Oolite Bulletins

Perhaps if a ship turns up for sale at a tech level below the tech level which it now has because of the high tech extra equipment there's some kind of multiplication factor? To take into account the diff between system tech and equipment tech? Surmising of course - I have no idea how the code actually works!

The recent posts of ships in progress here have inspired me to dig out my so far first and only attempt at ship building. I lost motivation when I realised that I didn't have a clue how to texture it! (This was before the number of useful tutorials that have since appeared...) I also realised that I had nowhere to put the exhausts!

Introducing the Minnow:





The idea was to design something small and fast, not especially dangerous on its own (though there would probably be more powerful variants) but which could become problematic in a pack. If all somehow progressed well, I might have even written a nice AI to go with it to coordinate behaviour (distant ambitions, definitely not in the near future).

I might have another go and try and finish it up. (Considering the rate of progress on my drone oxp, though, expect things some time next decade! It shouldn't take too long to do things, it's just finding the time to sit down and get stuck in...)

I like that. Reminds me of a bird of pray. If I were to choose, I would put the exhausts underneath in two indentations in the hull, sort of like reverse torpedo tubes.

I like it, too, because it remains me of no space ship at all. It looks more like some sort of space whale, with all the fins. (I'm interpreting the wide end to be the front, but it's probably meant the other way round.)

One suggestion: the final model should be centered around the origin. Currently the positive and negative z-alignment is very different.

It was meant to have the narrow end as the front, but I have seriously considered using the wide end instead! I wondered whether anyone would see it like that. 'Tis another reason I haven't got around to positioning the exhausts! Although they'll probably end up being underneath the side fins, in whatever makes sense for which way round I eventually choose...

Good point about the z-axis alignment. It started out as simply adding an "octotoad" in Wings3D (it's bugging me that I can't work out its proper name), then then subdividing and stretching it. Hence the uneven positioning. 'Twill be shifted properly when finished.

Commander McLane wrote:

One suggestion: the final model should be centered around the origin. Currently the positive and negative z-alignment is very different.

For best results, the origin should be at the apparent centre of mass. (If the ship turns while not thrusting, it will rotate around its origin. If one end is bigger than the other, that shouldn’t be at its geometric centre.) I think it looks quite well balanced.

Mauiby de Fug wrote:

It started out as simply adding an "octotoad" in Wings3D (it's bugging me that I can't work out its proper name)

I was going to say “truncated octahedron”, but on closer inspection it’s a rhombicuboctahedron. Try saying that three times fast!

Ahruman wrote:

Commander McLane wrote:

One suggestion: the final model should be centered around the origin. Currently the positive and negative z-alignment is very different.

For best results, the origin should be at the apparent centre of mass. (If the ship turns while not thrusting, it will rotate around its origin. If one end is bigger than the other, that shouldn’t be at its geometric centre.) I think it looks quite well balanced.

My concern was about drawing the target reticle around it. This tends to look inflated and silly for ships with uncentered origin.

This argument would become moot if the way the target reticle is drawn would be changed. Currently it takes the biggest value of any axis, increases this by some factor, and draws a box of the resulting size around the model origin. Therefore, if a model would completely be in the positive x, y and z, it would occupy only one quadrant of the reticle. If the reticle would simply be drawn around the actual size of the model (from biggest x + a to smallest x - a, from biggest y + a to smallest y - a, from biggest z + a to smallest z - a; a being a constant, probably depending on the actual size of the model), the ship could turn around its apparent centre of mass without looking widely out-of-shape in its reticle.

I'd twigged it wasn't a truncated octahedron, but I couldn't remember what it actually was! Rhombicuboctahedron, rhombicuboctahedron, rhombicuboctahedron... There, I think I've got it!

Thanks for the heads up about the Wasps AI, Thargoid! I'll dig out my copy and take a look. I reckon I can make an educated guess at what an AI is meant to do now, even if I haven't got a hope in hell of writing one from scratch myself.

nice looking ship, someone should make a `show and tell` thread for users to post their unfinished models... just an idea

Staer9 wrote:

nice looking ship, someone should make a `show and tell` thread for users to post their unfinished models... just an idea

I'm pretty sure it exist already, but buried under lots of new threads.

Anyway, if you have something to show, feel free to start a new thread.

I did do some searching using the search button in the top right corner but I was unable to find anything of use

Staer9 wrote:

I did do some searching using the search button in the top right corner but I was unable to find anything of use

This is the one you were trying to find.

ahh, just a little bit too late, I have already gone and made a new thread

My first good model:

I think I like 3D modeling.