Orbital fighter

[mrcyb]

Hi everybody !

I’m currently working on a new sci-fi spaceship.
As usual, I’m trying to make something more or less realistic according to (my) actual science and enginering knwoledges.

This time, it’s not a civilian craft, but a military one. A 2 seats (Pilot & RIO) rocket fighter able to take-off and landing from planetary surface.

The main armament is composed of 2 missiles bays and it has 2 CWIS gunpods for defensive purposes (last line of defense against enemy torpedoes/drones/missiles).

The model has several moving parts :
-Canopy
-CWIS Guns
-Missiles bays
-Airbrakes
-landing gears.

Here some early renders (I need to add textures on the cockpit, Landing gears, guns etc.)
But it will give you an idea of the final aspect of the things.

[Tycho_Magnetic_Anoma (Tycho Magnetic Anomaly)]

looking pretty cool, i liked your " Navette spatiale / Space shuttle" one too

[mrcyb]

Thank you Tycho’ !

[mrcyb]

Hi all !

I’m currently working on the cockpit, detailling, texturing etc.

[mrcyb]

Hi !
The spaceship is almost finished, so I have ad a rocket erector.
All will be animated.

Here some renders in CYCLES .

[Tycho_Magnetic_Anoma (Tycho Magnetic Anomaly)]

looking good, hey, an idea to animate this, follow its launch from surface to orbit, would be fairly straight forward to set up as an animation for sketchfab, just a thought

[mrcyb]

Hi ! thanks for the idea.

[mrcyb]

Some pictures of the rocket on the ramp.

[mrcyb]

Well, the model is finished, the animation works perfectly in blender, but not correctly in sketchfab.
As you can see from the renderings, the rocket is transported lying down on the ramp. Then it is erected vertically. The ramp detaches from the rocket and returns to its initial position.

To achieve this effect, I used the “child of” constraint on the frame to which the rocket is connected and the different moving parts of it. from a certain frame, the influence of the constraint is set to zero allowing the separation of the two objects.

It works perfectly in a blender. But in sketchfab the rocket is offset from the ramp. It floats above (!) And does not return to its normal place (in the animation) until the influence is at zero.
I can’t figure out where the problem comes from …

[nomadking (Phil_XG)]

I’m not a big Blender user, but this support article might be helpful: https://help.sketchfab.com/hc/en-us/articles/206223646-Blender-Animation

[mrcyb]

Thank you !
I will read that

[mrcyb]

Well I have more or less find a tricky solution :

Do not use “child of” constraint, but rather 'copy location/rotation" and change the “origin” of the empty controling le position of the rocket. (it’s awfull in blender but correct in sketchfab).

There is certainly a more elegant solution, but I have find it. (baking all the animations made the file too big)

I have another issue, the missile bay won’t open even if the animation is ok in blender.

I will publish it “as it” and if i found a solution later, reupload the file.

so, this is it !

[Tycho_Magnetic_Anoma (Tycho Magnetic Anomaly)]

nice final model, was also nice to see it take form here on the forum.
I might suggest instead of having the cockpit open and closing at the start, have the cockpit closed from the start and when the launcher is upright then open the cockpit hatch to reveal the details inside, I “almost” missed the details insides there since it closes so quickly at the start + its at the far end of your initial framing.
Also I think it makes more sense to open it at the end as if its ready to receive crew for launch.
Nice work anyway, the design seems very plausible!

EDIT: on 2nd thoughts, perhaps the idea of your design is to have the crew inside before its upright?, like quick launch system? ah ok

[mrcyb]

Thank you for your comments.

My first idea was to open the cockpit at the end of the animation. As you suggest.
But, I have choose to make it open/close while it’s on the ramp because I thought it was more logical/praticable to enter in the ship when it’s in horizontal position (like in an actual aircraft fighter) .
The exit is possible in vertical position (for exemple after an emergency landing in the middle of nowhere, the crew can use a rope).

I should have let the canopy open for a longer time, you’re right.

[Tycho_Magnetic_Anoma (Tycho Magnetic Anomaly)]

haha, i just edited my post as you were replying there

“EDIT: on 2nd thoughts, perhaps the idea of your design is to have the crew inside before its upright?, like quick launch system? ah ok”

but yea, either way. good job with everything

[mrcyb]

When I create a (fictional) model I try to think about it’s behaviour in real life. Is it possible? isn’it a to complicated way to do? Is practicable/logical?

The design (in my work) cames from the function. That’s why I don’t add tons of useless details just 'cause it’s look cool.

It’s my way to work. Maybe I will change my mind on a next project. But right now, I try to keep realism.