Type 52 Mark IV. (Virtual) Redux

[type_1012_tardis]

Given that I actually intend at some point to make a real youtube series with my ideas, and given how sketchup has no animation features worthy of attention, I recently switched over to Blender to make all of my TARDIS stuff in.  Now, as I can't get Blender to import my old library of SketchUp files without crashing, I had to start from scratch.  Furthermore, I have decided to split the TARDIS type into two versions - The T52rD for the physical console, and the Type 52 Mark IV. for the virtual one.

Everything so far is just test renders on a bare-bones model of the console, but still pretty good considering it consists of a mere 2 weeks of 30 minute study halls since beginning with no prior Blender experience:

Column down:


Column up:


And a short video of the console in action:

With luck, I'll have basic textures figured out by next week so I can begin the basics of the Console Room.

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[tony farrell]

Sorry, when trying to play the video, all I get is hat it is private.
Tony

[type_1012_tardis]

Sorry about that, should be fixed now.
Must have accidentally hit "private" instead of "unlisted" when uploading

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[type_1012_tardis]

Alright! Actual walls now, combined with console supports (which need fixing) and the recess in the back where the computer tables will go.  Can't have a TARDIS without archaic 80's computers and a Pac Man cabinet in the console room somewheres.  Well, that and the almighty coat rack.

From the doors:


From the side:


And from the other side, showing the recessed back wall:


And the video of the updated console room and console:

Still barely scratching the surface of what Blender can do, but not bad for a mere 16-20 hours of experience with the program.  More to come just as soon as I can figure out textures.

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[type_1012_tardis]

Another update showing the progress thus far whilst experimenting with Blender.  Now with rudimentary textures and the obligatory MAME cabinet.  Further improvements include the widescreen Scanner, door to the interior, and the desk in the back.  Roundels are on the to-do list.  Also featured in the video below is the Telephone Booth (non-police box) that I have been working on for the past two weeks.
Also in the works are a Zero Room and a dual-purpose D&D/Conference Room, though those are a ways off.

From the main doors again:


From the back:


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[type_1012_tardis]

Still in time for a new-year's update i hope (here in the US at least...).

Some partial instrumentation on the console, as well the the beginnings of some clutter in the room and the MAME logo on the cabinet in the back.  In addition, the console now has the Sci-Fi obligatory big red button on one of the two undecided panels.



The Coordinate (left) and Communications (right) panels:


The Environment Panel:


The back space, MAME cabinet, and desk:


And the video update, with placeholder coordinate entry sound effects:

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[mobius]

shiny red candy-like button... the history eraser button?!

[type_1012_tardis]

As many of you know, it can take quite a while to come up with the control layout for the console.  So I've been working on a few other rooms in the meantime while I work on the layout in my head (and what to do with that last panel of the console).

The only room anywhere near presentation quality is the "Gametable" room, primarily intended for D&D or war games, and which can double as a conference room if the need arises.  It is inspired by one of the excellent works of Rob: http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=3954.0

The idea behind coloring the room in what I refer to as "Void" is that the room itself is infinite, with the boundaries set only by the free-floating Roundels.  Thanks to the way the architectural configuration is set up, the room and table can thus be expanded on command to accommodate as many people as required (very useful when serving as a conference room).  I was intending to do the door in a style similar to the multi-dimensional arches from The Girl Who Waited, just as soon as I can figure out how.

The table in the room contains a 3D hologram projector (8-bit color) in the recessed black space, which projects the field and player's interface; alternatively, it can project holograms of people in a meeting but not physically present into the chairs (think Star Wars' Jedi council chamber).
There is also a conventional screen in the back that can display full-color information, including tapping the Scanner feed.
Now it just needs chairs and the door

From where the door will be located:


Looking towards where the door will be:


I also have crude draft forms of a Zero Room (scrapped the old one), Secondary Console Room, and a loosely (okay, moderately) TRON-based computer system for the primary control room, all of which are in the works as well.

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[Rassilons Rod]

Nice work, influenced by rob49152, I see. 

