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   * Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
   * Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 00:26:06 [58]
   * From:    "Francis X. Govers" <fxgovers@sun.aitc.rest.tasc.com>

From: Bill Osuch <wrosuch@icon.net>
 >Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish
 >photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all
 >over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get
 >it to work.

Go to the Detail Editor Add a primitive sphere (not a sphere) with a lot of faces. (24x24 works

well)
   Go to Select Points
   Select Range
   type in 1,nnnn,5   (select every 5th point or so)
   Hit the Scale button and scale up the points
   Instant spiky sphere!!

For various heights, change the select range third number (try, 20, 12, and 40 and scale different amounts)

For a wild effect, start with this first spiky sphere, and use state animation in the detail editor to save the state first as a sphere, then with a first set of spikes. Create a second set of spikes by selecting a different start point and step size, then save as a second state. Have Imagine morph states.

   * Subject: Re: Photon torpedo?
   * Date:    Wednesday, 25 January 1995 02:24:37 [58]
   * From:    sauvp@citi.doc.ca (P.Sauvageau)

>Anyone have any suggestions on creating the basic shape for a Trek-ish >photon torpedo? I basically had the idea of a ball with various spikes all >over it, but being a novice with the forms editor I can't quite seem to get >it to work.

The "spikes" can be created in the detail editor, by adding a primitive sphere with a low number of points. Select about 6 to 8 points, evenly on the sphere and scales thems up until you got the kind of spike you whish. Make this object "Bright" and add the radial texture to make the tips of the spikes red and the center of the object also red, but with less saturation. Fading from saturated color to low saturated color is a good way to make thing appears "bright". Add another sphere, bigger than the spikes; make it red with a fog setting two time it's diameter, and add the "Ghost" texture. This second sphere will create the "hallo" around the torpedo.

When you animate the torpedo, apply two time (on different axis) the "rotate2.0" effect, with two very large number of degre of rotation (like 6000), so in each frame, the torpedo will have some pseudo-random alligment.

Make the torpedo a light with controled falloff and make it's Y axis 3 time the size of the "halo" sphere. The torpedo will illuminate the firring ship when launched.

Be sure to use "Controled falloff"; i remember an anim of a friend where the position strobe lights of a space ship where casting red light on a distant planet on the background; It was barely visible, and since he was short on time, it make it to the final tape! So "Controled falloff" is a must if you do not want to illuminate the whole galaxy!

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