Guard Tower

The guard tower was a relatively easy model to make compared with the other two. It consists of 4 rectangle primitives that are long and thin for the legs, which were then cloned and rotated to the side to serve as support pylons. A rectangle was then aligned on the top of these struts and hollowed out using the Boolean subtract method. 4 smaller rectangle rods were used as supports for the roof which was a simple pyramid shape, matched in width and length of the tower. I added a searchlight using a cylinder primitive and a security obstruction around the bottom half of the tower by stretching out the vertexes on a rectangle primitive. To add more interest to the object I added a plane base with several crates and barrels to fit in with the rest of the scene.

Mood Board

Radar Base part 3

Finally, using the align tool, I placed the radar sphere ontop of the base. In this picture the sphere is smaller than later versions as I decided to resize it so it would draw the viewers attention as it is the main set piece. In later revisions I also added in a small mast to the generator shed.

Radar Base part 2

I used the polygon tool to give the generator shed a more interesting roof, by dragging polygons upwards from the original shape. This gave an interesting contour than the flat section it previously had. I produced the geodesic dome for the radar by creating a sphere, and decreasing the number of faces it had in its structure to give it a distinctly edged feel, I did not want it to be smooth but instead wanted a disjointed sphere.

Radar Base part 1

I started out with two primitives, 2 rectangle blocks and a cylinder which had it’s number of sides decreased to 6 for aesthetic effect. I aligned the cylinder with one of the rectangles and selected the vertexes around the outside top edge, and by pinching them all together I made a rounded edge for where the radar dome will be sat.

I used the line tool to select the second from top section of the main building and dragged it outwards to create an overhanging area around the top of the building. I then used the polygon tool to extend part of the front of the building, then drag it back to produce an access hatch to the radar facility.

Tank part 4

For the final phase of building the tank, I added in various details to make the tank more lifelike and interesting. Firstly I created thin strips out of rectangles and aligned them with the wheels and wheel arches to create the tank treads. I also created headlights for the tank but creating a rectangular box, and then using a Boolean subtract to hollow it out. I then placed two cylinders inside for the lights themselves. The housing for the lights was then placed on the body of the tank, and using the polygon tool, extruded an area to connect the lights to the body of the tank. On the rear of the main hull, I placed two exhaust vents, which were made of thin rectangular primitives, partially placed inside the tank. Supply crates with rollbars were attached to the back of the tank, created using rectangular and cylinder primitives. Finally the tank was given aerials and radio masts using cylinder primitives.

Tank part 3

I now set about creating the gun for the turret. The barrel was made by creating a long thin cylinder and aligning it with the body of the turret. I then placed a smaller cylinder over part of the barrel to create a gas block. I then began to create a pair of smoke canister launchers on either side of the turret, and placed an infrared, visual and thermal sight on the top of the turret.

Tank part 2

Having built the turret primitive I edited the faces vertexes and lines in order to achieve a more aesthetically pleasing look, with curved, yet still armoured looking section on it. I based the shape roughly around that of the M1 Abrams template I was using. The similarities can be seen in the following picture.

Tank part 1

To produce the tank I first found several schematic drawings of the tank showing it from the front back and side. I then placed these images onto flat planes I produced in the workspace. I then lined these up so I could begin scale construction of the tank using primitives. I started by producing a large rectangular block for the main body, and began to extrude the polygons to achieve the correct body shape. I then produced a smaller rectangular primitive for the turret on top of the tank. I moved the vertex’s around the front of the turret to pinch it inward.

I also created the sets of wheels for the tracks to be added in later.

3 models completed!

My 3 models are now completed. I have produced a Radar dome, a Guardtower and a Tank which will all be used in the final production. These models were produced using differing techniques which i will explain further in the following posts.