[type_1012_tardis]

Wow it's been awhile since this was updated!
I haven't worked on this in a few weeks, as I have been trying (and failing) to learn armatures in preparation for (hopefully) making some youtube shorts in the next few months.
So, a while ago i rage quit and deleted the console room file (without thinking) because I was trying to fix the walls and couldn't.  Fortunately, the console was in a separate file and the room proved easy enough to recreate (with the intended fix).  Sadly, several of my improvements were lost at the same time, most of which have been recreated since.

Anyway, here's the updated Console Room, beginning with each panel of the console, clockwise starting at the main door:







The back space with the desk and mame cabinet:


The scanner has been improved with doors and a plane for the screen that I can texture:



And the hallway leading off of the console room:

At the end of the hallway is one of those "Transmat Corridors" that I came up with awhile back, for those who didn't read that earlier post:

Spoiler

the transmat corridor acts as a shortcut through the TARDIS.  One simply thinks of the intended destination within the ship while walking (or running) into the corridor and is instantly teleported to the closest such corridor to that destination.

[close]

That short bit of hallway ends in a small hexagonal junction, which my (lack of) camera placement skills do not allow me to make an adequate render of.  Leading off of it are the hallway to the rest of the TARDIS (left) and another short corridor (right) to the Transmat Room:

As the intended theme for the earlier mentioned youtube shorts would be something along the lines of "Doctor Who meets Star Trek," a Transmat Room is appropriate for this TARDIS.  It is incapable of initiating a transmat, but is capable of picking up a beam directed at the ship and allowing it to manifest inside (which the shields and multidimensional nature of the TARDIS would otherwise prevent).

Whew.  Think I got it all.  The telephone booth exterior has received a slight upgrade in the form of a top on the light, but it's not significant enough to warrant a new photo.  I'm also working on concepts for the Zero Room and Secondary Console Room, though they have a ways to go.

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[type_1012_tardis]

As you are all no doubt unaware, i recently replaced my 4-year old Macbook with a new, more powerful machine to do animating/minecraft with.  No sooner did I start transferring my old files over than the laptop had a fatal hard drive head crash!  Needless to say, I am glad I spent money on that backup drive...

Anyhow, on to the thing you guys care about: the TARDIS.  Firstly, I must note and apologize for an embarrassing lack of progress on the console room.  Most of the changes to it are minor; for the most part me attempting to reduce the polygon count from the roundel creation (I used the Boolean modifier, for anyone that this means anything to).  It's hardly noticeable and I did not deem it to be worthy of an updated render.

However, the D&D/Conference Room has had some substantial changes made.  In addition to the Arch (still trying to figure out Portals so that it can lead somewhere...), I decided to go in a slightly different direction for the seating, more in a minute.  The hologram projector (which was supposed to be 4-bit color, my mistake earlier) has been upgraded somewhat, with some holodeck-esque functionality added.  By tapping the architectural configuration, the holograms are "semi-solid," allowing participants of a call (while still monochrome) to interact with the room around them, as well as making the new chair concept possible.  I also added some reflectivity to the screen and to the glowing roundels, as well as adding a slight green tint to the hologram table.  The 'grid' above the table is a placeholder to indicate a D&D field or something, just part of the interface to liven up the room a bit more.

Enough of my mad scientist explanations, here are the photos:



And a close-up on one of the chairs.  In addition to being semi-solid (and therefore actually functional), the chair program taps the TARDIS telepathic circuitry, adjusting the comfort and positioning to the user's exact desire.  They are therefore, quite literally, the most comfortable chairs you will ever sit in.  *sigh* Now I want one in real life....



I had also meant to include a render of the doorway arch in here, though i cannot find the file (probably moused over it several times looking for it).  Ah well, I'll include it with the inevitable Console Room update when some appreciable work gets done there in the next few weeks.


Happy 50th Doctor Who, and I hope any of my fellow US-based whovians had a good turkey day (and a good Thursday for those of you living elsewhere).
   Anyhoo, End of Line

[type_1012_tardis]

Well, this has been collecting virtual dust on my hard drive for several months now, I figured it was time to get back to work on it now that the homework load is less intense.  Forgive the border and render details, these are not "true" renders, merely screenshots of render preview mode.

