Fortresses, Schmortresses!

[pedrojedi]

I use some generic program that came with my computer.

Like Windows Paintbrush?

[bongo]

aaglo , You used pov-ray for creating that!!!

Wow, I'm impressed. I've actually tried pov-ray myself(very steep learning curve indeed). My most complicated scene had 3 textured spheres, 2 light-sources and...nothing more.

[pedrojedi]

Can you draw pictures with povray? or just set a 3d texture/lighting/colors for stuff?

If not, what you would recomend for a beginner to draw a unit? Corel Draw? Windows Paintbrush? Sugestions?

Do you draw with a pencil-mouse or something like that, or just a regular mouse?

Yeah, I know it is kinda OT, but I really would like to know about that, and it's a good opportunity.

PS: Yeah, I'm a total beginner when it comes to drawing in paper or computer. I'd like to start.

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by pedrojedi


Like Windows Paintbrush?

No...hmm. I know the name, just not at the moment. One of the lower-echelon graphics programs, I'm sure.

[aaglo]

Here are the new, and somehow better pics I did as fortresses.

The same file in pcx-format can be found in the creation forum

[The Mad Monk]

MGI Photosuite.

[frekk]

I only use fortresses when my workers have nothing else to do, usually. Sometimes in certain border situations. The one thing I find fortresses extremely useful for is at a beachhead or sometimes a narrow chokepoint. Used at a beachhead, a fortress lets me hold a spot in extremely hostile territory long enough to bring in reinforcements and attack units with low defense values.

[TacticalGrace]

Originally posted by pedrojedi
Can you draw pictures with povray? or just set a 3d texture/lighting/colors for stuff?

err... no. I think you have completely the wrong impression of what povray is. It's a ray tracing package so you define objects (spheres, planes), give them surface textures (metal, granite) and specify one or more light sources and it then goes away and renders the scene for you.

The last time I used povray it didn't have a GUI for defining the scene so you had to do it with a scripting language.

There are easy to use packages which have guis for placing objects etc. There is one packaged with Corel Draw in fact.

[aaglo]

Pov-ray is a text based program, so you don't draw anything. It usually looks something like this

#include "colors.inc"
#include "finish.inc"
#include "metals.inc"
#include "Trtires.pov"
#include "stones.inc"

camera {location <0,40,-80>
angle 62
look_at <0,0,0> orthographic
}
light_source {<400,400,-400> color White}
light_source {<-400,400,400> Gray50 shadowless}
light_source {<-400,400,-400> Gray50 shadowless}
light_source {<400,400,400> Gray50 shadowless}


background {White}

//plane {y, 0 pigment {MediumWood} finish {ambient 1 diffuse 0}}

//arm colors
#declare a1 = texture {pigment {SteelBlue} finish {Dull}}
#declare a2 = texture {pigment {Scarlet} finish {Dull}}
#declare a3 = texture {pigment {Aquamarine} finish {Dull}}
#declare a4 = texture {pigment {Gray80 filter .6}finish {ambient 1 diffuse 0} }
#declare a5 = texture {pigment {Yellow} finish {Dull}}
#declare a6 = texture {pigment {Gray20} finish {Dull}}
#declare a7 = texture {pigment {DarkGreen} finish {Dull}}
#declare a8 = texture {pigment {Cyan} finish {Dull}}

#declare arm = texture {a2} //armour color


#declare armour = union{ //no armour yet
}


#declare rlaunch = union { //stealth tank
object {feet scale 1.2} //tracs
object {cover scale 1.2} //track covers
object {tire scale .7 translate <-6,-2.3,-5.7>} //tire
object {tire scale .7 translate <-6,-2.3,5.7>} //tire
object {cockpit scale 1.5 translate <-6,-2,0>}
box {<-2,1,-8>,<17,3,8> texture {shot}}
box {<-10,-2,-3>,<15,1.1,3> texture {wosh}}
box {<6,3,-5>,<14,4,5> texture {wosh}}
cylinder {<4,4,-5>,<4,4,5>,2 texture {wosh}}
object {mlestack scale .35 rotate z*70 translate <15,8,-3>}
object {mlestack scale .35 rotate z*70 translate <15,8,3>}
}


#declare sazi = union{ //stack
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*-45 translate <-32,0,-68>}
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*45 translate <-32,0,56>}
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*-135 translate <32,0,-68>}
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*135 translate <32,0,56>}
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*0 translate <-32,0,-8>}
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*-90 translate <0,0,-68>}
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*90 translate <0,0,56>}
object {rlaunch scale 1.02 rotate y*180 translate <32,0,-8>}
}

//object {sazi} //stack
object {rlaunch scale 2.5 rotate y*-135 translate y*-5} //close-up

and the result of this is here:

[pedrojedi]

Tooooo much for me...

[aaglo]

perojedi, that doesn't even include the file trtires.pov, which is required for the various parts of this pic. And it's atleast twice as large. This file here is just the assembly file.

[pedrojedi]

And now I officially set the bar for my learning curving of this software as "when I have a lot of time to learn something totally out of my scope". This should happen in at least 2 years, but can be more, much more, heheheheh...

Maybe I'll start some basic learning class, or perhaps I'll go on the net to find a good free online learning course.

I'll keep dreaming!

[bongo]

Pov-ray had no GUI last time I used it(10 years ago?) which made the learning curve extremely steep.

Aaglo, is the current version easier to play with or would you recommend something completely different?

[aaglo]

bongo, I don't know is it easier than 10 years ago...

It has a great tutorial though

[bongo]

Some kind of GUI to help you to create and place object would help alot. I actually learned 3D-programming in school and constructing objects from triangles were the most boring parts as I had to manually place numbers in data-lists...