Hello everybody,
Thank you all for your comments and questions.
- To reply to all the above requests and to summarize, yes I did build all these models from A to Z of course. Had it been differently, I would have credited the eventual author(s).
- As mentionned by some persons above, images of FRANCE, Runabout and Raft are not just simple renderings issued from a 3D program but are actual screenshots (not retouched) of fully sailable and working models into a competitor game.
There's a heck of a lot of work between a 3D models for renderings or static presentations and models for a game, with the simmer being able to go everywhere onboard (very close to any objects or parts of the ship) and with all the dynamic, in-game and lighting/specular/reflection features. SS FRANCE needed about 2 years to be completed (the bridge have yet to be done) and has about 240,000 polygons (that's why I said, shape wise and details wise, it may need to be downgraded in order to fit ShipSim requirements).
Modeling a very large passenger liner with sheer within hull and superstructure is a real headhache to model, in order to obtain a fair compromise between accuracy true to reality and number of polygons. With sheer, no or very few perfectly longitudinal homotethy or coordinates translation are allowed and the slight curvature of everything (bulkheads, walls, decks, railing...) have to match every parts together. Should we don't care about polygons number and implementation into a game, the task would still be long and meticulous, but far easier to achieve. Add to that nearly everything in this ship isn't straight with seldom right angles and you'll understand the complexity and commitment (sometimes abnegation) to model such a ship with accuracy and details. No pothole, window, vent grid or railing's bar is there by chance.
The raft and runabout needed about 2 weeks each, so far easier.
You can see more detailed and larger actual screenshots on these pages:
SS FRANCE: http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/france3d/VS1.htm (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/france3d/VS1.htm)
Raft: http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/france3d/VS2.htm (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/france3d/VS2.htm)
Runabout: http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/france3d/VS3.htm (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/france3d/VS3.htm)
SS FRANCE trailer (25min long video, large file, so please be patient):
http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vs/ss_france_forever-632-90.wmv (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vs/ss_france_forever-632-90.wmv)
Runabout short video (first sea trials) while building it:
http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vs/video-runabout-1.wmv (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vs/video-runabout-1.wmv)
The yacht OCARINA, designed and 3D-built in 2002 is still at a more basic rendering and modeling stage and has never been brought into a game or dynamic evironment yet.
- I've used Rhinoceros 3D for pure modeling (great program for that) and then Gmax (lite version of 3dsMax as some f you know) for texturing/materials and then exporting to DirectDraw format.
I think some of these ships would be nice if implemented into Ship Simulator because this sim has some nice feature lacking in the competitor software, for instance water motion (waves) is better. Some graphics or feature are better whislt other ones are not, but that's not the problem and the purpose of this thread since any maritime game would benefit from any additional ships for staying alive, especially during the gap between the initial release of the game and a future version release, and any ships models would benefit from beeing implemented into as many programs as possible.
A few additional screenshots, with all the already in-game implemented models gathered too:
I'm currently working on proposing something of use for ShipSim' team. It may probably need a few weeks for a first model (probably the runabout first). Then, understandably, ShipSim' team will evaluate if this is doable for implementing it into the sim. Our common goal is to propose something nice and of interest to you, but remember, as I've said on my first post above, the final decision and work will be theirs, so I'm of course not speaking for them here.
Remember as well, the more large and favourable feedback here, the better for reaching that objective.
Best regards,
DVOMarineDesign.
