Boiler Bot

[mrdes]

This is looking great so far. I think what oddity said about the neck tube being thicker is a good idea as well.

[DeepOmega]

I like the new feet, but I think you should change the tube runnign from the head to a vacuum cleaner sized type flexible tube

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Bamf.

[Darkness_Falls]

Yep, I like those under-neck tubes better. Good job

[DeepOmega]

So are we good with this model? If so, I'm going to start texturing it. Let me know tonight if there are any further crits.

[_Atti_]

i guess its all done..however i can hardly imagine how that thing will walk...

 

it will either need to lean to a side while stepping..or have strechable parts

 

maybe it not looks as unique and cool if the legs are in the other direction but it would surely work better

[Springheel]

Yeah, I can't imagine how it will walk either, unless it hops. The toes will have to be able to lean forward, I think.

[DeepOmega]

Yeah, I can't imagine how it will walk either, unless it hops.  The toes will have to be able to lean forward, I think.

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Well, the ankle is a ball and socket joint. Honestly, the issue is at the hips, not the knees or ankle. It has no hips, so it can't adjust its center of gravity to be closer or farther from one foot. So when it moves, it will be in short, stumbly steps - sorta like the old combot in T2.

[Darkness_Falls]

Maybe an animator could rig it with bones and animate it with the legs going a couple different ways really quick (as drafts) so we can see it in motion?

 

Or if it would be hard to do that with this model, then just make a quick mockup of the model using basic shapes like spheres and cylinders and then animate those.

 

This would help us to visualize our options.

 

I still feel it maybe needs 4 joints, not 3; but I'm sure it's possible to animate with 3 joints. Bi-pedal humans only have 3 joints to make our legs work (for all intensive purposes) and we can walk.

[DeepOmega]

Maybe an animator could rig it with bones and animate it with the legs going a couple different ways really quick (as drafts) so we can see it in motion? 

 

Or if it would be hard to do that with this model, then just make a quick mockup of the model using basic shapes like spheres and cylinders and then animate those. 

 

This would help us to visualize our options.

 

I still feel it maybe needs 4 joints, not 3; but I'm sure it's possible to animate with 3 joints.  Bi-pedal humans only have 3 joints to make our legs work (for all intensive purposes) and we can walk.

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I could rig it. Character animation has come easy to me for a while, so I can rig it, show it, then do it again with the legs flipped.

[Darkness_Falls]

Awesome! This should really help us see how it might look in-game.

[Springheel]

That's right, I forgot you said you were quite good at animating. We have no shortage of animation work now, so that would probably be even more useful than modeling at the moment.

[oDDity]

Well, he says he's good at it, but we havent actually seen anything to back it up.

A bot is no test thoiugh, anyone could animate that. Why don't you try your hand at this city watch guard, to see if you'll be useful in this area. Human characters is where 95% of the animation needs to be done.

[Domarius]

I've seen "chicken leg" type robots walk before, of course it was always science fiction, but still believable. I think it sways side to side as it walks - sways to the right as it picks up its left foot and vice versa.

[Darkness_Falls]

Oh yeah, you jogged my memory: AT-STs from Star Wars:

 

[DeepOmega]

I've seen "chicken leg" type robots walk before, of course it was always science fiction, but still believable.  I think it sways side to side as it walks - sways to the right as it picks up its left foot and vice versa.

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Correct. This is the problem. This robot I made has no hips - because hips are a fancy joint, and having working hips takes a lot more than a ball-and-socket. It's where a lot of complicated balancing and center-of-gravity control happens. This is why I made sure our boilerbot is hipless. Hips are too damn fancy for this kind of robot. Instead, the center-of-gravity manipulation will happen at the ankle. Giving it an extremely weird gait, I hope.

 

But for now, am rigging the citywatch guard.

[Springheel]

Be sure to check out this thread for needed animations: http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showtopic=1650

[Domarius]

Well weird is better. I want to see what the gait will look like with the rotation at the ankle instead of the hips:)

[sparhawk]

IMO There are two modes of how it could walk. Either lean left and right while it is moving the other foot. Or the other version could be to walk like on a spring. before it puts the next leg, it could propell itself forward with a powerfull spring and while it is in the air it would move the next leg forward. This would go well with a clockwork type machinery as well. It doesn't really jump though, only propels it's body fast enough that the momentum wouldn't let it fall over and use that time to move the next leg.

I hope I explained it good enough so you know how I mean it.

[mrdes]

Damn I remember reading a huge discussion on CGTalk forums about how something just like this would walk properly but it was a long while ago and I forget it all heh. Not too sure if I could find it. I'm also disconnecting my internet tonight because I'm moving back into a dorm for the year tomorrow. Been really busy with packing and getting ready so I haven't had time to do much of anything lately.

[DeepOmega]

Damn I remember reading a huge discussion on CGTalk forums about how something just like this would walk properly but it was a long while ago and I forget it all heh. Not too sure if I could find it. I'm also disconnecting my internet tonight because I'm moving back into a dorm for the year tomorrow. Been really busy with packing and getting ready so I haven't had time to do much of anything lately.

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Know how that is. Just got my new room all straightened out - sorta. Been trying my damnedest to figure out how to fit in a 32" TV, and I think I've got it.

[mrdes]

Finally got all moved and settled in. Just got internet again too. and then I start school in two days so I'll see how the work load is gonna look in a bit heh.