hey there! based on the new reference I got you this!

I added the strange shape in the circle- I was right, it was not round at all - and fixed the whole in the white plastic on the right. i'll try to work a bit more the next few days to give you a big update

hello guys. how have you been doing? I gave it a lot of thinking before I posted this, I wanted to show an update that you'd be absolutely amazed, but I decided to post this just to let you people know that I am still working on the project, these past few days many hours a day... so here it is. I spent hunderds of hours studying just to get to this point and tens of hours modeling. As for my current progress I am almost done with detailing the body (everything except cables - which I will start modeling soon) and I'll continue with REMODELING the whole 'head' because I got new details and mine seem to be a lot off as far as accuracy is concerned.



Waiting for your comments!

WOW!!!
You are doing great...BTW, when do you think this model will be finished?

to have it done with the level of detail I want, hmm.. modeling maybe like in 5-6 months. I am still lacking reference for the base of the IDD and some other parts though. so if anyone has them.. let me have them too

This is too much...
Superb detail!

I need a swear jar for this thread as well.....

lol! i am not sure why you would need a swear jar for this! into 3d?

I am blown away by the detail... it seems more visible even with the monochromatic renders.

guys, i am in need of your help again... if anyone has any idea (or better reference) of what the hell is going on in there, please provide me with material:




this thing is on the rear of the mer. I have no idea what's going on below the cables I circled. I have the fantastic reference someone in here provided me with but I still need to see what it looks like, if it's angled or anything. any pictures you might have, even messy as this one, let me have it. it's what I do. i study several hours to make out whats going on from different angles.




and this one. what the hell the base of the idd looks like. any good pics (apart from the ones found in the creators' site - they have a big one, but still difficult to make out) are welcome. even simple written explanations of how the thing works might still help. eg, it has a rotor there, a weight there, etc.

and here's a wip i took quite some time ago (it's FAAAR more detailed now, but will post later) to keep you coming back!

Woaw. The web looks spectacular! Can I have one of them 3d swear jars?

Nico

Just drop the cash straight into it.

Wish I could help more with ref. material - but with the KSC website you've got all there is really.

These may help - images taken by the rovers themselves :
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...HEP1152L0M1.JPG

http://pancam.astro.cornell.edu/pancam_ins...lse_color6.html ( left column, half way down)

Doug

djellison, first pic doesn't help at all. shows the bottom part of the mer arm which I have already modeled. what I am having trouble sorting out is the base of the instrument deployment device (idd - I sometimes surprise myself because of the things I learned researching stuff), which is the part that keeps the idd attached on the mer's body.

2nd link also provides same info. these photos would have helped me a lot earlier when I was studying crappy material to make things out. I'll keep them anyway a great THANKS!

if anyone is able to get the rear of the mer or the base of idd, please do so for the idd I even emailed the original designers of the thing (alliance spacesystems) to provide me with material but didn't even reply. I guess they were afraid I might steal their patent!

Gargle
The 3D model looks very spectacular. I'm amazed


I have a question : is it possible that one day we can acceed to the model files (.3ds, .WRL or more for me : .blend (Blender files))

And I have an other question : how do you proceed to make the model : object by object or...?

well, as for you ppl accessing the files, prolly not sorry!

as for the modeling process, yes, part by part (like exporting/texturing) and if i am tired and have no reference for one part i proceed to the next till i get reference! more pics to come soon!

I must say that comes as a bit of a disappointment Scooterlord. I've been watching your project all along was envisioning all the creative things that could be accomplished with the final product. Is this being created for commercial purposes?

You have obviously put in many dozens of hours of hard work and certainly have earned the right to do whatever you want with your product. If you've spent much time browsing UMSF however, you may have noticed the fantastic things the people here have accomplished through collaboration. Have you considered perhaps sharing a smaller dataset of lesser quality so that you are the one retaining the best part of your hard work? That's what I do with some of the photographic products I spend hours creating.

well, sorry if some of you guys are dissapointed, but can't promise you anything till the model is finished. I am doing it mainly for challenging my modeling and perception skills but I wouldn't mind earning some money for it maybe from a company interested in using this for commercial use :/

but, hey, hm.. maybe i could provide you guys with a less detailed model of the mer. just wait the estimated 6motnhs to have it done (modeling ONLY that is) and then we'll see

I just rendered this test (head of mer remodeled from scratch) and thought I'd share

Realistically, any and all commercial requirement for such a model has been well and truely covered by Dan Maas's work for the pre-launch Animation, the two Nova documentaries (for which he was Emmy nominated) and the Imax movie.

Your model is just stunning - but I can't imagine a 'market' for it.

Doug

well, thought it would be nice didn't say it would happen anyway, I am not negative with the whole story, we'll see. just be patient till I am done!

How detailed is the Dan Maas model anyway?

Not as good as Scooters, lots of it is done with good texturing, but it's good enough to stand up to the 4k res of Imax. The Imax version is a step up from the version in the usual EDL anim - for instance the arrays are 'glassy' only on the cells themselves, not on the whole panel.

