King Tiger

[Lukem]

Firstly, it's great to see Military Meshes operational again.

The King Tiger has moved on a bit from when you last saw it. Most of the holes have been cut in to the hull - I've now got a spot of edge bevelling to look at before piling more detail on.

C & C would be much appreciated.

[Meshfan]

Great start! Hope to see more of the King Tiger.

[Dann-O]

Looking good nice GI setup

[malefatal]

Nice modeling!. Can you show us wires ?

[krazycolin]

great stuff... again...

[TheGreatRaja]

Nice Tiger :)

[Lukem]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!:)

Dann-O: the render was done as a standard stochastic render, with a white floor and sky dome. I like rendering it that way, both for the 'clay' effect and the fact it takes a lot less time than a true radiosity render.

Malefatal: I've attached a couple of screenshots with gouraud + lines shading - will these do?

Small update: the glacis MG 'bulge' is now in - not the most exciting of updates, but I was a bit worried about that part!

[Meshfan]

Whoa. Great update on the King Tiger.

[Skyraider3D]

Great mesh!

[Novak]

Indeed verry nice start... Love the details. Keep it up the great work. I will keep
a eye on this one...


Greetz, Novak

[Larsen]

WOW... looks really great man! very well modeled as well, great job!

[Lukem]

Thanks a lot for the comments - they are very much appreciated!

I'm working on small details at the moment (round the grilles etc). I'll post an update in the next few days.

[Archetype]

looking great lukem

[Lukem]

Small update - I'm continuing with details on the engine deck.

[Lukem]

More detail for you.

[yobiko]

Looking good. Sweet details. :)
The germans had cool tanks, that's for sure!

[Spinner]

Looking forward to seeing the acessories hanging on those turret brackets.
:cool:

[digiartist]

looking very nice mate! Can't wait to see the finished product:)

[Lukem]

Thanks guys! They sure did have good looking tanks (and warships and planes etc)

Good to see you back Digiartist. Have you reloaded your 'Bad Omen' image - I need inspiration!

Small update - exhausts etc added.

Do you think Flakmonkey would mind if I added one of his buckets to this?:)

[krazycolin]

Are you using elight to render?

[Skyraider3D]

Are you using elight to render?I don't think so, as E-Light doesn't introduce any grain ;)
Looks fab, by the way!

[krazycolin]

that's what i thought... looks like vray... or brazil.....

[Lukem]

Thanks Guys!:)

First up; What is E-light? I've not heard of that one.:)

There's no magic involved with these renders; it's just standard C4D stochastic, although I have started playing a bit with the colour mapping (but I have a long way to go with it) to try and bring some of the details out of the dark (all the covers on the back plate, for example).

[kliment]

A lot tigers here! :D Beautiful tank!

[Lukem]

Thanks Kilment!:)

Small update for you; track guard mounting plates and suspension swinging arms. Work has started on the drive sprockets.

[Lukem]

Small update for you...

[digiartist]

Looking very sweet! It's great to see this and Pioneer's King Tiger taking shape. I think we'll need a seperate KT section on MM;)

[Skyraider3D]

First up; What is E-light? I've not heard of that one.:)
http://e-light.skyraider3d.com ;)

[Lukem]

Nice one! Thanks for that Skyraider.:) Not thinking about converting the script to C4D anytime are you?:D Great site you have there BTW.

Gareth, as opposed to have a separate section for KTs, why not have a separate 'German section'? Glad you like it so far.

Another render for you - just wanted to check the proportions.

[Lukem]

Latest update, hot off the press.

[JFandL]

Very nice Lukem!

[Lukem]

Thanks for that John!

I'm slowly working on some of the details, headlamp etc. I should be able to post later. Any comments on the tracks?

[digiartist]

looks great mate! tracks seem spot on...are you going to add some battle damage? maybe a few dents in the glacis?

[Martocticvs]

Good progress - tracks look great

[Lukem]

Thanks very much for the kind words, guys.:)

Digiartist: Eventually, it will end up a bit 'second hand', but I'm just concentrating on building it clean at the moment. I'm not sure what the damage will entail yet.

Anyway, small update as promised.

[Spinner]

Looking great!
Since you asked about the tracks; Are they a little too close to the body? Seem very close in your last update.

[Lukem]

Looking great!
Since you asked about the tracks; Are they a little too close to the body? Seem very close in your last update.

Thanks Spinner.:)

The tracks appear to be slightly too wide (if that's the direction youre talking about), but looking at the blueprints it's only by about a bolts width. Wrong of me to say, but adjusting them will make little difference. I'm hoping the addition of mud and track guards will make the error a little less apparent.

Well spotted though.:D

[Spinner]

Yeah, its the shadow that draws one's eye to the point between track and that big body plate. With different lighting it'd be un-noticeable, even before adding mud n guards.
re your question in the other Tiger thread:
Is that part a welded captive bolt for mounting the forward track cover plate, maybe? A headless bolt welded there that the plate is secured to by a nut from the track side.

[Lukem]

Thanks very much for answering my question mate!

I was looking at two King Tigers and a Jagdtiger at Bovington, and if they had anything in that area it was just a rectangular plate surrounded with welds. I did notice a plate on the inside of the mud guard; looked as if it was welded to the hull and bolted to the guard. What you suggest makes sense - thanks again.

[kiwi123]

Great stuff !

[Lukem]

Thanks Kiwi!

Small update - captive bolts for the mudguards (thanks Spinner), Glacis MG34 and the cover for the spade.

[Pionier]

where is zimmerit hihi ;)?

nice model Lukem!

[jf3000]

wow what a call design.

