I'm working on a SciFI helmet for Antonia and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for sci fi gadgets or doodads that might be incorporated into a helmet.  I have a light on one side and I'd like to balance out the other side with a slightly boxy gizmo of some sort.  I'll post a picture as soon as my render finishes

thoughts?

Looks great

I'd agree a gentler curve to the head shape would be good. Again, I think having a morph or two for this sort of area is good. You could allow the end-user to morph the helmet shape between the narrower, slightly more pointed shape above and something going maybe more bulbous?

Perhaps some sort of speaker grille for the mouth section? (e.g. to transmit the wearer's voice from within the helmet).

I kind of like the asymmetry going on with the head lamp. Maybe the opposite temple of the helmet (from the one with the headlamp) could just be reserved for decals? (e.g. wearer id number, military insignia or whatever)

The other idea I had was to have a smaller, directional light on the other temple... maybe a small lamp on a poseable stalk?

If a more boxy, control panel type idea, then maybe a small LED display showing something resembling a brain scan (or whatever image the end-user wants to add for that mat zone, if you made the LED display have its own mat zone perhaps) would look cool?

Perhaps if you made these various details hideable, it would increase the options?

SamTherapy's latest Dalek Poser figures feature geometry switching controlled by parameter dials, to change various features about. It's a very cool way of providing multiple choices to the end-user...

cheers

How about a video camera, like in the film Aliens? Or a laser (complete with red laser beam)?

P.S.
I think one of us needs to calibrate our monitor, I can hardly see the helmet in the image you posted.

Quote - How about a video camera, like in the film Aliens? Or a laser (complete with red laser beam)?

P.S.
I think one of us needs to calibrate our monitor, I can hardly see the helmet in the image you posted.

I can see it very clearly, but it is a dark image. My monitor is set with minimum brightness but it's wide gamut -- it passes all the visual tests, except gamma, which is always a tradeoff.  Then again, I can also see the picture very clearly, though more brightly, on my horrible cheap monitor. Sounds like yours is about to die.

Thanks for some great input!  I'm not entirely sure how to do some of it (geometry switching, and calibrating my monitor to be specific)  The mouth section is a separate material zone so quite a bit could be done with textures and dislacement.  There is a raised flat area in the center of the forehead for a 'crest' or insignia of some kind, but a spot for decals, unit info or something might be good on that side as well.  I'm fond of the assymetry as well, so maybe just by rounding out the top and bringing that temple area angled more steeply might be enough.  My other thought was to add a sort of communications gizmo on that side.  I think something kind of boxy to contrast with smooth curves of the rest of the piece.

That is pretty cool...  I like the little camera, but I didn't want things to look too similar with the light on the other side.  however If i grouped that in with a communications thingamabob it could all fit in a rounded rectangular sort of housing with a small antenna poking up.  I'd also be able to add more light emitters, which I love!

Quote - i guess you can do something like this ..

I made them addons to the epsilon outfit at DAZ

 

Attached Link: IMAGE

sorry ..i have removed my posting ..in my browser nothing showed up ..

Maybe becuase i had to switch to my other "bar-code" account to get the image.. 

Chris

Hi

These images all appear too dark, on my computer, they are barely visible.

If everyone is seeing it this way, and you aren't,  then you need to calibrate your monitor.

But from what I can see it looks pretty cool!

Mike

This looks more or less correct on my monitor... I don't know why it got narrow, I pasted it in the same size I copied it.

Attached Link: IMAGE maybe maybe not i dunno anymore ...

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/media/folder_181/display_1804295.jpg

Chris

Your renders do look pretty dark to me too meatsim... is there a light source other than the helmet light in your scene there?

Cheers

That's better!!!

For a space look I'd use a single source white light, I removed a lot of yellow to correct this.

Nice looking helmet, I love the glowing red LEDs on the knobs.

antenna? an idea

These links should help with Monitor calibration.

http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php

http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html

the image itself is actually pretty dark, its just using the light in the helmet (not sure if it was a light emitter or a parented poser light in that image) and a starfield image on BB environment sphere for light.  

I just grabbed images that I had in the render history, and most of them were from messing around with the light emitter or point light embedded in the light housing of the helmet.

I'll do up a 'normal' light level render later on today.

Quote - I'm not entirely sure how to do some of it (geometry switching, and calibrating my monitor to be specific)

There are two parts to geometry switching, code to identify the geometries, and a channel to swap between the different geometries. Note that what follows is from a figure. I have not tested it in a prop.

