Doom III: Project Mars City (Comments Thread)

True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.
- Albert Einstein

Great stuff. It looks like many people aspire, myself included, to your level of skill and creativeness.

I dabble in the realm of sound design/synth programming for my creative outlet... If you are in need of any sound effects for the project..I would be happy to try my hand at making an epic piece for and epic BOX....
 
an idea maybe for the chainsaw fan grille. maybe have the flashlight going the oppisite way across behind the chainsaw on the grille so it forms a sort of x-shape?
 
Man, so awesome. Excellent work. *cues NIN music* "Bow down before the one you serve..."
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It is looking like a true masterpiece.
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Crim-followed this log for days and registered (like a lot following this) to say that you are truly skilled and I am in awe of your work.

Keep it up--sure makes work go alot faster.... :D

PS- With mashie gone for a while you'll be playing by the time he gets back!!
 
dudewth said:
That looks good. Looks just like the one in game.
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Thanks for the complement, but there's several differences, unfortuately.

1) the screen is more narrow than the one in the game
2) the overall size is smaller
3) buttons are different, iPaq's joypad is an oval vs. a circle, circle-within-a-circle buttons vs. recessed triangular buttons, etc.

Overall, though, I think it's going to achieve the goal.
 
Crimson, the case is just AWSOME! If anyone ever asks you if you are a god say yes.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^
Haha yeah, he should just get a tattoo of IDDQD somewhere, the computer geek gamer will get it. *cues fitting NIN music again* "Bow down before the one you serve..." Such a godly Doom 3 mod.
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Can't wait to see more.
 
ah yes, the pictures thread is an awesome idea. can subscribe to that and we'll know any time we got new pics! only downside i see is it'll be a little odd to keep track of which comments go with which pictures or whatever, but that's no big deal really.

noticed I missed a few pics originally...nice work. you should make a video of some of your steps :) I'm sure an airbrushing video and a plastic video, etc would be awesome and help TONS of people :cool:
 
This is a truly amazing case...mad props to ye Crimson.

For exterior lighting, there are a couple routes you could take...obviously you want things to scale, so LEDs are the way to go...I would highly suggest getting Luxeon LEDs...these are the *super* bright ones used in car headlights, architechtural lighting etc...you can't find more light from anything else of its size (mainly, any other LED).

The V1 Moon Lenser is a super high quality pre-made solution...it has a Zeiss glass lens that provides a *very* sharp focus from its single Luxeon...but you are making things from scratch so...

http://www.lumileds.com/ sells Luxeons in an amazing array of varieties. If I may make a suggestion, grab a couple few of the brighter LEDs from them and make your own housing.

What would work really well, would be to get white LEDs and add the color yourself...Lee and Rosco will send you samples of their gels for free...and mind you, they are quite cheap anyway. If you haven't ever seen it, Roscos Light Steel Blue produces a really amazing cold and empty looking color (not blue at all really) thats closer to grey.

With or without color, I would also suggest focusing some lights (think of a couple focused on the airlock crossing each other), and diffusing others (a line of LEDs pointing down from the top of the case heavily diffused would really bring out all the work you have done on those side panels). American Science and Surplus (Edmund Scientifics surplus store) sells small lenses quite cheap...Edmund Industrial Optics sells very specific, high quality lenses. Using two tubes of slightly differing diameter and a lens at the end, you could easily create a very focused light from anywhere you wanted. For the diffuse light, a combination of a lenticular and fresnel lens would not only look really cool with the lenticular on the outside (look cool when the light is off) but with several from different vantage points, would add some really 'mysterious' shadows. I have *tons* of square feet of lenticular and fresnel sheets I would be glad to send you if you wanted to try it out.

So those are just a few thoughts on exterior lighting for you to mull over, I could go into *way* more detail, but I dont want to have my own page ;¬)

Feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions, I have done quite a bit of lighting work in my day :D
 
Gren, that is some outstanding linkage and ideas for lighting--coming from a film industry background myself, the Rosco CineGels are right on target for this type of mod. i will prolly be making a few miniature snoots, cucoloris and assorted cookies (watch as the people go googling for those last 3 refferences) for the lighting. I would love to have a laser light that projects a UAC logo on the ceiling. ;) I'll get off my apple and shut up now.

Rock on man, excellent post.

I'll PM you my address and Fedex # for the lents and fresnels pieces--thanks a bunch.
 