[Lukem]

where is zimmerit hihi ;)?

nice model Lukem!

Thanks Pionier - seeing your King Tiger makes a compliment from you (and Digiartist because of his Tiger), very much appreciated!

No zimmerit - it's modelled on a september / october '44 tank after the order went out to stop applying zimmerit - it's going to the Ardennes!:D

Does anyone know if the tigers at the bulge carried the 20 ton jack? I know they stopped shipping them close to that time, but I've no evidence to suggest one way or the other.

Jf3000 - thanks.:)

[JFandL]

I'm not sure on the jack but your model is look really good sir!

[digiartist]

Luke, I don't think I've seen any of the 'Bulge' KTs with the jack. Thats not to say they didn't have them (covering my back here:) ) but you might be best leaving it off. I wondered about that with my King Tiger and eventually decided on without the jack.

[Lukem]

Thanks JFand L!

Cheers Gareth, I wasn't sure myself. I think I'll add the brackets for it though; the photos of 211 (after being knocked out) show the angles for the wooden block and something in the right location for the jack brackets.

Sorry there hasn't been an update for a while, but I've currently embarked on the laborious task of bevelling and refining the hull mesh. Hopefully, it shouldn't take too much longer.

[Lukem]

After a discussion I had with Spinner in another thread, I decided to have a break and model a tow cable.

The cable was made using a cross-section spline made up of 8 circles swept along a path spline and rotated 25000 degrees. Final poly count 175K. If anyone has any better ideas on how to build these, please tell me!

[Pablo_nemesis]

Umm for the cable, Not sure what modeling technique are you using or anything, but i think that making a spline whit the right uvw and texturing whit bump/displacement/normal mapping would be enough for that.

[Darmo]

very detailed and well-modelled.

I like your Tiger!

[Spinner]

The cable is looking sweet!
I've been running into probs with back-plaits on my rope version. I might have to cover it with binding similar to the sheath section on your cable.
Plaiting splines is good way to go crazy.:lol:

[Lukem]

Hi Pablo - I decided to model the cable after problems I had trying to texture them on an earlier project. In the end I found it so much easier to model the cable than to texture it.

Darmo: Thanks for the kind words mate!:)

Spinner: Glad you like this bit of polygon insanity! This cable is now finished, bar texturing - just wants fitting to the tank. As regards the problems you are having, I've attached a photo I got at Bovington with part of the sheath removed - I hope it helps; it certainly helped me.

[jf3000]

So just out of curiosity, does your tank have an engine? Or did u forget to model that part of it in there to make it go, or is it one of those brrrmmm brrrrmmm toys for kids, the ones without the motors :P

[Lukem]

Not yet. Neither does it have any of the radiators, the gear box, prop shaft.

My reference has a few gaps....:D

[Spinner]

That's interesting. I didnt realise the cables weren't actually back-plaited. Clamping them, like that, makes sense for quick production I guess. I've back-plaited both rope and steel cables in real life and its a pain to do the steel. You have to prise the strands open with a spike. Makes for much stronger end loops though. With the weight of tanks, I find that genuinely surprising.

[Lukem]

And here are the cables insitu. Also the basic hull is complete - it's just a case of adding the details.

[digiartist]

looking fantastic mate, what with Pionier's and Flakmonkey's KTs I dont think there's anywhere else that's got a finer collection of 3d king tigers!:D

[kevjon]

Looks really impressive. Nice WIP render too.

[krazycolin]

impressive work as always....

[Lukem]

Wow, thanks for the kind words everyone!

Next I'm hoping to finish off the big details, like the mud flaps and track guards. I should have an update for you in the next few days (hopefully).

[Lukem]

Okay, perhaps a few days was a little optimistic.

Update: Track guards and front mud guards added, mounting plates completely revised; rear mud guards under construction.

Please note, that I'm building it clean first, before adding damage when I've decided what I'm doing with it (i.e. environment).

[digiartist]

It's looking great mate, the finish line is in sight!

[mrys]

Looks fantastic! Can't wait for weathering and "damaging"!

[Lukem]

Thanks people - I'm looking forward to the weathering stage (I've never tried it before!) but I've got the nightmare of UV unwrapping first.

But before all that, here are the rear mud guards in-situ.

[Spinner]

Bloody lovely m8.
I'd be reluctant to get a scratch on her too.;)
I used to hate mapping etc but now I really enjoy adding textures.

[krazycolin]

uh... yeah... unwrapping a planar surfaced tank... riiiiiggghhhhtt... that's not a nightmare... that's a wet dream... try the JSf... all compound curves without clean delinateations anywhere... GRRRR... i really love your tank dude... it's making me rethink buying the tamiya 1/16 R/C version... coolness... sometimes tactility is a wonderful thing after dealing with all these untouchables....

[krazycolin]

uh.. not saying it's easy... just saying it's not that hard... ya know?

[digiartist]

thats what I thought too when it came to mapping my King Tiger. After mapping wing roots, cockpits and complicated blends for years a tank seemed like a walk in the park in comparison.
Unfortunately it turned out to be one of the most tedious jobs around as there is so much to texture. Every time you think you've covered eack little handle, vent cover, etc another one pops up. You can use generic tile maps in some places but for the most part it's like being stuck in UV groundhog day.
Mapping tanks is a different kind of pain to aircraft:)

[Lukem]

uh.. not saying it's easy... just saying it's not that hard... ya know?

No worries - I'm sure there are far harder things to unwrap out there - I've just not sucessfully attempted it before.:D

I know what you mean about the tactility issue though; I like what Big Todd is doing with his model of the Lion. Still I've got a Dragon 1:35 model of the KT to build when this is finished.

