NationStates Jolt Archive

As most of you have noticed, I (Raysia and Capsule Corporation) rarely just copy other peoples stuff and sell the same things as everyone else... I try to be unique. I spend a great deal of effort in OOC research, doing math and researching RL stuff and physics to try to make my stuff cool and new and realistic.

Well, I was recently asked how I made the pic of the Cloaked Comanchee Helicopter.

This was my reply:

There are two ways to do it.

The best and coolest and (for me) easiest way is what I did on the RF-23. Since I made the pic myself in a 3d modeller, all I did was render the pic once with textures, then rendered it again after dropping everything's transperancy to like 10%.

The harder thing, the thing you are probably most interested in, is a photoshop trick.

I found a somewhat easier to do that... here's what I did on the Commanchee pic:
Before: http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/comvisible.jpg
After: http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/comcloaked.jpg

This one I -really- had to cheat at. First thing I did was made a background... I did that simply enough my cutting out an edge of the background that didn't have the helicopter in it (in this case the left side) and stretched it across the entire picture, over the helicopter. I then took the smudge or smear tool or whatever and drew wavy lines to make the odd-shaped stretched out clouds into wavy wind-affected clouds.

OK, now that I had the background done, I copy and pasted the original pic on top of all that. Then I did the "emboss" effect on the original pic to make it seem like just outlines and solid shapes.

Then I just messed around with transperancy and blending options until the embossed pic of the helicopter looked like an outline on the fake background.

After that, it was just finishing touches.

Hope this helps :)I love making my own stuff, it makes me feel like I am actually selling something I made.

As raysia, I mostly just edit RL images, but lately I've begun doing what I've been doing with Capsule Corporation this whole time, actually rendering my own 3D pics.

For instance:

Raysia's Sky-Base:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/carrier.jpg

Raysia's RF-23:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/newfighter.jpg
(Cloaked version of the same)
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/cloaked.jpg

Raysia's Mobile AME:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/skycdep.gif

Capsule's Patriarch Foldship:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/patriarch.jpg

Capsule's Mahonri Moriancumer Gunship:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/ds3.jpg

Capsule's Kryptonite Mk III Cruiser:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/kmk21.jpg

Here is one more I did in photoshop, turning a BWB into a sea plane:
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/seabwb.gif

So you can do this too, it doesn't take too much skill... heck it doesn't even take photoshop. Just come up with an idea, build it (at least in text), check it with a few NS experts (like Soviet Haargraad(sp), Western Asia, Me (lol maybe), or anyone with a big-time storefront), and then post it on your own front... your own unique item, that only you make! Even tease people by not selling your production rights ;)

I encourage you all to start making your own crap in this new year to come :)

Just my two cents.

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/rsig1.jpg (http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/rmtdex.htm)
http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/ccsig.jpg (http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/ccdex.htm)

I've tried making my own crap. No one really is interested in small arms, the areas in which I know a sh*tload about. Doesn't stop me from using them in my day to day military. The ESMA never sold, and it was a damn effective rifle: lighter weight than the M16, faster fire, same capabilities (laser sight, grenade launcher, etc.), even came in 5 different formats for specific combat roles! Never sold one... never... :? And it sold around $1,800, which is a good price for top of the line engineering. Meh...

That's awesome ASW... care to give a link to your front? maybe i'll buy ;)

Here's another modded pic:

Before: http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/legolas.gif

After...:http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/op2.jpg

Nah, instead I'm gonna use examples from it as a guidance thread to people who want to manufacture assault rifles. I never did get around to adding more weapons after a few shotguns introduced themselves. Why? Because the site I relied on for my information was horribly inaccurate according to some other guy who knew crap about guns...

But check out the thread when it's up in a moment!

I would, but my graphics skills are not exactly stellar.

I would, but my graphics skills are not exactly stellar.Like I said, you don't NEED to be good at photoshop or anything, I was just trying to encourage people to write up their own stats and math and specs and ideas and stuff, and not sell the same crap everyone else does.

You don';t NEED pics, or original ones at least... just as long as you make it yourself and it's unique.

tagged for useful "how to" tips

I too love making my own things to sell. I've got a new rifle coming to sell tonight. I just have to put the finishing touches and then scan it.

My last two rifles:

http://www.tacticalblunder.com/~uploads/Harnu/nssr40small.jpg

http://www.tacticalblunder.com/~uploads/Harnu/har76.jpg

here are some rifles I drew, obviously already in existence(and using Macromedia Flash MX I might add):

http://members.lycos.co.uk/tarek13/G36K.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/tarek13/AKnew.jpg

I find it fun to come up with my own tech, researched for realism. It seems boring to just take what exists and...well, that's it.

Capsule's Mahonri Moriancumer Gunship
MISSPELL ALERT! :lol:

I find it fun to come up with my own tech, researched for realism. It seems boring to just take what exists and...well, that's it.

