Scott told me there is a Self Destruct setting, although it has not been shown. He played with it on Set between takes.
The Orville PM-44 pistol build
- Thread starter JOATRASH FX
- Start date
Ooh. Good to know! We're using RGB LEDS for both the ray and the display, so maybe we can do something with it... press and hold both "power select" buttons for 5 seconds and it'll start going crazy.
Here's a small lighting update:
Clear diffuser for the ray emitter (I only had a standard red LED handy).
And inserted into the muzzle. Had to have two holes to allow the sound to come out. (I don't think it's going to be loud either way.)
The back of the clear screen with engraved graphic. I stippled on thick acrylic paint with a sponge so that the markings wouldn't fill in. (The roughness is paint, not the print!)
The top of the display will be covered in 'clear smoke' paint to make it look dark and hide the markings when they are not lit. (Window film would also work I think.) Note the very thin edge around the display that will help stop light bleed. (I'm also doing a led holder/diffuser that will be glued to the back of the display.)
Like so:
And here it is with a LED behind it. (The inside might need to be painted black to stop light from shining through the shell.)
We're still waiting for FedEx to deliver the electronics. The one big worry we have right now is if a 12v CR23a battery will have enough juice to power the sound board. It was enough to power the display we used in my Captain Marvel pager, so it should be OK, but we won't know until we have it up and running.
More soon!
Right now, this thread is my new pornhub.
So, after chasing down the package containing the components for several days, my programmer buddy has finally made a start on the electronics. Once you start actually laying out the design on paper, it looks a lot more complex (design-wise) that you might initially think. Looks like we have to use EVERY free terminal on the main board... and we have to cram no less than nine resistors in there for all the buttons and leds, so it'll be tight. I've made a start on editing sound effects.
And as we've discussed, I've made some progress in the paint department. This is going to be a thing of beauty.
The most accurate looking replica so far.
What exact software do you use to 3D model your props?
I don't think I've seen a definitive answer to this in your various threads so far.
Looking forward to seeing this finished.
What exact software do you use to 3D model your props?
I don't think I've seen a definitive answer to this in your various threads so far.
Looking forward to seeing this finished.
My idea on that was a black vinyl decal over acrylic, with a thinner sheet of acrylic on top that is tinted. There are a number of ways to go about it.
Thanks. : )
I tend to use 'professional / commercial' modeling software over 'free' programs since that's what I am used to through work, but I usually don't talk about specific programs because it isn't really relevant- what one person is comfortable working with will not be to someone else, and any of the 'big' ones can do pretty much what you need in this case, though some are more specialized. (I would, for example, suggest using Maya or 3DSMAX over Zbrush when doing 'hard surface' models like guns and gadgets, whereas Zbrush is better suited to 'organic' modeling... creatures and things. Note that I don't do a lot of organic modeling!) When it comes to free options, some folks absolutely swear by Blender, but I can't touch it... tried it many years ago and it just felt 'backward' compared to everything else.
I the case of this kit, there's no need to laser etch since the included screen will have the graphics already 'engraved', but if you were approaching a similar situation from scratch and had access to a laser engraver it sounds like it might work!
Should have some more progress to show on this build soon. I've been busy editing sound files and fit-testing parts while the programmer does his magic. It took a while to get all the functions nailed down... firing (stun, kill and cigarette power) and so on... hopefully there will be room for a couple fun extras.
Here's something 'fun' that shows just how far away we still are from a 'fire and forget' solution for making props. This is what can happen when you push the boundaries of a resin print to get the best surface. I usually edit supports manually, with very small contact points compared to the recommended standard, to minimize their impact on the surface. (Basically the only cleanup you have to do on a resin print is sand down the contact points from the support structure... it's usually less work than cleaning up a typical resin casting unless it was molded by someone really good.) While printing, the model is under high stress for several seconds between each layer being written, and sometimes it builds up over time and can crack if the supports are small. Multiple failures like this tend to add up cost-wise, so you don't want to have too many! This is using the hard resin- the rubberized stuff is even more prone to misprints!
Here's something 'fun' that shows just how far away we still are from a 'fire and forget' solution for making props. This is what can happen when you push the boundaries of a resin print to get the best surface. I usually edit supports manually, with very small contact points compared to the recommended standard, to minimize their impact on the surface. (Basically the only cleanup you have to do on a resin print is sand down the contact points from the support structure... it's usually less work than cleaning up a typical resin casting unless it was molded by someone really good.) While printing, the model is under high stress for several seconds between each layer being written, and sometimes it builds up over time and can crack if the supports are small. Multiple failures like this tend to add up cost-wise, so you don't want to have too many! This is using the hard resin- the rubberized stuff is even more prone to misprints!
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Well now... I just got a little update from the programmer! Just testing out the speaker through the sound board and IT LIIIIIIIIVES!
(Better listen before the 'tube auto-filters it...)
(Better listen before the 'tube auto-filters it...)
Another video of the programmer testing functions. (Note: the buttons are not yet working correctly here and all the sounds are not in yet, but he's making steady progress!) Did I mention that the speaker is only 18mm (less than 1") wide?
Hey everyone. Just wanted to give an update. The programmer has been back working on the code. We hit a couple brick walls with the hardware... it wasn't really set up to do what we want it to do, and there really aren't any viable options for this project that will fit the budget.
But through some coding wizardry (or maybe trickery, rather) we're on track again. Sometimes you just gotta know where to bang the hammer.
I've also spent some time prepping a crapload of prop parts for paint, so hopefully a nice photo update will be along soon!
But through some coding wizardry (or maybe trickery, rather) we're on track again. Sometimes you just gotta know where to bang the hammer.
I've also spent some time prepping a crapload of prop parts for paint, so hopefully a nice photo update will be along soon!
UPDATE TIME!
Programming is DONE. After having to restart from scratch due to undocumented (!) hardware limitations to make the sound board do what we wanted, the programmer is now ready to send me a set to install. With luck, I might have it by the weekend and can start putting it together!
Here's a new test vid (the programmer is activating the trigger here with a connecting wire, so it's a little rough):
Some notes:
Programming is DONE. After having to restart from scratch due to undocumented (!) hardware limitations to make the sound board do what we wanted, the programmer is now ready to send me a set to install. With luck, I might have it by the weekend and can start putting it together!
Here's a new test vid (the programmer is activating the trigger here with a connecting wire, so it's a little rough):
Some notes:
- After a few seconds, the boards boot up and the 'power on' sound activates
- The pistol starts in 'stun mode' but can be switched to 'kill' and 'cigarette lighter' settings, each with a different firing sound, changing the display color from blue, to purple, to red. (The LED is very bright, so the gun will have a diffuser to blend the colors). The front emitter always flashes blue since that's what it does on the show. The Orville book states that the PM44 has 11 power settings, but you only ever hear a couple different 'pew pew' sounds on the show, which are not even consistent, so we opted to go for only three settings- no need to press the selector switches a bunch of times for the same sounds.
- The pistol also has a 'safety mode' and if you activate it, the display will just flash and the gun will not fire until you release it.
Very cool!
I can't wait!!
Does the "secret mode" play the Dolly Parton song?
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