Technically, I spoiled this with the chapter cover. I knew it was coming, you knew it was coming, and finally, it’s here! The sci-fi-as-in-spaceships scene that isn’t a flashback! The scene I modeled the Hemera for before using it in the second edition of The Dualist!

The oldest CG file for the Hemera hull dates to september of 2007, meaning it’s been almost four years between concept and intended deployment. The second edition of The Dualist did expedite finishing and texturing – all that work finally pays off here. With the ship ready to go, the CG sink for this scene will be the interior shots – the onboard stuff takes place in three different environments, none of which lend themselves well to recycling or future re-use. One is a one-shot I can handwave with components of other environments; the other two will actually need some detail.

Jolie is in town for part of this week, so I don’t expect to dig in on the CG bits until later, when my week is less full of awesome. I also don’t expect asset modeling to be the super massive timesink it has been in the past- I’m now much less likely to use the “Gotta go to the bar to design it!!” excuse, I have a very solid idea of what needs to be done, and after a dozen or so pages of photoshopping it’s high time I did some CG work. I’m almost eager.

Almost. I do plan to blow a chunk of the evening on Team Fortress 2 and maybe some EVE. If I was eager instead of almost eager I’d be firing up Silo and going to town after posting this. Monday seems much more likely at this point.

The environments will gel, I’ll get the modeling done, and this scene will get rolling properly in a week or three.

Until then – HEY LOOK, A SPACESHIP!!!