I agree completely, all I do for my tech, is base it on realistic things already made, and add a sci-fi touch to it. Those gun pictures above are meant for animation in flash, which I do with a group of Flash Animators on newgrounds

I make my own stuff all the time, like my native series military jets. What I do is I come up with stats, which in this case are really good because I'm putting a lot of money into these, while neglecting other areas. Then I search google for obscure pictures. It would be a lot better if I could use that DoGA or whatever, but I don't have any money that I could spend on such a program. Anyway, It's fun to leaf through endless pages of Google images.

You don't need to buy DoGA to make images. Just build things and preview render them. There's an option to save the image on the window that comes up. That's how I do it. A few examples:

http://www.angelfire.com/ns2/toxicvalley/vehicles/images/firestorm.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/ns2/toxicvalley/vehicles/images/gausstank.JPG

http://www.angelfire.com/ns2/toxicvalley/images/lasertank.JPG

Antoher "easy" way to make your own, as har land eluded to, is to draw your stuff and then scan it. That is what I did. Although I have Photo Shop 6.0 I prefered to use MGI Photosuite to color the black and white hand drawn images with the airbrush.


http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=65d65fb0-2e72-47c1-3463-72eb4c042735&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=21ebb6c3-78d5-6026-2fdf-69ea53a02d01&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=7b511403-719d-2a33-2a50-7b6b5dff3eca&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=405317e3-21cb-b3b7-1658-53393c821096&size=
http://home.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=2be7240f-2576-66e1-38c7-6cff480b27bc&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=71921d81-16b5-2822-1731-29f85c4828cc&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=71b94c61-2186-5777-955c-394d1ed248a2&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=3fa275db-22d8-7944-59ef-3d833f957156&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=19f546bb-4fd6-4ac5-5d4f-59e13be11096&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=649a6e83-63d6-2424-1c6f-435f76103eea
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=20d61b84-c2d5-4ec6-6048-e42dbd434c58

Here is an example of an uncolored drawing:
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=2deb38de-10a2-7e99-7e5c-4d0a45e43fd5
and here is one only partialy colored:
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=d9204e7b-11e7-3313-7d70-9ad571cd7fd4&size=




Also making a diagram-like image in paint is not a bad idea if you lack a scanner and/or can't draw very well.
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=25315bd3-7a41-832d-7fb4-22805c6461a2&size=


But of course good ole photoshop is probly the easiest:
http://home.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=468d3681-5e5c-428b-7c13-6d775aa85cd5&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=3d2246ae-221b-543e-3c2d-769e7244ba63&size=
http://home.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=586a2dc3-6ebe-31e8-1ad6-22451950421a&size=lg
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=6e502460-1bc2-20c9-38bf-76be678c79dd&size=
http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=3439375e-7932-7215-935f-377f36911200

wow sorry i just saw i put alot... a very lot of pics hehe sorry. :twisted: :oops:

Capsule's Mahonri Moriancumer Gunship
MISSPELL ALERT! :lol:*googles* nah, pretty sure i spelled it right...

Hmm... sorry, I thought there wasn't that last "e." Maybe Google is wrong.

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/cloaked.jpg

It's Wonder Woman's invisible jet!

http://www.bateshome.com/jordan/cloaked.jpg

It's Wonder Woman's invisible jet!Hey, why the frik did my thread get moved? I thought NS forum was for IC and GP forum was for OOC :)

Hey, why the frik did my thread get moved? I thought NS forum was for IC and GP forum was for OOC :)

Why don't we play a fun little game called "FOR THE LAST TIME, I AM NOT A MODERATOR ANYMORE?" It works thusly: I stop being a moderator, and you stop asking me why moderators do things.

I'll go first.

Thanks for including me as a good person to talk to about realism. :P

I use a mixture of real world, upgraded real world and fantasy stuff. I also use all my own guns, electronics, engines and alot of my own missiles.

What do you use for making 3D pictures, I mean I've pained some pics from scratch in PSP7, but alot of these picture slook like 3D Studio Max or similar...

As most of you have noticed, I (Raysia and Capsule Corporation) rarely just copy other peoples stuff and sell the same things as everyone else... I try to be unique. I spend a great deal of effort in OOC research, doing math and researching RL stuff and physics to try to make my stuff cool and new and realistic.

And you do a damn good job at it!

While I suck at graphics I do fine some neat stuff on the net and make my own stuff. It's all on my website. I've got a variant of the Concorde as a bomber, new B-70 Valkyrie mods, etc.

Interesting stuff.

I'll overall admit that I used to make and use a lot of RL stuff (F-16s, etc.). Although right now I still use some modified (and imported) RL stuff such as heavily modified B-1s, B-52s, F-14s, or F/A-22s, I typically now perfers to employ some of my own stuff, or things someone else designed (but not RL). For infantry though, I mainly use my own. So are electronics and avionics in my aircraft (plus new custom missiles) Time to get off my lazy arse and start to create Omzian products :P

For graphics however, I either do not perfer them or use DoGA in rare conditions. Tried both Photoshop 7 and PSP6, no success. I could draw them, but no scanner :(

Good stuff, Raysia and Phoenix Militia.

Soviet Haaregrad: I believe Raysia used Lightwave... another expensive 3D softwware.

This is all well and good if you can figure out how to use these programs.

You can't go blasting everyone for not being a top-notch 3-D modeler.