Models giveaway

I need examples of what FL will accept for new player ships. Anything like that?

What is the max poly limit for a typical player ship in vanilla FL? I’m using a budget module for Blender.

For freelancer i usually try to stick to 5000 triangles or less for fighter sized craft.

Capital ships up to about 10000.

There’s no limit. We have 100k models, there are 1M models floating around (not that that’s going to run very well), it’s all up to who you’re targeting and what kind of budget you think you can work with.

if you’re going by standard rules, 3-6k polys for a fighter, 10-30k for a capital. If you go by my rules and also use the Max .CMP exporter, I shoot for ~10k polys for fighters, and anywhere between 40-150k polys for capitals. Also note that if you’re going to use higher count models, use aggressive loding to keep performance on older machines, if you care about supporting legacy hardware.

Sizer wrote:
if you’re going by standard rules, 3-6k polys for a fighter, 10-30k for a capital. If you go by my rules and also use the Max .CMP exporter, I shoot for ~10k polys for fighters, and anywhere between 40-150k polys for capitals. Also note that if you’re going to use higher count models, use aggressive loding to keep performance on older machines, if you care about supporting legacy hardware.

Dang, what graphics card do you use, a Quadro?

BTW, your modeling and texturing tutorials, how can those same techniques be applied to a VHF?

That level of detail doesn’t require a powerful card. I used to model like that on a mid-range mobile card. As for my tutorials, honestly, it’s just a matter of adjusting your scaling. It’s the same stuff… just make a fighter. Number one thing is to use reference material. I’ve got years of experience, so I can pull something out of my ass and have it turn out ok. But even then, to make a truly excellent model, you need reference material. Concept art, photos of real life machinery, etc.

I can’t provide my own ref material, and I will certainly not use anyone else’s reference material. I’m not the best modeler, and never will be. I’ll just end up killing scratch work, and end up with an empty portfolio. It’s no wonder why I never got the game development career I should have got. I have a fear of commitment, I fear of having to put my personal life behind, to work as a lowly unskilled laborer, leaving no time to practice my skills.

I’m telling you this, because my parents think I could only afford the bottom tier, because they think I don’t know how to handle myself in public. I’m sick of being babied all my life, I want to make a difference in the world, but I can’t do it the way people tell me to!

EDIT: Ok, I’m sorry I doubted myself, I’m at a stage where my parents need me to grow up. I can make reference material, I just need to know how to do it, all I have is physical medium, a scanner, a tablet, yet I have a problem with concentration.

You don’t always need to make it yourself. It helps if you can draw, but Google is your best friend. Find artists and styles you like, take influence from them. I like Syd Mead (Aliens, TRON, Blade Runner), Andy Probert (Star Trek I, TNG), Fractalsponge (Ansel Hsiao) (High-res SW work, The Essential Guide to Warfare), and Rob Cunningham (Homeworld). It’s about immersing yourself in your chosen aesthetic. I love 80s futurism and sci-fi films. I watch them all the time, and sketch and model while I do it.

Also, just about every modeller out there started by using existing artwork as a basis, often just making a perfect replica of the thing. It’s how you begin. You can’t reasonably expect to start off from zero and instantly make a work of art.

I prefer deviantART instead of google and its crappy picture search.

I think when it comes to starships it is hard to make a totally unique ship. Most of them have common or similar design elements.

You just gotta know how to treat google right, Kuze.

How about I make partial refs (i.e. outline only) that way I’ll decide how to mold it from the initial shape. I’ll need help making the textures afterwards.

Hmm what are you exactly talking about? By these refs you mean concept sketches and doodles of ships?

Reference is anything. Screenshots of films, concept art, other models, photos of IRL machinery. References are images you refer to for realism and concept (yes, dumb definition, but that’s what it is).

Ok, perhaps this will clarify things. An outline ref is a reference showing only the exterior outline of the concept. This type of reference is commonly used in tests involving creativity, because no detail is given inside the outline. It’s like an deciphering an inkblot, it can be whatever you mind tells it to be. Unlike the inkblot, the outline determines the models bounds and proportions.

If you’re still confused, go back to the inkblot analogy, heck, even look at inkblots. You’ll understand what I mean.

Hey Sol, just wanted to drop a note saying that your work is pretty damn good. I’ve been keeping an eye on it ever since you started several years ago. I think I’m starting to see Star Citizen references in your latest work.

I’m thinking of using some of your models for a little project I’m working on in Unity, so I thought I would let you know. Keep up the great work!

@Why485 Glad you still working on it! 8-)