Could Somebody Build Me Something?

[Darkwing]

Hi there, it's been a while since I been on here, anyways, I need some help. I am trying to make a movie (non-profit) and I need some models built. Naturally, I would build them myself, but because it's supposed to look good, I won't do it, as my models are crap! Anyways, here are some reference pics, but I wouldn't use them as rotoscopes as they're not to scale or anything like that.

 

 

Anyways, I would really appreciate somebody building me things. There will be other ships that need to be built, but they haven't been designed yet. It would be nice to have this look as professional as possible, so that means textures, details etc. There are no set dimensions on this thing, so you don't have to go and make it 400 ft big! Whoever does work on this, your name will go in the movies credits too. Please somebody help me out!

[heyvern]

Good luck with your project. (You need to check those images, they don't load when clicked. Some kind of error.)

 

I hope you find some volunteers but you shouldn't hold your breath waiting for people to jump on this. Credits in the final film aren't really worth that much to the people skilled enough to do what you want. There are many many projects like this that offer "credits" and very few get done. To bring in other like minded volunteers to do this project you need to get people excited about the project. Simply asking for models based on your ideas won't be enough. Give people a reason to want to sign up. Names in credits won't be enough. Show the script, show the story. in the meantime...

 

... You say your "models are crap"? Let's see them. Maybe while you wait for volunteers you could go through the ToAM and all the tutorials on your own and try to create these models. It might not be as hard as you think. You might learn something. If you drew those sketches of the ship then you obviously have enough talent to build these in AM. You could also not use "completed" models to start with. Use simple geometric primitives as place holders in AM to do a simple animatic, or just do a drawn animatic from sketches. Who knows, if someone likes the story line they might be interested in helping out.

 

The problem with your request is that you want QUALITY help from others who have spent a long time learning AM and have gained some mastery of it. You view that "skill" from your own perspective. Your perspective of having ideas to animate but thinking you don't have the skills to produce the content. You imagine that for someone skilled in AM knocking out these things for free for you to use would be simple. That isn't exactly true. By the time someone gets good enough to model to that level they also value their skills and want more than a credit line for their effort. You will actually get much more advice and help from more people if you try on your own first, ask for guidance and instruction on using AM while you attempt to build these ships rather than just throwing in the towel and asking someone to do it for you. Give it a shot on your own first.

 

Just an opinion... but I've seen so many of these requests over the years. You have to have a strong story with some quality work to show your vision of what the result could be to inspire others to join in. Put yourself in someone else's shoes... if you had the skills would you volunteer hours of your time based on this request? Or would you want to do something of your own?

 

-vern

[Rodney]

Vern was remarkably restrained in his reply. A lot of folks would take a harsher view of such requests.

You may not realize it but 'Make me a movie' is a considerable request.

 

Most people will gladly help someone who is willing to help themself.

Few are interested in working for free when they have their own projects to work on.

 

Since this is a Work In Progress topic... why not take the time to model that one spaceship?

You'll be amazed at your own abilities. Once they see your effort others may get enthused and join in your project too.

Thats what 'Work In Progress' is all about.

All it takes is the desire to begin.

[Darkwing]

well, all i wanted was a ship made for me. as for ToAM, well, I've gone through it a bunch of times, i've even gone through that really big book, i forget what it's called. i lack the knowledge/ability to make flowing splines, detail that works (my bump/displacement maps don't render right). as for models that i've done, you mustn't remember them, as i used to post on here about a year ago with my stuff whcih, er, left much to be desired. i didn't mean to use the credits as a means to try and get somebody to do it, i was just merely saying that they would be recognized for what they've done. i don't really have anything that anybody would want/be interested in, as all i get out of this is the satisfaction of making my film. i've already started casting people, and set work is soon to begin. anyways, i guess it was worth a try, i guess i'll just have to figure out something on my own (as usual). oh well, thanks for letting me know nobody would be interested. it was worth a shot i suppose.

[largento]

Darkwing, why not modify your ship design to play to your modeling strengths? Make it easier for you to build?

[Darkwing]

well, it's not so much this ship, as it's the other more advanced ones that haven't been put up yet. and the ship has to reflect what the set looks like too, so that's partly why the ship is designed the way it is

 

Edit: Oh, sorry, but the last post before this made it seem that I was trying to make people feel sorry for me, that's not true, i didn't intend anything like that!

[heyvern]

well, all i wanted was a ship made for me. as for ToAM, well, I've gone through it a bunch of times, i've even gone through that really big book, i forget what it's called. i lack the knowledge/ability to make flowing splines, detail that works (my bump/displacement maps don't render right). as for models that i've done, you mustn't remember them, as i used to post on here about a year ago with my stuff whcih, er, left much to be desired.

