Particle_AlienEnergyThrust

This is my first particle for my Area 51 map. It is an energy thrust that will go on my Mother Ship. 

Here is a little insight into what I put into it just in case anyone wants to know. The middle is a combination of two particle sub UV's in a linear blend to give it a hot core. There are two types of rings, one is just a texture, and the other is a static mesh. Lastly I encased it all in a static mesh with distortion and a panning green swirl on the outside to add a little more interest and make it look like it's distorting both itself and the air around it.  

This is the close up. 

Particles

For my racing level I will need at least two particles. The first will be an alien energy thrust that I can put on my mothership. The second will be an electrical arch that will be stemming from the objects I place in the mothership. 

Here are some you tube videos I found on plasma. I want the energy thrust to look plasma-like, and these videos come the closest to what I am looking for that actually exists!

Plasma1

Plasma2

Plasma3 

As for other reference, I will be using a particle system that comes with UDK3 as a guide to create my particle. Theirs does not have the look I want but the behavior is simular.  

As for the electric arc, These are the videos I found to use for reference. 

Electric Arc

Tesla1

Tesla2

I also found 2 particle systems in UDK3 that I believe can help me achieve the look I am going for. their behavior is not quite what I want, but I plan to achieve that by using sprite animation.

Crates

This is my design ideas for my human and Alien Crates. The Alien crate will be able to explode, and leave a glowing alien symbol as a collectible. The symbol will be the same as the writing on the alien crate, and the holograms from the Alien Barrels. 

Barrels!

For my programming class we are now required to have barrels in our level. Since I have an Area 51 theme I have decided to create one "normal" barrel, and one alien barrel to go in the mother ship. 

These are the concept designs I cam up with for the two. I roughly blocked out their shaped in Maya, and added some textures in Photoshop to convey the feel I'm going for. I'm going for a stereotypical alien feel. I threw in some green lights to block out my grey box, and the whole cheesy alien look stuck with me. I have a flying saucer, and a tractor beam too! 

Racing Intros

This is from my favorite racing game splashdown. It was hard to find an intro where it would show you the before track but the video right before game play shows you a preview before the track. That was one of my favorite things, that they would show you a preview of the stunts and I plan to do that with  y own level. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OGrtJmNy0Y 

Alien Ami low Polly

This is my low poly Character before I take it into z-Brush. I could not make her an "Alien" because the project calls for us to create humans, but I will be adding in trinkets of alien looking technology on her face and right arm. As well as some cool glowing alien tattoos. 

Now on to Z-Brush!

Area 51 Grey Box Completed!

The Grey Box is finished!

So far you start inside of a plateau, go down a ramp and over a small jump. Next you spiral up another plateau, and go down another ramp to gain some speed for the loop-de-loop. I used both physics and speed and force actors to keep you on it. Next you go up a ramp and fly into the alien mother ship! After you escape the ship you ride some elevators up to the starting plateau. 

The second lap takes you through the research facilities (above ground) and then underground to the alien holding tanks and a spiral down to and s curve. (the picture below is the wire frame of this part of the track). Next, you escape the alien holding area by being lifted by a ship's tractor beam back onto the track above ground. You then drive back to the elevators and complete lap one a second time.