[fusion_power]

I got permission to release the source model!
Click Here (1.6 MB .zip)

USAGE RULES
You are allowed to change and redistribute the 3D model or renders created from it in any way under the following conditions:

1. Renders/models created from this file cannot be portrayed as official or from the OpenPandora team.
2. Don't pretend that you created the original model provided in this file.
3. Attribution is nice, but not required.
4. I cannot/will not be held liable if this file becomes the source of damages or dispute.
5. The OpenPandora logo and other associated intellectual property is under the ownership of the OpenPandora team. Please respect their rules and regulations concerning the use of their work.
End of Usage Rules

Now go! Create some cool Pandora stuff

Very impressive model, even if I can't render it (even the preview window takes ages with my antique PC ) Just some questions from noob to pro:
-How do you start such a complex object?
-how do you manage such an ammount of polygons? I usualy have to model nealy every single polygon per hand if the object gets complex and so I try to use a low polycount
-boolean operations in blender are totaly crap, how do you make "holes" and such stuff in objects and the result is still a single object with seamless and clean polygons? Everything modeling per hand to avoid "unconnected" polygons/quads?
-is it complicated to deal with UV textures? I always gave up with all this unwrapping and stuff, I just use the material Textures or image loading and manipulating with the other texture align options (not very effective I know)
-why are your polygon outlines in Edit mode red? (group?)

[Clean3d]

-How do you start such a complex object?

If you explore the different layers, you can find a couple old versions of the model lurking around. Once I had the initial proportions worked out with boxes, I started adding in different parts individually, like the curved corners and the holes for the buttons. After these were done, I'd connect them either by creating the faces myself or extruding an edge to bridge a gap and then removing the extra vertices.

-how do you manage such an ammount of polygons? I usualy have to model nealy every single polygon per hand if the object gets complex and so I try to use a low polycount

I had to get used to stuff simply taking forever. There were times when I had to go into a small section and create 50+ faces by hand, but the sooner I got started the sooner it would be done. As for handling a large number of polygons, there are some hotkeys and tools that should help you.
Edit mode
Shift+H - hide all parts of a model except what's selected.
H - Hide the selection.
Alt+H - Unhide hidden sections.
P - Separate the selection into a new mesh.
Alt+B (works in Object mode too) - Lets you select a portion of the screen to save, and everything else is "cropped" from the view. Pressing it again brings stuff back.
Object mode
H/Alt+H - Hides/Unhides objects respectively.
Numpad / - clears the screen of everything except the selected object.
CTRL+J (with two meshes selected) - joins meshes back together.

-boolean operations in blender are totaly crap, how do you make "holes" and such stuff in objects and the result is still a single object with seamless and clean polygons? Everything modeling per hand to avoid "unconnected" polygons/quads?

It's possible to use the Boolean operations if you're willing to do a lot of cleaning, and I considered doing that when creating the ABYX buttons, but I wound up just creating individual parts separately and linking them together afterwards. I typically started of with a single vertex, and then used the spin tool to create whatever curve I needed. Learning about Blender's snap tools (both the new and the ones available from the shift+S menu) will help, too.

-is it complicated to deal with UV textures? I always gave up with all this unwrapping and stuff, I just use the material Textures or image loading and manipulating with the other texture align options (not very effective I know)

I only unwrapped what I had to, and not everything is UV textured. Learning about the snapping/pinning tools available in the UV editor will also be useful.

-why are your polygon outlines in Edit mode red? (group?)

My entire model is set to "smooth", so that the polygons' shading flows together, but I needed to have sharp edges in places too. You can set different parts of a model smooth and solid in edit mode, but it's much easier to set the entire model smooth and then add an edge-split modifier. The red edges in the mesh are ones I marked as sharp. (CTRL+E>>Mark Sharp)

[Phawx]

Would you kindly have the Pandora rotating in animation and have Quake 2 being played on the screen with the LEDs flashing blue and stuff for the wifi.

This is addressed to anyone, (Also directly towards BioShock fans.)

[fusion_power]

I had to get used to stuff simply taking forever. There were times when I had to go into a small section and create 50+ faces by hand, but the sooner I got started the sooner it would be done. As for handling a large number of polygons, there are some hotkeys and tools that should help you.

Yes, I also discovered the hiding function...AFTER I messed around with my first Pandora Model in Art Deco look The Hotkey functions are very useful, I should start to learn them.