 

If that's the attitude you approach your film with it won't get done either. According to what you say you won't be doing anything but the animation? Art directing? At some point you will encounter ANOTHER area of animated film making you aren't an expert with... what then? Don't give up. Start a thread about your movie. Post your work again even if you feel it's terrible. Ask for help. It's so much easier to guide and teach people than it is to just "do it for you".

 

i didn't mean to use the credits as a means to try and get somebody to do it, i was just merely saying that they would be recognized for what they've done. i don't really have anything that anybody would want/be interested in, as all i get out of this is the satisfaction of making my film.

 

There you go. If even YOU don't believe in the project you can't expect anyone else to believe in it. Try to be positive about it. If it isn't working and you don't like it maybe you need to show off the story and ask for help in that area as well. If you are negative about it it will come through to others. No one else is going to be more excited about this then YOU. These models will take hours to produce. Why should someone spend hours on something that even you, the creator/director doesn't even like? Show some confidence.

 

i've already started casting people, and set work is soon to begin. anyways, i guess it was worth a try, i guess i'll just have to figure out something on my own (as usual).

 

Set work? Is that AM sets? Or "real" sets? Building a set in AM can be just as difficult as building a space ship. The "set" should be done as well as the "ships". If you are doing that than you could handle trying to build one of these ships.

 

oh well, thanks for letting me know nobody would be interested. it was worth a shot i suppose.

 

I never said that. No one said that. I was just trying to be realistic. If you don't get volunteers or responses it doesn't mean your idea is bad. I just said that it might be hard to get people to volunteer if you have nothing to excite them with. Not exactly a fair or a good comparison but look at what Martin is doing with his Oz movie projects. All of those people are volunteering. Why? Because he motivates. He excites. You don't have to be as good as Martin at motivation, but a tiny bit of confidence goes a long way.

 

To excite people you need to make it look like it would be fun or challenging. Instead of showing a drawing of what YOU want, maybe it could be just a request to make ANY ship. I do free posters for all of my brother's plays. They are community theater, non profit. My only requirement is that I have COMPLETE creative control. I do the poster but they take what I create without any questions. They never get a round of revisions unless there is a typo. So far no one has ever complained.

 

You may want to look on the AM disk or the Extras disk for things you might cobble together into a ship. In the old days of special effects ship models were often built from found objects, stuck together in interesting ways.

 

So one person on the forum (me) suggests you won't get a ton of people knocking down the door to work on this... and you give up? Don't give up! Keep trying. And keep working with AM. I know EXACTLY how you feel about your skills modeling in AM. I was there once too. Everyone starts there. If you want it bad enough you find a way.

 

-vern

[Darkwing]

the sets are real btw. there are very few cgi sequences, but they're still in there I don't intend to sound negative, but creative wise, on other websites about other things, i've had a bad day, so i guess it's showing.

[Rodney]

i've had a bad day, so i guess it's showing

 

Some people do their best work when they find themselves way down in the dumps.

Its not always fun but its almost always motivational.

 

The great thing about being down is that you know sooner or later things are going to look up again.

The first thing to do is remember to look up!

 

Have you ever used proxy models before?

Some of the best animation starts with simple crudely built box models.

Once you get the animation right... just substitute in the higher quality models.

[Darkwing]

yes, i've tried it all before, it just comes down to either i just plain and simple can't model, i haven't the years of experience behind me or i just don't have the training. modelling isn't as easy for me as sitting down and doing all of that "positive" stuff you just told me, i've been trying for two years! a couple of months will not make me have models that look good. i'm sorry, i'm trying to take this all in a good way, but it's just making me angrier, because over those two years, i've seen other people model things for others, and i was just hoping that somebody would do the same for me. i know you're trying your best to make me feel better or something, it's just, i lack the skills to model, at least at this point in time. maybe years down the road i'll be able to do it, but not now, not for a few cg shots in a live-action film.

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Darkwing,

 

I'd be happy to take a shot at your models in exchange for some artwork done for me. I can't come up with designs that are very good and would like some creative assistance.

 

I'll barter models for artwork. Deal?

 

email me through the forums and I can respond and then you can send me good copies of those drawings in the first post... they give an error when clicked on.

 

MMZ_TimeLord

[Darkwing]

sure, as long as your designs are tasteful, i'm willing to give a stab at them

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Please send an email to mmz-timelord over at sbcglobal dot net...

