UGAC - Super Shiny and Sexy vehicle - NRG_Alpha

#1

Name: NRG_Alpha
Genre: Sci-Fi Adventure
Concept: Altered- Sleek futuristic-yet modernish vehicular ‘Rombus 800 XL’ model, built for speed on the beaches for those romantic sunset getaways while doing sand donuts and peeling off when the beach jockies run after you for stealing their women :thumbsup:.

       [b]***  UPDATE : May 20th ****[/b]

Ok… here is the latest update. I added a roll bar, made some progress on the interior (but as you can see by the floating cube and steering wheel that its not quite ready :). I fussed with the front end, made it more sleek, and also made the rear fin molded into the rear body.

The last items for modelling are:

  • Engine in rear plexiglass casing
  • Finish the interior
  • Add head lights and tail lights
  • Add side view mirrors

I’ll get this all done this weekend, include an update and begin the texturing process.

        Image 1)
        [img]http://www.pbase.com/nrg_alpha/image/60445580/original.jpg[/img]
         
        Image 2)
        [img]http://www.pbase.com/image/60445593/original.jpg[/img]
  
       Image 3)
         [img]http://www.pbase.com/image/60445607/original.jpg[/img]
  
        Cheers,
         
        NRG
#2

i think its fine, cant see a resemblance to any other car out threre,

just ask yourself these Qs

is it super,

is it shiney

is it sexy

when you know the answers to these, everything will become clear.

#3

The wise one speaks!
:smiley:

Its looking good. It will all depend on your texture tho’. By the way, what is the current poly count at?

#4

Hi Daren

The intention was to put a nice shiny texture on all of it (well, where it is metallic anyway). In otherwords, it would look new… perhaps the canon on the rooftop makes people think the car will end up rusty, dirty and bullet-hole ridden? I will have to ponder all of this some more. As for the polycount, it currently sits at 2360 polys. So I still have alot of room to play with (as I would be needing alot of the additional poly space for the vehicle’s interior (as it is empty with the exception of a placeholder seat (which would be replaced with a racing like bucket seat).

Initially, the hood area and rear was too low poly, So I figured I could afford to add a few more loop segments to help give those areas a smoother, rounder shape. In the end, I can always remove alittle more if need be. This car is not entirely optimised by the way.

to Shepeiro, well said lol… I asked myself those three questions… and the answers, well…

  • Is it Super? I hope so (I think so) How many 950+ horsepower sportscars with a plasma canon on its roof do you know of? :smiley:

  • Is it Shiny? With some nice clean textures, it will be.

  • Is it Sexy? Well, this is subjective. Some people out there can find a specific chair to be sexy… so… fast shiny car + roof canon = Sexy? (I hope so)

So in the end… it has me still mulling over this… perhaps some serious tweakage and the removal of the canon would help? (but I really like the idea of a canon) ** Goes back to pondering **

Cheers,

NRG

*Edit - I’ll keep updating my original post above with these two images being updated (with simular camera angles ) from time to time (just to save making this thread an image heavy one) - End Edit *

#5

perhaps what is needed is some serious re-designing of the cannon,

so far youve got this nice sand buggy/sport car circa 1975 kind of style,

the cannon breaks with this being square and utilitarianm, give it some curves, and possibly make it longer and more errrrr phalic that should work

spend some extra polys on the wheels, and perhaps, a shiney engine encapsulated in a perspex cover in the rear.

#6

Hey Norm. Cool car :slight_smile:
But watch the polycount

[i]“currently sits at 2360 polys (out of 6000 available)”

[/i]Limit is 6000 triangles and not 6000 polygons.

#7

looking at the model it looks like it may be 2360 tris, but i may be wrong

#8

Damn! Good call man! I read 6000 polys… oops… yeah, now I will definately have to check triangle count, not poly count! Good thing you brought that to my attention Nic! Whew! I’ll definatelty have to read things alittle more carefully.

Well Shepeiro, I suppose adding more to the wheels would in all likelyhood not be a good idea at this point!

I’ll recheck my mesh this evening and see what the triangle count is… May have to axe the canon after all… Add that engine with the plasitc canopy, like you suggested Shep.

