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My Blog

Update & GODOT Experiments 2022

30/10/2022

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For the past few months I've been experimenting with the Godot game engine instead of my previous go-to tool that was Gamemaker Studio. YoYo games, the studio behind Gamemaker, has been going in a strange direction since they got bought by Opera and I can't say I'm as comfortable with trusting this company as I was previously. YoYo accounts are being migrated to Opera accounts and the whole thing is giving me flashbacks to when Microsoft bought Mojang and Minecraft just to keep funneling people into their 'ecosystem'.
On top of that Gamemaker now has a subscription payment model which, luckily, I don't have to use as my own permanent license still appears to be valid.  Who knows how long that will last though.

I do find this odd though, Gamemaker as an engine has barely changed in the last decade and looking at their roadmap, the new features they are planning on adding are... unambitious, let's just say.
I don't see how any developer is going to look at Gamemaker now, considering the price of the subscription model and the features that Gamemaker has, and think "yeah this engine seems like it's worth it".
It used to be in the past, a single one-off payment for an engine that was the pinnacle of 2D games development. But that was years ago, now there are so many options out there, many of which are completely free to use or offer more versatility and Gamemaker just seems stuck in its own little corner, never budging, never moving with the times.
Personally for me I started realizing that my journey with Gamemaker had come to an end when I started experimenting with 3D in Gamemaker. Obviously the engine isn't really made with 3D in mind but considering where Gamemaker's long lasting strengths lie, in Gamemaker Language and in its fast workflow, I don't see why Gamemaker shouldn't be a 3D engine. Speaking of the lack of ambition in their current roadmap, I do feel like more 3D support like a 3D viewport and built-in 3D model importer should have been right up there.

All of this is what lead me to Godot, an engine that is very much built for 2D and 3D.
It's has been an interesting few months. Godot turned out to be a lot easier to use than I initially imagined. It clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Unity (unfortunately) but doesn't shy away from adding its own improvements, or its own way of doing things, where it feels like they can be made.
Many of the things I struggled with in Gamemaker like pathfinding and quickly doing some UI design are a walk in the park in Godot, super easy. Other things that are very easy in Gamemaker can be a little tricky to figure out in Godot, like multi-dimensional arrays for example. Godot script is no Gamemaker Language unfortunately but I feel like I'm getting the hang of it.

For the past month my mission has been getting the familiar with the engine and making all the things I never could I Gamemaker. For this project I've basically been trying to re-create one of my favourite games, Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, in Godot.

I started out by adding a basic movement system and re-creating a map from the game in Blender, then porting it into Godot. The map I chose was CQB training for no particular reason other than that it was small and fairly symmetrical and therefore not a lot of work to build:
It was fairly basic, some assets from the original game were in there as well but nothing is really textured and there's no gameplay to speak of, just a ghost town for now.

With a map to play around with though, I could start adding some gameplay. I added some basic enemies, pathfinding, interactive elements like hidden doorways for easter eggs and over the next month I kept adding any feature I could think of. Kind of sticking to the original game as a framework but I'm not trying to create a particularly faithful re-creation of RS: Vegas 2, for now it's anything goes.

After one month of progress I had added a bunch more weapons, a weapon attachment system and customization menu. There are some basic load-out options, save-games, rank and leveling, stats tracking and some basic sound effects:
From here on I'm currently building a larger library of properly textured assets that I can use to create a better looking map where I can start trying out some rendering techniques to make it all look better. Right now the whole game is lit by real-time lights in the engine which doesn't look great and isn't perfect for performance either, I'm hoping to learn some light baking for the next map I'm creating and hopefully have it all looking a lot better and running much smoother for the second map.
I also want to try adding some LAN multiplayer just to see how that works in Godot.

The last few days however I've had to pause this project for a bit as my computer started developing some OS related freezing issues, so I had to re-install Windows 10. I took this as an opportunity to try out the Win 10 Ameliorated version, a project set up by a group of people who wanted nothing to do with Microsoft's tracking and data-gathering that comes built in to Win 10. The process of "ameliorating" Windows isn't very straight forward but after three or four tries I succeeded in getting it up and running in a way that I felt comfortable worked.
This new Windows experience is actually quite a lot like older windows versions, reminding me of Windows 7 and XP. It's a bare-bones Windows experience that feels out-of-place in 2022, but in a good way. It's a reminder that software nowadays often has a dual-purpose, to serve you and to gather data on you. Windows that only does the basics of being an operating system feels like a breath of fresh air and there isn't this nagging feeling that Windows is spying on you in the background with everything you do.
It is also MUCH faster, start-up is really fast and right-clicking used to take ages on my old install where Windows Explorer was doing whatever it was doing in the background before showing you the menu, now it's instant. You do need to make sure you install anti-virus and such because of course Windows Defender isn't there either, same with Windows Update.
Overall though I'm very happy with this new install of Win 10 and I'll keep using it for a while I think.

