FXWars! Catapult! (Trebuchet) : ChaosCommand

#1

WARNING
I’m a newbie

Anyways… This is my first real attempt at making anything in Maya. I have yet to produce anything good in 3d art, but, this contest seems fun. I have always had interest in stuff like this.

Anyways, I just spent a few minutes trying to come up with something simple.
It is hard, because when I move one part, I have to move others to keep the wheels straight. I need to look into groups and all that stuff so it can make this process less painful.

I have already seen some absolutely amazing stuff posted in other threads, so I know I won’t be able to compete with them, but, here is my first render:

Amazing eh???

lol, it isn’t really much to look at so far.

I need to figure out how the wheels will work, how to connect them to the base itself, and how to make the arm of the trebuchet. I know a tiny bit about dynamics in maya, one day I just had fun creating things to break, so hopefully I can remember that stuff.

I’ll post more when I make more later.

#2

Alright… I think it is starting to look a little better. I think it looks pretty big and bulky, but I believe they are like that anyways. I might have to redo the part where the base connects to the arm, it looks pretty strange and a bit big.

Also… it looks too blocky. I don’t know how I would make it look a bit more smooth, but it just seems too basic. I might redo the whole thing anyways, maybe even a few times before I get it right.

I’m definately going to have to check out some plans on how to make the arm. I’m also going to have to search for some materials to put on my terbuchet, because grey is boring :stuck_out_tongue:

Anybody got any suggestions on what major flaws I have in this basic design so far?

EDIT: I am going to start over, I noticed a few things that just don’t look right at all, and doesn’t feel like it is from the midevil times.

#3

Alright, I have decided to make my second attempt a little bit different, i’ll try planning what I’m doing, maybe do a few sketches first, that way I won’t have to keep on thinking what I’m doing while i’m trying to create the trebuchet.

I have to:

  • Figure out the size
  • Do a few sketches, so I have some sort of reference to do this by
  • Determine if I want the trebuchet to have mobility ( I’m leaning towards NO )
  • Study about organization in Maya so I don’t experience my problems with editing something, and having to move other parts to get it to work right
  • Check out a few videos they have online of trebuchet’s in action, I am trying to aim for realism in this project, then having billions of explosions and peices fly everywhere
  • Create something interesting to hit ( I was thinking about creating a small village and having a stone roll on through it, (Kinda like in the Black & White game, if you ever played it), but I have a feeling that it would be little too advanced for me, so I’ll have to worry about that later after I finish the trebuchet itself
  • Make some materials, it probably won’t look all that life-like since i’m not really good at all that stuff yet, but I’ll make an honest attempt
  • Set-up the dynamics ( I wonder if that is going to be the hardest part for me… )
  • Render
  • Then hope I made something that I feel is good, maybe boost my confidence

Anyways, that is the plan, my above work looks too simple and crappy to continue with.

So i’ll post some more of my ideas, maybe even have some renders then later on.

#4

It’s looking better
It’s simple… but I will work on making it look like a machine from hell later on

So now I have to:

  • Make the peice that connects the arm and the base together
  • Figure out dynamics
  • Make the arm so that it can throw stuff
  • Make a rope that can throw big rocks
  • Make something that can be destroyed
  • Watch that something get destroyed
  • Render it out, and hope it is good
#5

keep us updated m8 :), mines all cubes and cyclinders.

#6

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