RN Zara by Zio Prudenziati - Full Hull Completion

[Oldenburger67]

Hello Lex,

Thank you very much.
I'm looking forward to it

Wish you a nice weekend

The Oldenburger

[Lex]

If it was my usual self, I would give the instruction sheets a full utilitarian treatment. Anything that is not visible on the final model (that includes instructions) does not deserve the slightest bit of makeover, just being functional is quite enough. But this time it is more of me learning the proper ways of doing things. Making proper instructions, for once, and realising just how much time is put in each one of this.

Ah and before I miss the question again, I use Rhino for this one.0 It does a much better job at drafting and finding surface intersections, quite a necessary feature for these subjects. I also use polygon-based software when the situation requires it, such as organic subjects, or when needing complex UV maps not quite amenable to Rhino's rudimentary UV functionality (did so for the J-20).

I am a little stuck on giving the hull a realistic texture and am consulting my concept artist friends for some know-how. Update coming soon.

[MichaelS]

When I did pl@#$tic it just astounded me how many guys would spend days detailing something that no one would ever see.

[missileer]

I, too, have all of Zio's ships and would love to build the Zara as a full hull model.

[elliott]

Ditto here please.

[Oldenburger67]

Hello Lex,



That's Great Lex


The Oldenburger

[Lex]

Material painting. If anyone could offer hints on how to do this better...

It took almost an afternoon to get a somewhat acceptable result, things should be quick from this point onwards. The brightness and contrast still needs tuning, it's a little dark right now.

[Oldenburger67]

Hello LEX,


well done!


But why do you use this blotchy pattern?


I think, that gives Zara a little bit a shabby look?

[Lex]

Originally Posted by Oldenburger67

Hello LEX,


well done!


But why do you use this blotchy pattern?


I think, that gives Zara a little bit a shabby look?

Ah, thank you for bringing this up. This is a particular topic I would like to express my thinking on, and now seems to be a good occasion to do so.

The topic is "to weather or to not weather". Publishers like GPM, Halinski and Orlik uses the weathering school, whereas Modelik, Answer and the likes maintain an orthodox no-weathering no-texture effect. There is no right or wrong here, but right now I am almost a hardline supporter of weathering when it comes to designing my own models.

I go by this theory: in modelmaking, the sheer sense of scale is provided not by being "big", but rather the contrast between "big" and "small". I would use "greeble" as an example. It's a common design effect found in sci-fi spaceships, that cuts up a flat surface into a mouthful of relief details (if anyone is not familiar with the term, google it up). The viewer would notice the details, focus on them, and maybe think "oh, so among these tiny details there could be a platform for a man to stand on, or a hatch that man could appear from", and put the scale of a man on the level of the greeble'd details. The viewer will then realise how small this detail is, compared to the full ship and start thinking "wow this thing is huge", without needing anything else to compare the spaceship to. Without the greeble, the surface will be flat and there is no sense of scale, appearing toy-ish. Unless, I deliberately put a planet in the same scene and tell the viewer plainly that this spaceship is the size of a planet.

Getting back to the example of a naval vessel. Above decks, we have all the details we ever need to go right down to the smallest sizes. However below the waterline, it's normal for cardmodel to not provide any detail. No seams between different platings, no rivets. Adding to the grief, a cardmodel hull normally places seams on the hull in the worst artistically possible way - cutting across the width of the ship. These seams immediately become the most visible detail on the hull and is so far removed from reality that they constantly remind the viewer that this is nothing but a model.

Thus, I am trying to incorporate a heavy material texture effect (not exactly weathering), to provide more detail on the hull and make it less toy-like. Also, I personally do not think a certain amount of wear-and-tear would change my perception of how massive (and powerful) a ship looks.

I am not well versed in actual naval affairs, but I think it's normal to see hulls of ships in active service with different levels of wear, from none to heavy, like the images below. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Getting back to the work itself, I will provide both the weathered and a solid coloured version.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._view_2013.JPG
https://media.defense.gov/2015/Aug/0...-JJW90-535.jpg

[Vermin_King]

Will you go back and weather Zio's part of the model?