[Karras]

Je,je I use a personal method for UVmapp, but is more easy & simple .
I like your tank.

[Lukem]

Thanks Karras. I'm going to be trying to learn how to use Bodypaint during this - hopefully projection painting can help get me out of any problem areas:rolleyes: .

The last cable is in place.

[kiwi123]

Looking great ! This will be headered once the texture is there :lol:

No matter what people say, thisi is going to be a lot of work to properly unwrap. Been there with the vorpostenboot and the spitfire, just all the details takes days. Surely a good unwrapping tool helps ! (like modo)

[Lukem]

Thanks a lot sir!

I'm looking forward to the texturing stage - but I'm bound to annoy all of you with noob questions!

First however, I've got to come up with an economical method for modelling the mesh grilles...

[Karras]

Je,je man, i don't use bodyPaint. I use 5 planar maps for the tank :
- Sides
- Top Hull
- Top Turret
- Front
- Rear

[jiverson]

Your Tiger II is simply wonderful!!
You have captured even the smallest detail. I've enjoyed following your progress and look forward to the texturing. I use C4D and bodypaint too. I'm no expert, but I find the real power of bodypaint is the ability to arrange the UVs to suit your needs.

[Lukem]

So for the sides, front & rear you texture turret and hull at the same time, Karras? Thanks for the advice though mate!

Thanks Jiverson! I think the beauty of BP is being able to sort it all out in one programme - no time lost reloading programmes, maps etc. We'll see how it goes.

Mesh grilles are now built - they were finished yesterday, but this shot took rather a long time to render.

[jiverson]

Wow, those screens look great! Just wondering.. how many sides are the individual wires?
I agree about bodypaint - all in one program is really nice indeed. It will also save out textures as a layered psd for those times when you want to do more work to a texture in photoshop.

[Big Red 11]

The tip of the thing on the end of the barrel (don't know the name) has no thickness from what I can see. Otherwise a superb job.

[Spinner]

Grills look great, except for the center of the round one and that should be OK once textured etc.

[Lukem]

Thanks Guys!

Jiverson: I cheated a bit with the wires; they have only got four sides - but I took the limits off of the phong tag to make them look a bit more cylindrical. I've got to watch the polys a bit - with full cylinders, the cylindrical screens came out in excess of 100K!

Big Red 11: Hi! Glad you like it. I assume you mean the muzzle brake - believe me, there is a thickness to it; maybe the bevel on it disguises the fact.

Spinner: Thanks mate! After texturing, I may well start to disrupt the wires a bit - the only thing causing the poor rendering of that area is the proximity I think - we'll see.

Update: I've got four more tools to build and get into position - hopefully I can do that tonight (although, one of them is the C-hook) and produce some renders over the weekend.

[Lukem]

The basic model is now complete! Next up; texturing.

[warchild_666]

lovely hope i gone be as good at this one day:rolleyes:

[kevjon]

Good going Lukem, looks superb !

Can't wait to see some textures. Any chance of showing some sort of WIP shots of how you go about uv mapping such a complicated shape. I would be most interested to learn.

Probably only need to show the uv layout.

[Spinner]

Hmm, lovely!
You know for a change I'd like to see one done as brand spanking new, fresh from the factory without a scratch. Piffle to the weathering. :lol:

[Lukem]

Thanks for the kind words!

Sure you will Wildchild - how many tanks have you built so far?

Kevjon: Cheers mate! I've not tried to do much in the way of UV mapping in the past - I'm going to be learning on the job (hopefully). I do have the advantage of owning Bodypaint though. I'll show what I can during the next few months! Which means, Spinner may indeed see parts of the Tiger without weathering!

[cobra6]

impressive. Allthough Im not a fan of blue colour;)

like all the little details :)

Cobra 6

[Lukem]

Thanks Cobra!

First update on my very slow texturing progress. I'm a complete newcomer to texturing.

That's enough excuses - here we have the mantlet and barrel. The mantlet looks a bit too clean at the moment, but Gareth gave me a good method of muckying up the colour channel, which I've yet to try.

C & C would be much appreciated.:)

[digiartist]

nice start Luke! Are you going to use a generic noise map for your bump like you have in just now or are you going to create a specific bump map? Only reason I ask is that your noise map's scale is off between the mantlet and the barrel. BTW, I love the attention to detail like the weld beading. Very nice.

[Lukem]

Thanks mate! The bump on the barrel is a custom specular colour channel, hence why it looks off-scale and also why the mantlet looks so clean, which is primarily bump map (for some reason, the specular colour is having no effect on it; mind you the lighting is poor).

At the moment, I'm painting it all by mouse; some bits will have procedurals in the end.

[jiverson]

Looking really good! Just wondering, are you using bodypaint for this?
-Jamie

[Lukem]

Thanks Jamie! Yep, it's all done in Bodypaint, apart from the camo. where I'm having to use Paint Shop Pro to create the shapes and save them as selections (don't ask - all I know is BP dosen't appear to like vector shapes!).

[bitmap]

pretty cool dude. :)

[Lukem]

Thanks mate!

Update: The entire turret is in the body shop; basic colour channel nearly complete - I've got to start thinking about the weathering.

Pictures soon.

[Lukem]

Update: A render of the turret with the basic colour channel plus a slight amount of reflection and environment.

Scratches, chips and bumps next.

C & C would be much appreciated.

[krazycolin]

looks great... one small question... are you sure about the font for the numbers?

