mer photos Options

[dilo]

Amazing result, tough but it was worth yhe effort, scooterlord! When you will finish this, you'll be ready for MSL rendering...
I wish the best for you and your future work!

[scooterlord]

Thanks for the support everyone! Really hope this project helps me out. Rendering process should take place (hopefully) before the end of this year.

edit: just realized that you mentioned MSL rendering... well I have enough reference to model the lab as well but the first renders will be on mars' surface. Just a bit more patience..

[scooterlord]

Well, people... this is it. I am finally done modeling the mer. For the first time I can show you a full render of the mer, although untextured yet, but judging from the fact that even I surprised myself, I guess you people will be pleased.

The project turned out to be 29.000 (!!) objects and just to open the whole file it consumes 4.7gb of Ram. I have serious trouble rendering this, since my 6gb of ram is not enough for this (it's swapping on the disk) so I ordered another 6gb this morning and hopefully will stay out of trouble. It only needs for a few bad objects to be fixed and off I start texturing. I can promise you a perfect result from what I've seen on my material test renders.

Give it some time to load, the image is 3400x1998px:



Now is the time that everyone should start commenting!

[dilo]

Now is the time that everyone should start commenting!

Cannot belive I'm the first one... well, this was an amazing project, a tremendous effort and, I think, a great emotion for all UMSF memebers to see it completed! Is like to see a newborn baby...
Lot of considerations and proposal in my mind, for the moments congrats again and thanks a lot, s.lord!
And, please, give us more views!!!

PS: how many polygons?

[dilo]

I am recycling this wrong post (instead to write a new one) only to attach a wallpaper I made from this beautiful rendering...

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Floyd]

Congratulation on an amazing amount of work and an fantastic result. Wow!!!!

[scooterlord]

Thanks! Just wait till you see it done! I am just holding myself not to post a few material renders I have, I am keeping them for when the time is right, hehe.. I can guarantee that everyone will drool all over this

@dilo: have no idea how many polys are produced, since it is constructed out of nurbs. I am guessing... A WHOLE LOT! If anyone happened to see any of my other 3d models in my site, the suzuki hayabusa that had the most polygons, was almost 600k when optimized, while its rhino file size was 100mb. The rover has reached more than 800mb in size and there are like 5.000 instances of same objects (like bolts, nuts, knots, etc) which are not added extra to the file size.

Many views will start popping up the next few days (hopefully) including materials. Prepare your desktops for many wallpapers, hehe. Since I worked so hard to detail EVERYTHING I might as well make renders from all possible angles so that everything can be seen. My aim is 12mpx size renders (as long as my pc will be able to handle them) - twice the size of the above render.

Glad you enjoy it as much!

[ilbasso]

Time to bring out the Swear Jar again! *clink clink*

Absolutely beautiful. You have my admiration! As I said in a previous post, I have no doubt that you know every square centimeter of the MER better than any person involved in her design!

[ElkGroveDan]

It's kind of fun looking at it in the neutral color - almost like this is is the battleship model. I can't wait to see the textures. Are you going to create one with and without dust on the solar panels?

[scooterlord]

I dont know about the dust, its very tough to add it and look as it should, considering that there are more than 50 textures on the surface. For the time being i am only considering the clean version but time will tell. Texturing alone is a very difficult and time consuming process...

[Leither]

Simply stunning - even more impressive than I thought it would be from the partial posts. A truly excellent piece of work. I find the neutral colour makes the individual components stand out so much more. I’ve already had to look up several ‘bits’ I didn’t initially recognize.

Many thanks for this superb Christmas present!

PS. Very very minor point, you’ve modeled the right hand Pancam filter housing as a mirror image of the left hand Pancam housing when it is actually the same housing rotated thro‘ 180 - so on the LH Pancam the little wire connection bulge is above the lens and on the RH Pancam it should be below the lens. I think!

[scooterlord]

Thank you all for your kind words.

@Leither... these 'several bits' you didn't recognize at once, I didn't even know what they were! I suppose you can check the details in my model and THEN make them out in the reference photos. Just imagine the other way around which I had to do to model them. Tens of hours staring, minutes of modeling...

As for the pancam, it's exactly as it should be - I used for reference the documentary 'roving mars'. You are welcome to double-check it.

So, here is a new render, due to a small error I didn't fix before I started the render, the body of the mer isn't shown, sorry for this, but you can make out most the details at the top - some are not seen because of the image's contrast, I have even modeled the silicons that keep the small cables in place. I know it could be texured, but I wanted it to look as real as possible in close-up renders.




I have to admit that I am surprised about how many details you people see. I am almost certain that many of you have worked on the actual mer itself, but I find it very pleasant that you loved the project so much and you remember about the details - I was surprised that you could make out which one of the two mers I was making from minor details seen in my renders. I am also happy that I lived up to YOUR expectations. CG artists will see the amount of work in this project, but will not be in position to appreciate the detailing and accuracy.

[PDP8E]

WOW - this labor of love and CGI tour-de-force is amazing...
Will it rove about in a little CGI movie about someday??

[nprev]

There is no other word to use short of "incredible", in the best possible sense. Such remarkable work, and I'm sure that many if not most people on the MER team will soon see it (if they haven't already!)

Congratulations, man. We (UMSFers) love your labor of love!

[Stu]

Incredible, and beautiful too... I admire and respect your dedication. Can't wait to see what you do with your creation next...