Here is an example that will swap between 4 different geometries (including the default), you would place this code immediately above the 'channels' line in the actor you want to swap the geometry for:

    alternateGeom   geom_001
        {
        name geom_001
        objFile 1001 :Runtime:Geometries:YourName:ProductFolder:object_001.obj
        }

    alternateGeom    geom_002
        {
        name geom_002
        objFile 1002 :Runtime:Geometries:YourName:ProductFolder:object_002.obj
        }

    alternateGeom    geom_003
        {
        name geom_003
        objFile 1003 :Runtime:Geometries:YourName:ProductFolder:object_003.obj
        }

Then add this channel as the last channel in the channel stack:

        geomChan AltGeom
            {
            uniqueInterp
            name AltGeom
            initValue 0
            hidden 0
            forceLimits 1
            min 0
            max 3
            trackingScale 0.045
            keys
                {
                static  0
                k  0  0
                }
            interpStyleLocked 1
            }

The name "AltGeom" is just an example, you can use any name. "The 'max' limit should be equal to the number of alternate geometries. When the dial is set at zero the default geometry will be used. To have a blank geometry (no geometry) you can either leave the geometry out of the base obj for that actor, or you can create an empty file named "blank.obj" and use that as one of the geometries to be swapped.

For adding parts to a helmet, it may be better to create an extra actor as a child of the helmet, and switch geometry for that part, rather than switching between different versions of the whole helmet.

well.... it seems my monitor found its way onto game mode at some point.. so a bunch of the images I thought were pretty good are significantly less so now... though I'm not sure I performed the monitor calibration right at all...  

My monitor has an sRGB mode that doesnt allow any changes to contrast, brightness, or colour temp...  should I trust that they have it set correctly and just use that?

Whatever I add will be separate geometry.  It was real pain to build the light geometry and then weld it into the mesh of the helmet.  I think I'll make a little ridge surrounding whatever I want to add in, duplicate those faces and scale that by 0.995% (to create a fine crevice between the helmet and the module) and build whatever I build from that base.  That way I can put whatever Modules I want into the 'slot' without too much trouble

I'll worry about how to code the whole thing later.. I havent mucked around inside a poser file yet so I'll have to suck up some courage first

Quote - > Quote - I'm not entirely sure how to do some of it (geometry switching, and calibrating my monitor to be specific)

There are two parts to geometry switching, code to identify the geometries, and a channel to swap between the different geometries. Note that what follows is from a figure. I have not tested it in a prop.

Here is an example that will swap between 4 different geometries (including the default), you would place this code immediately above the 'channels' line in the actor you want to swap the geometry for:

    alternateGeom   geom_001
        {
        name geom_001
        objFile 1001 :Runtime:Geometries:YourName:ProductFolder:object_001.obj
        }

    alternateGeom    geom_002
        {
        name geom_002
        objFile 1002 :Runtime:Geometries:YourName:ProductFolder:object_002.obj
        }

    alternateGeom    geom_003
        {
        name geom_003
        objFile 1003 :Runtime:Geometries:YourName:ProductFolder:object_003.obj
        }

Then add this channel as the last channel in the channel stack:

        geomChan AltGeom
            {
            uniqueInterp
            name AltGeom
            initValue 0
            hidden 0
            forceLimits 1
            min 0
            max 3
            trackingScale 0.045
            keys
                {
                static  0
                k  0  0
                }
            interpStyleLocked 1
            }

The name "AltGeom" is just an example, you can use any name. "The 'max' limit should be equal to the number of alternate geometries. When the dial is set at zero the default geometry will be used. To have a blank geometry (no geometry) you can either leave the geometry out of the base obj for that actor, or you can create an empty file named "blank.obj" and use that as one of the geometries to be swapped.

For adding parts to a helmet, it may be better to create an extra actor as a child of the helmet, and switch geometry for that part, rather than switching between different versions of the whole helmet.

Looks good!

Something like from splinter cell?

A rotating visor? night vision, Infrared scope, sonar scope...

Thats pretty cool.  That might be something to do separately so it could be worn by itself or with just the mask portion of the helmet

Doodad housing looks great. Shaping up nicely

And last one before  bed.. added some clasps.  All UV mapping now done.  Just need to model a back piece and work on some textures and I can put this one to bed!!

Cool. Like it! Those clasps really set it off well... particularly with the head shape the way it is...

cheers

Thanks... I couldn't widen out the top as much as I wanted and keep a nice smooth curve so I had to improvise.  I might push the clasps out just slightly and make a little seal or gasket(?) looking thing where they meet the helmet