darksideofmarsproject

[darksideofmarsproject]

Ralph McQuarrie

This artist creates a lot of Star Wars concept arts. 

What is really interesting about his style of drawing is how some elements look a little blurred like for example lightsabers. I also like the colour scheme for this particular art piece. 

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George Lucas - kit bashing (Star Wars)

The process of making the legendary millennium falcon and other well known spaceships like X-wing and imperial destroyer 

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Kit bashing

Kitbashing or model bashing is a practice whereby a new scale model is created by taking pieces out of commercial kits. These pieces may be added to a custom project or to another kit. For professional modelmakers, kitbashing is popular to create concept models for detailing movie special effects.

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Finishing off demon sculpture. Colouring final details and adding more chest marks using small size sculpt set to size 1.60 and strength to about 0.60. Also used mirror option to make the task easier.

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Further developing full human/demon sculpture. Creating boots by making new sculpting layer and putting a wax layer as a base. Then sculpting details and adding spikes using sculpting tool

[darksideofmarsproject]

Danny Hull

I really like his detailed and painted model of Garrus Vakarian from mass effect. He did a really good job comparing to the original design 

He also presents the sculpture before painting and shows details from every angle

He also created a normal human sculpture 

What is really interesting in this model is how detailed the gun and clothes are. it looks realistic and well done. I has the resident evil feel to it because of the general design 

[darksideofmarsproject]

Nicolas Casavecchia

I really like how this artist does both real characters and objects as well as alien/fantasy creatures. That makes his work more interesting to look at. What I would change in this model is the light coming out of the creatures hands. I would also smooth out some of the chest details and curves.

I also like how realistic his work is. Adding colours adds the sense of realism to his models.

His use of different tools to create different effects makes it look better and even scary in some scenarios. Using gold pain makes this creature look like some kind of higher social class alien or royalty 

[darksideofmarsproject]

Yuri Gagarin

First man in space

April 12 was already a huge day in space history twenty years before the launch of the first shuttle mission. On that day in 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (left, on the way to the launch pad) became the first human in space, making a 108-minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft. Newspapers like The Huntsville Times (right) trumpeted Gagarin’s accomplishment.

Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space less than a month later.

The first cooperative human space flight project between the United States and the Soviet Union took place in 1975. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was designed to test the compatibility of rendezvous and docking systems for American and Soviet spacecraft and to open the way for future joint manned flights.

Since 1993, the U.S. and Russia have worked together on a number of other space flight projects. The Space Shuttle began visiting the Russian Mir space station in 1994, and in 1995 Norm Thagard became the first U.S. astronaut to take up residency on Mir. Seven U.S. astronauts served with their Russian counterparts aboard the orbiting Mir laboratory from 1995 to 1998. The experience gained from the Mir cooperative effort, as well as lessons learned, paved the way for the International Space Station. In-orbit construction on the Station began in November 1998, and it has been staffed non-stop with international crews since November 2000. The first Station crew, made up of U.S. commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, was launched on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The crew returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle Discovery in March 2001.

Vostok 1 Mission

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Tom Sachs

SPACE PROGRAM

For more than a decade Sachs has pondered the homespun technical ingenuity and romance with the unknown that brought America the Apollo program. Experimenting with models of varying scale ("Lunar Module (1:18)," 1999; "Crawler," 2003) has culminated in the realization of his own life-size SPACE PROGRAM. Pirating the milestone in collective memory when man took his first walk on the moon, Sachs reconstructs its key components, built to scale his way. By recollecting this historic event as a custom-made experience from the free domain of public imagination, he renders it totally in and of our time, charged by a vigorous artistic idiom that is ambivalent to the core. In a new twist on his shameless cannibalizing of corporate identity, Sachs now has the giants of high-style branding - Nike, Prada, and the like - working for him to produce items (lab coats, space boots) for the detailed inventory of his funky space odyssey.

In addition to the huge, intricately built lunar module that is the centerpiece of SPACE PROGRAM - replete with such classic Sachsian features as a fully stocked booze cabinet, toolkit, and soundtrack necessary for survival on an alien planet - visitors will find a fully functioning mission-control unit. On a grid of monitors, the liturgy of space exploration unfolds in a live demonstration by Sachs and his team, involving countless rituals and procedures, from instrument checks to moon-walking and sample-collecting to splash-down. Thus the gallery becomes a sort of reliquary of both the material traces and special effects of the artist's encounters with the terrible sublime.

