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Vanguard3000 — Rescue at Orinackra
Published: 2010-03-23 00:46:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 5300; Favourites: 53; Downloads: 133
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Description
During their mission to stop the Empire's Dark Trooper program, mercenaries Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors are dispatched to rescue a valuable comrade - Rebel informant Crix Madine - from torture and execution at the infamous Imperial prison planet, Orinackra. The information gathered from Madine's liberation led the two mercenaries to the targets they needed to stop Dark Trooper production.In the following years, both Katarn and Madine became invaluable to the Rebellion, and the New Republic that followed it.
I always imagined Katarn's ship, the Moldy Crow, as being similar to Han Solo's Millennium Falcon: Ancient, heavily modified, and probably stolen, yet ultimately a reliable (a romantic might say "lucky") ship. It was fast and manoeuvrable, making it perfect for quick, silent mission insertion and retrieval.
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On a technical note, since my last WIP version, I've added specular maps, giving the texture a "rougher" look, and stopping light from reflecting off the dirt and scorch marks on the ship's hull. I also added the engine trail to the model. After playing around with several glow effects, I find a simple opacity-mapped and self-illuminated model did the trick.
I also added the planet and starscape background in Photoshop, with help from tutorials by [link] and [link] Thank you both very much; this won't be the last time I use these techniques.
I hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you think.
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"Rescue at Orinackra"
Models - 3D Studio Max
Scene, textures - Photoshop
The image is 1680X1050 - great for desktop backgrounds!
Previous Versions
Textured: [link]
Early Model: [link]
Related content
Comments: 38
Very nice work! This reminds me that I need to post my Moldy Crow CG model and paper model kit. As obsessed with the Crow as I am, I think both will meet your expectations.
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Thanks! I can't wait to see your CG model!
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YES I've always loved this ship
And I still play the video game too, awesome job here!
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Thanks a lot. I've been tempted to replay DF for a while now. Did you know a modding group is remaking the game a as a mod for Jedi Academy? It looks pretty good. Check it out here: [link]
Anyway, thanks for the comment. I'm glad you like it.
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Very cool, I'll definitely check it out, the original game did have some limitations.
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It's true, but it was quite a versatile engine at the time.
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Thanks, man. Glad you like it.
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My new favorite ship in the Star Wars universe. Well done!
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Glad you like it. I always liked this ship's design, as well as the sense of age/history you get from it. And by that I mean how rusty and beat up it is.
Thanks for the fave, also!
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Now, this is the Moldy Crow from Dark Forces! Excellent work, pal!
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Love the Moldy Crow, very underrated ship from the EU.
Very well done.
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I agree. Thank you very much.
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Thanks a lot, man. I'm pretty happy with the way it all turned out, but I feel like there's still some room for improvement...
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Unless you work for Pixar, there is probably still room for improvement! But you seem to have come a long way in a really short period of time!
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Hey, I'm sure even the Pixar guys still have things to learn... Thanks a lot, man. I'm glad you think so. I'm especially surprised because in this short period of time, it seems like I've had so little of that time to actually work on my 3D stuff.
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Well, I mean it in the best possible way when I say that if you look back at Klaymen you can really see the distance you have traveled artistically!
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Hey, don't knock Klaymen! Honestly, I still don't know how I could do the basic model any better (he does need some more texture, and a real pose, though). But I see your point.
I'd like to try and expand into making more fluid models... The Crow was a relatively boxy ship, so a boxy model works okay... but I'd like to hone my skills in making more fluid designs.
Thanks for all your support, man.
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Ya, a LOT of 3D artists REALLY struggle to transition to organic modeling. I think that for many 3D types they model in a more left-brain, logical sense. But organic modeling requires more of a right-brain, artistic approach. I think the REALLY good modelers out there can kind of switch back and forth. My first experience modeling anything in 3D was using AutoCAD! So for me it has been a real struggle to get out of that logical mindset and into a more artistic one.
I will be interested to see your progression into organics, though!
(Sorry for knocking Klaymen!!!)
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Haha, don't worry about it. I've got another project in mind right now, but eventually, I'll get back to Klaymen.
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Wewt! Good to see the ol' Crow! Was very sad when she got the boot in DF2.
A bit hard to see all the stars in the backdrop; makes it look a bit empty. The text seems a little intrusive- I'da made it smaller and moved it to a corner.
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Glad you like it. A piece of me died too, when the Crow flew no more. I was hoping for the game to end with them flying off into the sunset in a shiny Crow, restored by the Republic to its former glory. I guess it was a total write-off, though.
The original image is 1680X1050 (click the "download" link; you may be able to see the stars better on that one. I wanted to keep as "realistic" a starfield as I could (this simplicity was inspired by a quote from an Arthur C. Clarke novel I read a long time ago), forgoing the coloured nebulae and such. I only used the greyish clouds to emphasize the "Milky Way" effect.
It does seem somewhat empty in the upper-left corner. I was thinking of adding laser blasts from Tie Fighters screaming past the Crow, but thought it might cheapen the overall atmosphere.
I like the text effect (I thought long and hard on this - letterbox or no? Frame or no? etc), but you might be right. I will think on this.
Thanks for all your critiques.
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The text does look nice, I just think the position is wrong.
The high-rez version looks much nicer. The stars are just a bit small, methinks, and got lost when the image was resized.
And at least the Raven's Claw was a sexy-enough replacement! I still miss the Crow at times...
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Duly noted on both counts. I'll play around a bit, see if I can find something I like more. I wouldn't mind trying to vary the sizes/brightnesses of the starts a bit more.
Yeah, the Raven's Claw was okay, but it's just not the Crow...
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Not bad. At a guess its based off of the Crow in Dark Forces since it lacks the wear and tear of the Dark Forces 2 Crow. i like the detail that was added to the wings(?).
Funny I always thought it was Nadine.
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Thanks, man.
I based it more on the DF1 version, yes. I originally wanted to make it black, as it appears in-game, but figured it might blend in with the background too much. It certainly lacks the wear-and-tear from the ending of DF2.
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