That's it from me. Check out my next blog to see how progress on my Godot Rainbow Six remake project is going.
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M40 ACE Redux

4/8/2022

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Back in 2010 I had a lot of strange and ambitious ideas for games, mods and designs. None was more ambitious at the time than Space 3102, ACE's Void, a flight sim/first person shooter featuring the M40 Asteroid Class Explorer. This tiny shuttle was a research vessel, designed for high maneuverability in dense asteroid fields and capable of spending weeks in deep space before returning to base. It featured laser cannons, traditional cannons, advanced collision avoidance systems, had lots of scientific equipment on board and was piloted by the best scientists/astronauts the Earth Space Administration and Defense force (ESAD) had to offer. A real Swiss-army knife of spacecraft.

In this old blog post I looked at the ACE and some of the story behind how I came up with it at the time, but I also challenged myself to create a third iteration of the design I had at the time. Perhaps it wasn't the greatest design I had ever made but then again I had only been doing 3D modeling for about two to four months or so.

So now, twelve years later, I have finally revisted this design and hopefully improved it a bit, I think that even my seventeen year old self would approve.
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I started with Jovor Long's signature contribution to the M series, the M40 engines; Capable of being airbreathing in atmosphere, closed cycle in orbit and using advanced magnetic fusion propulsion in deep space.

The M40 HAMP (Hybrid Airbreathing Magnetic Propulsion) engines are a highly advanced form of hybrid propulsion.

These engines form the backbone of the ACE and enabled it to be effective long past its scheduled retirement date.

The variable-pitch propeller blades suck in air into the highly efficient heat exchanger where the air is cooled down and the compressed in a turbo compressor after which the compressed air is mixed with highly combustable fuel.

Built-in computers maintain optimal flow through the engines and ensure faultless operation separate from the ACE's onboard flight computers.
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Secondly I started working on the cockpit and other internal systems. The M40 ACE features both analogue and digital instruments to ensure that no instrument is without backup. Two separate computer systems operate simultaniously to prevent errors from slipping through and should one fail, the other is more than capable of taking over.
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Finally came the rest of the interior and the renders (the animation took several days to render because I don't know how to optimise my 3D scenes):
Overall this has been a fun side-project, even though I rarely got to work on it, I actually started this project back in December 2021, but I'm happy to call it finished. Maybe I should revisit some other ships from this era, like the Aloadae II, the massive paddle / delta wing passenger shuttle or the Athena, my personal space yacht. We'll see!

Until next time, and as always have a nice day.
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Updates covering the last few months.

3/12/2020

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It's been a while since the last blog post. Been super busy with Hyperventila, it's quite a project and while I need to release soon I still decided to add multiplayer, mainly since it seems more doable in the short time frame I have leading up to release.

One element of the new multiplayer mode is the mini-games people will have to complete in order to survive and win the game. One such game requires a space rat and a trap, that I built today.
Hyperventila is progressing at an alarming pace. Here are some screenshots and renders from the last few months:
More updates will follow soon!
In other news I also made a quick render for the latest U3DA modeling challenge "Impossible Object":
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The Let Them Talk Phone for people who don't want to talk to anyone.
I also revisited my old NH90 Helicopter model and imported it into Blender for am updated render:
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Hyperventila has gone live on IndieGoGo!

4/7/2020

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We're currently running an IndieGogo campaign for the game. Check it out if it sounds like something you may be interested in!
Hyperventila is a narrative-driven open world RPG set in the Hyperventila galaxy. A world of disreputable space bars, rogue traders and totalitarian space empires.
Fans of the classic 70s and 80s era of science fiction films would find themselves right at home in this universe. Jump in your spacecraft and immerse yourself among the stars.

Hyperventila will become playable on Steam and other online retailers, January 2021.
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Santa's Secret Moon Base & More

16/12/2019

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What is this about secret moon bases now? It's another challenge entry for this year's U3DA Holiday challenge. Other entries from previous years include a Dragon Santa and scary Skeleton Santa.

Made in trueSpace and BlenderForArtists. It seems that the logo I mashed together for the challenge is the highlight of the image from what I've heard from people who viewed the image.
I think the biggest inspiration for this project was oddly enough the movie Iron Sky, which was about Nazis on the moon. I feel like you can sort of see that in this original test render that I did:
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Moon Base Test Render
All this work in Blender has mainly been for Hyperventila though, starting with a beauty render of the GCP Patrol Car and with the last render being the Inter-Corp "Tracker":
Hyperventila has seen many updates in the last months, most of which can be found on the Hyperventila Discord.

