Blenderguru Steampunk (The Swiss Navy)Last call

Artwork Works in Progress
#1

Hello everybody!
I see that the new blenderguru competition is entitled steampunk. I quite enjoyed taking part in the last one (although in truth I only spent a day on it),
So I thought I’d have another go as I quite like the subject (and I think I have a good idea for this one).
As I’m not entirely sure where I’m supposed to post any work in progress, I thought this would be as good a place as any.

Some of you who have come across me before might remember that I am something of a fan of the country and landscape of Switzerland.
Now I have said on previous occasions but with so many beautiful lakes, so lovely and inviting to look at, it must be necessary for the Swiss to have a navy of some kind.
So without too much description at this stage, what I’m hoping to produce is a picture of a semi dirigible, belonging to the fleet air arm of the Federal Swiss navy,
With their flagship aircraft carrier, and some the accompanying capital ships in the background. Of course being Swiss
They all have to be paddle steamers!
Anyway to start the ball rolling here is a sketch I did in my lunch hour.
I may start modeling this tonight and you might see some results later on.

Up to this stage I haven’t really come to grips with the new cycles engine (preferring to use blender internal), however it is about time I grasp the nettle
Especially as I spent some money on a new graphics card. As I am not completely au fait with cycles I may need some help from time to time.
Anyway here we go!

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#2

That’s a great sketch

#3

Now all I have to do is build it!:eek:

#4

Here is as far as I got.(bedtime beckons). As the vehicle is symmetrical along its length, I have used a mirror modifier along the y axis, and a subsurf modifier.
with luck, more when I get back tomorrow, along with a sketch of the aircraft carrier!:slight_smile:

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#5

Here is a small update, I got up early this morning, made some modifications to the cabin, and added the gimbal mounted gatling guns.

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#6

Very nice project I love the sketch and would like to have your drawing skills :slight_smile: But isn’t the dirigible too tight, I would imagine more volume to fly in the air, like a real one. Maybe I’m mistaken but anyway, looking forward to seeing it finished.

#7

I think that if we were talking about real physics then that would be a totally valid point, but as we are talking steampunk, then I have to tell you that the ship uses ionised helioperaphosiphic hydrogen plasma as its lifting agent. This augments its lighter than air properties by using fluctuations in the earths magnetic field to provide additional lift. Also the triple expansion reciprocating engine is fed by a boiler heated by triphasic hydronium. This enables it to travel at speeds of up to 190mph, for up to 2 months.

#8

Et Tu Bruté!

I have just found a supply of triphasic hydronium in my back garden (behind the shed) - would you like me to ship some down to Wilts for you? unfortunately, and I checked in my workshop, I am completely out of helioperaphosiphic hydrogen plasma just now. I am going to B&Q tomorrow, I will ask them if they stock it.

Nice sketch - model looking promising!

Cheers, Clock.

#9

Triphasic hydronium has to be handled particularily carefully, it has the slightly disconcerting property of being in several paralell universes at the same time, which can lead to unpredictable consequences in local space and time, I would only transport it in a lead lined box at a temperature of -50 celsius or below.

As promised I have been busy in my lunch hour, and this is a rough sketch of my hybrid aircraft carrier paddlesteamer battleship.
I’ll start on this when the dirigible is sorted.

Aircraft Carrier.jpg1554×1035 1.33 MB

#10

Very nice sketches, you have quite the talent

#11

Good to see you back Carel, I’ll look forward to watching your progress.

#12

I’m on a roll with this one, it’s going to be a lot of fun!

#13

Nice Paddlesteamerbattleshipaircraftcarrierdreadnought-withromangalleyfrontend. Just one thing before you build it - you need to move the gun turrets further apart or one crew might blow the next turret’s crew’s a***s to kingdom come.

Cheers, Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-BOOM!

#14

I don’t think the victorians were too bothered by health and safety.

#15

I’ve made good progress on the dirigible, with most of the modelling done, so here are some pictures of the current state of play.

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#16

I am still not much bothered by “Elf & Safety” either, is the map of the World still coloured predominantly pink, by the way?

Very nice modelling sir!

Cheers, Clock.

#17

[QUOTE=clockmender;2866511]I am still not much bothered by “Elf & Safety” either, is the map of the World still coloured predominantly pink, by the way?

Is the world’s still predominantly: pink?
not in the way the you might think, since Triphasic Hydronium appeared on the scene, I’ve been thinking quite hard about the back story of this strange vehicle.
My day job requires me to spend many hours travelling up and down behind A lawn mower, this gives me plenty of time to think.
I have a pretty good idea of the history that leads up to the scene that I’m setting up worked out inside my head, and it derives from a point in history which in the reality of the picture will differ from the history books.

Concerning the model although I’m generally happy with it, I somewhat messed up on the areas around the windows, and I’ve been spending most of the morning trying to fix it.
Hopefully I’ve got it sorted now, and it will put up a revised picture soon

#18

Here is a new picture,
I have put on a simple glossy shader and added a low resolution environmental map. I had some problems with the geometry of the cabin that I only noticed this morning, also I thought it was looking a little too modern. I wanted it to look less like a heinkel HE 111, and a bit more like a greenhouse.
I don’t think the Victorians developed curved glass windscreens, and although this may not be strictly Victorian that is the effect that is trying to be made here.
I will start working on the textures I think, lots of rivets!

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#19

I’ve spent most of the day wrestling with textures and materials, I’ve concentrated on the cabin and the engine, so the shiny black material is a placeholder. The blue-green glow is the Triphasic Hydronium in action.

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Attachments

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#20

Nose to the grindstone, texturing now about half done, the portside gun mounting is yet to be replaced with the one from the starboard side, (which is finished.
There are three languages spoken in Switzerland, so they have to remind their enemies in each, (just to be fair of course).

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