[Spinner]

Certainly the protrusion on the '1's seems to be extending lower than Tiger pics I was looking through last night.
It's looking great overall, Lukem!


edit, Looked again to be sure and found a second font used on early production 'E' Tigers that had the '1' extended down to the mid letter.

[Lukem]

Thanks for the comments guys!

I'm not sure about the numbers myself - they are based on the transfers supplied with a Dragon 1/35 kit, with the colours changed.

[digiartist]

looking nice so far Luke, the camo pattern seems spot on. Regarding the numerals, I would agree with the comments regarding the '1's, they dont look quite right. Also,I don't know if that's just a temp colour your using for the numbers but the 2nd company of 501 wore for the most part red numbers. 1st wore black and the 3rd wore blue with yellow outlines. I guess there's always question marks regarding the colours from black and white photos tho.:)

[Lukem]

I blame Dragon!

As far as colouration, you are right as far as what is accepted to be the correct colouration, certainly as far as 3 company (I have colour video evidence for that). A certain fly in the ointment has been mentioned though - an eyewitness account states that 213's numbers were black on a white background - as no one knows what 211 looked like, I've done the same. Perhaps as sSSpzabt 501 was under direct control of the Liebstandarte, the rule book was thrown away? Thanks for the comments BTW.

[digiartist]

There's certainly exceptions to the rule it seems. Perhaps 213 was a late transfer from another unit, that seems to be the case of 222 which almost certainly didnt have red numbers but solid yellow ones instead. Having an eyewitness account while not always conclusive helps with research.
I would lean towards red for 211 one though, as this is the colour commonly associated with 501s 2nd company. Also, the well documented pictures of 204 seem to show a colour lighter than black.
Part of the fun of building these things I suppose is the educated guesses we have to make sometimes.

[Lukem]

Too true Gareth.

222 was strange because I believe it was one of the only Tigers to be spray painted and didn't it also have a white circle with a yellow cross in it, presumably 509's tactical markings?

The red certainly looked better - I'm going to check the numerals against photos and may well change to red at the same time. Thanks.

[digiartist]

Luke, you're right, 222 did have a soft edge camo scheme which was very unusual amongst 501s tigers. I believe the circle and cross emblem might have only been seen on Tiger 334 and was actually a centre of gravity guide mark applied by the Americans after capturing it.

[Lukem]

Does this look any better?

[krazycolin]

much. after weathering it'll look great..... (not that it looks bad now or anything...)

[digiartist]

yup, that looks much better!

[Lukem]

Thanks Gareth and Colin!

Here's a test render showing some preliminary weathering - I think I'm going to drop the opacity of this layer. Eventually, the reflection will be cut out by a diffusion channel and further distorted by the bump.

What do you think?

[krazycolin]

a good beginning... but i do think you are right t cut it... it makes the turret look like it has smoothing errors.... perhaps break it up more...

[Skyraider3D]

Looks good Lukem!

I think the smoothing errors are actually weathering streaks?

[krazycolin]

that's what i said and meant... the weathering looks like smoothing errors....

[Skyraider3D]

Sorry didn't read it right. I read so quick I thought you said he should cut up his mesh a bit to prevent smoothing errors :D

[Spinner]

Yeah, I agree with KC.

[Lukem]

I think you could be right - it certainly dosen't look right over the numerals. I'll try putting some bigger patches in.

It's difficult to tell what it would have looked like - the tank was possibly two or three months old and possibly hadn't even seen action - all I could think of was rain streaking (it was very wet at the time, apparently) and scratches round hatches etc. I like Gareth's method, but I think it would be too much on this one.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

[digiartist]

I think you cant look at the rain streaks as a stand alone effect for weathering. Its actually a good starting point for your weathering. Then by adding say another 5 layers of different subtle staining it'll help gel the rain streaks into the overall weathering effect.

[Lukem]

Thanks Gareth!

[andrew march]

I've been making a physical model of a Late Prod King Tiger and luckily I've found some great tuts on weathering her. I'd agree with digiartist and say that lots of layers of weathering will be the answer.

everything from a subtle wash of a different colour all the way up to tiny rust streaks.

[Lukem]

Thanks Andrew - I've got a few model magazines here ready for the scratches phase - you'll have to post photos when you are finished! I do wish there was an 'Ink Wash' button in Bodypaint though!

[krazycolin]

yeah... and a dribble.... that would be GREAT.... don't have that one except in painter....

[andrew march]

I did see a fantastic tutorial on something that could easily be applied to this.

http://www.cgtextures.com/tutorials/blendif/tut_blendif.html

I'm sure with the right images this could help you out tons.

[Lukem]

Thanks a lot for the link mate! The mossy-concrete looks good especially. I didn't know about splitting handles...

I'm going to experiment a little - you talking about physical models has given me an idea.

[andrew march]

Glad to help :)

One thing I have noticed with a lot of tank models is a lack of built up mud, yet in a lot of reference pics it gets everywhere, obviously depending on the theatre.

Certainly for tanks that saw action in the later part of '44 and early '45 mud was everywhere.

Sculpting tools like Zrush and Mudbox (when it comes out) would help with this great I think, you should in theory be able to sculpt mud directly on your object, I think the effect would look great.

[kiwi123]

Thanks for that link Andrew, very useful !

[Hitori Kyo]

very useful indeed! ... i totally agree you only have to look at reference photos to see tanks covered in dust and mud.