[itsjustme]

sure, as long as your designs are tasteful, i'm willing to give a stab at them

 

Darkwing, have you ever heard the phrase "Looking a gift horse in the mouth"? You have someone willing to help you if you help them in an even trade and you want to have final approval on their project?

[Kamikaze]

This has been a weird thread..... (shaking head in disbelief)

[Rodney]

This has been a weird thread..... (shaking head in disbelief)

 

What can we say except... 'We are all a Work In Progress'.

[3DArtZ]

Darkwing, I'll model it for $500

 

thats a pretty good deal:)

[tido]

I just wanna say why I wouldn't volunteer for this: You don't show any work you have done yet on this project. You have to start something because so many great movie idea simply die after a while and I dont like wasting my time. Why should I think that your movie will be, one day, completed?

 

At least, we need to see some previous work (or first, experiment a bit more and show us that)

 

I guess what I say is about the same as heyvern about motivation.

[Gerry]

My thought from the very beginning of this thread was, "Is it an interesting story?" So far I haven't seen anything about that.

[Darkwing]

sure, as long as your designs are tasteful, i'm willing to give a stab at them

 

Darkwing, have you ever heard the phrase "Looking a gift horse in the mouth"? You have someone willing to help you if you help them in an even trade and you want to have final approval on their project?

 

i never said that, i just want it to be something that is tasteful, i'm not going to design the next porno cover for a model, that's all i mean. as for the script, i'm not opsting the whole thing, cause i don't want to give it away, but here's part of it

 

The Experiment

 

and as for modelling for $500, i'm doing this on my own, budget equates to about $100 maybe a little more to try and build the set and everything, i'm gonna mostly use scraps that around the place though

[3DArtZ]

and as for modelling for $500, i'm doing this on my own, budget equates to about $100 maybe a little more to try and build the set and everything, i'm gonna mostly use scraps that around the place though

 

thats much more realistic:)

 

Keep us posted!

[jzawacki]

Darkwing, have you ever heard the phrase "Looking a gift horse in the mouth"?

 

Just because he lacks modeling talent doesn't mean he should jeopardize his morals to make a movie. I'd like to think that it should go without saying (tasteful, that is) but who really knows what is going on in the minds of others on the net.

[Darkwing]

i'm certain he has something good he wants designed, i just threw it out there as a disclaimer. i am extremely grateful that somebody said they'd give it a try, i would do it, i just don't feel confident enough in my abilities to make something that looks half decent. in all of the models i've made, i've never wanted to zoom in to do detail shots, because then you see all of my rendering artifacts and all that fun stuff!

[itsjustme]

Darkwing, have you ever heard the phrase "Looking a gift horse in the mouth"?

 

Just because he lacks modeling talent doesn't mean he should jeopardize his morals to make a movie. I'd like to think that it should go without saying (tasteful, that is) but who really knows what is going on in the minds of others on the net.

 

"Tasteful" could mean a lot of things...later he clarifies that he's referring to porn. Saying, "As long as it isn't porn" is different than saying "As long as it's tasteful", don't you think?

 

Good luck on the project, Darkwing.

[Darkwing]

porn was just an example, by tasteful, you could give it a rating of PG

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Darkwing,

 

Quick question... What is the scale of this ship? Looks as if there's a two seat cockpit in the front. Am I correct?

 

As to what I'll request later... it will be ship and or set design... not porn or "tasteless" stuff... My project doesn't even have any guns at this point.

[Darkwing]

well, it's a small ship, one pilot, carries about 4 to 5 people with enough room to carry a bit of cargo, or another passenger. it was once a former "cruise" ship, but is now just a flying piece of garbage. with regards to minor details and things, use your own descretion and creativity. it needs to look battered up, with places where it was hit by micro-meteor and other things like that.

 

as for the designs, feel free to get me to do them whenever, i don't care, i like designing ships and sets, so hopefully i can produce something to your satisfaction

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Darkwing,

 

Here is the basic shape. Let me know if the proportions look correct. (It's VERY hard to do without orthographic drawings)

[Darkwing]

yeah, it does! remember, you cna have a little creatvivity with it too, i understand that things don't always turned ot as sketched, which is completely OK. i'll get some drawings at other angles done up for you

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Nah, that's cool. I think I have plenty of detail from your existing drawings. I did some orthographic drawings by hand and after I modeled it... it was WAY out of proportion, so I did some adjustments until it matched your initial angle sketch.

 

I'll see if I can get the windows and stuff modeled this weekend.