Doug

Well, Scooter's work I would put in the semi-pro/pro category, so I kinda expected he would want some money for it. Scooter, would you be willing to release your model for sale for a time period, and after that time let us pass the hat around for a UMSF license?

as I said, once I am done anything is possible it's still a long way ahead and am already lacking important pieces of reference! wait and see!

Scooterlord these images clearly show the MI transparent dust cover in action.

Closed/Open:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/na...CMP1936L0M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/na...CMP1936L0M1.JPG

I think your model is only missing the arm bit of the cover which connects it to the motor. Your model is ultra impressive. Great work.

hey there...

I have a new render for ppl interested in the project, this was the most difficult part to do - the connectors between the top part of the mer. at first look they might all look the same, but in closer inspection they are far from being the same. anyway, here it is, hope you enjoy it, I still have a lot of things to do, but it's coming out really nicely and I have studied thoroughly the reference I have and looks like I have enough material to finish a few important stuff.

enough said, here it is:


comments welcome as always!

Incredible! Absolutely incredible! I'm always fascinating about the high detailled-level of your model. Very good job.

wonderful work!

Great work, as usual.

I'm sure you know this and it's on your long 'to do' list, but note that the forward hinges connecting the central triangle to the wings are missing.

James


PS - I see it's Spirit your modeling

yup, i know the front connectors are missing, they are my primary modeling target for today thanks for pointing it out though

hello again!

this might not seem like a big update compared to the previous render I posted, but trust me.. IT IS. most connections were remodeled, found more differences, surfaces needed optimizing for fillets to work. low gain antenna mostly modeled, a couple more object were modeled (ones that keep the pma connected to the mer's surface), front part also modeled. 'installed' and placed correct dimensions on the hga, that's my main goal to complete in the following days, it has a couple of parts missing and problem is I don't have all that good of reference photos, so don't expect a BIG update any time soon.



then I am off to model the pma's base, I need a clear photo of it's base, anyone has one PLEASE point me to it. I need CLEAR reference of the following thing there. there seems to be some kind of mechanism, all I can make out is 3 bolts, that's it. I need reference.



..and finally as a reminder, i need reference of the hga's part that holds the film that is connected to the mer, the rear part of the body of the mer without the cables and last but not least, the idd's holding base. i am getting really close to finishing (ahem, a few more months that is) so I need all the help I can get from you guys.

comments expected as always!

hey there.. it's me again I am almost done with modeling most stuff of the mer, reached the tough parts and that's why it's taking me so long to post. anyway, here I am with the most difficult update so far. It's been many days (even months) trying to model this thing and actually come out right. most dimensions and stuff seem to come out nicely so I assume it's quite accurate. This was a quick render though, a few stuff might be mirrored (like the base of the idd) so don't take serious notice of them. Of course little details are missing, but that's the easy part and will be added last. anyway, enjoy, comments are always welcome!



the few things that are left to model: finish the idd base, a few details at the top and the bottom of the pancam mast, bottom sides of the 'wings', and a few other minor details (like bolts, nuts, etc) and finally... the cables... :/ not in a very good mood to model lately anyway, outta job this period, fights with gf, difficult parts to model -take all my good mood of modeling away...

..Anyway I will render this in a new renderer (maxwell) that I just started using, I have been using brazil r/s so far, so it will take me some time until I learn how to texture with it!

Fantastic work as usual! Your patience is amazing...

John.

Nick, each time I see your fantastic progresses I experience enthusiasm and frustration, because I think to final, assembled version and cannot see it, for the moment! Happy to hear ymodeling is almost complete, less happy to know you have some troubles and not much time to finish...
I would like to help but I'm not able and, at the end, this is your work for your amusement. So, I said to myself, enjoy these progressive, great releases and don't stress this guy!
Thanks again.

PS: I do not see any mention of this MER project on your linked page.

thanks for the support already guys people interested in this project will have to be patient in order to see it finished. it will take some time and maybe some effort from you guys in order to help me find some reference. hopefully a few people from NASA were kind enough to help me with reference not found on the internet (one of them sent me reference for the idd base. someone else also helped me, kind find his name atm in my emails).

anyway, good to know some people enjoy this, I am not enjoying this YET, I will get all the enjoyment I want when I am done; that's what I am working for anyway . When I am done I am seriously thinking of giving this away to the public - will see what will happen.

..and I know there's no mention of the MER project on my site. Probably I will make a new site just for the mer once I am done with it. people interested in my project can just google them.

Incredible, just an incredible work .