It's possible to use the Boolean operations if you're willing to do a lot of cleaning, and I considered doing that when creating the ABYX buttons, but I wound up just creating individual parts separately and linking them together afterwards. I typically started of with a single vertex, and then used the spin tool to create whatever curve I needed. Learning about Blender's snap tools (both the new and the ones available from the shift+S menu) will help, too.

Yes, the boolean operations can create a incredible huge ammount of unwanted polygons and if the vertexes of one object face in the wrong direction, things can get really messy.
I also use the spin tool alot, very nice thing. I make holes this way and manualy connect the hole with the surrrounding object, vertex for vertex. Takes ages but this way you only have the polygons, you really need and everything is connected at the end. (My nightmare are "loose" vertex or faces that are not completely connected with it's neighbours) I have set Blender to automaticly snap on grid, for everything, this really helps.

My entire model is set to "smooth", so that the polygons' shading flows together, but I needed to have sharp edges in places too. You can set different parts of a model smooth and solid in edit mode, but it's much easier to set the entire model smooth and then add an edge-split modifier. The red edges in the mesh are ones I marked as sharp. (CTRL+E>>Mark Sharp)

Nice Trick. Now I know what the "edge split" modifier is good for, I've never tested this. I usualy go the other way, set the object smooth and alter the "solid" faces in edit mode.
I usualy save polygons and use the "subsurf" modifier. Not very accurate and not useful for things like the case but with subsurf you can make a button with only 16 faces for the circle and modify it super smooth. I just feel better with as less as polygons as possible to keep the overview, I also uses mirror modifiers alot, can also saves alot of work.

Oh, it is also a nice trick to use area lights for the LED lights. I experimented with self glowing "radiosity" rendering but this kills alot CPU Power.

[sephiap]

Awesome model + release. You have skills! Much appreciated.

[blendenzo]

Thanks for the .blend, Clean3D. It takes quite a while to render on my PC, so I used the Westminster rendering portal to output a version with the bootup screen.

[solidstate]

First off, amazing job.
As far as feedback goes, perhaps the LEDs are a bit too bright, I would imagine they wouldn't reflect off the keys that much, of course that's just my opinion. Second, could we see a render of the back, showing the shoulder buttons.

Anyway, thanks again, almost makes the Pandora seem real, rather than part of an overly elaborate plan to scam a few thousand geeks out of a few hundred pounds using fluctuations in international currency exchange rates. (joke).

[nikkopt]

Great job, indeed.. Sanx for the model

I've exported it to lightwave, since i'm better of with it. In the process the model loses all the image textures so i have to get them manually. So as everything in the scene (lights, compositing effects, etc..). But even with a similar scene i get 60% fast renderings in lightwave.

Anyway, if you guys have slow machines, you can disable raytrace rendering in blender (dont forget to hide the base panel layer aswell), you will lose the shiny reflective plane below the pandora and have to tweak illumination a bit, but the render times will decrease significantly. Oh, you can also decrease the antialias quality, just for tests

Below, the time difference between the default scene and raytrace disabled (watch the time )



8:26 to 1:07

[zxxxy]

Wow looks SOOO cool! and i have a qestion. what do you see when you look at pandora logo? i see a 3D box or some kind of an spaceship.

[PlopperZ]

Wow looks SOOO cool! and i have a qestion. what do you see when you look at pandora logo? i see a 3D box or some kind of an spaceship.

It's a box.

[TaG]

Wow looks SOOO cool! and i have a qestion. what do you see when you look at pandora logo? i see a 3D box or some kind of an spaceship.

It's a box.

Now why would it be a box? Surely everybody has heard of Pandora's Spaceship?

[MDave]

One of the LEDS's is supposed to be blue, for bluetooth

[j.pickens]

Wow looks SOOO cool! and i have a qestion. what do you see when you look at pandora logo? i see a 3D box or some kind of an spaceship.

[nikkopt]

I changed the keyboard font to a similar one found in the "Keyboard Layout" thread. Also changed the case material to a shiny piano-like plastic.. (and some other things).

the result:



Version with better FSAA and a SD card (Size is incorrect, it was modeled to fit this model):



I also made an animation.

Youtube (poor quality, even if you chose 'watch high quality' ) : Here

Direct link to video and to the textures i used : Here (h264 mov file and xvid avi)


To a mod: If any of these things is violating any rule, feel free to remove this post and ask me to remove the other stuff

This post has been edited by nikkopt: 06 January 2009 - 01:41 AM

[Capn_Fish]

I was going to say that the keyboard layout looks horrible, but I think it'll work nicely after remapping some of the game controls to Ctrl/Alt/Shift/Fn.

Nice render!