- Hitori kyo

[digiartist]

we need another update Luke! :D

[Lukem]

Hmm, Yes I've been a bit lax of late. Truth is, there isn't much new to show - I've been playing about with the colour channel a bit. Inspired by physical modelling (thanks Andrew!), I've been trying to get the methods they use to work digitally. Needless to say, I've got some way to go yet:D

I'm going to start concentrating on the bump & displacement maps now, just to get a better idea of how everything is working - the weathering will happen, it's just taking a while to get my head around it. Thanks for the help everyone!:)

[Lukem]

After a slight break, I'm now working on this again! :rolleyes: Sorry about the lack of progress - I couldn't see the wood for the trees for a while.

The cuppola has been re-mapped and I'm now starting to make progress on the bump channel. Comments / crits would be much appreciated. :)

[Caman0]

looks good mate

have one crit though.

the circles on the texture are too -how to say- "perfect" to be honest. what i mean is that they are completely round. Here i'm assuming that the camouflage paintjob on those tanks, when they left the factory, or in the field, was done by hand, making it hard to have exact circles?

but thats detail stuff :)
great job so far man!

[Lukem]

Hmmm! Fair comment! My Dad agrees...

Does that come under 'weathering'?!:lol:

[cobra6]

Hmmm! Fair comment! My Dad agrees...

Does that come under 'weathering'?!:lol:

Nope, comes under basic colour map :P

Cobra 6

[Karras]

Hey!!!! Good Work with the welds. Very real.

[Hitori Kyo]

looking great, yet also agree with cobra6 on your camo texture.

- Hitori kyo

[Spinner]

Yes, you want more a dab than a circle.
Going great.

[Lukem]

Thanks for the comments guys!

I shall re-paint the circles shortly...

[Lukem]

Does this look any better?

[Caman0]

much better man! :) this looks more like some real person painted it :)

[Lukem]

Thanks mate! :) Must remember to do the same on the hull when I get round to starting it!

[Spinner]

Much better!

[Hitori Kyo]

gw alot better

- Hitori kyo

[Lukem]

And a bit more welding!:D Thanks for the guidance with the spots.

[cobra6]

mucho better :)

Cobra 6

[krazycolin]

that looks great... i just have small question... wouldn't the hinges be welded on too? i dunno if they should be.. just asking...

[Lukem]

Sorry for the late reply; I've only just seen your last post KC.

Hinges being welded? Oh yes! Everything you can see in the last render, apart from the cuppola & pistol port was welded, or had welds on them. Problem I do have is that my bump map is 4096 x 4096 (for the whole turret) and that dosen't appear to be big enough - if I double up (8192), the computer struggles. So atm I'm aiming for a representation of the welds.

No updates yet, I'm having to remodel a VW Golf at the moment!

[Lukem]

Got bored with the golf!:D

And here we see the importance of appropriate geometry - the welds from roof to sides on the turret appear to be stepped (certainly on 213 at La Gleize). The rear portion have worked fairly well I think - certainly considering the polygons I had set aside for the weld seams (not enough!) - I'll let you be the judges.

[Lukem]

I've started work on the mantlet.

[julnyapp]

The camo pattern are lined up nicely :)
I'm pretty sure Bodypaint makes seamless texturing easier.

I'm eager to try out BP for the first time on my hetzer though I have to get myself familiar with the tools. Did you paint the camo in a 2D paint program(i.e.photoshop), then apply it in BP or paint them directly in BP itself?

Also, are you using bump, displacement maps, or both for i.e. turret weld seams? Because, I'm not sure if I'm doing it right; I'm using displacement for weld seams by adding more geometry. I'm asking this because I want to know if that's the way to displace weld seams.

[Lukem]

Thanks for the kind words mate!

I'm just using BP at the moment; the only thing it appears to struggle with is vector shapes. The main advantage of doing it this way is that you can paint directly onto the model in 3D and BP has the other benefit in that it can (allegedly) use Photoshop filters. The programme is very much P/shop orientated - the best file format for it is .psd.

As far as welds go? I'm just using bump maps - I can't say if that is a right way or a wrong way, but it appears to work. I did look at displacement mapping, but it appeared to have an adverse effect on the phong shading (the cuppola looked very polygonal when rendered).:confused:

I shall be following your progress on the Hetzer without doubt; if I can help with BP questions I will.:)

[digiartist]

Glad to see this beauty heading into the final straight! The weld seams look great mate and your camo is looking the part too:)

[Lukem]

Thanks very much mate! Hopefully, I'll be starting the detail welds in the next couple of days.

[Galgot]

Looks very good Lukem.
I don't very much about tanks... Was there a pattern for the camo of these ?
Or was it up to the inspiration of the painter ....

[Lukem]

Cheers mate!

What I've painted is based on the 'Light and Shade' (or Ambush if you prefer) scheme. From what I've read, it was an actual pattern idea, but even factory painted tanks looked different from each other. This does give a bit of freedom when trying to paint one of these things!:D

[Lukem]

Small update (more welding I'm afraid).

[Galgot]

Looks good !
Heavy metal.
Thanks for the info about the patern btw.

[Lukem]

Heavy metal indeed! Cheers Galgot!

It's taken me three days to completely repaint the bump map, firstly to get it to a workable size (now up to 6000 x 6000 - thanks Arai) and secondly because parts of it were going in the wrong way. There are new bits in this render - the mantlet is effectively finished, apart from the welds around the PIM plate. See what you think - spot the difference!

[digiartist]

textures are taking shape very nicely mate!

[Lukem]

Gareth: Thankyou very much for the nomination mate! It was very much appreciated - to have someone who produces work of the quality that you do nominate this - cheers!

I did get to do (or redo) the track hanger welds before the current job - although it looks like I need to tone down the cast steel texture so that they stand out a bit better.

This model will be finished - one day!

