I was in progress on rebuilding my Classic battlestar model, when I decided to switch over to rebuilding my Imperial Star Destroyer. Using some techniques I had either stumbled upon, or discovered through trial and error, I've finally been able to get my conversions to where they are much more manageable for animation in iClone.

The models are built in Blender, converted in Reallusion 3DExchange PRO, and brought into Reallusion iClone 6 PRO.

The problem I had before was that I would convert and import the models by component. When converted to iClone, the individual components would end up with a lot more memory density tacked onto them, and the cumulative result was something that was nigh on impossible to film smoothly.

Realizing that in Blender, I could export the entire model as "object groups", it makes it a heck of a lot easier in conversion and rendering in iClone. Then I select which components I wish to make as sub-props, things I could manipulate on the model (turbolaser cannons, tractor beam emitters, hangar doors). The hangar doors can open and close on command.

So, here is my Imperial II class Star Destroyer, largely based on the Fantasy Flight Games Armada miniature, but with a bit of Rogue One elements thrown in.

This is also not the final build...there are still some elements I wish to improve upon. But, all told, this is, in my humble opinion, my best looking Star Destroyer yet. I hope you like.

Thanks for the likes. More on the way, soon as I do another rebuild.

I am envious that you can do that so well. So can I ask are you desining these models for a mod for a game. Or dare I say... For fun?

Playing through the original KOTOR again recently and man that ship could be taken right out of the game! I love it!

WOW! Thank you for the kind comments. They've made my day, as have everyone's likes!

What I am making these for are for animation projects. I want to get the best possible builds I can make for a couple of projects I have in line.

The techniques I am using have so simplified the way I build my models, and the results far exceed my expectations. (Now, there's just gonna have to come a time where I say: "Ok, darn it, get on with the animatin' already!" )

Much appreciation for the new likes!

The new rebuild is almost finished. It's largely just a lot of detail extrusion, and rigging of lighting and animating the hangar doors in the main bay. Might be able to finish it late tonight or early tomorrow. (Have to go sing, so there's a minor interruption of my work/hobby. )

Quite honestly, I should never say "Ok, THIS is my final build." because, really, in CG modeling, I don't think there is such a thing as a final build. LOL!

But, I do believe THIS is my best looking Imperial II Class Star Destroyer to date. And the iClone virtual camera moves pretty good around her, so she ought to be a dream to animate.

Anyhoo...without further ado about nothing....here's my latest build. Again, I hope you like these
Programs used:
Blender for building and texturing
Reallusion 3DExchange for conversion to iClone
Reallusion iClone for rendering and lighting effects (and eventually, animation)

Some more images:

Ok...so this is more just news on my work...no pics yet.

I am doing (for the umpteenth squared time) a rebuild on my ISD. But this time, instead of using Armada miniatures, I am going to use my unpainted, 15 inch Revell snap tite model, with a couple of textures borrowed from movie screencaps. A little tweaking of contrast should take care of most of the detail work. Pics when available. Stay tuned to this channel.

This is a couple of progress shots of my latest build in the Imperial Star Destroyer. Like I mentioned earlier, this time, the build is based on my 15 inch Revell ISD, unpainted. I added darkened hull detail lines in Photoshop, and a few extrusions have been made...with many more on the way. Some of the components are carry overs from my last build to save time. A little desaturation of the hull color in some areas will give the ship a more uniform appearance.

The dark, empty shapes you see at the bottom of the ISD are "knife cut" points that I use to create extrusions of certain hull details on the ship.

More on the way as progress progresses....

Thanks for the likes, everyone.

Progress is progressing. Hope to have it ready to go in the next day or two.

Alrighty, so, here is my latest build (12 24 17) of the Imperial II Star Destroyer.

Again, this time I based it more on my Revell Rogue One ISD miniature instead of the Armada miniature, and it is unpainted. I used Photoshop to darken the hull lines, and of course, where I could, screen caps for other textures.

The tricky thing about these builds are that I have to strike a balance between detail and functionality. Too much detail could bog down my computer for animation and rendering purposes....so I have to rein in those tendencies.

Most of the lighting on the ship is accomplished with little half-spheres placed all over the hull in Blender, and then set to "glow" in iClone.

The equatorial wedge glow is accomplished via texture in iClone.

Hopefully, after this build, I can resume work on my Colonial battlestar.

