptor torpedoes, I would substitute two blue laser pointers if you can fit them in. They look more like lasers b/c of how fast they can be launched.

Good idea, i'll look into it. It still leaves the actual positioning of the laser pointers. I cant find the hole they come out of

Modifié par havoc373, 08 août 2010 - 05:21 .

[havoc373]

new pieces arrived today and here are some screenshots
Top:

Bottom:

These are the new pieces seperated. this is done so i can attach the top part of wing to this engine by using those two hexagonal pegs. after i get the wing i'll glue these pieces together aswel as tot the wing. just a bit of extra support.


crits and comments are as always much apriciated.

Modifié par havoc373, 11 août 2010 - 08:13 .

[Klimy]

Goooooo havoc373!

Wish you lots of luck with this!