mer photos |
mer photos |
Jan 8 2012, 10:52 PM
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#256
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Member Group: Members Posts: 200 Joined: 2-September 06 Member No.: 1097 |
Hey everyone!
I've got a new render for you... The whole process is very slow, because even though I thought that I had finalized the mer modeling-wise, a lot of things have to be fixed, instanced, and a few things even need to be modeled because I didn't notice them in the first place. I spent an entire day just finishing up the wheel of the mer, I am very happy with the results. Hopefully everything else besides the rocker-bogie is finalized and only needs to be textured. Once again, expecting your comments... edit: since the forum switched pages, maybe some of you weren't notified for my last post edit with the wallpaper.. -------------------- |
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Jan 9 2012, 08:40 AM
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#257
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Member Group: Members Posts: 153 Joined: 4-May 11 From: Pardubice, CZ Member No.: 5979 |
Very nice, indeed !
< pedant mode ON > The orange-coloured material in between springs should be some kind of foam (if I remember well it prevents pebbles from jamming between springs) Even if its really small detail, could be the orange surfaces roughness modified to simulate such a material better? < pedant mode OFF > Those delicate colour tone changes (orange) are excelent though. |
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Jan 9 2012, 08:48 AM
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#258
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 |
Amazing as usual, not that I expected anything less.
The diagonal part of the tread pointing toward the hold down point looks curved in your render, is that right? I could have sworn it was straight and looking at a few images it looks to me like should be. James -------------------- |
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Jan 9 2012, 09:52 AM
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#259
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Member Group: Members Posts: 200 Joined: 2-September 06 Member No.: 1097 |
...as for the foamy part, I thought it would be foamy myself, didnt know for sure, However in many reference photos I have it seems like it is coated with something so it has this shininess. It's not a big deal to change this to a more matte look if it would make you feel better!
As for the treading, yes it should be curvy. I have a lot of material that shows its curved. It would be great to know these things from start but keep in mind that all of this is made from observation, let alone I would have to spend my entire life making it accurate. Its simpler to create it at first rather than replicating it! I hope its curved anyway, it would need many hours to be fixed.. Edit: Phewwww.. Looks curvy to me! Glad I avoided a lot of extra work, especially now that I am finalizing stuff.. http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/MIT/863.10/...es/img_0082.jpg -------------------- |
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Jan 9 2012, 11:52 AM
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#260
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 |
Are we looking at the same thing? Maybe its a perspective thing but these parts look curved across the surface of the imaginary sphere of the wheel surface in your render but straight in the photo.
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Jan 9 2012, 12:05 PM
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#261
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
Scooterlord
Not sure if this would help you. It's something done for a project from some time ago. It's the best I have based on photos and fullscale references. I had a rover wheel on my head once...but that's another story There are some differences in the render you posted and the photo reference you gave above. I've seen the rover wheels in several configurations as well. The version used for flight might be a little different to some of the photo references available. I don't think that at this stage that we can get too picky on small details when the entire thing looks so magnificent!! |
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Jan 9 2012, 12:54 PM
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#262
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Member Group: Members Posts: 200 Joined: 2-September 06 Member No.: 1097 |
Well, I see your point now, this is not of great importance and don't forget that I didn't have any of this reference when I started the model (not even the image I posted that I could have great use of it when I first started).
Doing shapes on curves surfaces is extremely difficult and I don't think going into a process of remodeling at this point would help the whole representation. Maybe many of you weren't expecting the model to turn up so good, maybe you didn't watch the thread back then, but this is material I wish I had in the beginning. I contacted several companies that helped produced the mer, I begged for reference, I contacted everyone related to the project that I could get contact info. Only a few helped me out. ..but well, you couldn't have known Anyway, at this point, I am only fixing and finalizing surfaces and would remodel something that is wrong and very OBVIOUSLY wrong. I admire your observations and the love for the project (I wonder how many of you actually WORKED on the mers - I would like to know who of you did). Only now can I see how inspiring your job on something this big can be, and would love to take part in something like this, would be a life's dream come true. Last but not least, I hope you are not dissapointed and don't feel let down if I don't get into the process of fixing things like straight or curved lines on a wheel, which is a GREAT observation (would love to use such pairs of eyes while looking at reference photos), but not that important to invest an extra couple of hours to fix (yes, it needs that long because it's one surface, it will have to be uncut, and re-cut, and re-filleted, etc...). I may try to see if its easily fixed to please you people but can't promise it. This also rises my spirit that I did everything else good enough for you NOT to notice So, sorry James, but please keep pointing out my mistakes, calms my mind actually knowing what I did wrong... Would also really love to know about rover wheel on head Astro0?? -------------------- |
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Jan 9 2012, 01:33 PM
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#263
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 |
No worries. I am in no way disappointed, your work is beyond amazing.
