[WIP] HMS Endymion 1797

[Armada]

Beautiful work, @Martes! What happened to that lower rail's mesh, though? It looks like a vertex has been dragged down.

If you want some inspiration for figurehead paint schemes, I took this photo on my visit to Portsmouth a few weeks back:

Spoiler: Show image

These were all real figureheads, and what surprised me is how colourful they were. It would of course be much harder to replicate this than a flat colour, but it's interesting nonetheless.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I think

Nothing wrong with your particular brand of craziness.

 

[Martes]

What happened to that lower rail's mesh, though? It looks like a vertex has been dragged down.

It is because the head part was made in a separate file and requires adjusting it to the real hull (and the hull back to it in some places). The same goes to the vertical line on the keel you can see on the screenshot - I simply did not connect the parts yet.

You may also notice the disappearance of the wale, in preparation for upcoming modifications to the hull form.

Spoiler: Endymion two-decker figurehead

Of course, I am aware of the coloring on the figureheads. But I am not sure I am prepared to go that far as of yet. As far as I know, it all was a question of captain's money - the paint and the gildwork. Both paintings of Endymion and Pomone in color, though, show the figurehead as white, so if I leave it white, my consciousness will be clear enough

 

[Captain Armstrong]

Judging from the 'pomona' model and the plan, the middle rail which supports the cathead should go down a bit further on the part which hugs the bow, more in line with the upper rail

Spoiler: Model Headrails

Spoiler: Similar view on your version

Still looking great all in all! The reduced polycount of the figurehad sounds much healthier than the original- though it could do with some smoothing. Is the original statue of Nero? looking at other statues he was fond of growing a neckbeard Could also be pan, judging by the flute. But regardless, its a near perfect match for the pose and garments of the earlier Endymion figurehead!

 

[Martes]

Judging from the 'pomona' model and the plan

Huh, you have hit another sore and controversial point

To model the head rails I have used the views from Diana, once again, since all those details seem to be quite standard, and that is the most detailed drawing set I have of a Royal Navy frigate of the period. Overlaying the result on the drawing of the Endymion showed remarkable resemblance (with the exception of straighter bow line), so I decided to replicate it as is.

But, even that extremely detailed set had several discrepancies around the form, size and position of the catheads and connecting rails, so I had to decide what view to follow.

In the end the cathead and it's support fit the original profile of the Endymion, and lay pretty naturally on the hull, so I am very much inclined to leave it in place. If I would have to adjust the support to fit the model, it won't go with the drawing, so... it seems a matter of decision (and compromise), by the day's end.

​

The reduced polycount of the figurehad sounds much healthier than the original- though it could do with some smoothing. Is the original statue of Nero? looking at other statues he was fond of growing a neckbeard Could also be pan, judging by the flute. But regardless, its a near perfect match for the pose and garments of the earlier Endymion figurehead!

It is indeed Pan from the Louvre collection, if the label is right

Next I am looking (quite wearily) on the captain's cabin interior (yes, I do want to do that this time), so it is going to be slow and agonizingly painful, I expect...

 

[Grey Roger]

If you're going to have a cabin interior, perhaps you could leave a door open somewhere. From your point of view, it would be nice for people to be able to appreciate the work you're doing. From the player's point of view, it's nice to be able to visit the cabin rather than merely glimpse it through windows in external views. (The Kreyser class frigate, alias "Frigate1" in PoTC, is a good example of this. So is "Brig_20_Gun1_181" in CoAS.)

 

[Captain Armstrong]

Ha, my limited knowledge of mythology paid off!

You could still adjust the shape of the rail that supports the cathead without changing the rest? (the aftermost part that hugs the hull). It looks about right in wireframe, but too thin/high up on the 3d view. Is part of it inside the hull? I suppose its recognizably the headrails of a British Frigate. For these types of operations in Maya, I use a Lattice Modifier because there are so many vertices, It looks like there is something similar in Blender Lattice Modifier — Blender Manual

I think you will find that using the High-res plan of the Endymion you now have will yield more precise results. The very low resolution NMM previews are pretty inadequate as a primary plan to build from unless there are no other options.

Also, I'd recommend cutting the gunports sooner rather than later, so you can extrude the hull inward and work with the proper thickness for the cabin interior

 

[Armada]

Also, I'd recommend cutting the gunports sooner rather than later, so you can extrude the hull inward and work with the proper thickness for the cabin interior

You could alternatively extrude the hull first and use Booleans to cut the gunports... but that's just my preference.

 

[Martes]

Is part of it inside the hull?

You were right, @Captain Armstrong, it was buried inside the hull.

Left - before, Right - after
​

The Lattice tool was extremely useful, thank you for pointing me to it. I do think I moved the rail sufficiently - while it's still somewhat less pronounced aft than on the model, the profile maintains the lines on the drawing (I didn't move anything forward or back... almost), and would be glad to leave it like that

The hull is already tentatively extruded, as you may see. I will cut the gunports only after the decks and upper rails are placed, and I am completely satisfied with what I have, so that will happen much later.

 

[Martes]

perhaps you could leave a door open somewhere

That would be the most trivial part of the whole endeavor

 

[Captain Armstrong]

That's more like it!
The whole ensemble really gives the ship her character already, despite the early state. I have to say the detailed mouldings are pretty spot on.

Fair enough on the gunports! I hadn't noticed before you extruded already. I think I do it in that order because otherwise maya leaves a gap between inner and outer hulls that had to be filled manually, but blender could certainly be better in this regard.

I'm glad you like the lattice function! It's amazing how handy it can be, saves a ton of time and generally makes adjustments smoother.

 

[Martes]

The whole ensemble really gives the ship her character already, despite the early state.

Oh, she's a long sleek bathtub!
It's very interesting to see her alongside Indy and Constitution, they are all very, very different.

blender could certainly be better in this regard.

Blender has a pretty convenient "bridge" instrument as a part of loop tools package, and in any case, it's easier to bridge the gaps manually, but after everything else is aligned, than try to fix something when the ports are already cut. More than that, I plan to make the ports akin to @Armada 's Bellona, with a step inside, so it's all going to be a naughty extrusion work.