Just another quick thought....since you are using several layers on your window (I think you are anyway....) it might be cool to slap a couple sheets of diffraction grating in between some of the layers above (in front of) the etch (the finer grooved sheets are not only cheaper, but produce better effects).

It looks *really* cool if you layer the grating at 45º angles on top of itself...it wouldn't do much with the red ccfl you'll be using other than to soften the etch a little (making it look more like the glow of the original image), but if you do indeed put in several strobes (going at different rates of course) that would really add a tremendous effect to your window and punch up the 'wow' factor. You could even make the window a touch bigger than the frame (if it isn't already) and drill a few small holes for LEDs around the edge and run them off a controller to strobe/chase/pulse etc....

Also, have you thought of using any red EL rope? If you bundle it up on itself (making a repeating loop) and slide that into a short clear tube it gives a really nice 'veiny' look...add some frost or mars dirt on top and it would look sweet.

Can't wait to see the finished product...keep blazing the trails brother.
 
Lothar the Lotharian said:
I'm uploading a vector UAC logo to your website. Hope you find it of use.
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what you've done so far is so incredibly cool that I have to go potty now. I will post all the work you've done so far on the image thread when I get a sec.
 
Well, the john will be happy to know that the frontend animation is complete, excepting transition, which I will do once I have the main screen ready.

Posted as swf, I'll try to build a gif version for all to see.

DONE. Warning, due to Flash's force-to-web, it's grainy. Please be assured that the app will be clear as a bell, due to the fact that it's 100% vector.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/manager/getimg.php?image=/Testing.gif
 
The chainsaw with the red lighting looks awesome. I especially love the painting detail you've put into it. I like the previous sugestion of a flashlight with the chainsaw but not necessarily on the grill with it. Perhaps have a white beam of light crossing the chainsaw as if it were the flashlight.
 
Recently, I tried to contribute to mashie's project, and failed horribly...
My suggestions are frequently ignored but, perhaps you would embrace my endeavor in your current project... considering it's potential for tomorrow's water cooling's direction.

I suggested to mashie that he might benefit from using to substances of different density inorder to create a less monotoness coloration effect... For instance filling your resivoir with both dyed water and a sort of oil, inorder to prevent dissolution of the colors, and inturn create a liquid substance with a strong visual effect. Also the desired achievment of water cooling is heat dissipation, through transfer of heat conductivity, so as a result, a more conductive substance, such as oil, would create possibly a more efficent liquid cooling system.

sorry for the lack of coherrency, but please take into perspective atleast the desire to contribute
 
Metahedronox said:
I suggested to mashie that he might benefit from using to substances of different density inorder to create a less monotoness coloration effect... For instance filling your resivoir with both dyed water and a sort of oil, inorder to prevent dissolution of the colors, and inturn create a liquid substance with a strong visual effect. Also the desired achievment of water cooling is heat dissipation, through transfer of heat conductivity, so as a result, a more conductive substance, such as oil, would create possibly a more efficent liquid cooling system.
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That's a pretty interesting idea...I wonder if anyone has tried it?

I could see several issues to be feared...how well to pumps handle viscous fluids? Might not oil coat the insides of the water blocks (thereby reducing the contact and conductivity of the cooling solution)? Possibly 'cook' the oil as to make it change color? Long term reactions and color shifts of the tubing in question would have to be looked at, not to mention reactions with the metallic and other plastic components of the cooling system. The possibility of viscous fluids 'falling' into low laying parts of the system...possibly blocking flow. Parts cleaning would also be a real bother during experimentation...tho with the right chemicals, not so bad.

I am not detracting at all mind you, I think this would be neat. Quite often at work we use a combination of Vegetable Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup and Condensed Food Coloring to produce the effect you are talking about...tho that mix wouldnt work at all for cooling!

Something that might be cool to try would be the use of Glycol Stearate or Glycol Distearate...its the 'pearly' additive to a lot of soaps and shampoos used today...look for it on the label and look for the pearliest looking stuff you can find. Again, this would probably cause issues with the water pump (I can see frothy bubbles spewing out of fittings now), not to mention heat forcing the solution to emulsify (tho this is great stuff to make lamps out of!).