ABOUT TOM SACHS

TOM SACHS is a sculptor, probably best known for his elaborate recreations of various Modern icons, all of them masterpieces of engineering and design of one kind or another. In an early show he made Knoll office furniture out of phone books and duct tape; later, he recreated Le Corbusier's 1952 Unité d'Habitation using only foamcore and a glue gun. Other projects have included his versions of various Cold War masterpieces, like the Apollo 11 Lunar Excursion Module, and the bridge of the battleship USS Enterprise. And because no engineering project is more complex and pervasive than the corporate ecosystem, he's done versions of those, too, including a McDonald's he built using plywood, glue, assorted kitchen appliances. He's also done Hello Kitty and her friends in materials ranging from foamcore to bronze. A lot has been made of the conceptual underpinnings of these sculptures: how Sachs' sampling capitalist culture, remixing, dubbing and spitting it back out again, so that the results are transformed and transforming. Equally, if not more important, is his total embrace of "showing his work." All the steps that led up to the end result are always on display. On a practical level, this means that all seams, joints, screws or for that matter anything holding stuff together, like foamcore and plywood, are left exposed. Nothing is erased, sanded away, or rendered invisible. On a more philosophical level, this means that nothing Sachs makes is ever finished. Like any good engineering project, everything can always be stripped down, stripped out, redesigned and improved.

[darksideofmarsproject]

Space suits

Space suit from 2001 space odyssey 

 RYAN NAGATA

Ryan Nagata is a model maker and film maker based in California USA. He is known for his replica space suits and Ray guns. He is also part of a collaboration called F3. His work has been featured in films, TV, and print ads and exhibited internationally. He fabricates and sews every part of these spacesuits by hand.

FIGHTING FOX FILMS

3F Studios is a collaboration between Ryan Nagata and George Edelman. For years, they produced movies and web content as “Fighting Fox Films.” While they continue to produce video content, Ryan makes original art pieces, props, and costumes in their Los Angeles studio. All of their exploits are documented here.

new Boeing suits 

LINKS

https://www.instagram.com/ryannagata/

http://www.ryannagata.com/

https://3f-studios.com/

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Apollo 13

Mission Objective Apollo 13 was supposed to land in the Fra Mauro area. An explosion on board forced Apollo 13 to circle the moon without landing. The Fra Mauro site was reassigned to Apollo 14.  

Crew James A. Lovell Jr., Commander Fred W. Haise Jr., Lunar Module Pilot John L. Swigert Jr., Command Module Pilot

Backup Crew John W. Young, Commander Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module Pilot John L. Swigert Jr., Command Module Pilot

Payload Odyssey (CM-109) Aquarius (LM-7)

Prelaunch Milestones 6/13/69 - S-IVB ondock at Kennedy 6/29/69 - S-II ondock at Kennedy 6/16/69 - S-IC ondock at Kennedy 7/7/69 - S-IU ondock at Kennedy

Launch April 11, 1970; 1:13 p.m. CST Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-508 High Bay 1 Mobile Launcher Platform-3 Firing Room 1

Orbit Altitude: 118.99 miles Inclination: 32.547 degrees Earth Orbits: 1.5 Duration: five days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 41 seconds Distance: 622,268 miles

Landing April 17, 1970 Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Iwo Jima

FILM

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Apollo 11

Mission Objective The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth.

Additional flight objectives included scientific exploration by the lunar module, or LM, crew; deployment of a television camera to transmit signals to Earth; and deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, seismic experiment package and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector. During the exploration, the two astronauts were to gather samples of lunar-surface materials for return to Earth. They also were to extensively photograph the lunar terrain, the deployed scientific equipment, the LM spacecraft, and each other, both with still and motion picture cameras. This was to be the last Apollo mission to fly a "free-return" trajectory, which would enable a return to Earth with no engine firing, providing a ready abort of the mission at any time prior to lunar orbit insertion.

Mission Highlights

Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin into an initial Earth-orbit of 114 by 116 miles. An estimated 530 million people watched Armstrong's televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took "...one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" on July 20, 1969.

