Aurel Tristen

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Try selecting all your faces and applying a smoothing group. I know there is an auto-smooth in 3D Studio that does a rather good job. Smoothing groups are going to be essential to making it look better than a PS1 game. So... can we see the orthographics? Is that allowed? My VF-1 has ended up WAY outside canon as I have been working off of various references, and trying to force it to look reasonable in all three modes.

Sorry that I lost track of this thread. I think adding schematics and Orthographics isn't a bad idea, though it covers a lot of the same ground as Mr. March's site. (Side note: your website has been essential to every Macross model I've ever made, thanks!) I'd like to have a few 3D artists on board before putting the work into building it, but I'm still interested. I'm also not sure if it could generate enough ad hits to pay for its self, so it would primarily survive off of donations. That and I hate ads so much that anything more than google ad words would make me feel like a hypocrite. Can someone chime in about the legality of publishing lineart for references? I have an art book I picked up at a con once which has art I've never seen before, and I'd like to share it too if I can. Here is a picture of the cover. Perhaps it isn't very rare or exciting, I have no idea.

AAAhhhh, so this is the guy you got me confused with when I showed up a while back? I'd change my name if it was easy to do, but I always thought the name that meant no name was fitting. About that design, I'm haivng a hard time understanding what I'm looking at, where are those forward swept wingletts coming from?

Wow, you are a brave soul taking apart those books, way to go! How do you feel about those orthographics now that you've got them scanned? Also, what are you modeling in?

Sorry, I put it in quotes to try and distance it from fact. Anyone want to post a link to the original artist (and higher resolution version of the work)? BSG was damn good, and struck a lot of the same chords. Macross would probably need to be three movies (Hollywood would LOVE that) or a high budget TV show. Sadly it is still a bit hard to get Americans to take gigantic transforming robots seriously. I was actually excited about the transformers movies simply because I hoped it would plant the seed for transforming robots on film. Don't get me wrong, if Bay were to direct Macross: The Real Damn Movie, I'd probably become a hermit so I'd never have to see a frame of it, but if the right people took interest... Then again, I'm still waiting for the Evangelion movie

Can someone shed some light on this? I randomly came across the picture (and then tweet) while looking for VF-1 reference images. It is a tweet that reads: "Macross/Robotech Live Action 2016!!... #Macross #Robotech #MacrossDYRL #ClaudiaGrant #LisaHayes #HarmonyGold #SDF1" A link to the tweet. I'm guessing there still isn't a movie coming, but now I'm very curious about that image, as I've never seen it before. Any ideas?

Really nice work! Because I'm not as big of a Macross nerd as I wish I was, can you clarify if this is original, derivative or based on canon? I know for sure it looks Macross Plus era, but nothing more. Also, I really like it in OD Green, as it lends it a realistic military feel. That was my favorite thing about Macross Zero. It felt like a comprehensible jump from modern military uniforms / jets / gear to the mythical Macross stuff. They used a lot of cues like OD green flight suits and things to help sell it. Speaking of which, and perhaps this isn't the place to speculate, but while the HUGE sun-shade/beak that we all known and love on Macross helmets might be a bit of an obstruction to the pilots view (when it isn't transparent as it is here and in M:P) I was recently thinking it could house a 3D reflector/projector responsible for the awesome array of HUD symbology seen in Macross DYRL and onward. Modern in-helmet-cuing systems seem to be moving that way too.

You might consider playing around with a ready-built engine like Unit (ugly as crap but easy to use) Unreal Engine 4 (Easy to use and very nice looking) or Cryengine. Then you could play with the math all you want and let others deal with models and sound.

I'm not aware of any service that will host a website for free. I already own some URLS that could work, but I am not aware of any free hosting services that will accommodate my needs (PHP database, WP integration, snapshot backups, reasonable bandwidth for downloads).

Hello my fellow Macross fans. I was reading a post here recently that involved an argument about sharing 3D models and things. I thought it was kinda silly in this day and age to be trading flies and bickering like its 1998. It just so happens that I'm a web designer (among other things), so I propose the creation of a Macross files website to centralize Macross content. This would not include videos, comics, full games or anything that might be illegal, but would contain works that fans have made (primarily 3D models) as well as sounds and animations. Models ripped from games may be offered too, if someone submits them. I'm not only willing to build and host the site, I'll even thrown in all of my 3D models. They're not going to blow your mind, but they're free. What I need to know is: Are any of you interested in having such a website available? Would any of you donate to keep it up? (Details on costs below) Would any of you be willing to submit your hard work, know that at least it'll be presented nicely, credited to you and protected by a CC agreement? Costs: I'm not looking to earn money on this, so let me lay out the costs. I can put this baby up with 2TB of data transfer per month for $10. If things get crazy, I'd need to bump up to $40 a month for more TX. If I can get enough donations to cover that (after it is built, I'm not here to scam you) I'd be happy to do it. Essentially I'd turn off the donation button once a year was paid for, unless bandwidth needs exceeded the allowance. Worst case, I'll be out a few bucks and will have to shut it down. Please vote and let me know what you think.