The random model thread!

[skdr]

How is that futuristic?

The whole front side of the machine should be one hell of a touch screen with flashy graphics. Structure could be a bit roundish.

[Skjalg]

I agree with SKDR.

You could make it like todays "new" soda machines are, with huge retardbuttons for each type of soda, kind of like:[attachment=0]soda.jpg[/attachment]

I think you get the picture with the buttons there.

[DysPatch]

I agree with the above two posts. I would go even further though. Add some curves and maybe some sort of interesting mechanical arm to grab the sodas. If you are willing to add my polies, you can make the front glass see-through and have holograms of the sodas on there, while you can see the actual bottles/cans behind it along with the mechanical arm and what not. But now my imagination is taking me else where. If you just wanted to do a texture modification, just do what Skjalg proposed, and maybe make the buttons gradient across.

[aaron_da_killa]

Thanks for the comments guys. After I post this post I'll work on it some more. I defiantly am not worried about sparing some more polygons.

Regarding the futuristic look, I wanted to keep it subtle. Too often I see the cliched exaggerated futuristic look, big flashy parts, aluminum, various illogical and impractical curves and bits and so on. I wanted to keep this thing looking very clean, sleek and practical looking.

[Skjalg]

Yeah, altho I agree with your sentiment about clean, practical and nothing fancy, then I think the lack of adverticement on it makes it stand out as something I dont think would exist.

[DysPatch]

well even subtle curves would make this stand out more. currently it is looking rather "boxy".

[aaron_da_killa]

Did a bit more work on the model, didn't add any curves because I'm still learning to model and it's a bit tricky but hopefully the model is a bit better now.

I also did a second skin for the model. And used the $selfillum property (this is a source engine model) to give the touch screen and main face a glow.

[attachment=2]courtyard0002.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=1]courtyard0003.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=0]courtyard00202.jpg[/attachment]

[Sentura]

you'd do well with a study in design/usability.

[dux]

Yeah that just isn't cutting the mustard. The panel, for all it's simplicity could have been made in MSPaint and the model itself so simple is 1 extra side off of being a cube. I'd suggest you take a good look at your model and real world vending machines to see what you're missing.

[-HP-]

Besides, passwords for vending machines? The world in the future is supposed to be practical.

[Scinbed]

Comic Sans!

[Hipshot]

I thought people on this forum refrained from this kind of criticism...

[Corwin]

If I may, I'd suggest that you add darker gradients around the edges of the password-panel, and don't use a 100% white texture. That should make it look more like there's a light source illuminating the panel from behind, making it look less like a non-rendered square. I'm guessing it's possible even if you self-illuminate it, even though I'm not familiar with source.

Also, I think the can exit is too dark, you should give it a tad brighter metal texture so it doesn't look pitch black.

That's pretty cheap improvement, I have to agree, but that's a start

[aaron_da_killa]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'll keep working on it.

The idea with the pannel is that in the future you have "credits" which can be electronicaly used. So you type your password in on the panel and 22 credits will be detucted from your account. So you can expect to see these pannels on pay phones, in taxis, shops, internet cafes etc. That's sort of the fiction behind the touch screen/password panel thing.

The vending machine is actually losely based off the vending machine seen in Halo 2. You can see glimpses of it here around 0:18 - 01:16 on the right, the blue thing. I'm at school so I can't take a screenshot and I couldn't find any images of it at all.

[Skjalg]

If you just have to enter a simple digit password to be able to spend all your credits, then I dont think the panel would be so simplistic in design. Anyone standing 50 meters away could see me type my password. Even modern day card machines got some simple walls to protect the interface (buttons) from onlookers.

it would be more practical with a thumbprint-scanner or something to access your credits.