#A-Wings
15 messages in this thread
If anyone is interested, I've uploaded an image of my new A-Wing model in
the SF Fantasy Forum. I still don't understand the copyright deal about not
letting me post the image here – Bruce had told me a month or more ago that the
copyright holders of Star Trek asked that all Star Trek related material be
removed from Compuserve, but it is all still there in the SF Fantasy forum. I
wish they would come up with an enforced, across-the-board policy. Anyway, the
image is there if anyone is interested, and the project files for the A-Wing,
Y-Wing, TIE and TIE/In will be available after I get version 3.0. I want to
clean them up a little first.
Michael S. Flynn
Michael,
I look forward to seeing your models.
As far as copyright stuff, you wouldn't want to see all those starving 3d
artists working for Paramount and Lucasfilm (you know, the ones releasing 3d
models and images to the public for profit) to lose their jobs would you? What
kind of a man are you?
Ow! Dang. Now I have a hole in my
cheek. :{( AD
Adam,
I would never consider trying to make money off of someone else's hard
work. But it pains me to see some of the stuff people try to pass off as
"detailed Star Wars" models. It's either laziness and/or lack of skill. Lack of
skill is something we all have to deal with, but the laziness part bothers me.
So, since I can't actually sell my models, I decided to make them available to
anyone interested. The less experienced users might learn from them, and the
lazy ones could create animations and images with models they'd rather not take
time to create. I'm not trying to sound pompous, but some of the images created
with other 3D software were obviously left undetailed to increase rendering
speed. That's fine with me if you want to do that with your own stuff, but if
you are trying to represent someone else's imagination, I think you own it to
them to be as accurate as possible.
Michael S. Flynn
Michael,
I certainly hope you don't think I was serious! I did not mean to imply
anything nasty, and i hope your work is well received so as to promote A:M.
A:D
Adam,
I know you weren't serious.
Michael S. Flynn
Michael,
I think I saw this on Gilligan's Island once: You said that she said that I
said <BG>.
BTW, I have often thought about doing stuff based on existing settings (SW,
ST, B5, etc.), but it seems to lack a certain feeling of acheivment since I
didn't create the orignal idea. Do you ever feel that way, or do you also do a
lot of orignal work?
AD
Adam,
I do original stuff too. The reason I'm doing a lot of Star Wars right now
is for Star Fighter Command Magazine. It seems like one of the first things
people do with a 3D app is to create a TIE fighter, and most of the examples I
saw were poor examples, so I decided to create one that was much more detailed
to show people that if you take the time, you can achieve more realism. Rich
Mason, the editor of SFCM saw mt first image and asked if I would be willing to
do art and anims for the mag, so that is why I have kept at it.
I have a folder in my Master directory called "Universe". That's where I
put the things that I am creating for my own private cosmos. When AM 3.0 gets
here, I'll be posting images and project files for two of my own space craft,
the TALON and the WASP. I was influenced to start drawing spacecraft at age 14
when I saw a book of painting done by Chris Foss. When you see these ships, the
influence will be obvious.
The biggest thing that actually stifles my creativity is not having an
objective. I can sit down and say that I'm going to design a table and chairs,
but if it is for no more purpose than just doing it, I won't be as creative or
enthusiatic as I would be if someone asked me "Can you do this?". That's why I
am building my own universe, and writing up a whole history, military and
ecomonics, atlas, and of course, species. As I set up different star systems, I
can decide which have habital planets, what are the different planetary
resources, what are the continents and capitols, etc. By profiling the
evolutions of each star system, I can create different races, each with their
own characteristics, and as I take all things into account, creating models for
the different worlds should become easy, and unique to each race. By modeling
my universe from the many diverse cultures that exist, have existed, and may
exist on Earth, I can adapt technologies, military, ecomonics, etc., to my own
universe and make it seem a very realistic one. Then when it comes time to
actually make a movie, I will have a huge background of models and ideas to
draw from.
Michael S. Flynn
Michael,
That was interesting. You echoed some of my own work habits in terms of not
being very good at just sitting down and trying to build 'something.' I too
find it much easier to create if there is some sort of goal in mind. That's
why a friend of mine and I are trying to put together a long form animation
that's sort of a science fiction parody thing that steals from everything, but
only in general ways: e.g., There is no 'Mr. Spot', but we have a plant-man
who is rather dour and logical (ok, ok, there was a plant-man named Ficus on
Quark, but ours doesn't look human <g>). The basic idea was actually fleshed
out about 10 years ago in high school, and we did a radio play based upon it
(which was re-done in college by a local science fiction group). The problem
now is: He bought Imagine, I bought Playmation, and now we need to coordinate.
Since he'll be doing most of the modelling, he wants to stick with polygons. As
I am doing the animation, I like A:M. Jeesh, what a mess! And to top it all
off, both A:M and Lightwave (which we are both looking at as a compromise
solution) have new versions coming out in some vague 1st quarter 95ish time
frame, when we were hoping to get a promo done in time for the next big science
fiction con here in the Northwest in April (Norwescon).
I hope A:M 3 comes out soon so I can see some of your orignal work. For me,
appreciating someone's work is always easier if you know more about it, and it
sounds as though you have put a lot of thought into your efforts.
Good luck, AD
Adam,
Hopefully you guys can work something out. A Playmation/Imagine
collaboration should be interesting. I've never heard of Norwescon, where and
when is it held?
Michael S. Flynn
Michael,
NorWescon is held in Seattle (or at least nearby) in the spring. It's the
larger of our cons in the area.
Yeah, as far as Imagine/Playmation collaboration, we'll see!
AD
Michael,
I have been a creative sort for over half a century and I am now only
approaching the time when I can actually create in a form I can share with
others what I have dreamed about for a life time. It's not may age, not work,
not time, its just that only now do I have the tools I have always needed.
There was time I used paint and brush, from which I paid my way through
school, then the airbrush which bercame a carrier, then the computer, (in the
80's) which earned me an EMMY award, and now I have tools Like AM and systems
like the IRIS, so now I can begin to share a life time of creative generation.
May I suggest that every time the "muse" strikes you commit it to paper,
hard disk what ever, there will come a time when you look back and see how
insperantional the idea was and build on it again, you will in time have
thousands of such moments, save them now, make your "project" the future and
soon you will find your self embarked on the most fantastic creative journey
one could ever possibly dream of!
🙂
Lee
Lee,
I was an accomplished artist before I started on the computer 4 years ago.
I've got tons of scrap paper all over the place of sketches and scribbled down
ideas. Sometimes I go through it to see how far I've come, sometimes just for a
good laugh, and sometimes to try and figure out what I thought I was
communicating to myself because it sure as hell makes no sense now.
Having an EMMY under your belt must look pretty damn good on your
credentials, not to mention the mantel!
Michael S. Flynn
Flynn,
You get an 18 carrot gold Emmy lepel pin as well, you know to show off
when in formal atire (sic).
Lee
Lee,
That must help out in picking up the women who tell you they've heard you
make movies for HBO.
Michael S. Flynn
Mike,
WOW!!!! Truly impressive stuff! This is some of the best work I've seen done
with A:M. I'm once again completely fired up about 3D modelling! And anyone who
says A:M sucks, too difficult to use, or is incapable of making non-plastic
looking objects hasn't seen what a "good" artist can do with it!
Keep up the GREAT work!
One suggestion (totally opinion based), tame down the backdrops alittle. They
take away from the main objects of the picture. Also, try a different color
scheme with the planets.
-ANDREW