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Aurel Tristen

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About Aurel Tristen

  • Birthday 12/31/1985

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    Aurel Tristen
  • Website URL
    http://www.biggsproductions.com/
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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Iowa
  • Interests
    3D CGI animation and VFX, Film making, photography

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  1. This is some awesome work! Makes me glad I quit my attempt to model the 19, as there is no way I would have been able to get this in-depth with it. I like how you're re-projecting the under view onto the cockpit screens instead of just making the cockpit transparent. I would think the 'real thing' would have a similar re-projected view, as it would look correct unless you moved your head really far from the 'sweet spot.' I would point out that I think the roll/dive ladders are somehow holographically projected onto the upper-half of the cockpit too. What is your current poly/tir count? From the looks of it, this might be low enough to squeeze into a (VR ready) engine like Unity or ue4!
  2. Yes! It catches my eye every time I see a thumbnail for the trailer. I'm a bit confused by the design choice, as it looks very not Trek to me. I wonder if an artist Google Image searched 'cool space suit' and came across it
  3. Maybe there is a reason why you haven't done this yet, but styling it like a Macross flight suit would be awesome! The shape of it would actually work just fine for the TV version.
  4. Looking great! I'm not sure what your target platform is (CGI, real-time?) but I advise you work at higher poly counts if possible. I've re-done my model many times over the years, each time finding I needed/could get away with a higher poly count, even for real-time applications like computer games. Keeping everything looking good in all three modes is certainly the hardest part. I (like many) turned to the toys for inspiration on that front, since the toy designers have similar goals. The difference is we can cheat a bit more than they can.
  5. Are you just doing the VF-1 flight model so AI can fly? I'd donate my cockpit for a player flyable version, if that would do any good. Please keep good backups. I really wish I still had my YF-19 for FSX. That thing was a death machine. You could pull 50 Gs, and break the sound barrier going vertical just off the end of the runway.
  6. I don't disagree. It was a spur of the moment thought. Though I tend to opt for additional complexity in my implementations. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but I like to add back in the complexity I imagine the designers removed for the sake of making a line-art drawing. Sort of like a not-so-crazy version of what they did for Transformers when they made the move, though with minimum cheating. (I think they cheated a LOT with those transformations, but they just did it so well it is hard to see. I'd LOVE to take a closer look at one of those rigs). There is a point where additional complexity adds realism IMO. Once you pass that, it's just silly, such as in Transformers, but bumping it up a bit makes me happy. Thanks, feel free to use it. I'm not at this point in my re-build, but I might look into it again when I am. To get a bit back on topic about the seat movement and pilot clearance, I'm a big believer in trying to use one big cheat to solve multiple problems. You HAVE to cheat somewhere, and a good option is to slightly scale up the whole aircraft. This makes a bit more room in the cockpit for pilot clearance, as well as more space for a realistic number of controls. I guess it all depends on what you're building your model for. CIG? Cheat your ass off. Video games? Maybe a bit less. 3D printing? You're screwed.
  7. I've always felt all of the head laser barrels need to be able to retract quite a bit to make quick and easy clearance during transformation to Battroid. In most cases, spinning things around just right will allow them to clear, but it would make sens to get as much clearance as possible. Seeing as how the barrel doesn't need to contain expanding gas (like a gun barrel) I think you could get away with something like this, and still have clean lines when extended. Obviously I didn't spend much time on this (to function, I'd expect a second inner barrel and something to keep everything on track).
  8. Sorry to be slightly off topic, but this website appears to be selling this book. Has anyone heard of it? Might it be legit? Seems like a valuable resource for any of us modeling this bird. http://www.animebooks.com/vafimafivfva.html
  9. Where was the second one at? It looks like a toy or model manual or something. The top one is rather common (as Macross goes), but yeah, it looks a wee bit spacious for sure. Though it would be hard to show all those details without it being GoPro like. The cockpit transformation discrepancies are one of my biggest issues with the VF1. I think the YF19 and others had it right. Just tilt the seat back!
  10. I haven't been following this very closely, so sorry if this has been asked, but how do you feel about post processing work? IE modified, fabricated or rendered backgrounds, foreground elements, ect. Obviously only good looking results, not a screen-cap painted in using MS Paint. If that was an option, would you be interested? I'd help out (free of charge) if you are able to provide your pictures in RAW, with simple backgrounds that wouldn't take 6 months to separate.
  11. I'd say that's a good guess, but the bigger question is, where is the second and third image from? I've never seen the pilots seating position during transformation illustrated. And am I the last person to learn that the front landing gear partially deploys? O__O
  12. Awesome! I really like both styles, but the second one (with the SDF-1) is more of what I'm used to seeing. The first one looks more like a comic (which isn't a bad thing at all!). I'll be sure to contact you for storyboarding when I get rich and shoot my Macross live action movie (My apologies to the 14,000 people who will discover this post via a google search for the next 200 years). If you do any more, please post it here. And if you have a deviant art account, don't forget to submit it to my Macross group there, Macross Universe. If you have a portfolio website, it wouldn't be bad to add that to your post too.
  13. No, I'm not asking for the impossible. The toys do their best to represent each mode, which is an ideal roadmap to do the same with a 3D model. I'm not expecting it to look like the anime in each mode. In fact, the references I'm working off of appear to have been designed for just that, a transformable design that also retains as much of the classic look as possible. I can also cheat in ways a toy can't, such as having parts collapse into oneanother (unseen) or by adding highly complex and hidden parts too. The toys are just really great for, say, looking at the way the intake ramps are shaped. They morph in all three axises, which make them really hard to make out via a 2D Orthographic.
  14. Thanks for the replies and good information everyone. My intent is to use a transformable model/toy because I intend to have my model transform as well, and I need to use some of the same cheats that the toys use. In fact, that is one of the best reasons to have one, VS just line art. The line art I have right now is amazing, but it doesn't help me figure out those tricks to really make things work. It sounds like I should be looking at the Yamato V2 at this point then? I like the S variant of course, but that isn't a big deal for the sake of using it for a reference, though the ones with the really crazy paint jobs might not help as much as the flat ones. Can one of you point me to a reputable website where I can find a Yamato V2? The ones I'm seeing on this http://www.hkcollectibles.com website don't specify the manufacture or version and they're almost all out of stock. I'll also be posting in the Wanted section just in case someone has one on hand. It would rock not having to wait 4-6 weeks for one to be flown half way across the planet. Again, thanks everyone for the help! Here is a picture of my current progress. Note that this is the 4th or 5th time I've modeled this thing from scratch.
  15. Hello. I have a question, and I wanted to ask those of you in the know since I haven't ever followed the model or toy stuff for Macross. I'm working on a 3D model of the VF-1 (as always) and I want to get a toy or model to help me. I have some really great references, all orthographic, but for me, holding a physical representation in my hands makes things much easier. Plus, I wouldn't mind having the thing left over to decorate my desk. My question is, in your collective opinions, what would be my best buy? I feel like a toy might be a better option since I don't have to put it together, and it'll survive being handled on a regular basis, and my conclusion has been to try and find a 'Perfect Transformation' unit from Yamato. There is the slight problem of it being around $400, so if that IS my best bet, what are some alternatives? Thanks for any help you can offer.
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