You've always requested feedback and errors to be pointed out, this is close as I've come to finding anything at all and it is so tiny it's staggering. It's only because the tread of the front wheels appears in hazcam images that I have looked at nearly every day for the last eight years(!) that this one jumped out at me. James -------------------- |
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Jan 9 2012, 01:35 PM
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#264
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Member Group: Members Posts: 200 Joined: 2-September 06 Member No.: 1097 |
Will try to have it fixed later, because I am planning on making 'hazcam view' renders, so I don't want it to bother you..
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Jan 9 2012, 03:59 PM
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#265
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Member Group: Members Posts: 153 Joined: 4-May 11 From: Pardubice, CZ Member No.: 5979 |
...as for the foamy part, I thought it would be foamy myself, didnt know for sure, However in many reference photos I have it seems like it is coated with something so it has this shininess. It's not a big deal to change this to a more matte look if it would make you feel better! You are right, its glossy, but not perfectly plain ... it has some wrinkles or waves on the surface. RR wheel in this picture may help. But its absolutelly up to you |
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Jan 9 2012, 04:02 PM
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#266
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Member Group: Members Posts: 200 Joined: 2-September 06 Member No.: 1097 |
It's the lighting that makes it look this way. You mean it's bumpy? From many other photos, I made out it's smooth and shiny. From the above photo you can see that there's a variation in color, but I have already did that...
edit: watching the picture again, I just realized what you meant, I saw the rear wheel reflections, yes, I will do this... -------------------- |
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Jan 9 2012, 09:14 PM
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#267
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
You've gotten us all excited with this project which we have seen developing since your first post about it in September 2006
In that post you actually showed us an image of the wheel tread and back then it had those curved sections and none of us said anything. So, don't go changing it now. It's your rover and as we've already seen it has your personal touches (eg: your name on the ribbon cable) As your renders keep coming, I just think how great it is that we can see a nice new bright and shiny rover again |
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Jan 9 2012, 11:39 PM
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#268
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Member Group: Members Posts: 807 Joined: 10-October 06 From: Maynard Mass USA Member No.: 1241 |
Scooter,
Here is a post from July 10, 2010 about the MER Wheels (and a picture from the manufacturer) http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...st&p=162219 Maybe you can get the CAD file from them? -------------------- CLA CLL
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Jan 10 2012, 12:04 AM
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#269
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Member Group: Members Posts: 200 Joined: 2-September 06 Member No.: 1097 |
PDP8E.... thanks for the reference photo (had it already though but... uhm.. not going to happen...
...because as Astro0 suggested, no-one compained about it back in 2006 (nor provided me with as much useful reference as I could get) and I am finalizing stuff, so.... mean you know I don't get paid for doing this right? It's just my ticket to get hired somewhere. HOPEFULLY. Just looking to please a few people making it... ..that's why I was happy while I was reading Astro0's last post, I was also rendering this at the background... ...WOW! Look at that, no more bent lines! I hope James is pleased... along with pospa, I made a thin coating layer on top of the foamy stuff, so that it's mostly visible when seen from big angles.. edit: sorry, messed up with the image code -------------------- |
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Jan 10 2012, 12:34 AM
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#270
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14431 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
That actually nails it - it's like an orange foam, but with a sort of clear plastic cover over it. On the test-bed rover, the plastic started to peel off - and I'd expect it to have done the same on Mars.
D |
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