The Machine ship design division

[Okim]

Greeting everyone!

The Machine has recently made a step forward in ship design and construction by sharing our full set of parts with the community.
While we hope to see a wide use of these models - we also want to let the community know that our team of ship designers would gladly accept any ship requests that you may have.

If you have a ship in mind and no time or desire to mess with 3D modelling - leave your request here for our team to check on it and contact you for further details.

An example of ship design request:
- name: if any
- role: interceptor
- dimensions: no longer that 12m and around 8m high.
- equipment:
-- transmitter
-- receiver
-- flight controls
-- 4x autocannons, 2x missile launchers
- specifics: fast and maneuverable ship, medium range, prolonged combat capabilities, heavy armor

If our team will accept the request - the end result will be a detailed model of the vessel with structure, plating, internals and externals being sepparated per levels for ease of construction / blueprinting later in game.

Some examples:


Please note that the amount of designs our team can work on is limited - so please be patient

The best way to quickly get a reply from us would be pinning any of @[TM] members on Starbase official discord or visiting our discord group. You wont miss it in the list of factions

 

[DimaSurgut]

to do something like this we need at least a demo editor from the game. to at least somehow generate some kind of concept of a ship. still need to consider the speed of energy consumption and maneuverability. doing a ship because of beauty is pointless.

 

[networkshark]

Which software do you use to make 3D models?
I want to start to make my ship...

 

[Okim]

Link to the set: https://yadi.sk/d/ghNfoNvXLa-PtQ

Compatible 3D software (free / educational versions:
- 3DS Max ( https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/3ds-max )
- Blender (https://www.blender.org/ )
- TinkerCAD ( https://www.tinkercad.com/learn )
- Fusion360 ( https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/students-teachers-educators )


I'm personally using 3dsmax, but Blender seems to be a much popular choice out there.

 

[Leftharted]

Interesting, and well done!

But, are the files rough estimations of the usable parts? Or, did a dev etc. post sizes somewhere, and you made your models according to scale?

If they are best-guesses, then I'd be worried if, for example, the length of the "I" beams is ever so slightly off, then that slight deviation will compound the longer/wider/taller you get, and you'd have ugly little gaps in your armor when it came time to assemble with the real pieces.

That being said, from what I recall in the dev videos; you could laser cut pieces to fit if your measurements are off... but I imagine it's very hard to cut a straight line with mouse inputs, and would then likely need to be cut with factory devices etc., which who knows how hard/easy that is to accomplish. Even then, how would you measure and align the portion that needs cutting? Otherwise just bolt it all down with jagged edges Scavenger style 8P

I apologize if I'm being blunt; I mean no offence, and am genuinely impressed with your work! But I'm a quality manager of an aerospace machine shop by day; so it's very natural for me to nitpick details. Heh...

I'm currently trolling forums while at work, so I don't have time atm to play with the models.. but I may not, because I'm much more familiar with assembly of solid models, and it looked like all of your file formats are pointclouds? I may try to convert a few to solids, as I have some experience doing this, albeit sometimes some clarity is lost (depends on how good your triangles were modeled)

Now that I've got that out of the way, and since the OP is for design requests;

How about a millennium falcon? I dont really mean a 1:1 exact replica; I'm more interested in how one would frame the 'pancake' shape, with emphasis on a nice exterior/interior layout that accounts for a dedicated loading ramp, an enclosed room for the generator (in hopes of eventually locking it somehow, likely with YOLOL?), and the two top/bottom turrets. Otherwise if it starts to seem to thick with both turrets, I've also considered a rear facing rotary/gimbal turret with a rear facing cockpit (would obviously have to shuffle thruster placement) to deal with smaller ships in pursuit.

Also, given that we have no 3rd person camera, I imagine the asymmetrical cockpit might actually be annoying, and maybe the cockpit should be moved to the nose, between the forks.

Whatcha think? Plausible? 8)

 

[CalenLoki]

Some of the parts have precise sizes, some of them are estimated.

Devs released all the beams and one complete ship. So plates, seats, generators, thrusters, ect are precise.

We also know that all the objects follow 12/24cm grid. Most follow 24cm, but plates and few other objects are half the thickness.

Weapons are the most uncertain, but seem close enough.

 

[Okim]

Beams, plates, and all main devices are of correct sizes. Devs did share quite a lot of sizes individually per part when these were asked.
The only parts that are not 100% size relevant are turrets and weapons since these are hard to ask to be given measurements (except for 'bounding box' sizes which are used for them in the set).

 

[Okim]

As for the original post here - i'm both no longer a part of The Machine that took those requests (you can join their discord and ask them directly if they can take a ship order) and also no longer modelling with the set.

These days i'm more of a 'curator' for ship design channel in main SB discord. Answering questions, sharing info, commenting on models, and creating a library of people's creations. You can leave an order there as well.

 

[Okim]

What is a pointcloud?
I'm using 3DS Max and all the parts in my set are polygons. Set is available in multiple file types compatible with several most popular applications.

 

[Leftharted]

Ahh, super happy to know that the sizes are confirmed!!

Pointcloud is a kind of a general term for any poly/mesh 3d format, which their are a ton of; but also a term for scanned data via 3d optical scanners (kinda like, scanning your face to make a 3d rendition). I've worked for a 3d printing company and they almost exclusively use pointcloud formats; whereas now I work in prototype CNC manufacturing, and the common medium is solid files. I believe mostly because modeling a solid is much more mechanical/numerical, vs. The kinda freeform style that is modeling with triangles; and also are easier to make large assemblies out of, with controlled mates. I'd probably use that to make an exploded view/animation to then make a blueprint out of...

All assuming I can find the spare time, of course However, with the game being delayed, I may end up accumulating enough time before EA. But, I'd also gladly drop it like it's hot to start designing in-game instead

All that said, I may have some time this weekend to tinker with converting to solids, and try my best to start assembling my designs, given that you've confirmed they are to scale and will measure up in-game. Mostly because the wife wants to take the kids to her parents for the weekend (couple hour drive) so I opted to stay home and "take care of the dogs"

 

[Okim]

There might be 1-2mm differences in sizes due to not always doing everything with 100% accuracy. So if you are to snap those solids one to another - you might end up with some inaccuracies.

Main Starbase Discord has a spreadsheet of all currently available info on power consumption, propelant consumption, capacities and etc.