Now off to Christmas in Italy. Until next time!
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Jewelry for Ilaria

26/7/2019

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I recently made something for my girlfriends birthday:
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I sent it to be 3D printed in silver on Shapeways.com.

It has arrived in the post!
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I'm sure she'll be very happy. It's her birthday today!
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Secret Super MIG - The Red Mist

14/7/2019

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For this months United 3D Artists forum modeling challenge, I present China's secret weapon: The Red Mist jet aircraft.
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It's a silly concept of course but that's what you get when I get to come up with the theme for a modeling contest.
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It was a fun model to work on but maybe, with working on Hyperventila and all that maybe I should have gone a bit more easy on work this weekend.
This week has mainly been getting the Shipyard in Hyperventila to work. I finished the interior model last week.
The other big pain in the butt was the video production aspect being producing the latest two Hyperventila Showcases. Windows no longer comes with its own video editor so I had to download one from the internet, I ended up using Shotcut which while OK for my needs (it renders fast and the quality is quite good as far as I can tell).

Here you can see the shipyard in action:
I still want to produce better video content, and to be honest, coming from doing my old YouTube let's plays, I thought it would be a lot easier but I don't think I've quite gotten used to the limitations I currently have to deal with.
My old powerhouse of a computer is out of reach and I don't even have an external monitor to extend my small 13" laptop display. On top of that both my gaming mice are dying with both of them being almost unable to left-click any more (thank you trueSpace for wearing out my left-clicks).

It's not all bad though. This little HP Spectre x360 that I'm now doing all my work on is still really powerful for a PC of its size. I still suspect it has some cooling issues that it had from the start but at least it keeps my legs warm.

That's it for this blog.

As always, have a nice day!
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VITRIOL 3D Is 10 Years Old!

4/7/2019

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VITRIOL 3D is 10 years old this year!

Time flies!

V3D started as my personal website and portfolio in 2009 and has become my own personal brand and network since.

Here is to another 10 years!

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Setting the Stage

31/1/2019

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Yesterday we were very fortunate to see Ian McKellen on stage at the Young Vic theatre for his 80th birthday UK tour.

His show started with a thunderous intro to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack after which he read a passage from Fellowship of the Ring, doing his famous lines such as "You Shall Not Pass" and "Flee You Fools".
He had brought along his wizards hat and Glamdring which he rather casually showed off to the audience before inviting someone up to handle it on stage, he then paused for an autograph and selfie after which the show was ready to begin.

He took us on a journey through his early years in life, at school and how he gained an interest in theatre all while acting out real life characters from his past. Often finishing with a resounding poem.
Then he took us through his early roles and after a brief interval; the complete works of Shakespeare.
From his King Lear to Romeo and Juliet he ended his show with a powerful rendition of Macbeth.

It was, despite a relatively small theatre, a grand show in the theatre heart of London at the end he got a standing ovation by the audience and even by Sting who was sitting one row in front of me with his family. Rather unexpected but certainly caught Ilaria's eye right away. Such is London life I guess.

After the show, on the way out, I got a chance to thank and congratulate Sir Ian and to shake his hand. It was a most memorable evening and I'm very glad we went.
In other news, the game has been going well in the past month. Despite many set-backs due to a decision to reprogram much of the core of the game I now have something far more complex as a basis that will allow me to realise this project the way I had imagined it.

I have very little to show right now but since I like posting screenshots and renders here is a one of a minor hacking component I finished yesterday:
A black market hacking PDA will be a useful tool when breaking into derelict space stations and other structures.
 That's it for this blog. Bye now. :)
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3D Printed Buttons

9/4/2017

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I 3d printed some vest buttons. They're quite practical, really easy to unbutton because of the tip on one end but they don't slip out because the wider other end locks them in place. The vest I got from a clothes-swapping event that took place last week.
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I also bought this cute figure of Yoda from a friend. Check out her blog you must, at HappyYarnJobs.blogspot.se.
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What else have I been doing since my last blog entry?
  • I started using Instagram.
  • I stopped using Instagram.
  • I went to a motor show.
  • I got a new laptop (HP Spectre x360 13").
  • Did loads of 3D printing.
  • Was in a newspaper.
  • Went to Holland for a few days.
  • Bought silly sunglasses.
  • Did more 3D printing.
  • Was in a newspaper again.
  • I quite got into paracord braiding.
  • I now have a plant.
  • Went to a clothes-swapping event (where I was in the newspaper... again).
  • Stacked some wood at my parents place.
  • Went biking for the first time of the year.
That's about it for this blog. Happy Easter!
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    The VITRIOL 3D Blog

    My name is Tymen, an illustrator originally from the Netherlands.

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