Two hours, 44 minutes and one-and-a-half revolutions after launch, the S-IVB stage reignited for a second burn of five minutes, 48 seconds, placing Apollo 11 into a translunar orbit. The command and service module, or CSM, Columbia separated from the stage, which included the spacecraft-lunar module adapter, or SLA, containing the lunar module, or LM, Eagle. After transposition and jettisoning of the SLA panels on the S-IVB stage, the CSM docked with the LM. The S-IVB stage separated and injected into heliocentric orbit four hours, 40 minutes into the flight.

The first color TV transmission to Earth from Apollo 11 occurred during the translunar coast of the CSM/LM. Later, on July 17, a three-second burn of the SPS was made to perform the second of four scheduled midcourse corrections programmed for the flight. The launch had been so successful that the other three were not needed.

On July 18, Armstrong and Aldrin put on their spacesuits and climbed through the docking tunnel from Columbia to Eagle to check out the LM, and to make the second TV transmission.

On July 19, after Apollo 11 had flown behind the moon out of contact with Earth, came the first lunar orbit insertion maneuver. At about 75 hours, 50 minutes into the flight, a retrograde firing of the SPS for 357.5 seconds placed the spacecraft into an initial, elliptical-lunar orbit of 69 by 190 miles. Later, a second burn of the SPS for 17 seconds placed the docked vehicles into a lunar orbit of 62 by 70.5 miles, which was calculated to change the orbit of the CSM piloted by Collins. The change happened because of lunar-gravity perturbations to the nominal 69 miles required for subsequent LM rendezvous and docking after completion of the lunar landing. Before this second SPS firing, another TV transmission was made, this time from the surface of the moon.

On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the LM again, made a final check, and at 100 hours, 12 minutes into the flight, the Eagle undocked and separated from Columbia for visual inspection. At 101 hours, 36 minutes, when the LM was behind the moon on its 13th orbit, the LM descent engine fired for 30 seconds to provide retrograde thrust and commence descent orbit insertion, changing to an orbit of 9 by 67 miles, on a trajectory that was virtually identical to that flown by Apollo 10. At 102 hours, 33 minutes, after Columbia and Eagle had reappeared from behind the moon and when the LM was about 300 miles uprange, powered descent initiation was performed with the descent engine firing for 756.3 seconds. After eight minutes, the LM was at "high gate" about 26,000 feet above the surface and about five miles from the landing site.

The descent engine continued to provide braking thrust until about 102 hours, 45 minutes into the mission. Partially piloted manually by Armstrong, the Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility in Site 2 at 0 degrees, 41 minutes, 15 seconds north latitude and 23 degrees, 26 minutes east longitude. This was about four miles downrange from the predicted touchdown point and occurred almost one-and-a-half minutes earlier than scheduled. It included a powered descent that ran a mere nominal 40 seconds longer than preflight planning due to translation maneuvers to avoid a crater during the final phase of landing. Attached to the descent stage was a commemorative plaque signed by President Richard M. Nixon and the three astronauts.

The flight plan called for the first EVA to begin after a four-hour rest period, but it was advanced to begin as soon as possible. Nonetheless, it was almost four hours later that Armstrong emerged from the Eagle and deployed the TV camera for the transmission of the event to Earth. At about 109 hours, 42 minutes after launch, Armstrong stepped onto the moon. About 20 minutes later, Aldrin followed him. The camera was then positioned on a tripod about 30 feet from the LM. Half an hour later, President Nixon spoke by telephone link with the astronauts.

Commemorative medallions bearing the names of the three Apollo 1 astronauts who lost their lives in a launch pad fire, and two cosmonauts who also died in accidents, were left on the moon's surface. A one-and-a-half inch silicon disk, containing micro miniaturized goodwill messages from 73 countries, and the names of congressional and NASA leaders, also stayed behind.

During the EVA, in which they both ranged up to 300 feet from the Eagle, Aldrin deployed the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package, or EASEP, experiments, and Armstrong and Aldrin gathered and verbally reported on the lunar surface samples. After Aldrin had spent one hour, 33 minutes on the surface, he re-entered the LM, followed 41 minutes later by Armstrong. The entire EVA phase lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, ending at 111 hours, 39 minutes into the mission.

Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the moon's surface. After a rest period that included seven hours of sleep, the ascent stage engine fired at 124 hours, 22 minutes. It was shut down 435 seconds later when the Eagle reached an initial orbit of 11 by 55 miles above the moon, and when Columbia was on its 25th revolution. As the ascent stage reached apolune at 125 hours, 19 minutes, the reaction control system, or RCS, fired so as to nearly circularize the Eagle orbit at about 56 miles, some 13 miles below and slightly behind Columbia. Subsequent firings of the LM RCS changed the orbit to 57 by 72 miles. Docking with Columbia occurred on the CSM's 27th revolution at 128 hours, three minutes into the mission. Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the CSM with Collins. Four hours later, the LM jettisoned and remained in lunar orbit.

Trans-Earth injection of the CSM began July 21 as the SPS fired for two-and-a-half minutes when Columbia was behind the moon in its 59th hour of lunar orbit. Following this, the astronauts slept for about 10 hours. An 11.2 second firing of the SPS accomplished the only midcourse correction required on the return flight. The correction was made July 22 at about 150 hours, 30 minutes into the mission. Two more television transmissions were made during the trans-Earth coast.

Re-entry procedures were initiated July 24, 44 hours after leaving lunar orbit. The SM separated from the CM, which was re-oriented to a heat-shield-forward position. Parachute deployment occurred at 195 hours, 13 minutes. After a flight of 195 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds - about 36 minutes longer than planned - Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, 13 miles from the recovery ship USS Hornet. Because of bad weather in the target area, the landing point was changed by about 250 miles. Apollo 11 landed 13 degrees, 19 minutes north latitude and 169 degrees, nine minutes west longitude July 24, 1969.

Crew Neil Armstrong, Commander Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module Pilot Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot

Backup Crew James A. Lovell, Commander Fred W. Haise Jr., Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders, Command Module Pilot

Payload Columbia (CSM-107) Eagle (LM-5)

Prelaunch Milestones 11/21/68 - LM-5 integrated systems test 12/6/68 - CSM-107 integrated systems test 12/13/68 - LM-5 acceptance test 1/8/69 - LM-5 ascent stage delivered to Kennedy 1/12/69 - LM-5 descent stage delivered to Kennedy 1/18/69 - S-IVB ondock at Kennedy 1/23/69 - CSM ondock at Kennedy 1/29/69 - command and service module mated 2/6/69 - S-II ondock at Kennedy 2/20/69 - S-IC ondock at Kennedy 2/17/69 - combined CSM-107 systems tests 2/27/69 - S-IU ondock at Kennedy 3/24/69 - CSM-107 altitude testing 4/14/69 - rollover of CSM from the Operations and Checkout Building to the Vehicle Assembly Building 4/22/69 - integrated systems test 5/5/69 - CSM electrical mate to Saturn V 5/20/69 - rollout to Launch Pad 39A 6/1/69 - flight readiness test 6/26/69 - Countdown Demonstration Test

Launch July 16, 1969; 9:32 a.m. EDT Launch Pad 39A Saturn-V AS-506 High Bay 1 Mobile Launcher Platform-1 Firing Room 1

Orbit Altitude: 118.65 miles Inclination: 32.521 degrees Orbits: 30 revolutions Duration: eight days, three hours, 18 min, 35 seconds Distance: 953,054 miles Lunar Location: Sea of Tranquility Lunar Coordinates: .71 degrees north, 23.63 degrees east

Landing July 24, 1969; 12:50 p.m. EDT Pacific Ocean Recovery Ship: USS Hornet

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James Stone

Its interesting to see that he works in both the games and VFX industries, but I guess the skill set covers both areas. He mentions he used both Mudbox and Z brush as they are both very similar software packages.

He mainly create humanoid / alien creatures. I found this to be easier myself as there is nothing to compare it to in real life so it gives you freedom to create and not judge. Obviously he has also created real designs as well such as the lion and the humans but I find myself judging these more harshly as I have a reference to compare them to.

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Making trousers and belt by creating another sculpting layer and creating basic shape using wax tool. To create details I used the same tool but I I changed the size and strength of it. I also used mirror option to create all the details.

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Adding wings using wax tool and then using grab tool to extend end pieces. Also creating horns using sculpt tool. Hair is created by creating a new sculpting layer and creating basic layer of hair using wax tool and then smoothing it out and adding details.

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creating the entire human/alien creature using Mudbox

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continuing creating an alien head sculpture. Carving out mouth using knife tool and painting the sculpture using mirror option