Glycerine would be the best candidate imho to mix with a water cooling solution (good repulsion from water, holds up well to heat, retains color without 'bleeding') or maybe Trichloroethylene, so many chemicals to choose from! I imagine it would be a very messy endeavor, but could change the face of water cooling effects! I would gladly lend a hand to anyone willing to try this...I have access to all manner of wonky chemicals and am quite familiar with all their properties, unfortunately, I am unable to do this kind of thing myself...

gren lacks funding.

If anyone was willing to donate the parts (/me looks around for water cooling company reps), I would be more than happy to setup a worklog and do some serious studies in the lab...let me know and I'll write up an abstract for ye ;¬)


sorry for the lack of coherency, but please take into perspective at least the desire to contribute
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pfffft to that meth...the best ideas are rarely coherent, instead they are the source from which future research is born. No one said it would be easy (just take a look at the amount of time and effort Crimson is putting into his case), but you have a goal, which is all you need. So if anyone wanted to do this, the technology would be best debuted in a case as beautiful as Crimsons is shaping up to be :)
 
I've seen the idea of water repeling solids being introduced into the water system for effects mentioned on a few threads. Gren was right on the point that the impeller in a pump is designed for the weight and viscosity of distilled water--mineral free and very soft. There are several reasons why "colored oil" would not work.

*while it may seem like you'll see globs of colored oil being forced through clear tubes, in reality the pump's impeller simply breaks them up.into fine particles.

*secondly, the oil would quickly stain and coat the entire system, metal surfaces and plastic. What you think are smooth surfaces are actually not at all--on a microscopic level. This coating may have an adverse effect on waterblocks, and in the very least have no visual effect at all.

Until there is a tested method to creating water effects using oil, it's not a good idea to experiment on expensive equipment at home...for me anyway :D Overclockers and enthusiasts have worked tirelessly in getting watercooling inside PC's to a level where its's reliable and safe--I'm just not that learned in the dynamics of it all- :p

p.s. Glycerine is water soluble :D
 
Another componentI haven't seen incorporated into a case yet (tho I am sure someone has tried it, I just haven't seen it) is dry ice. It's easily gotten in pellet form (they are ~2x.5") and if you slotted one above your door before opening, would make an excellent 'fog' (not smoke!) effect as the door turbulence swirled it out and it rolled over the bottom.

Pros: Easy to obtain, cheap, safe (in a non-depositing fog effect way)
Cons: Not safe (on the skin!), constant replenishment required (good for one shot presentations tho)
 
gren said:
Another componentI haven't seen incorporated into a case yet (tho I am sure someone has tried it, I just haven't seen it) is dry ice. It's easily gotten in pellet form (they are ~2x.5") and if you slotted one above your door before opening, would make an excellent 'fog' (not smoke!) effect as the door turbulence swirled it out and it rolled over the bottom.

Pros: Easy to obtain, cheap, safe (in a non-depositing fog effect way)
Cons: Not safe (on the skin!), constant replenishment required (good for one shot presentations tho)
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That's..a little bit too "haunted house" for me--besides the 120mm fan on startup would whisk away (and suck into the case) any vapor whatsoevr.
 
CrimsonSky said:
besides the 120mm fan on startup would whisk away (and suck into the case) any vapor whatsoevr.
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True, I was just gonna say that......good idea though
 
I was wondering if you had ever considered using fiber optic cable for some if the lighting effects? When I walk through the levels of Doom 3, I'm always amazed at the detail work put into the levels, things like access panels slightly ajar where you can see tiny lights for some unknown equipment inside. That kind of thing has always impressed me. I'm thinking you could have just a few different colored LEDs hidden somewhere in the case, and can easily run some thin FO cable to different control panels throughout the case. Tiny points of light accenting dark corners are really cool. :)

-Brannil
 
I dont know if your going to able to see any of the components inside but if you are able to you may one to consider making your own rounded IDE cables and while you are sheathing them in some places throughout the cable bunch some together >so they look like they have partatlly pulled out< I know I'm probably not describing this well enough but you see wires hanging from the ceiling and various places throughout doom so this may add to the ambiance >and I chould mock one up for you if you'd like.
 
Hey CrimsonSky, what an amazing mod...this is the kind of thing I think of when I think 'case modding', and the kind of thing I wish I had the time for...

I have a couple of ideas for you:

1. Why not do all the plumbing with copper pipes? That way you can airbrush them to fit the mod, they'd be 3D, and functional too. Plud, I've never seen a watercooled righ with copper plumbing; everyone seems to love tygon.