I was just re-texturing my low-res MER for project I'm working on, trying to find MER references...and I ended up back here

Doug

happy new year everyone!

doug! LOL!

haven't at all abandoned the project, reaching tough parts now though, even more and more difficult to progress. not much time/mood to model these days anyway.

plus.. the model has become so big that I tried to do test renders to half of the model and my pc chokes! and that's without textures! :/

hello. well, I have a bit of bad news (not all that bad though) but thought I'd share. Although I started the optimizing process of the whole model and the model so far ended up using 2/3 of its original size I am having major trouble rendering it as it is. the file is way too big, consumes 1,2gb if ram just when I open it and I still haven't started small-detail-modeling cables, nor did I put any textures on yet. :/ looks like I am going to need an upgrade in order to have this done properly.

by using alpha channels, I will miss reflections/shadows so that's not an option :/

Well, it seems you need a sponsor to finish this great work...

hmm... looks like I won't have to. there seemed to be an error of some kind with a specific surface in the model. Let alone the memory run out errors, I managed to locate this surface that caused the program to just exit without an error message. anyway, it took some time even before it started rendering but results are quite promising. sorry, there's a thing that seems to float in front of the left rocker-bogie, it was supposed to be under the warm box. anyway...

moreover I came across useful reference that i've been looking for over a year! i found reference of the pancam mast base AND a little help for the hga cable mounting bracket. however, the only thing so far I am not happy with is the hga cable mounting bracket, so if anyone has any sort of reference, let me know.

enough said, here it is...


comments welcome as always..

THe sandwich material of the arrays is probably the only feature making it look odd at the moment ( i.e. there isn't one ) - that, and the tiny little covers for the Pancam lenses on the end of the stalks. It's a bit hard to see some of the details with the background being the same colour as the default rover material - but having done some radiosity rendering, I know that's basically what you start with.

Doug

...sandwich material of the arrays, I assume you mean the sunlight absorbing surface (?). as for the pancam lenses, you mean the ones located in the front and rear of the mer? I know they seem a bit odd because they are capped with glass which, in this situation, because there are no transparent materials it actually looks odd. anyway, good thing is I am almost done with 'difficult' parts, except maybe the hga cable mounting bracket I mentioned earlier. looks like the cad drawings I came across inside a .pdf file I found are different than the actual final part holding the cable.

besides that, everything else I know how it's done and then it's just cables and stuff before I enter the texturing process

Simply brillant, happy to see you solved the issue.

I think that most of us will say "stunning" and "bravo!", at least. This work is a great example of patience and love and the result clearly show that was worth to dedicate so much resources to it. We had the privilege to see it growing up and now that is almost finished I feel emotionally involved, even though my personal contribution was only in terms of encouraging words...
Congrats again!
PS: any idea about possible applications when model will be completed with textures? Perhaps, the most immediate one is to do some rendering using real MER panoramas as background or even detailed digital terrain models, if available... (an UMSF "Roving Mars"? )

I mean the gold coloured honeycomb inbetween the top of the arrays and the bottom of the arrays -

(actually - looking at KSC, there is nowhere near as much of it as I thought there was - it's mainly a channel, pehaps a cm or two deep, to carry cables - but at the key parts for structure - it's a honeycomb)

dilo, thanks for your kind words! well, you know, I try being patient for almost a couple of years, work bit-by-bit every day, get frustrated, angry, model, remodel mainly to enjoy people's recognition when you are done. I am really glad that there are supportive people out there that keep me going!

djellison, the model might seem complete, but there are a million of things that still have to be modeled. I still need about a month's work of modeling to start really analyzing the hi-res reference I have and start writing a 'to-model list' for the really little things needed to do. Currently, eg, the ones I can think of are: back part of the hga, the damn hga cable mounting bracket - I hope I get reference for this, the cable film on the whole idd, still missing a million nuts and bolts, the honeycomb you mentioned, bottom part of the azimuth drive of the mast, the 'ears' of the mast that keep it attached to the main mer surface, bottom part of the low gain antenna, rear of the mer, that fat thing on the right (can't remember what it is ... and a lot more!

anyway, once I am done, trust me, you people should expect to see life-like renders, and I won't dissapoint you. I will try to make HUGE renders so that every little detail can be seen. plus, I am thinking of fish-eye renders from all of the cameras of the mer

Amazing
Happy to see that you finally succeed to render this big project. I can't wait to see how it will be look with texturing, materials, reflections and other things like that.

Keep up your excellent work .

PS : I made this last image my wallpaper, it's great .

Very nice work, first impression made me believe that the PanCam Mast Assembly looks a bit too high, but that's because of its perspective seen slightly from above. Truly an amazing job!

so, here's another render.. enjoy!



I'll post when some serious progress takes place which will be quite some time from now... still expecting your comments!

With models like this, I can wish to see a UMSF Roving Mars 2.0, with updates to present day.

hello there.. I know, long time no see, started my new perm job (FINALLY!) and a lot of things going on with my life so I kinda abandoned the project a bit, and am just some time away from progressing; IF I manage to gain some strength to study the model again to model stuff I am missing then it will be done soon! Just cables and minor stuff to go. However as I keep modeling I encounter new details here and there... can't say I am dissapointed, just haven't been in the mood to progress.

Anyway, here is a new render with the cabling and almost-full-detail. I would love to hear your comments. Just compare to the first render I posted of this and see the MILLIONS of differences

*thump*
ah ca na tal, mai jaw ia on da flora