Skip to main content

Coiling Block

S

ince leaving University, I've truly learnt how optimising and refining the geometry of my models is a key part of the production process in Maya.

Figuring out what surface components are necessary and removing unnecessary ones can make a huge difference on performance in a video game. Even more so, the more assets there are, such as in triple A games.

This model of a coiling block I created, is a great example of this. In the second and third screenshots, I have enabled wireframe on shaded mode to show the tidied vertices, edges and faces.

While this is a fairly detailed model, I have still applied the best practices of cleaning up any unessential elements. After enough repetition and iteration, optimising geometry becomes second nature. 


Jason Bartlett ©

Above is the complete coiling block in Maya. This piece of equipment is powered by hydraulics and helps raise heavy pots out of the water by coiling line along a spinning spool plate. The block consists of several parts including the davit arm and line hauler. The arm hangs the hauler over the side of the boat to raise crab pots, which are then moved into the boat via a picking boom or crane.


Jason Bartlett ©

Here is the front and back of the coiling block in perspective view (above) and orthographic view (below). I used an assortment of references, both photographs and blueprints (I know, finally some actual plans!!) to work from.


Jason Bartlett ©

Underneath is a close-up of the shackles linking the line hauler to the davit arm. I found the shackle was actually the most complicated part of the build to model. Attempting to replicate the right curvature, as well as shaping the end bolt rings, proved rather challenging.


Jason Bartlett ©

I enjoyed creating this mechanical piece, as it had a real mixture of features and form. I look forward to when I UV unwrap it (you don't hear that often!) and texture the model in Substance Painter.


Thanks for reading :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Double-barreled Kriegsmarine Signalling Pistol Renders

H ello! After being away from blogging for almost an entire year (big life changes) I am finally back! Posts might not be regular every month from now on, but  D_ROGUE is still very much alive. Things are just moving a little slower, as well as a bit sideways...like a crab. As the title for this post states, I have created a model of a  double-barreled Kriegsmarine signalling pistol for the game! A couple of years ago, I visited The Royal Navy Submarine Museum. Amongst the fascinating history and artifacts on display, I saw what looked like a firearm. Upon reading the information plaque, it turned out to be a unique and very rare double-barreled flare gun from a  German  submarine.  These big-bad-beefed-up flare guns were used on U-Boats in the Second World War not only for signalling and when in distress, but also for lighting purposes. My interest peaked,  I took  several photos for reference thinking it would be a fun hard-surface model to recreate....
Post a Comment
Read more

New Project

Hello! Sometime while at University, studying Computer Games Arts, I had a vision for a video game. This idea, from 2015, would turn out to become a passion project where I mused, jotted and doodled on the sidelines of studying.  It wasn't for a further three years until I decided to actually put pen to paper (or pen to tablet in my case) and bring my idea to life.  As the quote goes, "A dream is just a dream until you decide to make it real" or "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them". So in Autumn 2018, I did just that. Pursued my dreams. Now I wouldn't attempt to make a whole game all by myself. That would be silly and take literally years!  I lulled over the notion of asking fellow  graduates and  freelance artists  to aid in bringing my vision to life. This would be great but several factors including money and time played on my mind...alot. Then a marvell...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hydraulic Crane Renders

I t has been over eight hundred and thirty five days since I began modelling the hydraulic crane (amongst many other things in my spare time) and I can finally say I have completed texturing it! This was without a doubt one of the hardest pieces of machinery to construct so far for D_ROGUE. Not only due to the number of parts involved (over one hundred individual pieces) but also the lack of any decent close-up reference. Almost every photo taken of a hydraulic crane, on board the boats seen in the TV show Deadliest Catch and elsewhere online, are either too far away or out of focus. I chose the F/V Saga crane as this was the most 'well-documented'. Eventually, it came down to just hours of staring at blurry images, learning all the major components, as well as a bit of creative licence! Here we have the final renders of the model below. I quite enjoyed weathering parts such as the hatch and lifting hook; adding a story with all the scratches, dinks and rust. I was careful not...
Post a Comment
Read more