Disk THREE Summary
Disk Three contains the entire weapons modelling section of the tutorial as well as the initial unused sarcophagus (read more below for why it was abandonned). In addition the set contains one high res HDR map for you to use as you wish (Beartooth Mountain) and a number of wip images and other files as well as a fully usable menu system.
INSTRUCTIONS
Download the video tutorials that make up the set - they can be played as usual, individually of the menu - this means if you just download three of the videos, then you can watch them in your preffered player without needing to download all of them and the menu should you prefer.
If you decide to download everything then you will probably want to download the archived menu. The menu archive contains the HDR file, wip images and so forth and is archived as a TAR. Winzip and Winrar are both capable of managing this format just fine.
Unarchive the menu system to a folder (ie c:/crux3/) - the unarchiver will create a series of subfolders and files including the executable to run the menu. The HDR file is in the /AutoPlay/Docs folder and wips are in the /AutoPlay/Images
Move the downloaded videos
without changing their filenames to the /AutoPlay/Videos/ folder. You can now burn everything in your c:/crux3/ (example) folder to a DVD and use it, store it or use it as a novelty frisbee. Or just run the menu app directly off your hard disk!
I hope you enjoy disk three - the other two disks contain (obviously) a hell of a lot more than just the weapon and a sarcohphagus and I hope you will take an interest in our newest HUGE learning set (if you do 7 hours a day non stop watching, it will take you a full week to watch the set - and you will go mad probably.) Please note that unlike disk 3 the other two disks are watermarked with the personal and financial information of the person purchasing the set for copyright protection.
FULL Set Summary
Author and Narrator :
Cris 'Olblue' Robson
Download Version :
www.digitaldownload3d.com for the downloadable version of this set.
Total Video Length :
Over 45 Hours
Skills Learned. Mechanical Modelling (poly by poly, SubD, high detail SubD, surfacing using splines, overdetailing and more), Organic Modelling (SubD, edgeloops, poly by poly, etc), Mechanical Rigging, Mechanical Animation, Procedural Animation, Secondary Motion, Walking, Starting walking, Stopping, Turning and Posing. Organic rigging using Biped, posing in biped, organic fast hand rigging using primatives. FK, IK, HI solvers, Final Gather, HDR, Rendering Techniques, Simple Materials, Complex Mental Ray Materials, Use of the Arch and Design Material in MR, ink and paint shader. Particles, Pflow, making exposions, making cruise missile trails,project management, use of the layer manager, cloth, lots lots lots lots more.
Level of Difficulty : Split levels of difficulty - newer users of 3ds Max will find the start of the set a good warm up exercise getting used to the overall workflow - nothing is missed and the average new user familiar with the interface should have no problem in getting straight into the project. More advanced users will find the appenxides useful for rendering ideas, particle flow tips and advice as well as the use of layer tools an of course the organic modelling section where not only are you making the head and hands but also going about construction of complex soft items such as shoes, pants and shirt to building the hanging banners on CRUX's back with dynamic animation using the Cloth > Garment Maker solvers. All in all there is something for everyone in possibly the most complete set that 3d-palace has produced yet!
Number of DVDs in the set : 3 (three) Disk 1 - CRUX, DIsk 2 - Pilot and Appendixes, Disk 3 - Weapon and more appendixes.
Included in the DVD version of the set are all the videos with an easy to navigate menu system, all of the HDR files, the scene files, reference images, specially made CRUX imageplanes, all the WIP images from the creation of the set and more.
A NOTE ABOUT WATERMARKING OF THIS SET. 
The DVDs in this set are WATERMARKED with your name, your address, your phone number and your paypal email address (unless you pay by cheque or bank transfer in which case it has your bank account details added to it) - this is not in breach of your rights as the only person who will be getting this information visible to them is yourself whilst watching the DVD set. The watermark is faint however also visible on the screen during all of the videos. This has been done to prevent the continued software piracy that is threatening to destroy the small DVD tutorial making sites out there. There are
no exceptions to this. This is to allow easy identification of anyone illegally distributing our DVDs so that appropriate action can be taken.