[heyvern]

I would like to take some credit for Darkwing getting his volunteer. Usually these posts fade away with barely a response. I think I had some small part in sparking some interest... not my intention of course but so be it.

 

uh... I should get a credit in the film yes?

 

-vern

[Darkwing]

technical consultant and motivator, sounds good!

 

@MMZ_Timelord

 

Yeah, i started looking at the sketches again, and kind of did some reworking to, you were right, WAYYY out of proportion!

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Darkwing,

 

Another update... I had about an hour this evening to work on this and I was really stumped about the 'engines' on the sides. I took a little liberty with them and had them flow into the rear of the ship instead of sticking out. Is this okay?

 

Let me know. I'm going to put the main pieces together to form a single hull and then start stitching in the windows and adding other details.

 

One last note: When I was doing my orthographic studies of this, I was perplexed about where people got in and out, so I was thinking of a ramp that drops down from the middle of the ship pointing forward and the landing gear keep it an even meter off the ground. Sound good? Also I thought of an emergency or docking hatch at the rear of the passenger/cargo section just before the main engine area (behind the last side windows).

 

Let me know. I'll have some time to fiddle with this tomorrow.

[Darkwing]

sounds good, i really like it. on another note, i'm taking a stab at modelling the car for the film (watch yourself in case the world ends because of it lol) and so far, i've modelled the tire!

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Darkwing,

 

Here's an update. I finished cutting in the front cockpit window, integrating the three pieces into a single hull, integrating the engines with the hull and roughing out the inside of the engines. Next on my list is the side windows of the cockpit and the passenger/cargo area, then it's on to the engine turbines and all the smaller details as well as cutting in the ramp and docking hatch.

 

Cheers!

[Darkwing]

i'm really liking this, i really appreciate what you're doing for me! also, studying the way you're building this helps me out too, because then i can see how others build things.

[Jeetman]

Darkwing,

 

I read your story and It's very cool!!!

 

The story pulls you in and I was really enveloped as it progressed. The only part that didn't make sense to me was the pilot. Maybe that will be explained later but as it is now, the pilot (Neil Williams, Man 3) is portrayed as being in control and flying the passengers as if he was commissioned to. The impression I got was "a happy guy just doing his job". We find out later though that he's in the same (or at least appears to be the same) position as the others. If he was abducted, knocked out, awakened and told to fly or be killed, I don't think his demeanor would be as you have him (unless he is also a part of the experiment).

 

 

All in all though, great work on the story!!!

 

George

[Darkwing]

yeah, i don't have the rest of the script up, but his character could use a little more development like that, thanks for the input!

[Darkwing]

sorry 'bout the double, but i figured i'd put an image of my car so far. it's all right at the moment, but still needs lots of sculpting and tweaking!

 

 

[MMZ_TimeLord]

That's a really good start! Some smoothing and tweaking as you said.

 

Here's a small update... had some time to add to this at lunch today.

[Darkwing]

i love to see detail work started! as for my car, i've taken a slightly different approach with the wheels that look a lot better! I really like it so far MMZ, thanks a lot (probably by the time we're done here, i'll have said thanks a hundred times!)

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Darkwing,

 

Yet another small update... had an hour or so this evening... Cockpit windows are now done.

 

Cheers!

[Jeetman]

Jody, That's comming along very nicely. Can't wait to see the finished model.

 

Good work!!

 

 

George

[Darkwing]

very nice!

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Okay, I think I have the engine intakes pretty much done, including turbines.

 

I also added some detail to the top of the hull. I will work my way toward the back now.

 

Cheers!

[Darkwing]

oh that's really cool!

 

edit: hey, would anybody have any ideas on how to create a texture similar to the main body of this:

 

 

i'm experimenting now, but it's not quite turning out right. i'll post an example later

 

edit edit: ok, i've made something now, post it soon

[Darkwing]

ok, here's where i'm at with the car.

 

[MMZ_TimeLord]

Okay... some more time tonight...

 

Added the rocket/jet nozzle control surfaces, docking hatch and some cockpit ejection seats I had laying around.

 

I also began some of the rigging. Both turbines and the center of gravity for the ship.

 

More to follow... oh yeah, the patch count stands at 4791...

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the seats are in scale for a 2 meter tall biped. :cool:

[Darkwing]

i must say, that is pretty cool! anytime you want me to start working on your designs, just let me know, i hope i can impress you as much as you're impressing me!

[Darkwing]

oh, something i just thought of, don't put too much work into the cockpit, as it's not completely designed yet. the cg model will have to match the real one, so just thought i'd throw that out there. also, i can texture the model, unless you have a burning desire to do it.