So, last time I promised a render of the Doorway Arch in the D&D/Conference Room.  I present you with an updated one that also features a new (nicer!) texture for the main table:




The Console Room has been updated slightly, getting slightly reflective floors and roundels, as well as columns and a partial ceiling modification.  The roundels alone took almost 3 hours due to the accursed boolean modifier's side-effect of making 300,000 vertices that my OCD forced me to correct (render times up by 0.7 seconds, woot!).  Anyways, the Plumbob in the Console has received a similar treatment, becoming somewhat reflective and also 15% less transparent.  The hallway has been replaced (again), this time going back to the previous design that I'm actually not sure I ever posted renders of.  The hallway is fully roundeled as well.  I fully intend to get around to updating the Console soon, it has been sorely neglected.  Actually, the entire Time Column may-or-may-not be getting a more detailed overhaul, we shall see.



At the end of the hallway the updated Transmat Corridor can be seen.  To either side (unfortunately not visible) is a short stub of hallway leading off into the rest of the ship by means of clever camera angles and scene transitions.




The door at the end of the hall leads to the previously shown Transmat Room, which has not been updated in over a year now.  I'll get to it eventually.





Well, that's all for now, though I hope to have more for you soon.  Until then, enjoy!

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[galacticprobe]

Now that is how I would like to see TARDIS corridors in the show: roomy, with wall roundel lighting!

Dino.

[type_1012_tardis]

I'm glad you like it!  I'm really pleased with how the minor reflectivity turned out on the roundels and floor, it was one of those "let's try it and see" things.  Though as you can see in the fourth picture I missed a few spots.  Too many polygons to keep track of, the Console Room proper is a mess.   I also intend to play around with the lighting a bit more.  I still don't really know what I'm doing light-wise, and the emergency lights make the console room look like someone spilled coffee all over everything.  Blech.  Well, you know what they say about practice.

Forgive my ramblings, as the one creating this I'm cursed to forever see ways to improve it.  Now if only I could settle on a stable design for the Zero Room and Secondary Console Room...

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[galacticprobe]

I'm glad you like it!  I'm really pleased with how the minor reflectivity turned out on the roundels and floor, it was one of those "let's try it and see" things.

Really nice! (I'm trying to talk the wife into at least repainting the hallway so the walls look like this. No luck with that so far. But as they say, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again until you get the frypan across the back of the head! )

Though as you can see in the fourth picture I missed a few spots.  

Never noticed that. Even after you mention it, I still really don't notice it. It looks great to me.

Too many polygons to keep track of,

I have that problem in real life! (Too many - anythings - not enough brain cells! )

the Console Room proper is a mess.

Not really. A bit sparse maybe, but not a mess (proper or otherwise).

I also intend to play around with the lighting a bit more.  I still don't really know what I'm doing light-wise, and the emergency lights make the console room look like someone spilled coffee all over everything.  Blech.

Not so "blech". The lighting reminds me of that on the Enterprise-D bridge in ST: TNG. (And I guess unless one hates 'Trek' in general, the lighting is sort of cozy-looking.) Try adding a plinth under the console so it's mounted to the floor, and give the plinth some lighting, sort of like the 1996 or 2013/2014 consoles. See what happens.

Well, you know what they say about practice.

Yeah... it's how you get to Carnegie Hall!

Forgive my ramblings, as the one creating this I'm cursed to forever see ways to improve it.

Ah, yeah... they do say we are our own worst critics. We'll always see something wrong with our stuff while others will think it's beautiful. So don't take it to heart. You're doing fine. (Just look; you're inspiring me to convince my wife to repaint the hallway so it looks like one of your corridors!)

Now if only I could settle on a stable design for the Zero Room and Secondary Console Room...

Zero Room? I'd stick with the "pinkish grey" as the 5th Doctor described it. (Stick with the Classic coloring on that one: pale grey walls with soft pink lighting coming from slightly larger large roundels - not huge like in the Classic Zero Room, but larger than the ones you have on the walls now.)

For the Secondary Console Room? How about a smaller version of the 1996 console... something akin to this great console http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=2714.0, but with an added "shelf" around it like the 1996 console? And instead of the usual lighted pillars or tubes, inside a central column, try going with that "water drop simulator" thingy for the time rotor? Keep the console in wood tones, but make the rotor either clear, pale green, or pale blue. (Just a thought.)

Dino.