[Caman0]

man, that looks awesome! this is 5 star work man!

[Twitti]

Absolutly perfect !
Supernice Work !!

[digiartist]

bump looks spot on mate

[Skyraider3D]

Very nice indeed. It replicates the cast iron look brilliantly!

[cobra6]

I'll have to put that rib effect on the side of the plates in my panther too ;) looks very nice and realistic too :)! Looking forward to the weathering.

Cobra 6

[kevjon]

Thats a really nice bump map job. I quite often have to design parts that need to be cast in aluminium or iron and that is exactly what they look like after being cast in sand and seams ground off.

[Lukem]

Thanks very much for the kind words everyone!:)

It'll be finished, one day... I'm not looking forward to UV Unwrapping the hull though.:D

[cobra6]

lol common! I have to do that with my panther also :)

Cobra 6

[Lukem]

You'll have fun with that mate!:D

One thing I've learnt from building the MkIV is to build one track link and Unwrap it BEFORE duplicating 179 more of them :(

[cobra6]

lol thanks for the tip:) I'll keep that in mind hahah ;)

Cobra 6

[Lukem]

Some of you might remember this one!:D

I have other scenes in mind for the Mark IV, but they involve more modelling, so they can wait for a bit. I wanted to apply some of what I have learnt from that project to this.

Update: Unfortunately, I lost the last bump map for this (hard drive failure), so all the welds for the track link hangers have got to be redone and the seams on the mantlet (which have now been redone). So I'm going to concentrate on finishing the colour first, then move on to completing the bump and SC maps. I also need to revise parts of the geometry, to make life a little easier...then it's on to the hull.

But first things first...

[Eraserhead]

YES! Nice to see that your coming back to this. :)

I'm actually working on a high-poly JagdTiger, so I'll be watching this and see what I can learn from your techiniques. ;)

[Lukem]

Looking forward to the Jagdtiger mate! Give me a shout if you are struggling for reference:)

[Deetz]

Drool...that is so cool Lukem! Looking forward to seeing that complete mate :)

[giobi@nco]

One word..... Compliments!! :) :)

bye

Giobi@nco

[Martocticvs]

Great to see this one back :)

[digiartist]

YAY! Good to see the King Tiger rolling again!

[cobra6]

yep very nice. Your texture looks very good !

Cobra 6

[Lukem]

So no one is too disappointed that I'm back on this then?:D Thanks for the kind words:)

Hopefully, I can get the turret textured fairly quickly - I'm hoping to finish 'cleaning' it by the end of the week, add a few scratches etc. Then I've got the dubious pleasure of trying to finish the bump map...

[Panaristi]

Super texture on the turret:eek: - It's one of my favorite tanks.

[Lukem]

Cheers Panaristi!

Right then, the colour map (for the turret) is complete. Next up: the bump map...

[Eraserhead]

Sexellent. :)

Sorry if you discussed this before, but what technique did you use for the welds?

[DCB]

Nice to see you resurrect this.

And congrats on your promotion to Drill Instructor, whatever that may be (moderator?). It gets you bolded yellow text for your nick, so it must be good!

[digiartist]

VERY nice weathering mate!

[Mirko]

Superb weathering Lukem !
:salute:

[Deetz]

Awesome stuff Lukem! So I'm curious as to what kind of scene you have in mind for this beauty?

[Lukem]

Thanks guys!

Poo: provided I remember, I'll sort some screenshots for you - unless anyone wants me to put another mini-tut. together on it?

DCB: cheers mate - it's certainly a long-termer this one isn't it?:D Oh, and the promotion - instructor, not a moderator as such - thanks.

Gareth & Mirko: thanks mates!

Dieter: cheers! I have a few ideas in mind as for a scene, although I've got to get over the last one yet. This tank will end up in the Ardennes, possibly at Werimont Farm (anyone living in the area - if you could get me any reference of the farm buildings, that would be much appreciated:)). Other options include Tondorf (on the way to the Ardennes), or maybe a revised version in Budapest.

First things first - Bump maps!

[digiartist]

this is quite a cool photo - http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/1194736434/shrivingham+king+tiger

[Lukem]

Yes that is quite a nice photo - cheers Gareth! I remember the first time I went to Bovington; I'd heard of the other captured KT residing in the MOD museum at Shrivenham, but the place wasn't exactly open to the public. So I spent most of my memory cards on the KT with the 'Porsche' turret, saved a few shots for the Jagdtiger, and was slightly annoyed to later see another KT, this time with serienturm, parked-up as if it had only just arrived! I understand Bovington really wants to keep hold of it...at the time, I really wished it had the original towcables, because those ones really stick out like a sore thumb.

Anyway, I digress. Here's some screenshots for you Poo; first image shows the shallow channels I built, the channels were separated from the rest of the turret to make painting the bump a little easier. I looked at doing them by displacement, but it messed up the phong shading for the rest of the turret.

[Deetz]

Oh I think a seen from Budapest would be outstanding, but I'm sure whatever you decide it'll look great Luke. :D

Dieter

[Eraserhead]

Thanks for the description Lukem, that is how I figured you did it. :)

[Karras]

A incredible job, no dude, man . :salute:

[Lukem]

Cheers mates!

Dieter, having seen the photos of a KT parked in the middle of Budapest, covered in zimmerit, I would really like to have a go at that scene. This cat is going to the Ardennes in the first instance though - it would need lots of modifying for the other scene. Maybe later...:D

Poo - where is your Jagdtiger?

Karras - cheers mate!

No updates, I'm afraid - a Lightning cockpit is occupying my time ATM.

