February Challenge - Speed Machine - Stwert
 

I think I'm gonna give this one a shot. Not sure yet what kind of vehicle. I've sketched out some really rough concepts. Think I should do a wheeled vehicle, a flying vehicle, or a wheel-less ground vehicle? First vote decides what I'll do.

I decided to do a wheel-less ground vehicle so i may be biased... Personally i think sticking closer to the ground gives a better sense of speed.

Well, I dunno if that's a vote, but alright, I'll do some sort of wheel-less ground vehicle. It actually might have wheels, but not in the traditional sense.

Doing things in the untraditional way i think it the intent of this challenge, Good luck.

I've pencilled out several concepts and have settled on one, which I'm now trying to re-create as ortho drawings in PS. Hopefully I'll be able to post my design in the next day or so. Then off to Maya, where things should move along a little faster.

Excellent, look forward to seeing them

J

go stwert good luck mate

Alright, here we go. This is the PS drawing based off my original sketches (which actually probably look nicer, considering they were pencil, but anyway... hopefully it will improve with 3-dimensionality).
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/6537/fastvehicle.jpg
It's designed to be a sand-vehicle, so I'll try to refine the design appropriately as I model.

The concept is down...let the modelling begin!!

that's unique!
It seems to be alive. :)

Thanks shaimon... I try to be original, but sometimes it seems so hard in a culture saturated with design and fantastical imagery. Anyway, some geometry finally!
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7...blocking01.jpg
http://img602.imageshack.us/img602/1...blocking02.jpg

Obviously very rough so far, just getting an idea of the whole design in 3D. I'd be happy to hear input on the design (crits etc) and whether the main body has the right sort of topology. I'm never really sure about starting with a cube for this sort of shape; I'm worried I'll work myself into a corner.

I think you may have to scale the high trak up a bit mate...it seems a tad on the small side? Have a look at the SS and the size of its high trak compared the the body.

cheers bullet

For me its just isnt a speed machine as the tank/caterpillar dreads and the hoover things are just going to slow it down. Those bits arent cut out for speed and 'cool' I think if they were gone it would be what it needs to be for the challenge.

J

You may be right J but I can tell you from first hand experience (I used to operate them) skid steers are bloody quick (ok not 200mph).....and the new ones with the high trak are bloody fast...for a skid steer LOL.

On that thought stwert...you could change the 'hoover' (gotta love the Englissh LOL) bits and deform them kinda Sith tie-fighter and turn it into a mag-rail unit?? or like a jet sled..that was one of my original ideas before I went aqua...

cheers bullet

Thanks for the input guys! Appreciate it. Not quite sure what you mean by hoover things... you mean the protruding bits in front? Those are supposed to be kind of hover-pads, so the front doesn't touch the sand at all. I see your point about the treads (both of you), but they're not in fact for thrust (that's the jet at the back) as much as maybe for practicality (running over sand) which I thought would be better than wheels. I'll give it another think though.

Oh, and I don't know what skid steers are either... :P

LOL hoover=vacuum cleaner mate...skid steers are what we call bobcats here in Oz mate, its that picture of the machine in the snow dude.

Ah right, I figured out the hoover later... haha. I'm going to change up the "hoovers" a fair bit, and I'm considering ditching the treads, but I'm gonna give them one last chance tomorrow. Got some really good news tonight, but I'll share that once it's official ;)

Ok mate...maybe make the 'hoovers' more of a forward facing air intake??

Ok so either you have a new job, having a baby or won lotto.

LOL good luck mate

Okay, I ditched the treads, now got a jet-type stabilizer. Hopefully the "hoovers" are better too. I think I've got to get past the design phase and into the serious modelling now, so I'm going to push forward. Obviously some of the geo here is still very much proxy.
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/171...blocking03.jpg

That looks a lot better mate!

This is starting to make more sense as an underwater sub than it does as a sand racer.

Maybe so... but I like the sand idea, and a roll-cage doesn't work too well underwater. Also, the "jets" on the side aren't really jets per-se, more like anti-gravitational energy plates... we'll see how they come out in the end.

I haven't been working on maya for a bit partly because I recently got Lightroom and have been messing about in it. Today I got tethered capture working with my T2i... which isn't totally useful, seeing as I don't have a studio in my house, and there's only so many times I can photograph my computer or bookshelf... but it's so totally cool anyway. I can trigger my camera with my computer. :cloud9:

So.... yeah, and it's valentimes day:inlove:, so I'm not going to be on the computer all day either. I'll post an update tomorrow. Nope, I'm doing photography tomorrow. Wednesday.

So I'm sort of still in this, but I have a different project all of a sudden that I need to do by Friday, so that's taking priority these days. I doubt I'll get something I'm really happy with over the weekend, but I'll give it a shot.

Updates already! Yeah, it's getting really close to the deadline.
Overall
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/9...rakertmp01.png
Cockpit
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/990...rakertmp02.png
Back
http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/7...rakertmp03.png
Hoverpad thingy
http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/4...rakertmp04.png

Still need to do the side jet, the rollcage (those are still my blocking geo), mirror it properly, and smooth it. And whatever else I have time for, but I won't have much. Just doing this mainly for fun; I know I haven't been able to put the finesse and detail that many of these entries have.

still looks good mate...good to see some detail on her finally! keep it up man...nearly time.

cheers bullet

Well I guess I'll call the modelling pretty well done. Just have to make it pretty...
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/5...odelling05.png

What, I got archived before I was done? Haha...
Back
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/6...drakerback.jpg