SW – ANH (5 Foot) - Studio Scale Millennium Falcon Build

Haystack Hair said:

From my experience in weathering I expect it was painted with the 50:50 floquil white/grime mix but appears darker due to the streaks of dirt and the shading

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modelcitizen said:

haveing seen this model in person, i think you will be shocked to learn how far from white it is....

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Duncanator said:

WORD! It is definitely not white. It's all kinds of grey. Mostly Floquil colors.

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i agree. Having seen it several times in person myself I can tell you it's not gonna be as easy as using a color chart to get its actual color.
Besides in person you can see that many panels are of different hues and slightly different states of "decay".

The Falcon was intentionally painted to look like an old used car - mis-matched panels, parts from other vehicles, after market parts, paint touch ups, and just plain ole' damage!
Like a junker that someone has gone to great lengths to keep it on the road.

A lot of models that look white on camera are actually a different color than white because the studio lights would completely blow out all the detail. I've had to paint dark grey panels flat black on set because the light was kicking off of it making it appear white.

INCREDIBLE Project, I had a go building the Falcon a few years ago, a basic study model..

I hear you Duncanator, even when I see "2001 A Space Odyssey" models (thanks to Doug Trumbull's webpage:cool) it's amazing to see the weathering on those models also (albeit not as heavy as in "StarWars")

Haystack Hair said:

From my experience in weathering I expect it was painted with the 50:50 floquil white/grime mix but appears darker due to the streaks of dirt and the shading

Click to expand...

the base coat on this model was nowhere near white to begin with. you must see it in person.

I got to see the Star Wars exhibit when it came to Houston. It was one of the greatest moments of my life! My wife was kind enough to allow me to neglect her for 3 hours while I carefully scrutinized every model and costume there. The 5ft Falcon was, to my eyes, a master-piece. I haven't seen a replica yet that could match the sheer presence of it. It was like looking at a real YT-1300 from a distance. I had no problem believing that it was old and used. Every mark and repair told its own story. And the detail was just unbelievable. The closer you looked the more you could see, and it was perfect! If you ever have a chance to see it, you MUST go. It's worth it!

I've been lurking here enjoying the incredible work being done and the stories and techniques being discussed. Like Cadeus I saw the 5 footer and was blown away. It was on display in Los Angeles as part of the Science of Star Wars exhibit. I know there are lots of reference photos out there of this model, but I spent over an hour photographing it with a DSLR and got over 150 great shots. They're color corrected to get rid of the green cast from the glass, and the clarity in the details, paint, and weathering is better than most of the point and shoot reference shots I've seen. Here's an example:



It's a big file because I loaded it at full resolution, so it will take a moment to load. If you open it in a new window or tab you can magnify it to 1:1 and get an idea of the detail.

I'd love to contribute something to this project just because I love the ship so much, so if a series of photos like this would be useful to anyone here let me know and I'll fill up my Photobucket.

Keep up the great work everyone!

Yes please. You can never have enough reference shots of the Falcon!

I've had a couple of positive responses, (and someone even gave me a reputation boost, thanks!) so I'll be uploading as many full res photos to Photobucket as I can. I'll post a link once there's something worth seeing. It's going to take me a few days because my work schedule is crazy for the rest of the week, but it will happen. The photos have just been sitting on my hard drive for years so I'm happy to know they can be useful to someone!

Thank you, everyone, for the latest comments and contributions…

I just wanted to take a moment to clarify my approach, on the day, with the color chart.

The principal reason I used the chart (and subsequent color management workflow) was to generate an accurate camera profile so I could balance my camera’s response to color in the still images.

Faustus100 is right - any given surface/material will look different under varied lighting conditions or illuminants. Our eye/brain visual system adapts and balances the reflected world around us, in real-time and without conscious thought.

The cameras we use in everyday life, not so much…

So, the color chart allows me to generate a “profile” for my camera that will be used to equalize each RGB channel during subsequent color correction with all of the stills, in that particular lighting environment and under that day’s exposure conditions. Also, a calibrated and profiled monitor is critical to close the overall color management loop.

For example, here is an image comparison of the chart image as it came out of the camera (image 1) and after I attached the camera profile and white balanced (image 2):




And here is one of the Millennium Falcon images, before and after profiling/white balancing/CC:





These images might help give one a sense of relative hue, saturation and value. Is that panel warmer or cooler than another panel? Is it more vibrant in color or duller? Is it lighter or darker in value? The varying LED pool lighting across the surface is an issue to consider, but those were the conditions on the day. Without complete open access to the MF model, very controlled lighting and some sophisticated colorimetry equipment – these images are approximate, subjective reference.

At the end of the day, it’s up to each person to make an artistic decision regarding these kinds of issues. Personally, I’m not trying to copy the miniature exactly but to make a replica – a Masters Copy, so to speak - - to use a fine art metaphor.


Finally, please find below, contact sheets for the Falcon stills. Later this week, I’ll be posting these to my MS One Drive so they can be downloaded, as needed, for reference:










I also shot stills of the following miniatures and props – I’ll post these later, as well:

• ROTJ X-Wing
• SD Devastator
• Y-Wing
• Tantive IV - Blockade Runner
• Land Speeder (full size and scale model)
• AT-AT/AT-ST
• Jedi Training Remote

Overall, the lighting was not ideal for photography. It was dramatic for the Exhibit attending human eye, of course – but for a handheld camera…rather tricky business.

Still, I had a great time...



Regards,

André

Starting to dig into the stills a bit...I shot most of them with photogrammetry in mind.


Below, a quick test (medium quality solve), with a small number of select stills:

[video=vimeo;90162929]https://vimeo.com/90162929[/video]



Regards,

Andre

omg :eek this is fantastic!!!

I thought this thread can't get any better and then that Vimeo clip emerges and just makes my head explode. I see new horizons. Fantastic work, sir!

Amazing photogrammetry work Andre!!! Can't wait to see more.

That's great! Really fantastic work, Andre!

Your head exploded:eek, I don't know man, I'm on a drip and on oxygen, lying in bed and trying to recover my vision...but that's just me Wonderful material to look at Andre and that quick test is out of this world!!

There is much awesomeness in this….

ChrisGFX, Avanaut, imurme, VFX Freak, joberg and Duncanator:

Thank you very much!





- - - Updated - - -

Here’s another medium quality solve, done with about 50-60 stills.

Stereoscopic (requires anaglyph 3D glasses):

[video=vimeo;90426444]https://vimeo.com/90426444[/video]




And the textured mesh in the 3D environment:




Over the next few days I’ll be running a high quality solve with 250+ stills…and posting some progress not solely in the computer.

;-)



Regards,

Andre

SO MUCH AWESOME! That's really fantastic! Love the 3D! Exclamation point overload!!!!!!!

I'm still working on my collection of photos from what I think was the same exhibit.They won't result in anything as cool as what vfxsup64 is doing, but they serve a different purpose. They're all about the details of the paneling, kit parts, weathering, and paint. They all need a bit of sweetening in Lightroom and then I have to figure out what will fit on Photobucket. I'll get them out there eventually.

I've been quietly watching and envying your work, but thought it was time to say it's a been a total pleasure thus far to watch the effort you're putting forth for this. I have a special appreciation for you going with the photogrammetry approach, as after using it on my own projects have discovered it's an invaluable tool. Your early mesh has the makings of something that could easily be used as an on-screen asset already, really great stuff you're doing here and puts a smile on my face. Can't wait to see more!