[Eraserhead]

Cheers mates!

Poo - where is your Jagdtiger?




Working on it. It's a low-poly Jagdtiger, but I needed to model some parts highpoly for it's normal map.

[Lukem]

Well, the turret is finally complete - and I've realised that lighting this thing is going to be a pain! It appears to be difficult to get the bump map to show up properly...:rolleyes:

Anyway, C & C welcome as ever.

[Karras]

A methodic work, with perfect solutions :) I like it.

[jiverson]

Wow! that's looking great! I hope you have high resolution renders in mind! Every detail is there.

[cobra6]

damn nice! ps in max, you can set a light to "specular" only. That way you bumpmap will show better ;)

Cobra 6

[Lukem]

Thanks for the kind words!

Cobra: I'll try that - I didn't know that would work - thanks!

[Panaristi]

Looks amazing:D Great job on the turret. Waiting for the chassis:D

[Lukem]

Cheers mate! You'll have a long wait for the hull - it isn't unwrapped yet!:D

[cobra6]

just deselect "diffuse" in the light properties :)

Cobra 6

[Eraserhead]

Welds and weathering is teh sex!

Can't wait to see this finished.

[falcon012]

It looks superb!

[dejawolf]

modeling is great, texturing is on another level.
great work!
the lighting doesn't do it justice, get those ambient lights up!

[digiartist]

truly looks superb mate, lovely texture work. May I suggest that you think about making your chipped paint sections much darker though.
Looking at the master tank modellers like Mirko Bayerl, they do chipping almost black. It really helps show it up and I guess helps avoid the whole metal\primer debate. Just a thought :-)
Can't wait to see the hull!

[Lukem]

Thanks very much for the kind words guys!

Cobra: still struggling a bit - I tried what you suggested (complete with GI) and I'm still getting the same problems. I think I need to get the lighting issue resolved before I really start looking at the nightmare yet to come...I may start looking at the scene at this point, get the lights and camera set up and set the textures to work in that environment.

Poo / Falcon: Cheers!

Dejawolf: thanks a lot mate!

Gareth: Cheers mate! I've only shown heavy scratches at the moment - leaving them light helps with setting up the specular for me - point taken though. I'm tempted to leave them to be honest - it adds a little more interest. I'm concerned that if I paint them dark or the dark red primer colour, things may look a little flat and boring. I could always add a little primer around the edges of the scrapes?:)

[cobra6]

put your spotlight so that it reflects on teh surface directly into the camera ;) Angle in is angle out :)

Cobra 6

[Lukem]

Thanks again mate!

Update: I've finally bitten the bullet and started splitting the hull down ready for unwrapping. It's going to be quite a while before there's any more renders.

Who's stupid idea was this, anway?:D

[cobra6]

lol thats the price for modelling detailed ;P

Cobra 6

[Deetz]

Luke, awesome stuff! I can't wait to see more :D

[VFXWest]

Return of the King!

Looks awesome. Keep up the great work.

[Lukem]

I guess you are right Cobra!

Dieter / Tim: Cheers!:)

[Abbadom]

WoW this work is insuperable...

Bye

[Lukem]

Thanks Abbadom!:)

Update: many of the main structures have been unwrapped, hoping to start painting either tomorrow or over the weekend.

Pictures soon, promise!:D

[Karras]

I wait for it with anxiety. :lol: :lol: :lol: But not much :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Lukem]

Update: with pictures!:D

The basic camouflage is done to the hull, just needs the LAH badge and the 'G' before weathering can start.

Bits that still require unwrapping include all the wheels / suspension elements, tools and track guards - I ran out of room on the map.

The turret in the renders has only got a cut-resolution colour map assigned, which made it easier to line up some of the splotches.

See what you think...:)

[Deetz]

Sweet! Nice update!

[cobra6]

this is going to be gooooood :)

Cobra 6

[Mirko]

Amazing work mate. Looks great.

:salute:

[falcon012]

The camo looks great. I look forward to seeing the whole thing.

[Karras]

Very pretty , man. A dude, bitmaps or bodypaint .

[Panaristi]

Great job so far:D

[Karras]

Lukem,. this tank, it's my prefered in all the IIWW, it's very pretty & your model wiil made it justice, sure.

[Lukem]

Thanks for the kind words mates - much appreciated!:)

Karras: it's bodypaint, using photoshop format files.

I was hoping to get more done today, but for one reason or another it didn't happen. The 'G' is on, but requires a bit of fine tuning and then it's on to the unit marking, which will have to be painted from scratch.

More soon...

[giant551]

looks well smart:D good textures:)

[Lukem]

Cheers Paul:)

[DCB]

You're getting good at this military modelling malarkey Lukem. Looking very nice.

Happy New Year btw.

[digiartist]

very nice mate! That camo scheme is a difficult one to avoid making sore on the eyes but its not a problem from these shots :-)

[Lukem]

Happy New Year DCB - nice to see you again:) Thanks for the kind words.

Cheers Gareth - there have been many times that I've wished the thing was finished in Panzer Grey:D

Sorry, no update as yet - it's been a hell of a week. Thanks for the fifth star BTW:)

[Karras]

Lukemmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
My son to bought today a King Tiger for Radio Control scale 1:48, and is the same to your one. Tomorrow I will take some photo to it & show you here.
:lol: :lol: :lol: With fewer points

[Karras]

See this Wonder , My favourite Old Tank.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/karras/SUC50033-1.jpg
By Control radio ( only forward & reward ) the turret don't turn :rolleyes:

[Lukem]

Only forward & reverse? Well to be honest that's more than many of the real examples managed!:D Thanks for the photo mate:) Have you seen this site by the way: www.ss501panzer.com? You may find it of interest.