I’ll update the images this evening or tomorrow evening for sure.

Cheers,

NRG

*Edit Ok. It is confirmed. The car is currently 2360 triangles, not polys *whew… almost blew that one! - End Edit *

#9

I like your car alot Mr NRG! It’s got a retro-futuristic look that stems back and reminds me of the 70’s Corvette’s, the Lancia Stratos and the old school Fiat concept cars.

The modeling looks strong. :buttrock: Black belt huh?

Cheers

Speve-O

#10

No yo, Black cat.

Thanks for the comment, Speve-O. Yeah, the design is actually just off the top of my head. It does resemble a few car elements alittle I suppose. Not as futuristic and ‘bubbly’ as others, but you know, I considered starting all over, but I think in the end I will stick this one through, for better or for worse and see what happens. All in all, it is something I don’t do very often (low-poly car modelling). So it is enjoyable to do.

I hope in the end this thing turns out. I’ll be plugging away at it during the long weekend and really refine it some more, perhaps round out some more of its features, yet retain some of its angular ones. :thumbsup:

Cheers my friend.

#11

The top of this thread now contains the newest updates…
This is going into the last stretch before I start the unwrapping / texture process.

I would like to get all the remaining modelling done this weekend.
Any crits or comments welcome.

Cheers,

NRG

#12

Wow, I’m really likeing this new version, I love the rear spoiler :eek:

I think the front wheels are a bit close to the side though, steering could be a problem. I’m also wondering if it’d look sexier without the bar connecting the windscreen and the roll-bar?

#13

Glad you’re liking it, Pyro…

Good point about the tires… man, sometimes I’m asleep at the wheel (no pun intended). I’ll move the front tires out abit and move the polys of the inner wheel well in alittle bit.

With regards to the T-roof and the rollbar, they are not actually connected… the roll bar is under the intersection of the T-roof… (can’t quite see that in the first screenshot, but if you look at the third one, you can see the rollbar passing beneath the T-roof.

Thanks for the wheel suggestion though. Duly noted. :thumbsup:

Cheers,

NRG

#14

Nice work! I see little chunks of porsche and lotus in there, but it’s pretty original, and well-proportioned. My only crit is that the air intake above the roll bar (cannon…wtf, people?) is a little too tall and chunky, and could look better if you elongated it a bit.
That wrap-around windscreen is wicked :smiley:
I can’t wait to see this thing with some sexy paint on!

*edit. So it is a plasma cannon. Um, it looks like an air scoop, sorry…and you’d have to be driving directly towards whatever you want to shoot!

#15

LOL Spex… no… the cannon is gone. You are probably thinking that people think it is a cannon lol… Well, truth be told… at one point, there actually was a cannon the roof!! So yeah… I was thinkin the same thing… wft…after looking at my model and not being able to bear it anymore, I removed the damn thing… So what you are seeing above the T-roof intersection is indeed an air intake. (you see, the original photos have been long gone and decimated) as I keep replacing the top thread images just make this thread a) easier to load (especially for dail up people - like myself :sad:, and b) makes it extremely easy to find the newest updates (all in the first posting)…

So don’t mind the plasma cannon bull… it doesn’t exist anymore. I’ll try out your suggestion of reducing the bulkiness of the air intake and make in slender and elongated. Good suggestion!

Cheers,

NRG

#16

ewww thats looking mean man,

#17

Latest Update: Here is the near final mesh (I may play alittle with the head lights little more, as im still figuring how to deal with them). But time is starting to wind down, and I have to start unwrapping and texturing this thing soon. In either event… here is the latest screenshots. (I slapped on basic materials just get an idea of the direction Im going to go with this [nothing serious]). I also included some interior shots as well as the base mesh for the engine. I’ll start working on detailed higher rez-normal maps for the engine, tire rims and racing bucket seats very soon.

Cheers,

NRG

#18

think it needs more knight rider, add the hoff

#19

Not enough traingles left for Hoff… However, I’m going to make one last ditch effort to round out some harder edged stuff with what triangles I have left, and hope I can get this done in time.

#20

hey norm
just wanted to say your car rocks!
it has a sweet trans am feel to it. Have you thought of a colour scheme?