TUTORIAL
Construction of StarBase Cube3's USSC3 Harvest
(using Pixel 3D Graphics Software)


Cube Productions Inc. through Starbase Cube3 has made available a wide variety of digital starship models with interchangeable components and excellent texture maps. The following set of tutorials show how to work with these components using a low priced 3D Graphics Editing Package by Forward Design called Pixel 3D.

The digital starship models from Starbase Cube3 come in either AutoCADD DXF or 3D Studio's 3DS 3D formats with image or texture maps in JPG JPEG format. You may need to modify these formats to match the 3D graphics package you are using. Pixel 3D will handle a wide variety of object format translations in addition to being a 3D build and render package in its own right.

On to the construction!

1) File Preparation

After we have unzipped the Harvest.zip package to a Folder, there are a few file renamings that will make things easier to work with. Rename the following files as indicated:

Harvmod.dxf -> Harvpod.dxf
Harbuz.jpg -> Harvbuz.jpg
Hargun.jpg -> Harvgun.jpg
Harnac.jpg -> Harvnac.jpg
Harvneck.jpg -> Harvneck.jpg
Harpod.jpg -> Harvpod.jpg

2) Image Map Conversions

Now we need to convert all the JPEG image files to BMP image files (Pixel 3D can only map using BMP images). Using your favorite paint program load each of the .jpg files and save them in .bmp format.

3) Load Individual Objects and Apply Image Maps

Now we are going to load each component individually, apply the image map, and save it in Pixel 3D file format. This will give us each of the objects in its own file. This will allow us to easily combine components with other Starbase Cube components to create other vessels and new designs.

Step One - The Engine Pylon

Step Two - The Neck

Step Three - The Primary Hull

Step Four - The Cargo Pods

Step Five - The Engines

Step Six - Putting It All Together and Rendering


To Highland Grey Shipyards at Geocities

To StarBase Cube3

Prepared by highland@netcom.ca
tutorial ©Brett L McDonald/Highland Grey Consulting Inc.
models ©Cube Productions Inc.
last updated May 21, 1997
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