Debris

can be multiplied and scatered about floating on the sea. Adds depth to the scene

Almost complete

I almost have the entire thing completed, here is a quick render i did with the mapping done, just waiting on the rigging for it now

Texturing the ship

This is a quick test render to check on how it looks with some of the maps applied.

I'm trying to do as much as possible with the basic UVW map to save time at the moment.

Side project of the Avian variety

I made a point of wanting to make the seagul(s) in the class and managed to get it :) , i figure these will only make an appearance at the beginning of the animation, depending on how the very end of it plays out, since i can't see any birds sticking around during the fight.

After the ships are done I'll map it and bone the wings so it can be easily animated.

Saving finished and mapped models

When we are mapping models, we are going to end up with a load of files that our scene is dependant on, things like bitmaps and bumpmaps, which, if anyone uses max like i do, will be all over the place, or at least not all in one easily accesible place.

Unfortunatly when you move the .max file, then these files that it is dependant on will be in a different place, max can't find them.

The solution is to use the resource collector utility, which saves the max file, and all dependant files, in one place, which will make it alot easier for the animating team, when the mappers hand it all over.





I think that when the mappers finish a file, that they should use this, and make a folder for each individual max file, which will be easy enough for the animators to use, and will also mean that it keeps everything together all the way through to rendering.

Progress

As you can see from the above screenshot, I've moved onto the 'fiddly bits'. The shape of the hull is finished, with only the detail work like the copper plating and 'cannon flaps' to put in.

I've started working on the windowed area at the back of the ship, which I'm mostly having to bodge from the photographic evidence i have managed to find, as well as detailing the visible decks, which it's really all that much of a complicated job, just a time consuming one. I think that i should be able to get the ship finished for Friday, possibly without rigging, but the bulk of it should be done.


Something I've thought about from the beginning, is the fact that we are not going to need all of the ship in shot all the time, which could become problematic if the entire ship is modeled, since although t it won't increase rendering time since the unused parts are out of shot, it will take up processing power and slow down the animators while altering the scene, to solve this problem i'm building this ship to break into smaller more manageable chunks.

I'll do this by just grouping objects together rather than attaching them, so the masts and rigging might be one group, the front of the ship another, as well as the top decks being separate, so that depending on the camera angle, you can remove unwanted parts of the scene and speed up animation.

And so it begins...

Well on friday we managed to bash out the storyboard for the animation and split into the various teams we would be in to get started with the work. I ended up on the modelling and mapping teams, and the modelling i got assigned to do included the Spanish and French ships, as well as the small arms and a seagull.

Well since a ship is a big thing to be making, i decided to plough head first into it that night, looking for visual reference and if possible, plans for a ship that i could use. I figured i was going to need 2 different ships, since if there is too much variation then it may be difficult to see who is fighting who in the animation.

Luckily i managed to find plans for a Spanish ship that was actually in the battle, the Sanísima Trinidad, which at the time, was the biggest battle ship in the world, with 4 gun decks containing over 135 guns (cannons).



The plans i found for this ship were absolutely complete, i even have instructions for what joins would be used for different areas in the hull, as well as dimensions for the rigging, which will be very helpful later on. You can see my current progress below:


As you can see, I've ribbed out the shape of the hull, which was the easiest way to get the shape, since i managed to find, along with the technical plans, instructions for building a balsa wood model of the ship. With the images stuck onto a plane in max, i was able to draw around them then extrude them to create each of the 'ribs' and arrange them along the 'spine', the shape of which came with the rest of it. Unfortunatly for me that was all the 'cut out and use' parts that i could find, so the rest it all going to come down to following plans, as well as photographic reference, since there is a full size model of the ship in Spain somewhere that you can go and visit.


I'm counting my blessings with this ship since I'm not counting on being able to find this level of reference for the others i'm to build, though I'm hoping i can at least use the hull (with slight adjustment) for the others, since it will make the process alot easier.