As always, I hope you like.
And now, without much ado about nothing, here is my 12 24 17 build of my Imperial II Star Destroyer.

Thanks, Ghost.

8 hours ago, martok2112 said:

Thanks, Ghost.

You are welcome!

I can't decide which I like better, the FFG based one or the other. There are some issues with the texturing of the second version, around the canons, that throw me off a tad.

I think I might see what you mean on that, Ghost. If you are referring to the platform on which the cannons are placed, yeah, I could definitely stand to do a couple of things in that area, texture-wise. (Darken the detail lines, and also, add better detail around the edges....right now, it looks rather....blank. ) The raised areas around the individual cannons are definitely different than the FFG versions I did before. If anything, it'll be a simple fix. I appreciate your insights.

Something else I can stand to do is fix a texture on an extrusion on the port underside of the ISD. It looks a wee bit skewed.

2 hours ago, martok2112 said:

I think I might see what you mean on that, Ghost. If you are referring to the platform on which the cannons are placed, yeah, I could definitely stand to do a couple of things in that area, texture-wise. (Darken the detail lines, and also, add better detail around the edges....right now, it looks rather....blank. ) The raised areas around the individual cannons are definitely different than the FFG versions I did before. If anything, it'll be a simple fix. I appreciate your insights.

Something else I can stand to do is fix a texture on an extrusion on the port underside of the ISD. It looks a wee bit skewed.

I was referring mainly to the vertical bit just forward of the guns, on the wide portion of the tower. The sides have bits sticking out, but the front section does not continue the extension and seems to contrast strongly with it, given its flat blankness. . . am I being confusing? Here:

That bit that is facing the same way as the forward gun - it is flat, but all the bits around it have extensions. It may just be me, it may just be the angle, but I am not sure.

5 hours ago, GhostofNobodyInParticular said:

I was referring mainly to the vertical bit just forward of the guns, on the wide portion of the tower. The sides have bits sticking out, but the front section does not continue the extension and seems to contrast strongly with it, given its flat blankness. . . am I being confusing? Here:

That bit that is facing the same way as the forward gun - it is flat, but all the bits around it have extensions. It may just be me, it may just be the angle, but I am not sure.

The front gun is facing forward. The rest are facing sideways....

It could be an affectation of the way I built this particular ISD.

When I do "greebling" on the ship, I've been using "knife projections" into the main hull, and then extruding those shapes out, instead of just building separate components, like the case in the bases beneath the turbolasers. The turbolasers are indeed separate components, but the bases beneath them are taken directly from the hull. They appear one way on the Armada based ISD, and appear a different way on the Revell model. What you're seeing is based on the Revell model....and the way those bases extruded did kind of turn out not so smooth. But, it could be an easy fix by simply bringing over the bases from the Armada styled model and replacing the bases on the current build.

Also, the way the light is reflecting off of the edges could be what's throwing you a bit.

Believe me, my system of building is far from perfect, but it definitely helps save some time.

No, I meant the texturing of the wall, nothing to do with the turrets. . . I mentioned them for reference. The side wall has extrusions, but the forward bit is flat, and seemingly of a different texture - maybe even oriented differently. . . but I do not know. It may indeed just be the lighting.

As we post, Ghost (I'm a poet and didn't know it...ha ha ha), I am making adjustments that might be a bit more easy on the eye. I appreciate everyone's comments and spot outs on my ship. As I said, it is far from a perfect build (and believe me, there are far more talented CG modelers out there...I am but a novice, amateur. ) Extra eyes on the builds only help me to improve the builds....but I think this will indeed be the last one for a while (your actual parsecs may vary. )

Another thing I am trying to do with with this rebuild is break the ship down into even more components so that should an ISD get blow'd up in one of my animations, it might look a bit more convincing. If it works, then I will endeavor to do this with all ships I build.

Pics when available.

May the Force Be With Me.

Never came here, but seriously, WOW!! That is serious work you're doing on it...

some thing on the image singled out by ghost seems odd to me too, i'll post an image of it later

Thank you, Gounour. Most kind.

And please do. The more eyes, the better.

And thanks to everyone for all the new likes.

Alrighty, so what I've done is basically switch out the base wedge on which the heavy turbolasers and ion cannons sit with the wedges from my Armada-based build....desaturated the color to match the rest of the destroyer, and voilla....I do think this turned out a bit better.

So here is a quickie test animation of my current ISD build.

Thank you, Ghost and thestag, for the likes.