Small update: the 'G' and LAH motifs are in place (but need adjustment) and the first stage of mottling is underway.

[Lukem]

Mottling complete, colours desaturated to match the turret.

Welding next:\

[cobra6]

dang nice :) more more!

Cobra 6

[Martocticvs]

Damn that's good mate :D

[Deetz]

As allways Luke it's looking awesome :)

Slightly off topic, I just finished reading 'Tigers in the Mud' by Otto Carius, an excellent book detailing his experiences as a Tiger commander on the eastern front and a short spell as a Jagdtiger commander in the west. Have you read it by chance?

Whats really great about it are the after action reports in the back detailing the mechanical maintenance of the Tiger, very interesting reading.

[falcon012]

As allways Luke it's looking awesome :)

Slightly off topic, I just finished reading 'Tigers in the Mud' by Otto Carius, an excellent book detailing his experiences as a Tiger commander on the eastern front and a short spell as a Jagdtiger commander in the west. Have you read it by chance?

Whats really great about it are the after action reports in the back detailing the mechanical maintenance of the Tiger, very interesting reading.

Coincidentally, I just started reading the same book. It is very good. I've only peeked at the reports in the back. I'm savoring the experience.

Lukem, The King Tiger is coming along very well. You're work is inspirational, I've been thinking about doing an armor piece myself.

[Lukem]

Thanks very much for the kind words mates:)

Dieter / Mark: No I haven't read that book, but I'll certainly look for it next time I'm in town. Thanks for the heads-up - I'm particularly interested in reading the Jagdtiger section. Oh and Mark, I'm looking forward to seeing you do an armour piece - do you have anything in mind as yet?

No update I'm afraid - I'm still trying to build up enthusiasm to start the bump map...

[Twitti]

Karras: See this one ! it's like the same i think
tamiya kit 1/16 it's right ?
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/5861/km122007029je1.jpg:eek:
Greetings from Twitti

[Karras]

No Twiti, it's a 1/48 RC Model, but also Today ,in the Magians Kings Day , ( Dia de los Reyes Magos in Spain ) my son has received a other Tamiya King Tiger with Porsche turret :lol: :lol: :lol:
Two King Tigers in two days , but this for pieces kit .
But the your it's very impresive :lol:

Sorry Lukem for the off topic

[falcon012]

.......Oh and Mark, I'm looking forward to seeing you do an armour piece - do you have anything in mind as yet?

My initial thought was to do something with the Jagdpanther or the Jagdtiger in a wooded setting - maybe a winter scene. I played around with a few ideas but I've got nothing solid enough to go with yet. I like the added dimension a rotatable turret brings to a piece so now I am thinking maybe the Pzkpfw IV in a desert scene. I'm working on another railroad piece right now. It's for a client so it has to take precedence but I'm hoping to get to the armor in between commissions.

[Panaristi]

Amazing job on the textures:D

[Lukem]

If you want to look at physical models of the KT, look out for this month's Tamiya Military Modelling International - it features part 2 of a 1:16 static model of one, which has been nicely finished (a little over-done in my opinion but never mind!:D):) What's the white colouration representing?

Mark: The Jagdpanther / tiger in the woods idea gets my vote!:D The image that first inspired me to build tanks was a Jagdpanther I saw, possibly on cgtalk, many years ago. If you decide to do one, give me a shout - I've got a few pictures that may help.

Cheers Panaristi!:)

[Twitti]

Hello
My vote is a winterwood scene JP or JT i think that's very
cool.
Greetings form Twitti

[Lukem]

Update: I've spent the last couple of weeks unwrapping all the tool fastenings - I realised that as they were welded to the hull, I needed them on the same map. I've started the first muck-map instead of going straight into the bump. See what you think:)

[kiwi123]

She looks very good mate, very good !

[cobra6]

Looking nice Lukem :)

Cobra 6

[Lukem]

Thanks for the kind words guys:)

[Eraserhead]

Hey Lukem, this is shaping up to be the best 3D Tiger II ever made, IMHO. I really can't wait to see the finished peice. The details in the modeling is superb (although a little on the crazy side :eek: ), texturing is excellent (if I had to crit, I would say that the strokes of the camo is too clean and sharp). I want to see how you handle the tracks. :D

[Panaristi]

Amazing update - Waiting for Tracks:D

[Lukem]

Eraserhead: cheers mate - very nice of you to say so:) The camo. is very much based on the light and shade pattern and was very hard edged - I'll find a photo of Tiger 204 for you (the tank ended up pushed to the side of the road, after several attempts to try to get it started).

Panaristi: cheers mate! But please stop scaring me with tracks:D

I'm afraid the tracks are a way off in the future and chances are, I will need a new machine before I tackle those. I've got a few weeks of work left on the hull (I don't get much done after work anymore) - then it's time for the suspension, road wheels, etc, and probably then I'll look at the tracks. Between now and then, I've got to figure out how to tackle the mud - any ideas would be much appreciated:)

[Lukem]

As promised, one photo of 204, as found on: http://www.ss501panzer.com/204_journey.htm

[Eraserhead]

Yes you are right, it is very hard edged. However, I think even a little bit of feather (and I mean very little) would look good as opposed to a perfectly clean edge. Just my opinion, you know best. :)

Thanks for the 204 pics.

[Lukem]

Thanks for your comment mate - I'm not sure yet; I'll see how it looks when the weathering is a little more advanced.

[Lukem]

A new update - the main clean-up is finished.

Scratches next.