The CRUX set is the evolution of several video tutorials and DVD sets from 3d-palace, aiming to bring you a complete video lesson set that will take you through the entire process of building an exoskeleton with pilot and all the parts you need to bring it to a level of life that you can show on the screen in order to understand and enhance your modelling and your animation abilities.
AVAILABLE COPIES ON DVD
If there are no available copies of the set when you come to purchase, please be patient and try again 12 hours later - because each set is custom made per order we are only releasing a limited amount at any one time until the orders can be caught up with.
DOWNLOADABLE VERSION
The downloadable version of this set is available via
www.digitaldownload3d.com - a 3d-palace owned site and server. On purchasing the set, your order is custom watermarked and you will be notified when it is ready to download. Customers have 5 days to download although additional time for download may be purchased - average order turnaround from purchase to download availability on DigitalDownload3d is 6 to 12 hours, though it may be more during busy times.
BACKSTORY.
In November 2006 there was a suggestion made on the 3d-palace forums that a limited edition DVD set should be made in order to raise funds for a DVD duplication system in order to cut down on the back office work needed at 3d-palace. The reasoning for this was that with a duplicator, more time could be spent on free and commercial sets.
A forum thread had been created some time previously to try and gauge what kind of piece the community would like to see - overall the membership was undecided - some for organic and some for mechanical. Some members wanted GUNDAM style mechanical pieces, others wanted to go down the GAMES WORKSHOP / Forgeworld route for pieces. All these ideas were fine and eventually it was decided to base the model initially upon the idea of an existing physical model that was out there. References were obtained and the modelling finally began in earnest.
Now, one of the issues regarding the copying of a physical non-posable model is that they are built “in pose” - the actual method to their mechanics recieves the barest of coverage compared to the ergonomics of the piece. It was soon realised that this was a failing enterprise and that it would be better to re-adapt to a custom mech - this would be a bonus in several ways, not only in that it would now be an original piece but also because it would mean I was able to add in ideas I would be unable to use otherwise if tied to relicating an existing piece, not least of which was the chance to create some original concepts!
MODEL CONCEPT 
It had early on been decided that this was a punishment mech - the pilot would be a prisoner that had been forced to take the fight or death decision. Becoming a soldier in this mobile prison unit would confer freedom... if he or she survived! Because of the nature of this piece I wanted the pilot to have some protection however I also wanted the pilot to appear vulnerable. You get the overall feeling that the CRUX itself would come off better against just about anything than the almost open sarcophagus that the pilot is locked into.
I chose the design for the sarcophagus having watched a couple of set pieces in a computer game (Quake 4 on the Strogg Medical Facility was a particually good example) - I liked the idea of the throwaway pilot - Is the pilot dead? Detach the old sarcophagus and load another one up from the supply ship. It just clips into place!
Incidentally it should come as no suprise to anyone who has seen the BADGER set (free tutorial) that this fits in with the background with this piece - the two compliment each other and the badger could easily be used as a sarcophagus supply ship and even a mech supply ship should you wish to do the conversion. (Also the pilot from the CRUX can be used effectively as a pilot for the Badger)
EVOLUTION OF THE NAME
The name of the piece was originally going to be the Crucifier Mech - on disk three of the set you can see that the sarcophagus was in fact a spread eagle design and that the pilot was originally going to be somewhat of a Tortured Soul - pipework, missing body parts...etc. The size of the set in development meant that rising to that level of detail was impractical. The name shortened to CRUCIMECH (mentioned a couple of times midway through the set) and then finally becoming CRUX. The old sarcophagus shape was abandonned and the newer casket shape was decided upon, sealing the name of the unit and the fate of the pilot simultaniously.
Which leads us on to the Weapon Design and modelling
The gun design was originally supplied by Bertiee, one of the 3d-palace Moderators mainly as a challenge. Note that the weapon has few straight edges in its overall body design.
The FREE Crux DVD 3 Support Thread 
The weapon was low poly modelled initially, using just a hundred or so polygons to get the shape right. The rocket barrel for the launcher works to the point where you can actually see the missile within the loader if you look down it - basically though the weapon was a painstaking poly by poly modelling exercise.
Linear Mode
Sponsored Links