2. Around the 'crown moulding' why not have LED's spaced at intervals shining down onto the sides of the case? Similar to eaves lighting I've seen on some houses in my neighbourhood. If you want a pic to visualize what I'm talking about, I'd be glad to oblige.

Excellent work!

(my apologies if these suggestions have been made already; I've only read up to page 34 so far)
 
pimp_joose said:
Hey CrimsonSky, what an amazing mod...this is the kind of thing I think of when I think 'case modding', and the kind of thing I wish I had the time for...

I have a couple of ideas for you:

1. Why not do all the plumbing with copper pipes? That way you can airbrush them to fit the mod, they'd be 3D, and functional too. Plud, I've never seen a watercooled righ with copper plumbing; everyone seems to love tygon.

2. Around the 'crown moulding' why not have LED's spaced at intervals shining down onto the sides of the case? Similar to eaves lighting I've seen on some houses in my neighbourhood. If you want a pic to visualize what I'm talking about, I'd be glad to oblige.

Excellent work!

(my apologies if these suggestions have been made already; I've only read up to page 34 so far)
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hey thanks for the ideas, they are appreciated. i do plan to put some -down-lighting- from the top of the crown structure onto the base and martian landscape--I think its mentioned by me in the thread somewhere--even I lost track.

As far as copper for all the plumbing--not a great idea for several reasons--it would require utmost and exacting alignment and then brazing--yeah we've seen copper in overclocked rigs before but they were for the most part experimental and not long term- secondly, one bad shock or accidentily hitting a pipe could very easily chip and destroy a cpu or vpu die--even if the blocks are as secure as can be--most of them use springs for hold-downs.
 
CrimsonSky said:
hey thanks for the ideas, they are appreciated. i do plan to put some -down-lighting- from the top of the crown structure onto the base and martian landscape--I think its mentioned by me in the thread somewhere--even I lost track.

As far as copper for all the plumbing--not a great idea for several reasons--it would require utmost and exacting alignment and then brazing--yeah we've seen copper in overclocked rigs before but they were for the most part experimental and not long term- secondly, one bad shock or accidentily hitting a pipe could very easily chip and destroy a cpu or vpu die--even if the blocks are as secure as can be--most of them use springs for hold-downs.
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My 9800 PRO is a good example of slight rocking chipping the VPU.

Also I blieve mashie tried copper piping before in syrninix mod and it was more hassle than oit was worth, though if I recall correctly he did copper bends and then normal tubing.
 
Crimson,
I found an alternate slolution to water repelling solids if you are still looking for something to give the cooling hoses a nice effect. Link below:

http://www.riskreactor.com/Data_She...Water_Based_Fluorescent_UV_Blacklight_Dye.htm

It is for a site that sells UV dye. You could get a blue/red dye and place a UV light behind the hoses. That way you will get an effect like in the photos you posted. :D

The data sheet said it was safe for case mods and is 100% water soluble and anionic so it should work well with demineralized or distilled water.
 
I kind of like the copper pipe idea. yeah there are some risks, but you can minimize them I think. Don't copper the ENTIRE loop, just do most of it, and connect the pipe to your blocks and pump and res., etc witha short piece of your tubing of choice. This'll cut down on the vibrations from the pump that would otherwise be present with an entire copper system and would slightly cut down on the danger of hitting the pipe and rocking a block. you could always use tubing 'joints' so to say, so you could take it apart in pieces. of course, if the goal would be to paint it, pvc pipe seems like it'd be much easier to work with :)
 
about the chainsaw fan grill... i think you should put some mesh behind it....
 
Sod the mesh, take a few fingers off with the fan blades, i mean chainsaw :D

give it a real blood spattering
 
554 said:
Sod the mesh, take a few fingers off with the fan blades, i mean chainsaw :D

give it a real blood spattering
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Yeah the mesh isnt painted yet--nor is the frame that holds it ;)
 
CrimsonSky said:
You must mean a dif kind of mesh cause I see mesh on it already :confused:
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what mesh ???? :confused: :confused: post the pic again i didnt see mesh... and dont forget to paint some blood on the fans... especially if u bought crome fans o_O :eek:
 
Crimson, you sir are the Mod God.

You've changed my personal definition of what modding is. Keep up the good work.
 
I've been watching this for awhile now, and all i can say it holy ****. What materials are u using for this? Are you fiberglassing anything? When are more pics gonna be up, i can't stand not seeing this thing! heh
 
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